Marcus

The prison yard was bathed in the warm hues of twilight as the sun dipped low, casting long shadows and painting the sky in shades of orange and purple.

The air was cool and crisp, carrying with it the scent of distant pine trees and the faint hum of the city beyond the prison walls.

Inside his cell, Marcus stirred, the last rays of the setting sun filtering through the narrow window and landing softly on his face.

He blinked, his eyes adjusting to the dim light, and slowly sat up on the thin mattress that served as his bed.

The walls were gray and cold, and the air was thick with an oppressive, suffocating odor.

There was hardly any personal space in the cell, and everything was strictly regulated and monitored.

He looked around and saw several other inmates.

John, a middle-aged man, was in prison for robbing a convenience store. He always complained about his bad luck but never reflected on his actions.

Tom, a young drug user, was arrested for dealing drugs. His eyes were hollow, and he seemed to have no hope for the future, just mechanically going through each day.

Lisa, the only female inmate, had accidentally killed her husband during a heated argument. She often sat alone in the corner, her eyes filled with deep regret.

Marcus had mixed feelings about his cellmates.

He felt sympathy for their situations but also knew that they had to be held accountable for their actions.

He often wondered if he would have had a similar fate if he hadn't suffered from bipolar disorder. But he also firmly believed that he was not a dangerous person.

Marcus was in prison because he had tried to avenge Sarah's death.

Her death was something he couldn't let go of, and he was convinced that he had to bring justice to her with his own hands.

The memory of Sarah's lifeless body haunted him day and night, fueling his determination to find the person responsible. His search led him to Alex Turner.

Despite his bipolar disorder, he was clear that his actions were driven by a sense of justice, not impulsiveness.

He knew that he had used connections to get into the hospital, but that was just to cover up his real motives. He needed a quiet place to plan his next move, and the hospital had provided that environment.

When Alex's body went limp as he finally succumbed to unconsciousness, Marcus's grip loosened, and Alex crumpled to the ground.

For a moment, Marcus stood there, his breathing heavy, his mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions.

He had wanted justice for Sarah, but now, looking at Alex's unconscious form, he felt a pang of doubt.

Before Marcus could gather his thoughts, the sound of approaching footsteps shattered the silence.

Staff from the mental health center had heard the commotion and were rushing to the backyard.

Marcus's heart sank as he realized the gravity of his actions. He had gone too far, and there was no turning back.

"Marcus! What are you doing?" one of the staff members shouted, taking in the scene before them.

Another staff member quickly moved to check on Alex, who was still unresponsive.

Marcus tried to explain, to justify his actions, but the words stuck in his throat. "He... he killed Sarah," he stammered, pointing at Alex. "I had to do something."

The staff members exchanged worried glances. They knew Marcus had a history of aggression, but this was beyond anything they had seen.

One of them pulled out his phone and dialed 911, while another stayed with Alex, trying to assess his condition.

Within minutes, the police arrived, their sirens wailing as they pulled up to the mental health center. Officers quickly took control of the situation, handcuffing Marcus and leading him away from the scene.

Alex was loaded into an ambulance, his condition critical but stable.

At the police station, Marcus was interrogated by a seasoned detective who had seen many cases like this before.

Marcus repeated his story, insisting that Alex had killed Sarah and that on that day, Alex had suddenly gone into an abnormal state, attempting to kill him.

He claimed it was self-defense.

The detective listened carefully, his eyes narrowing as he considered Marcus's words. "So you're saying Alex, who has no memory of this incident, suddenly turned on you and tried to kill you?" the detective asked, his tone skeptical.

Marcus nodded, his expression earnest. "Yes, that's exactly what happened. Alex was acting strangely, like he was possessed or something. I had no choice but to defend myself."

The detective leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. "And you're sure about this?" he pressed. "Because the staff at the mental health center reported a very different story. They said you were the one who initiated the attack."

Marcus's face hardened. "They don't know what they saw," he insisted. "Alex was out of control. I had to stop him."

The detective studied Marcus for a moment longer before nodding. "We'll see," he said, his voice neutral. "We'll review the evidence and hear from the staff. But remember, Marcus, in a court of law, it's not just about what you say. It's about what the evidence shows."

With that, the detective stood and left the room, leaving Marcus alone with his thoughts.

As he sat there, Marcus couldn't shake the feeling that the detective didn't believe him.

He knew he had to convince the authorities that he was telling the truth, but with the staff's accounts and the lack of concrete evidence supporting his claim, he wasn't sure how successful he would be.

For a moment, Marcus had felt a flicker of hope. He had watched as the staff rushed to Alex's side, their expressions a mix of concern and urgency.

Marcus had felt a strange sense of relief, almost wishing that the doctors wouldn't be able to save Alex. It was a dark thought, one that he quickly pushed aside, but it had been there, lurking in the back of his mind.

Now, knowing that Alex had awakened, he hadn't given up in prison. He was still looking for a way to escape the legal consequences and to try to kill Alex again.

One day, a guard came to the cell and asked Marcus to stand behind a glass wall.

