Fractured Realities

Walking on the road with my thoughts and problems in my life I thought, why can’t life be normal? And the thought just hit me, what is normal? Looking at people around me I realized that everything is normal. The people surviving on just enough food is normal for them, the people whose beloved ones are in hospital, maybe it is normal for them too, and the people who live in miserable places like prison or worse, it is normal for them too.

Hey! It’s Adrian Ambrose, and my normal is I am suffering with DID. DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) is a disorder in which a single mind and body contains multiple personalities/identities, that’s what I know about.

I got my parents but I never saw my dad working, he is someone who likes to command around and make others work for him. But when no one is left to follow him, he just goes around and borrows some money to feed the family.

And here is my mom, she loves me a lot for being a single child, but she never learnt about my multiple personalities. Maybe love really is blind.

Let’s talk about my personalities, I call them my splits. I know some of them, had to record myself to learn about my other selves, wow what a normal life.

So one is a smart one. He likes to solve problems and helps me find solutions that I can’t figure out myself. Let’s just call him “Sage”.

And one of them is a total mystery. I was never able to learn what he really wants, to be honest he creeps me out, we call him “Cipher”.

While I hear some voices in my head also, I call them echos, I hate them, these echos just distract me from whatever I am doing, and it happens most when it is an important time. That’s one of the reasons I was never able to stay in a long term relationship.

I thought it was normal for everyone to have these echos, but watching movies and tv shows made me realise that none of them showed such things.

After so many breakups and rejection from a good number of jobs, I thought to go look for a doctor and I found one, But that was pretty far from where I stayed.

I also preferred that way, I didn’t want anyone to know about it, it seemed embarrassing to me. I tried a couple of phycologists that could help me with my thoughts but after every few sessions they just stopped responding to me. I don’t know what was wrong with me, they just stopped responding to my calls.

But I had to know how to keep myself sane, and that’s why I gave another try. Another doctor, another clinic and I made it act like It was the first time of my session, Didn’t really want the image that every other doctor just runs away from me, and that’s where I saw her.

She looked beautiful in that doctor coat with pony tail hair. For a moment I got worried that, would I be even able to even speak?

But here I got my courage and sat on the couch that was in front of her, as I did with others. I tried explaining to her about my condition, and damn she was smart. I don’t know that time went too fast and I just got good at explaining but she learnt exactly what I was going through.

She asked Adrian to take some more sessions that will help them build trust while Adrian was instructed to take some medications.

It just got an every day routine for Adrian to do some work and visit the doctor for 1 hour session. Every single day, Adrian used to wait for that one hour where he could meet someone who was willing to and did understand me.

— Wait! Why I am taking as third person, I guess my other spilt has taken over —

Hey Again! I am Sage, I know how to solve every problem except how to kick these people out of my head. I hate to give them my time whenever they take over me. Adrian thinks that he is real because I have another name then this world calls me. Yet they dont know it’s what I like to call myself, everyone likes to call themselves by a different name, that’s what makes them real. Isn’t it?

So I am someone without whom none of my spilt can survive, I keep my room organized, so everyone can find anything any time, I do all the homework, and I am the one who is willing to keep everyone safe and also feed them using my intellectual skills in a business, but whenever I start one i face loss, you know why? Because my splits just use all my merchandise according to their needs and doesn’t give me control.

I just hate them all, it’s better finally I got someone who doesn’t stop responding to me after i like her. But I know she has a boyfriend, you know how?

She works in an amazing hospital, and carries branded glasses, with the latest design of a branded purse. The bracelet in her wrist and the shoes she wears must all cost thousands of dollars, yet she wears a simple ring with the scratches on it, probably a gift from someone she loves. Ah! I love how smart I am!

So back to the story, she started figuring out my triggering points, sounds like a joke to me, I was never able to figure that out, how can she?

But I will let her do her work. Before that I want all her attention. This means I have to take care of that ugly ring.

“Hey Adrian! Hello! I want you to ask her about her current relationship”

Adrian smacks his head to stop the echos, and said “sorry, just stupid echos in head”

Doc was curious, so she asked Adrian to let her know about whatever Adrian was listening to in his echo. Adrian reluctantly said, “It’s nothing, that stupid person is asking about your current relationship”.

Doc Giggled and said “oh I have a boyfriend and we are soon to be engaged”.

