The wind howled as the dusk stage of twilight was illuminated by the moonlight. Adonis walked to the local diner near his apartment for dinner. He doesn’t usually go out for dinner often, but he was in the mood tonight. It was an eerie and slow night in Miami. He approached the diner anticipating eating, he was very hungry. Two steps into the diner through the front door, now all eyes were on him. He felt their judgement piercing through his soul by the pupils of their eyes all locked on to him. He was pretty used to this by now, so he quietly walked up to the cashier. He could hear the whispers and murmurs under people’s breath, but could barely make out what they were saying. A couple of ladies sitting in the last booth are pointing at him and giggling with red faces. Now it was starting to bother him.

“Go ask him!” one of the ladies says to her friend.

“I’m nervous. I don’t think I can,” the friend admits. They all looked anxious, as if all their hearts sank into their stomach right then and there.

Adonis looked around a bit more puzzled to still see people staring. He usually gets a lot of attention because of how attractive he is, but instead of brushing it off and not caring, he got pretty ticked off and started losing his appetite. Adonis turned around to walk out of the diner, but as he put his hands up to push the door, he heard a woman's voice.

“Wait, don’t go!” Anything could annoy him at this point, but the voice was rather captivating and soothing, the voice of an angel. He quickly glances and turns around to spot one of the most beautiful females he’s ever laid his eyes on.

“Hey, why are you leaving? You just got here.” The woman said.

“I uh, I’m not rea- really that hungry anymore,” Adonis said as he stuttered. He was utterly lost in his head.

I never stutter, I’m never nervous for anyone or anything, WHY am I feeling like this?? Adonis thought to himself.

“Then why did you walk in here in the first place?” The woman questioned.

I can’t tell if she’s genuinely angry with me, or messing around. Adonis thought.

She was getting in his head with such a simple question; she isn’t like anyone else. Maybe it’s her beauty, the way she words things, or even her presence speaking to him. He was beyond confused at this point. He just stood there, tangled in his thoughts and not saying a word. There was an awkward silence for a good five seconds before she said something.

“Well, uh, maybe when you are hungry, we can go eat somewhere, together?” she said whilst handing him a piece of paper.

Together. Adonis kept repeating in his head.

“Um, yeah sure,” Adonis said in a monotone voice.

“Why don’t you come back here tomorrow around this same time?” Adonis said to the woman.

“It’s a date.” The woman replied as she smiled and walked past him and out the door. The fresh scent of her fragrance got caught in his nostrils. Adonis was trying to recollect his thoughts about what just happened.

“I need a drink,” Adonis said in a stressed way followed by a sigh.

He decided to meet up with some guys from work at his favorite night club downtown.

1 hour later

His friends were rambling about their lives and what was going on in the world but Adonis couldn't care to listen. He was too busy thinking about that girl he met at the diner followed by reassuring himself that it was a stupid waste of time and that it didn’t matter anyway.

It’s pathetic how people can be so gullible as to do something like falling in love or showing compassion, he thought, denying his true feelings. I know that nothing is permanent in this life so at the end of it all, who else do I really have other than myself… right? Adonis contemplated in the back of the prestigious Jaguar Sun Club, enjoying the solitude. He had sat there for hours after everybody had left, drowning his sorrows in expensive whiskeys and his personal preference, rum and coke. He wasn’t an alcoholic until he got back from Miami, where his whole life had seemed to have changed so quickly. All of a sudden, the superficial businessmen he looked down upon were now his only “friends.”

Adonis took his last drink and finally looked up from the table. Sitting right across from him was a man dressed in all black, who had seemed to appear out of nowhere. His suit must be expensive. He recognized it almost as if he had worn the suit before. He tried to make out the man's face with his blurred vision, but his hat was tilted enough so he couldn’t see it, almost as if it wasn’t there at all, just darkness.

Reaching for his hat in an unnerving and sinister tone the man said, “Why do you look so surprised?”

Adonis was offended by the remark. Usually no one could make him lose his edge, but this time was rather different. The man had a dark aura of sorts. Adonis could feel the negative energy, which made him uneasy. This was something he’s not accustomed to, usually he’s always calm, even the worst kind of people couldn’t make him lose his nerve. He stared at the man for a moment.

“And who the hell are you?” Adonis asked.

The man didn’t answer. So, Adonis decided to calm himself by pulling out a cigarette, but when he looked up, the mysterious man had vanished.

I think I’ve had too much to drink tonight. Adonis was a bit shaken up as he reached for his coat. This night has been odd. I just wanted dinner, but now I ended up feeling like I got hit by a truck. He scoffed as he went on to blame these unusual occurrences on being intoxicated, dismissing the man as just his mind playing tricks on him.