He knew that this was the police-arranged identification session.

Although he had always insisted on his innocence, this moment had finally arrived.

Marcus stood behind the glass wall, his heart racing.

He knew that Alex was on the other side of the glass, ready to identify him.

Despite the unease he felt inside, he tried to stay calm. His gaze was resolute, with only one thought in mind: no matter what, he had to fulfill his mission.

An hour earlier, a police officer had come to the ward to check on Alex's condition.

After confirming that Alex was fine, they invited him to the prison for the identification.

Alex had originally planned to go back to the hospital after the identification, but suddenly he felt a severe headache, and the officers around him quickly supported him.

When he stood up again, Alex was horrified to find that the face of Marcus behind the glass wall was starting to overlap with the face of Marcus he had met in 1963.

At that moment, his mind was filled with doubt and fear. "Is this just a coincidence? Do they just have the same name? Or am I really having hallucinations?" Alex's mind was full of questions.

"Mr. Alex, are you okay?" the officer asked with concern.

"I'm not feeling well. I'm very sorry, maybe we can do the identification next time," Alex forced a smile, trying to hide his unease.

His headache seemed to remind him that some things were far more complicated than he had imagined.

He decided that he had to have a good talk with Dr. Carter when he got back, maybe she could help him find some answers.

After returning to the hospital, Alex's headache continued to plague him, causing him to question the reliability of his own memory.

The unsettling familiarity he felt when he saw Marcus in the prison was like an invisible force, gripping his heart tightly.

He decided to talk to his psychiatrist, Dr. Carter, hoping she could help him make sense of it all.Stepping into Dr. Carter's office, Alex took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

He recounted his experience in the prison in detail, especially the moment when he saw the face of Marcus behind the glass wall overlap with the face of Marcus from 1963.

The fear and confusion had washed over him like a tidal wave, leaving him almost breathless.

He wasn't sure if it was just a hallucination, but deep down, he felt that everything was too real to be just an illusion.

Dr. Carter listened patiently, a look of concern in her eyes.

After hearing Alex's story, she furrowed her brow slightly and then asked a few key questions: "Alex, are you certain that the face of Marcus you saw is the same as the one from 1963?"

Alex paused for a moment before responding slowly, "You know I was involved in a murder case. During that time, I lost consciousness in 2023, but I experienced a lot in 1963. The last thing I remember was being attacked and knocked unconscious by Marcus, the Marcus from 60 years ago. Later, I ended up in this hospital, and for some reason, I lost consciousness again. I fought alongside him in 1963."

Dr. Carter's frown deepened as she seemed to digest Alex's words. After a while, she asked, "So, you're saying you encountered Marcus 60 years ago first, and then you met the Marcus who is currently in prison 60 years later? That's the opposite of what we might have imagined."

Alex nodded, a hint of confusion in his eyes: "Yes, that's exactly it."

"Alex, do you think the world we're in now is real?"

Dr. Carter's question left Alex stunned. He felt a wave of doubt and fear.

Recalling his memories of the past 30 years in this world, the familiar faces, the events he had experienced, everything seemed so real.

He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself: "Of course it's real. Both worlds are real."

The doctor smiled slightly, seemingly unsurprised by Alex's response: "Perhaps this Marcus is related to the one from 60 years ago in some way? Like a grandfather and grandson?"

She tried to explain the subtle connections, but Alex just shook his head, a flicker of helplessness in his eyes: "I don't know, Dr. Carter. I just know it's all too complicated, and I'm even starting to doubt the reliability of my own memory."

Dr. Carter fell silent for a moment before saying, "Alex, to determine whether your memory is affected by hallucinations, I suggest you undergo a series of psychological tests. These tests include memory tests, attention tests, and emotional assessments, which can help us better understand your current cognitive state."

Alex nodded, though he was skeptical about whether these tests could truly solve the problem, he decided to cooperate.

In the memory test, Alex was asked to remember a series of pictures and words, and then recall them after a period of time. He performed quite well, being able to accurately recall most of the content.

The attention test assessed his concentration and stability through a series of complex tasks, and even with distracting factors present, he was able to maintain a high level of focus.

The emotional assessment was conducted through questionnaires and interviews to understand his emotional state and psychological stress.

The results showed that although Alex felt some pressure, his overall emotional state was stable.

After the tests, Dr. Carter carefully analyzed the results.

She looked up at Alex, a hint of relief in her eyes: "Alex, the test results show that your memory function is normal, and there are no issues with your cognitive abilities. This indicates that there are no obvious abnormalities in your brain."

Alex let out a sigh of relief, but the doubts in his mind were not completely dispelled: "So what about what I saw..."

Dr. Carter interrupted him, "Perhaps you could ask Marcus on the day of the trial, or the next time you go to that world, try to leave some marks that will still exist 60 years later. That way, you would have more concrete evidence to prove whether your memories are real."

Alex nodded, a glimmer of hope rising in his heart.

Maybe he really could find the answers and solve the mystery that had been haunting him.