When Adrian fell for her smile, Sage was angry at that person with whom Doc was going to spend her life.As Adrian struggled to navigate the intrusive echos in his mind, the session continued with the doctor’s curiosity of Adrian’s internal dialogue.

With a gentle smile, the doctor encouraged Adrian to share more about the voice he was hearing. Despite his initial reluctance, Adrian hesitantly explained the situation, feeling embarrassed by the intrusion of his alters into the session.

Observing Adrian’s discomfort, the doctor maintained a calm and nonjudgmental demeanor, assuring him that his experiences were valid and worthy of exploration. She expressed genuine interest in understanding the complexities of his condition, recognizing that each alter represented a unique aspect of Adrian’s identity.

As the conversation turned towards the topic of relationships, Adrian found himself drawn to the doctor’s warmth and authenticity. Her disclosure about her own relationship status stirred conflicting emotions within him, evoking a mixture of admiration and envy from Sage, who resented the doctor’s existing connection with someone else.

Despite Sage’s inner turmoil, Adrian felt a sense of gratitude towards the doctor for her honesty and transparency. Her willingness to share personal details of her life made Adrian feel seen and understood in a way he had never experienced before.

With a bunch of more sessions, Adrian got close to him, and the next day he woke up, he learned he had skipped a day, and the confusing part was he got up at doc’s bed..

Yeah I was out the previous day . The real sage was out. I so wanted to talk to the doc, but more than that, I wanted to take care of some things.

Sage’s calculations indicated that Adrian and the doctor had developed a close friendship, but Sage desired more than mere friendship. He felt compelled to address the presence of the doctor’s boyfriend, Brian Rook, whom she had mentioned in passing.

Cracking his neck in determination, Sage embarked on a mission to uncover information about Brian online. Through meticulous social media stalking, Sage gathered sufficient details about Brian, including his connections and interactions with other women.

Feeling a sense of vindication, Sage decided it was time to take action. Donning his signature black coat, he prepared to manipulate the situation to his advantage.

Utilizing his hacking skills, Sage intercepted Brian’s phone and sent a message to one of the women he was close with, pretending to be Brian expressing his desire to meet her privately. The woman responded positively, unaware of Sage’s ruse.

With the first step accomplished, Sage cloned the woman’s phone and used it to lure Brian to a secluded location under the guise of fulfilling their mutual desires.

As evening fell, Brian and the woman met, each believing the other had initiated the encounter, while Sage watched from the shadows, satisfied with the success of his manipulation.

The time passed and Sage was able to capture the pictures of them as a proof that the one Doc is thinking to spend her life with is a wrong person.

With enough proof, sage took the pictures to the Doc’s house. Being close friends now she invited Adrian inside her house, unaware about the sage.

Sage entered her house feeling all the happiness he could disguising as Adrian, and started explaining about how her boyfriend is the wrong person to be with.

But when she was not willing to believe it, Sage got no other choice but to show the proof. The emotion overcame her, realizing how her life had been shattered and her trust betrayed by someone she had loved. Tears streamed down her face as she grappled with the devastating truth.

As the weight of the evidence sank in, the doctor’s shoulders slumped, her tears falling freely. Sage watched her anguish with a mixture of satisfaction and sympathy. Sensing her vulnerability, he moved closer, his heart pounding with anticipation.

In a moment of weakness, the doctor looked up at Sage, her eyes brimming with tears and confusion. Before she could react, Sage gently cupped her face in his hands, his touch surprisingly tender.

“Doc,” he whispered, his voice laced with a mixture of empathy and desire, “I’m here for you. You deserve so much better than him.”

Feeling her resistance waning, Sage leaned in closer, his lips brushing against hers in a tender caress. At first, the doctor stiffened, her mind reeling with conflicting emotions. But as Sage continued to kiss her, his warmth enveloping her, she found herself yielding to the moment.

In that fleeting instant, all the pain and betrayal faded away, replaced by a raw, unspoken connection between them. Lost in the intensity of the moment, they surrendered to the passion that had been building between them, their kiss deepening with each passing second.

For Sage, it was a calculated move, exploiting the doctor’s vulnerability to fulfill his own desires. But for the doctor, it was a moment of solace amidst the chaos, a brief respite from the heartache and betrayal that had clouded her world.

