Erick's consciousness came and went.
The stab he had received from one of his attackers appeared to have been quite deep.
'Shit... Am I really going to die in this alley? Without even coming home?'
The young man felt like he was sleeping and waking up, time after time.
Despite everything he had been through, Erick was still human, and he didn't feel capable of surviving a stab wound.
As if that incident wasn't enough, he was seeing things.
'Who what? Am I seeing myself before me? Shit... I think-'
erick was unable to continue the thought, his consciousness plunging deeper and deeper into darkness, while not even the sensation of his body hitting the cold, damp concrete floor of that alley passed through his nerves.
***
When Erick woke up, scared and trying to understand where he was, he tried to get up with a start, but a pair of strong hands kept him pressed against the mattress.
"Stay still, otherwise the stitches will open."
Only then did a faint sigh emerge from his lips.
"Where... Where am I?" Erick asked, looking at the person looming over him.
Little by little, his vision came into focus, and then, his eyes widened in surprise.
"I died?"
The young man holding Erick's shoulders let out a loud laugh.
"Not even!" He smiled. "I also thought I was going crazy when I saw you in the alley. You're..."
"Just like me..." Erick said, his voice full of delirium.
Suddenly, his eyes widened again. "What about the men who were chasing me?"
The young man laughed again.
"Don't worry, they'll wake up tomorrow with a huge headache, in that alley. Nobody knows we're here. Except the motel owner, in this case."
"Ah..." Erick laughed, weakly, deliriously. "This can only be a dream..."
With that, Erick passed out again, losing himself in the darkness of unconsciousness.
***
"Come on, man... Don't you die on me, man! With a suit like that, if I can save you, the reward will be enough to... For me to get out of this shitty life." Johan said, checking the wound he had closed on his twin's torso.
'No... Twin sounds really weird. Because I know I'm an only child. Doppelganger, perhaps?' Johan thought, laughing nervously.
He carefully sifted through the varied knowledge in his mind, and tried to remember what medicines were needed to treat a stab wound.
When he managed to remember, he was a little calmer.
The man on the bed was breathing calmly, clearly asleep.
"Okay, it was just a faint. Less bad..." Johan let out a heavy, anxious sigh. "Okay, first things first... I can't go around with this guy's credit card in those clothes..."
Of course, Johan had gone through the man's belongings, after finishing the initial care for his wound.
There was a diamond credit card in the wallet, and a driver's license with a photo that appeared to be from a few years ago, and that was it.
When Johan looked at the photo of the document, a chill ran down his spine.
That Erick was 'really' like him...
Even when he was younger, all his features, apart from his crooked smile - which certainly made women go crazy for him - were identical to Johan's.
Thinking a little more, trying not to focus on the frightening similarity between them, Johan took Erick's jacket, and checked the inside pocket.
"Ah, now yes."
A very thin folding wallet was hidden in the inside pocket of the jacket. Inside it, a few awful lot of bills.
"I won't have to worry about someone asking where I got the card." Johan smirked.
The pharmacy cashier frowned when she saw Johan buying that amount of medicine, but didn't ask any questions.
Money is money, after all.
And money is what dictates the rules of society.
Johan learned this lesson the hard way even before he became homeless.
At the age of seven, when he was abandoned by his mother, who had married a rich man and stripped Johan of everything and anything a child could need, including a roof over his head.
"No one needs a useless person like you, Johan."
Those had been the last words little Johan had heard from his mother, and since then, before learning the meaning of kindness, he had grown up on the streets, in malice and violence.
In places where the strongest could feed themselves, and the weakest had to fight each other for the remains.
Shaking his head, Johan woke up from his reverie, picked up the bag with the medicines, and left the pharmacy, returning to the motel.
Erick was still asleep, breathing steadily.
With a sigh of relief, Johan sat down on the floor, opening a bag of chips and throwing one after another into his mouth.
"I need to be awake when this guy wakes up, but holy shit... I'm so tired..."
One fry after another, Johan felt his eyes getting heavy.
And when he realized it, it was night outside.
And Erick was sitting on the bed, looking at him.
"I thought I was dreaming, but you really are just like me... Except for the stubble, the tired eyes, and the disheveled hair." Erick said, without taking his eyes off Johan.
"The street does this to us." Johan smirked. "How are you feeling?"
Erick took a deep breath, grimacing.
"As if I'd been stabbed." A slightly mischievous smile appeared on his lips. "Why did you save me?"
The question made Johan frown and grimace.
There were situations in which the young man resorted to lies to get away with it, or to gain something.
In that moment, however, Johan chose the truth.
"Looking at your suit, I thought you might give me a generous reward for saving your life..."
However, something in the sparkle in Erick's eyes made Johan feel a chill.
Erick seemed to fall into deep thought for a few moments. Then he looked back at Johan, and asked, with a hint of curiosity in his voice.
"You do not know who i am?"
Johan raised an eyebrow.
"I should know?"
Eric scoffed.
"No... I don't think so. You said you wanted a reward, right?"
Johan's eyes shone, remembering how much money he had in the young man's folding wallet, and he nodded his head.
"Um... A reward..."
That same mischievous gleam from before returned to Erick's eyes, sending shivers down Johan's spine once again. "I think I have something better than that for you... An offer that will change your life..."