He stepped out into the night and took a deep breath. He was well aware of his stature and had no intentions of letting one night cloud his judgment, especially since he had work in the morning. Adonis was arrogant but not stupid, he knew there were more important things to worry about. As he walked home he put his hands in his pocket and felt the piece of paper the girl handed him earlier. It had her phone number. All Adonis could do was smile.

The next day went as usual. Adonis was on the top floor, corner office, CEO of his father's company Spiegel Enterprise. As soon as he came up the elevator, his assistant was waiting for him. He could swear that the whole office froze when he entered the building, but that was normal. They all looked up to him. His assistant, on the other hand, was nothing special to him either. He could tell that she was trying way too hard for his approval just like everyone else. Adonis knew he was a prodigy in his father's eyes, which allowed him free reign over the office. He sat through meeting after meeting , growing more and more tired of the snobby suits. He considered himself above everybody, plus nothing had been giving him any sort of fulfillment lately anyway. He found himself constantly drifting off and daydreaming of that girl, becoming more infatuated by the idea of who she could be. He had a feeling she was different, almost like a beacon of hope in this sorry excuse for a city.

God, I’m so sick of this place. Same people, same job, same routine, same day. I just want something new. Adonis thought while sitting in silence. Then he remembered the girl, which gave him a little spark of life.

I never called her. Adonis said in his head. He was thinking that he utterly disappointed her by not calling, so he began to dial her phone number. She must be through with me at this point, I cannot fathom into words on how sorry i am for not-

“Hello?” the lady asked as she picked up the phone.

“Uh, hey it’s me,” Adonis said as he realized he never got her name and that she never got his.

“Who?” the lady asked out of pure confusion. Adonis´s eyes widened, he was slowly losing it, but he kept himself together because he’s very good at doing that.

“It’s the guy from the diner, remember?” Adonis said in a shaky tone.

“Oh, it’s you,” she said. Adonis could tell she was smiling while saying that by the way she sounded.

“Yeah, so do you wanna meet up at the diner today around the same time yesterday?” Adonis asked.

“Well, I don’t know. I want to go somewhere more… interesting haha.” The lady said as she chuckled, obviously a fake one though. Adonis was confused because he didn’t know anywhere more interesting. He then realized he was going to head to the club again with his “friends” later, he had no other options so he blurted the first thing that came to his mind out his mouth.

“Well, I’m going to the Jaguar Sun Club later today, care to join?” Adonis said, hoping she’d say yes. If she didn’t, he’d be totally lost and wouldn’t even say a word.

“Now that’s interesting, I’d like that a lot!” The girl said.

“Okay cool, meet me around 7 pm,” Adonis said with a smile engraved in his face.

“Alright, See you at 7.” The lady said.

“Wait, I never got your na-” Adonis was cut off as she hung up before he could complete his sentence.

Once again I’ve failed to get her name, but honestly I kind of like the mystery of it all, he said in his head.

Later that night ,Adonis kept his promise and met her outside the bar and they walked in together.

“So I’ve been wondering for a while, what is your name?” the girl asked.

Adonis was surprised, considering that was one of the first things she asked while he was wondering when to say it, she’s very straightforward.

“Oh, it's Adonis Spiegel,” he said, expecting her to recognize it, but she didn’t.

“Well hello, Adonis, I’m Faye… Faye Valentine.”

Adonis already had reservations made, so they walked right to their table. Awaiting them was Adonis’s dreadful colleagues. Adonis introduced Faye as his date, but they showed no respect to that at all. Adonis could tell they were already drunk and were making her feel uncomfortable with their sleazy remarks. Adonis’s anger only grew more with time, until finally he noticed the man in black across the bar. Almost mirroring him the man had a piercing stare and a sinister look plastered across his face. Adonis felt as if he was the embodiment of pure evil. He stood up, excusing himself from the table. Adonis made his way to the bathroom, making sure he wasn’t followed. He desperately tried calming himself down by splashing water in his face, but when he looked up the man was standing right behind him - he could see the reflection in the mirror.

“How pathetic you are,” said the man in a daunting tone.

Adonis was startled, but remained calm. Not turning around, he said, “What are you talking about?”

“You and I both know that you are losing your edge. All of a sudden this girl comes along and now they think they can get over you… Are you kidding me? You and I both know you don’t like those guys out there, so why don’t you just let me take care of them for you, no questions asked. Plus, they’re gonna make that girl run away. and we don’t want that now. do we?” The man said with a grin.

