Song: Off Beat- The Red Pears
It's been a few months now since the whole alien invasion. At first, you had a hard time believing such a ludicrous rumour of supposedly 'shapeshifters' or whatever abomination they are, existed along with us humans, until the press made it loud and clear that they are in fact real.
You remember the news going haywire over this, alerting citizens of the danger, the government advising the public and the whole media was just filled with terrifying updates. They gave it a name.
Doppelgangers. It sounds absurd and, in a way, kind of silly.
But after a while, we learnt from our mistakes and developed ways where instead of getting rid of the problem for good (which you're sure that will never happen), we can learn to live with it, and overcome it. That's how the Doppelganger Detection Department came into force. And when that happened, more jobs were created. It was perfect timing for you because you were in need of money since you got fired from your last position.
So when you heard there's a vacancy for the doorman position in your apartment, you just couldn't let that opportunity go to waste. You knew the danger, but oh what the hell. You're a sucker for that type of stuff.
You re-watched the tapes that the department gave you and noted it down. You knew that dealing with this type of thing was serious. Failing to act according to your job description would put you and your neighbour's lives at risk.
At first, it was very hard coming face to face with these creatures. You remember nearly having a mental breakdown because you met your first doppelganger and you saw a huge mouth covering their whole face and you could never forget how terrifying it was looking at their teeth. Their mouth resembled a cavern with rows of daggers, and god forbid those daggers touch you and tear you into pieces.
After dealing with those abnormalities, you got used to it. You got used to their uncanny looks and the death threats that would spill from their mouths. The job became a piece of cake.
Until one neighbour made an appearance.
His name was Francis. Francis Mosses. He worked as a milkman and his tired eyes always bore into you before striking up a nice conversation. Dare you might say, he's strikingly hot. The way his voice is always smooth and soothing, flowing effortlessly like melted chocolate. And the dark circles tinged with a darker shade, almost the same colour as his eyes.
You also loved how forgetful the man can be and it's funny how it became a habit of you being his personal checklist before he leaves the building. He appreciates the little reminders you give him and regards you with a chuckle or a thank you.
However, you began to develop mixed feelings about him ever since the 'incident'. It all changed when you met his Doppelganger for the first time. From the start, he was too easy to notice. One day he would appear with extra mini hands from under his white hat (ew), the next day he would come in with long ears and so on. But as days pass by, you're becoming aware that the doppelganger is... improving.
Yesterday, you nearly gave him access into the building. His appearance was nearly top notch if it wasn't for his nose which was in a different shape. You pressed the red button before he could enter but you didn't fail to catch a smirk on the corner of his lip.
Sneaky bastard.
This was your sign to take this shit to the next level. You have to be fully aware. This doppelganger is catching up, making it more difficult for you to distinguish the features and you can't let that thing trick you. You make the discovery that the creature is learning as it goes. Adapting.
Your train of thoughts breaks when you hear footsteps approaching and the sight of the milkman comes into view. Speak of the devil.
You pull out the checklist as he slides in his ID, your brows knitted together and eyes furrowing as you study him. Your eyes dart to the card and back at his face, inspecting his features and every detail on him. Your hand reaches for the list but before you could check it, the man speaks.
"There's no need for that. I had to leave quickly as there was an emergency at my workplace."
Your gaze on him was charged with suspicion as you fixated upon the man in front of you. Your eyes bore into him, scrutinising him carefully and he seems to do it back to you.
"What can I say? I can be quite forgetful. But you already knew that. Don't you?"
There's a wariness etched into the furrow of your brow, a palpable tension engulfs you both. As you observe him, your lips stretched into a thin line, betraying the apprehension that churned within you.
You grab the list nonetheless and search for his name, to which no surprise, is not there. Your posture remained rigid, as if poised to react at the slightest indication of deception.
"Hold on, I'm going to need to make a call." you reply as you reach for the telephone and dial Francis's number.
Upon hearing the real Francis's voice, you can now see the true imposter in front of you.
"Oh Francis, Francis. Or should I say you extra terrestrial thing." you sighed before speaking again.
"Suck on that. Human scores two, freak of nature scores zero." you taunt him, feeling proud of yourself for penetrating the facade he presents.
The man's face betrays a fleeting moment of surprise, quickly masked by a forced grin that stretched across his lips like thin veneer. You notice incisors pointed out, poised as fangs eager to puncture flesh.
"I never knew we were keeping scores now." he chuckled, the tone of his voice tinged with annoyance as he tries to diffuse the tension.
You can tell he's straining himself from lashing out on you, his struggles are all too apparent when you spot a flicker of anger shimmering in his face.
"And I never knew you could form sentences?" your glare did not waver; it remained fixed like a laser.
His eyes pierce into yours which convey a multitude of emotions and he chuckles from this, deftly deflecting any more responses from you as you stare at him in confusion. With a self-deprecating shrug, he responds.
"You're going to lose eventually. And when I win, I'm going to make you wish you never took this job."
That's all you needed to hear before you slam your hand on the danger button. The metal blinds closes shut and you dial the D.D.D number. Once the whole clean-up process is done, you let out a long, heavy sigh and begin to pack away your things, leaving the office clean.