As their lips finally parted, she looked up at Sage, her eyes clouded with confusion and desire, unsure of what the future held but grateful for the fleeting moment of comfort he had provided.

And in that moment, the boundaries between them blurred, leaving them both wondering where the lines of friendship ended and something more began.

After successfully executing his plan, sage was proud of himself, when he slept with her.

The moment Adrian woke he was struggling to understand what was going on and what just happened, looking at Doc beside her almost without clothes, he understood a part of sage did. Which he didn’t find right.

He went straight to the restroom where he confronted himself in the mirror asking what sage did.

“What do you do?” Asked Adrian. “Tell me! What the hell did you do? She was going to get engaged”

“Take a chill pill my boy, I just did what you should’ve done a long time ago”, Said Sage from the mirror, “I just told her the one she is going to be with is not the right person”.

“And you are? You are not even a real man, how can you do that to her?” Adrian said with frustration, “She deserves to be with a person who belongs to her, you dont know yourself, how long you can stay out”.

Doc called from outside “Adrian, are you here?” Adrian went out and the moment they faced each other, tension and confusion built. Adrian wanted to reveal the truth about how sage took over, but Doc just hugged him and thanked him for saving her. Adrian couldn’t resist and wrapped his arms around her saying “I will do anything for you”.

The warmth of Adrian was real, but the credit of all sage’s work was going again to Adrian. Sage never bothered that, but since it was from someone he liked, it frustrated him.

He did all he could to take over again and succeed. “I want him to pay for what he did to you”, Sage said.Doc hesitated and said I just want to forget him and whatever he did. “Yet, you have to pay him the last visit, in order to really end things”. Sage asked to confirm the nature of Doc’s relationship.

Sage was getting frustrated with every passing day, he was not able to handle it. Despite Adrian’s attempts to suppress his alter’s emotions, Sage’s anger festered beneath the surface, fueling his desire for revenge.

One evening, as Adrian sat alone in his room, Sage seized control, his mind consumed by thoughts of retribution. With a chilling determination, he plotted his next move, his rage blinding him to the consequences of his actions.

Without hesitation, Sage set his plan into motion. He tracked Brian’s movements, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. When the moment finally arrived, Sage sprung into action, his mind clouded by a singular purpose: to rid of the man who had caused him so much pain.

With calculated precision, Sage cornered Brian in a secluded alleyway, his hands trembling with rage as he confronted the unsuspecting man. In a fit of fury, Sage lashed out, he had a brick in his hand, that he started raining down on Brian with a ferocity born of years of pent-up anger and frustration.

As Brian crumpled to the ground, blood pooling around him, Sage’s rage reached its peak. With a primal roar, he delivered a final, fatal blow, his mind consumed by a violent frenzy.

As the reality of what he had done began to sink in, Sage felt a cold sense of satisfaction wash over him. In that moment of violence, he had exacted his revenge, avenging Adrian’s pain and reclaiming control of their shared existence.

As the adrenaline surged through him and the full weight of his actions hit Adrian, a wave of remorse washed over him like a tidal wave. What had he done? How could he have allowed his anger to consume him so completely?

In a desperate bid to reclaim control, Adrian fought to suppress Sage’s overwhelming presence. With a trembling hand, he reached for his phone and dialed the only person he could think of: the doctor.

His voice cracked with emotion as he poured out his anguish, tears streaming down his face as he confessed to the doctor what he had done. In his weakest moment, he begged for her help, unable to bear the weight of his guilt alone.

With a mixture of shock and concern, the doctor rushed to the dark location Adrian had described, her heart pounding with dread as she approached the scene of the crime.

As she arrived, she was met with a chilling sight: the aftermath of Sage’s violent outburst lay strewn before her, a stark reminder of the darkness that lurked within Adrian’s fractured psyche.

Stunned into silence, the doctor struggled to comprehend the horror that had unfolded before her eyes. In that moment, she realized the true extent of Adrian’s struggles, and the depths of his pain.

With a heavy heart, she reached out to Adrian, offering him the comfort and support he so desperately needed in the wake of his actions. And as they stood together in the darkness, surrounded by the wreckage of Sage’s rage, they both knew that their journey was far from over. But with each other by their side, they were determined to face whatever challenges lay ahead, no matter how daunting they may seem.

