Crossroads (Happy Halloween!)

This is a story that was kicking around my head for months and I actually finished it quite a while ago.  I figured I would wait until Halloween to post it, it seemed only appropriate.  This concludes my month of strictly horror stories and starting next month I'll be doing different stories and comics with my roommate Toonsem.  Enjoy!

The man woke up to the blistering sun beating down on him. He stood up and was dazed, where was he? He looked around and saw a perfectly paved road stretching infinitely in four directions. A crossroads, and he was standing right in the middle of it. He looked down each road hoping to see a car or truck that could assist him, he saw nothing. The other thing he could see was dirt, an endless expanse of dirt that looked more like lava in the hot sun. What was this place? How did he get here? What was he doing last?

He could answer that last question. The last thing he remembered doing was waking up here, he had no memory of who he was. That wasn't helpful. He began searching his clothes for identification. He was wearing a blue suit jacket, a white buttoned shirt, a red striped tie, khakis, and black dress shoes. He found nothing in the jacket pockets or the front pockets of the pants but eventually he came across his wallet. He opened it up and searched through it. A picture of an attractive woman in the front of the wallet greeted him. The man looked at it blankly, he could not remember who this woman was. After digging through various reciepts, he eventually found a driver's liscence. His name was Jonathan, he may not remember anything else about himself but maybe it would come to him. He surveyed the empty landscape again and decided it would be best for him to start walking.

He picked a direction and began to move. As he was walking he was struck with how surreal this area was. It was excruciatingly hot, yet he didn't feel hot; he wasn't thirsty or hungry either. He couldn't hear anything either, this place simply didn't have sound. The absence of sound bothered Jonathan a little bit but he kept walking. Eventually he came to another crossroads, he swore this looked like the same one he had come from but that was impossible. Trying not to be discouraged, Jonathan picked a different direction and started walking again.

After what seemed like hours of walking, he finally came across what looked like the same crossroads.

“This can't be the same area!” Jonathan shouted.

He picked yet another different direction and continued walking. Again he came across the same crossroads. Frustrated, he came up with an idea. I must be in the middle of a desert, therefore a lot of things look the same. He reasoned. I'll make myself a landmark in the dirt to prove to myself that I'm not going around in circles! He thought. Jonathan walked over to the dirt and began digging a small hole. The dirt was blazing hot and it seared his flesh, he didn't mind, he just continued digging. After a while, he made a noticable indent in the dirt.

He stood up and looked at his hand that had been burning earlier. There were no marks to indicate any burning. It must have just felt really hot, Jonathan said. He looked over at the small hole and went back to the road he had just came from. I can't possibly see that hole again. Jonathan thought confidently. After a while he came across the crossroads he had just come from. He looked over at where he had dug the hole expecting to see nothing. What he saw made his heart sink. There was a small hand dug hole, made by him. This wasn't possible! Jonathan thought. There was no possible way he had been going around in circles. Was there? He examined this possibility, every time he walked down a road, he never turned around. He certainly didn't turn around this time. He had actually been going around in circles! He concluded. But how?

“Why?!” Jonathan shouted at the top of his lungs. “Why the fuck am I here? What did I do? Am I just supposed wander around this place forever? Is that what you want me to do?” Jonathan shouted at the sky.

As if he expected a response. He sat on the ground and broke down. This place that he was in, was not normal. He was here for some reason, for some reason he couldn't figure out. He looked up to the sky and saw something that baffled him. The sun, it hadn't moved. He had been wandering this place for hours and hours but the sun did not move. Jonathan stood up and felt defeated. He felt like there was something beyond his understanding that was keeping him here. He looked out at the eternal desert and swore he saw something on the horizion. Was it another person? Could they provide him with answers? Feeling hopeful, Jonathan started walking into the desert towards the distant figure.

The prospect of another person in this place filled Jonathan with glee, he started sprinting towards the figure. It seemed that no matter how far he travelled, he couldn't close the distance. He stopped for a minute, where was the road? He walked out into the desert parallell to the road. It should have just been to his left, where was it? He looked around and saw a barren wasteland on all sides except for the direction he had been walking. Out there was that distant figure, barely visible and yet it was taunting him. This is a dream, part of him said. This was all just a horrible nightmare, he had to wake up.