——————
The next day, the cycle continue: you remind the real Francis of his hat, to which he scurries back to his apartment and hurries out the door as you wave him goodbye, you let in your real neighbours into the building and you call the D.D.D employees when a Doppelganger fails miserably to conceal their creature features.
You go through all the stages of overthinking whenever you're bored and you can't help to think of yesterday's experience. Francis's doppelganger formed clear and cheeky sentences. He's upping his game which means you should do too.
Oh, here he comes. The milkman makes his way towards you again and you stop slouching in your seat, wanting to make sure he knows you're fully alert.
He smiles at you before slipping his ID and you check his number and picture. Your eyes flickered from feature to feature searching for some elusive telltale sign of his true form. Despite the man's attempt to seem nonchalant, you remained unmoved, your suspicion growing as you met him with a sceptical glare. You grab the folder according to his apartment number to check if everything matches and to you it seems every detail satisfies the description.
You check his ID card one more time and that's when you notice something different. His ID number doesn't match this time. That was a close one.
"Well, you managed to get his looks right but you're missing one thing."
The doppelganger tilts his head slightly to the side and raises his eyebrows at you.
"Your ID is hella fake. And the number 69, seriously?" you struggle to contain a snicker since your immature ass can't take things seriously.
A wry smile tugged at the corner of the man's lip and he fixates on your eyes with a sense of fascination as if drawn in by your reaction. There's a warmth in his gaze, an eagerness to approach your form yet you see something dark in his demeanour. And you're so glad the window is keeping him apart from you.
"You interest me so much, little birdy." His voice is calm and his tired eyes trace the way you stare as if searching for answers to questions unspoken.
The nickname catches you off-guard and you pause before leaning in slightly, your eyes burning with a mixture of nervousness yet confusion. In that shared moment of silence, time seemed to stand still and you try to process the words he just spoke but it's hard when the subtle smile on his face is so distracting.
"Excuse me?"
A glimmer of amusement dances in his eyes like flickering candlelight, he couldn't help but find your expression endearing- evidence to your earnestness and anxiety. He fought to suppress a chuckle when you furrow your brow, relishing the opportunity to see this side of you. Curious and on edge. With a sly smile, he carefully crafted his next words.
"You speak to me as if I'm a human. I've seen you dismiss the rest of my kind without wasting a moment but you sure take a lot of time on me. Do I interest you?" his tone is smooth, almost disarming as he posed the question with a seemingly innocent question, but you knew better.
"I-if you're implying that I like you then you're awfully mistaken!" disbelief covers your face as your eyes widen in alarm and you back away from the window.
With a cunning glint in his eye, he couldn't help the smirk on his face when he sees your surprised reaction, he knows your guard momentarily slips off you because of his unexpected query. You can see the satisfaction in his face and that's when you instantly realise he's trying to get into your skin. His found of perverse pleasure in watching you stumble on your words makes you feel humiliated and your cheeks flares up before you give an angry response.
"Laugh all you want, you're just trying to hurt me to distract yourself from the fact that no matter what you try, I keep foiling your world domination plan." You snapped at him hoping that would wipe off the smirk from his face but you only receive a laugh.
"World domination? Is that what you think I want?" his laughter rings out with mockery and his eyes crinkled at the corner, he couldn't help but be charmed by your naivety.
"Well yeah, isn't that why you're trying to get in the apartments? To eat people and steal their skin or something?" your voice is meek when you hear him laugh at you. You couldn't help but feel pathetic.
His smirk turns into a craze smile and he leans in closer onto the glass frame, one hand pressed on the surface.
"Well, I guess that's one of the reasons but not entirely."
Your eyes lingers upon the man with a hint of uncertainty and wariness of the situation and although you hesitate, your curiosity is really getting the best of you so you tilt your head at him, encouraging him to tell more.
"You see, more of my kind will be trying to claim this place as theirs and eventually one of them will succeed. They're not as nice as I am so I don't think you want that happening, right?" His voice is now serious and cold, his words carrying a chilling warning.
"Unless... well, you be a good doorman and let me in."
A chill runs up your spine, you couldn't help but feel exposed when he stares at you with such intensity. But you had to stand your ground for you and the innocent people who lived in this building. You're not going to let some doppelganger mind game you with words and especially not this one.
"I appreciate the offer but I'm going to have to pass." you reach out for the button but before you press it, he cuts you off.
"You know you can't keep me out forever. I'm only going to get better and when I win, this building will be mine. And so will you."
The last thing you see before the blinds close is his eyes turning to a crimson hue. Grabbing the phone, you quickly dial the D.D.D and to your relief, they came in quick. That was the most intense and terrifying moment you experienced. As you went to your own apartment, his words echoed in your head and you couldn't help but feel paranoid.
You were so lost in your thoughts thinking about today's event that you forgot the real Francis never came home.
(Author note: yippee I have this first posted on ao3 and decided to post it on wattpad too!! Anyways milkman is so meow 😍)
(Follow my Spotify account pretty please https://spotify.link/R3ZiWEdeoIb )