There was silence for a bit as Adonis was trying to comprehend what was even happening. Adonis was reluctant at first, but knew he was right. He couldn’t trust this man, but there was something about him that was captivating and professional, like he had to listen to him or the worst would happen.

“How much do you cost?” Adonis said.

“No charge, my friend,” the man said. Adonis laughed it off. It was too good to be true.

“Sure, why not,” Adonis jokingly said, he was already drunk so he didn’t really care about anything. He walked out of the bathroom, but before the door closed, Adonis looked back, and yet again the man was gone. He returned to the table and took Faye with him across the bar in a rush.

“What's going on?” she asked in confusion

“Nothing, I… I just couldn’t stand the sight of you sitting there with those pigs.”

“I thought they were your friends?”

“Not anymore.”

Adonis assured her there was nothing to worry about as long as they were together, so they decided to go to the other side of the bar where nobody could bother them. They both ordered drinks and had a wonderful night; they even went home together. Adonis couldn’t have been happier to wake up next to her. He paid for her cab in the morning and they arranged for another date, but when he was kissing her goodbye she said, “Where did you go?”

Adonis was confused, so she repeated, “ Where did you go last night? You got up during your sleep and disappeared for hours. I was waiting for you to come back but by the time you did I had already fallen asleep.”

I… I don’t remember. Adonis thought.

“Maybe you just had a weird dream,” Faye said as she got in the cab. She just smiled at him, not worrying about anything.

“Goodbye, Adonis,” Faye said.

“Goodbye, Faye,” Adonis replied.

He was very confused at what she said because the first thing that came to his mind when she said he was gone for hours, was the mysterious man - his cynical smile seemed to be engraved in his head. Adonis just looked past it and got ready for work. He did his morning routine, happier than usual. It felt like a 500 pound weight was lifted off his chest. He felt alive.

Wow, this girl really makes me happy. I can see a bright future for us both. Only us, forever. Adonis said in his head. He was kind of hesitant thinking this because he’s never thought of anyone like that, after all they kind of just met. Adonis walked into his office, remembering his obnoxious office “friends” who he didn’t associate himself with anymore. He wasn’t gonna let them ruin his good mood though. As he was walking, he noticed one by one, none of them were at their desks.

They must’ve really partied last night, I should just fire the, Adonis thought. He went through with his day at work normally, but it was kind of different with none of his co-workers there. Adonis was sitting at his desk, pondering his thoughts, when he remembered. That face… that sinister face that was engraved in his brain. He remembered the offer that he gave him, about “taking care” of the co-workers.

No, no that cannot possibly be true. Am I going insane? I actually considered the thought of that man actually murdering my co-workers, Adonis thought as he laughed it off. He didn’t want to believe it, it was too odd to be true. Friday night, Adonis finally got out of work, it felt like an eternity. Adonis was planning on going to a nightclub later that night with Faye. He got home, ate dinner, took a shower, and got ready. Adonis already made the plans with Faye earlier, they were going to meet up around 8pm, and it was 7:32pm. The nightclub was about 10 minutes away, but he has that “on time is late” mentality, so he already got in his car and went there. He got there at about 7:44pm, so he figured he’d go inside and wait on Faye. He enters the nightclub, and it’s like an entirely different realm in there. The junkies were in their corner and the egotistical businessmen were in theirs. The lights were bright and blinding and the music was loud enough that you couldn’t hear your own thoughts. Adonis went to the back and ordered his regular, Rum and coke when a shady guy walked up to him.

“Hey man, you look like you know your way around a good time. You know if you really wanted to make this party interesting, you should take one of these,” the man slurred as he flashed a couple of red pills from his pocket. Adonis was no stranger to the lowlifes in this part of Tokyo, but tonight he was feeling adventurous.

Maybe it'll help me relax, he thought as he took one of the pills from him. The guy decides to call his friends over. Adonis popped the pill and started a conversation. This wasn’t his normal crowd, but they sure knew how to have a good time. At least that's what he thought until everything started to fade to pitch black, the whole world slowly turned into a foggy dream. Adonis went from sitting in the club, to sitting in a void. The only person he could see was of course the man in black. Adonis was frozen unable to move, paralyzed with fear as to what was happening. He’d experimented with narcotics in the past, but this was different. After a moment of silence, the man walked up to Adonis and looked him right in the eyes, saying, “Looks like it's just you and me like it always is.”

Adonis couldn’t understand a single thing that was happening, so he blatantly blurted words out of his mouth, then the thought of his associates came to his mind out of nowhere, so he had to get to the bottom of it.

“Why do you keep following me and what did you do to my associates?”

