Chapter 39: Real
Zero has changed since the last time I saw him.
He was looking better now, more aware, more substantial. Gone were the raggedy, stained clothes of a homeless person, patchy beard and the dirt covering his face. His hair was clean, moving slightly in the wind. He was clean-shaven, which made him look a lot younger than I thought he was when we first met. Piercing blue eyes, handsome, strong. He was wearing a t-shirt, black jeans and nothing else, standing barefoot in the snow, seemingly indifferent to the horrible cold that was biting me even through my parka. There was a curious smile on his lips, humorous sparks in his eyes.
And yet, with all that change, he looked just as mad as he did before. Only now, juxtaposed against the healthy appearance, Zero's insanity was even more apparent, even more frightening. And there were other things horribly wrong about him, too. He had no shadow. There were no footprints on the snow behind him. There was nothing at all to suggest that he was real, except for the fact that I could see him, and feel him, and I knew that he was.
Zero looked at me, tilting his head a little, and said:
'Do you really?'
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The words hang in the air between us. I swallowed, feeling cold sweat streaming down my back. Zero was still looking at me, awaiting an answer.
'Can you... can you read my mind?'
He stared, unmoving.
'I know you. You're Matthew.'
I slowly nodded.