"You are my puzzle. One by one I will take pieces from you. I will choose what is left of you."
"Are you sure you don't want me to come?"
Connor stopped in the doorway of the apartment. He turned around to face Ingrid, who was sat on the edge of the sofa with a sympathetic look on her face. Connor winced at her expression; he didn't like being treated like this. She acted like he was helpless, and that wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was that he was. Ever since regaining his memory he always needed someone to be there with him, to protect him from the world. Ever since then he had become even more anxious than before. And Ingrid knew. Today he had offered to go out shopping, and had insisted that he go alone. Even though he could already feel his heart pounding with fear. He took a deep breath and answered her question.
"I'm sure. You're always going places with me. You deserve some time to yourself."
His words scared him more than he could describe. But he couldn't go back on them. He had to accept them, and that's what he did. With one last parting glance at Ingrid, he closed the door behind him and started his way down the hall. It was an effort, but he forced himself to not look back.
"It's not like I'm leaving forever. I'll be back in the next hour or so," he said aloud to himself.
When he reached the ground floor of the building, it dawned on him that he had no idea where he was going. Ingrid had given him a list of things she wanted, which included mostly chocolate and other nick-knacks she really didn't need, but off the top of his head Connor couldn't think of which shops to go to. The supermarket would be the obvious place to go, but Connor wasn't sure if he could handle that in his current state. He thought back to the time before his memory loss. He remembered a small corner shop that he had often gone to for snacks when he had still been in school. It wasn't far from the apartment building, and he remembered liking the cashier. Hopefully she was still there.
The roads weren't very busy that day, so crossing the roads was easy enough. The whole time Connor could feel himself tensing, but he kept going. To be honest, he wasn't really sure why the world seemed so scary to him. As he walked, he thought about all the possibilities. Perhaps it was because he knew Carrie was still out there? Maybe he was just dreading their next meeting? All of the reasons he thought of didn't quite fit. Eventually he gave up trying, and focused back on the task at hand. But when his mind cleared, he found himself already standing outside the corner shop. It took him a moment to fully comprehend where he was. When he did, he felt incredibly confused, but he brushed away the feeling. He must have been so caught up in his thoughts he hadn't been paying attention. Because he had been to the corner shop before, his body had just carried him there without thinking. He accepted the conclusion, but something in the back of his mind told him that that wasn't the case.
The corner shop looked almost exactly as he remembered. Though the red paint was a little duller, it had the same cheery atmosphere. In the large front window he could see an assortment of sweets and other snacks that he recognised. Nostalgia washed over him, and for a moment he felt as if he wanted to cry. The feeling passed almost instantly and he entered the shop.
As he pushed the door open, the bell at the top of the door rang loudly and made him jump. He heard a hearty laugh to his right. When he looked, he was filled with delight to see a familiar face. Behind the counter stood a middle-aged woman. Connor remembered that her name started with "M", but he couldn't pinpoint the exact word. Her brown hair was at shoulder length, as it always had been, and she wore a flowery blouse. She smiled warmly at him. Her smile was the same, but it had a new sense of age to it. As Connor noticed this, he couldn't help but see that the roots of her hair were tinged with grey. Of course, it had been a few years. But Connor hadn't expected her to change.
"Hello, young man. What can I do for you?" she asked him.
Her voice was the one thing that was exactly the same. Connor smiled back, struggling not to get lost in memories.
"Hi. I'm looking for some chocolate," he replied awkwardly.
Because he too was older, he could no longer act the same way he had as a teen. Back then he could have talked to her like she was his age, but now it was hard to see her as anything but older. Not only that, but she didn't seem to recognise him like he did her. It would be weird if he talked to her like a friend. Still, she sounded friendly enough without remembering him. She chuckled at his request.
"Well, I wouldn't have expected someone of your age to come here for chocolate. The only people who really come here are children. Anyways, what kind of chocolate would you like?"
She smiled, waiting patiently for his reply. But Connor was still caught up on her last words. She only serves children? Surely she must remember that teens used to come here too? He decided to question her about it, despite how rude he knew it would sound.
"You don't get any teenagers coming in here anymore? I used to come here when I was 17, with my friends," he queried.
To his surprise, her face was full of confusion at his question.
"Are you sure you mean this place? I only opened it a few months ago, and I've had no teenagers in here."
YOU ARE READING
The Memory Machine 2
Horror*Sequel to The Memory Machine***** It has been months since Connor regained his memory, and it seems like Carrie's threats were nothing but a bluff. But as the days go by, Connor can't help but notice that something isn't right. His friends act like...