“Wake up, wake up, wake up.” He muttered.

He quickly realized he wasn't going to wake up. Like it or not, this was real. He looked into the distance and saw that the distant figure was moving towards him. The sun shone on the figure so Jonathan couldn't make out the details. Soon, the figure was a few feet from Jonathan and he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Jonathan was face to face with Jonathan. No, that can't be right he thought. Somehow, the figure right in front of him was Jonathan. He stared at the second Jonathan with disbelief. It was wearing his clothes only the shirt wasn't buttoned correctly and it had spots of red on it, the jacket was on crooked, the tie was loosened, and the pants were wrinkled. Its hair was a mess and it looked like it hadn't slept in days. What captured Jonathan's attention more than that was single bullet hole on its temple. Unable to find to find words, the other Jonathan spoke.

“Was it the right decision?” It said.

“Wh...what..?” Jonathan finally managed after a few seconds.

“Who...who are you?” Jonathan asked, mustering the courage.

“I am you.” It said. “You can call me Jon, if you want.” Jon said.

“Okay, Jon.” Jonathan said speaking slowly. “What the hell am I doing here?” He asked.

“I want you to answer my question first.” Jon said. “Was it the right decision?” He asked more aggresively this time.

“Was what the right decision?” Jonathan asked. “I have no clue what you're talking about!” He shouted.

“Was this the right decision?” Jon asked producing a pistol from his jacket pocket. “Was it really worth it to kill yourself?” He demanded.

“I... Shot myself?” Jonathan asked incredulously. “Why?” He asked weakly.

“That's what you're supposed to tell me! Don't you remember?” Jon asked.

Memories came flooding back to Jonathan at that moment. He and his wife Marie were in a lot of debt. He got fired from his job and came home. He got in a big fight with Marie. He was overwhelmed and didn't know how to deal with it. He bought a gun. It seemed like the best idea at the time.

“Marie...” Jonathan said distantly.

“Now, I'll ask again, was it the right decision?” Jon asked emphasizing each individual word.
“I... Don't know.” Jonathan said defeated.

“You don't know!” Jon said furiously.

“It seemed like the best idea at the time.” Jonathan said weakly.

“When is suicide the 'best idea'? Hmm? Let me tell you something. Did you consider the consequences? Marie is now alone with your debts! Your unborn child will never know their father. Suicide is selfish! It's the coward's way out! You are a selfish man Jonathan, instead of dealing with your problems, you killed yourself thinking they would go away. You're wrong, death doesn't solve your problems, only you can solve your problems. I will ask one final time. Was it the right decision? If you do not answer this question, you will stay here until you can.” Jon said

Jonathan was overwhelmed with memories of his life, of Marie. He remembered that they were fighting all the time, he hated his job, and he started drinking. In the last few months he had become increasingly miserable, that day was his breaking point. Again, it seemed like the best idea at the time even if it made him selfish. He came to his conclusion and he didn't like it.

“I don't know!” Jonathan shouted, tears welling in his eyes.

“You still don't know?” Jon demanded. “Then you will stay here until you do.” Jon said beginning to fade away.

“Wait! Wait! I regret it! I regret everything!” Jonathan shouted at the disappearing Jon.

“It was stupid! I was stupid, it wasn't the right choice! Please come back!” Jonathan pleaded as he grew dizzy.
“Please... Come... Back...” Jonathan said as his consciousness vanished.

The man woke up to the blistering sun beating down on him. He stood up and was dazed, where was he? He looked around and saw a perfectly paved road stretching infinitely in four directions. A crossroads, and he was standing right in the middle of it. He looked down each road hoping to see a car or truck that could assist him, he saw nothing. The other thing he could see was dirt, an endless expanse of dirt that looked more like lava in the hot sun. What was this place? How did he get here? What was he doing last?