“Don’t you mean what you did?” The man said whilst stepping aside only to reveal another Adonis standing behind him appearing out of the mist. However, Adonis recognized the vision; it was him, but it looked as though he was standing in his coworker’s condo in a pool of blood. Adonis was shocked to see the visions and couldn’t believe his eyes.

It's all just an illusion, he repeated to himself.

“I can assure you that is the real you. You killed those men. Quite efficiently I may add.” the man said while laughing maniacally.

“It can’t be. It's impossible. I’d never!” Adonis said.

“Ah yes, but you did. You should’ve seen yourself. Do you have any idea what you looked like Adonis? A ravenous beast. The same blood runs through both of us. The blood of a heartless man who wanders, hunting for the blood of others.”

“We are not the same, I could never be you!” Adonis yelled, fed up with the man.

Oh, but we are, Adonis. More than you could imagine! Don’t you remember sliding the blade across their tender throats? Watching the blood spew out as the satisfaction filled your twisted mind?” the man replied.

Adonis had been fed up with the games at this point, and figured he had no other choice but to erase this man. He pulled a gun from his inner jacket pocket and aimed it right for his head. The man, however, didn't even bat an eye. Unfazed by the weapon, he started cackling at the sight of Adonis struggling to pull the trigger.

“HA HA HA ha ha…. Yes, yes give into your hatred and pain. You know, if you weren’t weak, then you would have shot me already,” the man said whilst taking off his hat to reveal Adonis’s face underneath. Yet more dishevelled, pale in comparison and his hair was ghostly white. Adonis’s heart was racing and sweat dripped from his forehead as he tried to make sense of the situation as the gun shook in his hands, he had no idea what was reality and what was illusion. His sanity was slowly slipping away…

“I must be losing my mind,” he stuttered.

“No, no Adonis, can't you see, no one can draw a clear line between sane and insane. You move that line as you see fit for yourself. No one else can. You’ll soon understand… that the one that’s insane is this world.”

Adonis’s mental state was at an all time low, dark thoughts were rushing through his head all at once. He was at the point of contemplating taking his own life right then and there. Everything he’d ever lived up to, every decision he has ever made in his life led up to this moment right here, where he’d take it all away with one pull of the trigger. But he wouldn’t do it, he knew he was beyond that. They were just standing there in silence while Adonis was collecting his thoughts, putting the pieces of his mind back together, then he did.

“I used to think that. I used to be like you, until I met Faye,” Adonis said with relief.

He could tell this angered the man.

“When I met Faye, I put my ego behind me and learned to truly love someone other than myself. I have no need for you in this life, you are just the old me fighting to stay alive.”

“Ahh classic Adonis, never acknowledging the truth. You’ll realize the reality of your sick and insane mind eventually, but for now I must go, you have a visitor,” the man said as he pointed behind Adonis.

Adonis quickly glanced back, and as he turned around, he was back to reality. He was still sitting in the same spot, music playing, and people having a good time. Adonis felt like he had an entire out of body, astral projection experience, nothing seemed right, but nothing seemed wrong. Still struggling to even breath, Adonis was confused about what the man said.

“Visitor?” Adonis said as he saw Faye walk into the nightclub. Everything was happening at once, Adonis felt like he was about to pass out. He saw Faye attempting to search for him, so he called out her name.

“Hey, Faye! I’m over here!” he yelled, not thinking she could hear him. He couldn’t even hear himself. Surprisingly, she heard him, and walked over to him. Adonis was still trying to understand what just happened, considering he couldn’t remember a portion of it. He couldn’t tell if he was just high, or going insane. By the time Faye got there, he was sweating and looked like he went through a mental breakdown.

“Woah, are you okay?” Faye asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little warm I guess.” Adonis said, sounding like he was about to faint.

“Hey, look at me. If you want to go, we can,” Faye said. Adonis felt something in his chest. He didn’t know what it was, but he got an overwhelming feeling that everything was going to be okay.

He finally noticed how beautiful Faye looked in her outfit, how hard she tried to make her appearance look perfect.

This is love. Adonis said. He never wanted to let her go, even the sight of her reminds him that everything will be fine in the end.