However, Doc thought of contacting the police, as there is a law on such crimes for special persons like Adrian. But Adrian didn’t want that. All he wanted was her help to hide the body, and get away from it.

Doc had the soft corner for Adrian and didn’t want him to suffer any consequences, as a result she used her medical expertise to hide the body.“First we need to know what connects the murder with us,” Doc said.“There is nothing much, Sage was wearing gloves and the brick he was hitting with is into pieces. Moreover the body also seems unrecognizable as his face is ruined with all the smashing.”

“No!” Doc said, “it is easy to identify who the person is by his fingerprints, DNA and dental records. So it is still possible that whoever will find him will find out who the hell he is”.

Things were nothing less than a burden, and in that unexpected moment, Adrian switched into someone different than sage and himself. “Look sweetheart, I can assure you that no one will be able to find him if you work according to me”.

Doc was surprised at how Adrian was talking, later realizing he is not himself anymore. “What do you want me to do?” asked Doc.

“Nothing much, if someone asks you that you knew him, just let them know that you dumped him because of his cheating, and I will do the rest.”

Doc was surprised by the type of personality Adrian has in him, “what do you plan to do?”.

Adrian replied with a smirk ”I love it when someone cares for me, but if i share my plan with you, it won’t be my secret plan. However, I may need some of your pictures with Brian if I may.”

Doc was confused about what he had in his mind, still trusting his instinct he gave him pictures of her and brain’s intimate moments.

Adrian’s altar was full of anger but he wanted it in order to execute his plan. After a few days there was news on tv that Brian’s body was discovered and one of his girlfriends was arrested for the murder.

Doc was surprised on how this possibly could happen, when the video of her was actually played hitting brian with brick the same way she was told by Adrian.

She instantly called Adrian to learn what’s going on, but he himself didn’t know as he was not the one active in those moments, yet he still believes it is not possible as he remembers the glimpse of the sage actually doing it.

It was too confusing but they needed to learn the truth about what was going on. So Doc called Adrian at her house to learn about the matter.

They both were confused when doc thought of hypnosis therapy that can unlock his altars memories to him also.

They started the process, and put adrian in deep sleep when he saw the glimpse of hitting the same way unable to see his face they both put more focus to learn what it was and he was thrown into even past memories, when he was bullied as a childhood and used to accept all the punches on the face. He was too quiet at that time.

“Wait ! I don’t remember this part” While he was bullied, only one girl always came to save her. He feels something for her, but he doesn’t remember her as well.

“Who is she?” Adrian started asking, “and when did this all happen?” sage came forward and replied, “it’s my memories, I was the one who actually grew up until you took over.”

“What do you mean?” Adrian fell over his knees releasing the truth “I am an altar” Sage chuckled and said, “Hey you are something good to me, even though i didn’t want to be adrian, but you did, you are a real person adrian”.

“Who is that girl?” Adrian asked. “She is someone” saying this sage opened his hand so he can support him to get up. When Adrian held his hand, the sage said. “Walk with me”, and they both took a step forward realizing they are traveling in memories.

And when they stepped forward they started traveling in memories of a sage where that pretty girl was on the floor bleeding out, and the sage was just sitting there being bullied by the remaining gang. None of them thought that she would end up dying, and that memory will be wiped out from Adrian’s mind.

They stepped forward again, where some officers were asking about who did it, and Adrian was confused about why he was even there. He was unable to identify the girl or any other member of brian’s gang. Looking closely he saw that the young girl with the brian is the same woman who was arrested today.

Even with all this it the murder mystery is still unsolved. So they took a step forward again to get into memory where the sage was attacking. Adrian could see himself throwing his arm again and again with the intention of ruining his face. That’s when Adrian got the glimpse of his face and learnt that the guy who sage actually killed was an orphan who joined the Brian’s gang at that time.

It wasn’t a rage attack, it was revenge from everyone who took away someone, who always came to rescue sage.

Sage never learnt her name, yet he had fallen for her, and the intentions were clear that he was taking revenge with those 5 people who were in the gang.

Sage said “4 down one to go, when he learnt that Doc was also a part of it”. He saw five members in the same school uniform there. Two of them were busy beating down Adrian while brian and the other two girls were there hugging Brian, while the girl who the sage used to praise was on the floor. And one of the girls who was hugging brian was none other than Doc itself.