“No, trust me, I’m fine,” he said to Faye while holding her arm. She smiled and sat next to him. They were having a conversation for a while, laughing, staring into each other's eyes, and all around having a good time. There was one thing, though. There was something off-putting in the back of his mind, a sense of discomfort in his brain throughout the entirety of the conversation, but he wasn’t gonna let anything ruin this moment, so he just pushed it away. He was talking with her and laughing a bit more, but he slowly started hearing whispers. He wanted to look around, but he didn’t want to look crazy. He figured that if someone was whispering to him, then Faye would tell him. But they were too invested in each other's presence. Adonis was beyond paranoid, sometimes turning a little bit to look around for the man, but he wasn’t anywhere. Adonis was having a very good time with Faye, he hasn’t felt like this in a while. He did not want to ruin it. But right as he convinced himself that everything was fine, he felt it. He felt the man's breath on his neck, piercing through it. There is a distinct difference between the man's breath, and everybody else’s. He felt utterly uneasy by it, and he knew it was him.

“Missed me?” The man whispered in his ear. Adonis needed to distract Faye, so he pointed at somebody and made fun of them to make her laugh for a bit, then he turned to the man.

“I don’t get it. I just don’t get it. WHAT DO YOU WANT?” Adonis said in a strict tone, still quietly.

“C’mon Adonis, we both know what WE want,” the man said.

“No, I don’t, only you do. Stop acting like we’re the same! I’m asking for the last time, who are you?!” Adonis questioned. The man lets off an evil smirk as he said, “Oh Adonis, I’m who you thought I was. We are connected mentally and physically. I Look exactly like you, yet you question my own existence? I AM YOU. I am the thing that lives in your brain, your ego. I guess I’m here for a reason though, you’re so full of yourself and you always have been. So egotistical that you’ve managed to manifest me into your vision. I’m here for a reason. I’m here to show the true you,” the man said. Adonis just sat there in silence. All sounds in the nightclub faded to nothing, everything was now nothing. He couldn’t hear, he was isolated, while his ego watched. He could feel his mind deteriorating. All of a sudden, nothing became everything again, and he was back. He could hear the faint sound of Faye's voice again, and everything around him.

“Adonis!” Faye shouted.

“What!? Oh, you startled me,” Adonis said.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been staring in one place for a while now,” Faye said.

“Trust me, I’m completely fine.” Adonis said. He really wanted to leave, but he didn’t want to ruin the night. Faye looked concerned, but didn’t want to ruin the night, too. A little bit had passed and Adonis felt at ease again. Once again, thinking everything was going to be okay, as long as he was with Faye. But just like always, it never was. As Adonis was talking to Faye, he saw the man behind her, letting off that same conniving and disturbing smirk. Adonis was about to lose it. Faye said she needed to go to the bathroom, so she went. As she went in the bathroom, Adonis looked the man straight into the windows of his soul.

“Ok, listen. You made me kill my co-workers, lose my sanity, caused me distress in my mental state, and just made me a horrible person overall. How is this the true me? Nobody wants to live like this, not even me. What do you want me to do next? Kill Faye?” The man's smile got even bigger.

“Wow Adonis, I knew it was in you. I knew you had that thought in the back of your mind. I’m proud of you,” The man said. Faye came back, and once again asked if he was okay.

“I’m fine,” Adonis said while staring at the man. He then had the sudden urge to pull out his gun from his coat.

No, no, no, no, he was telling himself in his head, but he wasn’t the only one making decisions in his head.

“Please, don’t,” Adonis said. This was the first time he was begging for anything.

A tear shed from his eye. He was losing control right before his eyes. The barrel was right up to her head in almost an instant. Adonis was disgusted with himself and who he became. His decisions were not his own he thought.

No! No! No… this isn’t right. Faye doesn’t deserve this.

The man standing behind her was slowly getting impatient with Adonis; he could tell he was stalling and couldn’t bear to wait. He was entirely lost.

Is this what it came down to? Having to pick between my own ego, my inner self? or the love of my life, who is the reason why I feel, why I’m not numb to any emotion anymore. I don’t know if I’ll ever be the same if I finally destroy my sickening and distorted ego, but I KNOW I won’t be the same without Faye.

Finally, Adonis made his mind - it was either happiness or power. He knew what he wanted. He turned the gun and pulled the trigger. The man dropped to the floor but instead of bleeding he vanished. Everything turned normal. Nobody heard the gunshot and nobody noticed anything, not even Faye. Adonis looked at his hands to realize that the gun had disappeared too.

Was this all in my head? Is my ego really gone? If none of this was real, then I don’t know what is real anymore, apart from my love for Faye.

All the shock, pain, thoughts of eternal numbness, he could finally breathe without any worries again. He was relieved that the voices had stopped, and it was only Faye standing in front of him.

“I love you,” Adonis said confidently.

Faye was stunned, but happily surprised. “I love you, too,” she said while blushing. They both walked out of the Jaguar Sun. Adonis felt as if he was a new man with a new life and a fresh start.