Adrian rushed back to his body before sage could take over. The environment was tense and Doc was still unaware of what’s going on, when Adrian decided to run to the only place where he could keep Doc safe from himself.

When he got out of the city and got to his apartment, he sat down to relax and process whatever was going on. That’s when he got a parcel big enough to cover his front lawn.

I didn’t order anything, what is it? A shape of coffin made with colors of the same school uniform. Adrian got shocked, what is it?

On which the driver replied, A parcel of sage I believe, he accepted it but started panicking. What could it be? Adrian waited till the driver left his property and opened the box only to see that it is the same person who killed Brian and was arrested, giving him a glimpse of memories of paying some criminals to kill her when she got arrested and some corrupt police to mail her body here instead of a graveyard.

It was all planned. Adrian said, it was all my plan. I killed 4 people. Adrian was unable to handle himself for deaths he caused. Being all broken down he tried to call 911 but failed and called Doc instead. Saying “I am sorry for whatever I did” Doc got even more worried with all the tension and his breaking voice. She asked him about his location to get there, and Adrian was unable to handle himself and told her where he was.

Doc decided to be there, and asked if he needed something. Adrian was worried if he might do something to her, so he asked her to bring a gun as well as some anesthesia so he can be contained.

Doc understood what he was going through and decided to take some of that with her. The moment she reached there, she saw the coffin colored the same way her college uniform used to be, only to realize that she is the same lady who was killed in the prison.

Please give me that anesthesia, it’s harmful for me to stay conscious. I want to rest, please help me.

Doc stepped forward to help him out only to get betrayed. As soon as she reached him, Adrian grabbed her hand and put the syringe back in her arm to make her unconscious.

It’s been a few hours and Doc started getting conscious but her body was unable to move, it couldn’t be the effect of anesthesia, my body should at least move. And Doc started opening her eyes to see that she is neck buried and there are 5 more dead bodies besides her. She was only able to recognize one of them who was her college friend as well as a psychologist like her.

What’s Happening? Why am I here? What did I do to you?

Adrian/Sage was holding a shovel and walking around her, “you really don’t know what crime you committed? You were standing there while she was dying, and you were enjoying the moment with your beloved Brian in college.” Adrian rashed out angrily .

“What are you saying, I never dated him until college was over. I knew him but we never had a thing in college”. Doc tried to explain.

“Liar! How you human lies when you have to save your life. I still remember when my love was trying to fight for her life, you were covering Brian in your arms with your best friend here”.

“No! I would never do such a thing” That’s when Doc realized who Adrian actually is. “You are the boy who Brian used to bully a lot”.

Yes! That’s me and now you remember what you did with me? Now all five of you will be in hell together.

Doc tried to stop him while Adrian was attempting to swing the shovel to kill her, “wait! Listen to me, we weren’t doing anything. Brian had a best friend and a girlfriend, at that time, they were a 3 man squad.”

Adrian started getting a glimpse of memories of only 3 man squad laughing and bullying them.

Doc Continued

“At that time you were in rough shape, and she ran towards you just like every time, but she got hit by a car, being the medical students we were trying to get there but brian was holding us off to keep us away. Please remember.”

Things started clearing out even more, when he focused a bit more and learned they were actually struggling to move forward while Brian was keeping them away, and he was being treated by others but he always thought of being bullied, that memory replaced it with that.

No one killed your love, it was all an accident, Adrian was struggling to keep himself balanced, the time he spent so much on the only truth was actually a lie. The rage was getting out of himself. “Please Adrian! Listen to me” Doc said. Adrian Lost control and swung the shovel only to end her life too.

He had a plan of burning the heads with the flames of all five of them after ending them, but with this difference he was unable to do a thing. Yet he got up and started pouring the gasoline on their heads as well as on himself and started a flame.

The plan where he intentionally went to the only person he wanted to kill. Then kill an brain’s orphan friend so she can trust him enough as well as make her unsure about reality with two murders at the same location with the same pattern but different people. Enough to get her at Adrian’s farm house. And later get brian’s dead girlfriend, only to get his final dessert by killing Doc.

It has become easy these days to assume things, and believe a lie as a truth as well as dedicate a life to it. And that’s what Adrian did. Only to realize that what he saw was never the whole story.