All Around the Mulberry Bush

They would awake in a half an hour. The she took the Doctor’s money card and ID. Hopefully he would not guess what happened to it. She walked into the living room, but dropped the money. Dr. Taylor stood waiting for her, the two thugs on either side of him.

"How’d you know?" she sighed.

"Do you seriously think we don’t have security cameras?" he asked, his timid demeanor gone.

"I thought he turned them off," she gestured to the bedroom.

"Oh he did the first time," Taylor nodded.

"The first time?"

"This is the third experiment of this nature we’ve done so far. Asking questions is so passive and you only tell us what you want to tell us anyway. Studying your behavior teaches us so much more about how your mind works. You murdered Dr. Billings the first time."

"It’s too bad you brought him back."

"Hmm, well if it makes you feel any better, he never remembers what happens either."

"Nope, not really," she answered. "Why won’t you just let me die?"

"You could have chosen a life as an artist you know. Now come with me and no one will hurt you."

Andrea knew that his definition of hurt included only the physical.

"This ends now!" she screamed running into the hall. "I will not continue to replay the same twisted show for you." Andrea reached the room grabbing the bedside table and heaving it at the window. The glass shattered and Andrea grabbed her unconscious clone and dragged her to the window. The thugs ran into the room, but they were too late. Andrea glanced one last time at the painting above the bed. It was a self portrait of her standing in a hall of mirrors. In the dark a week ago, Andrea had painted an extra reflection in it, hoping that her new self would notice the difference, and of course that the doctors would not. She fell backward out the window, clutching the clone. As she speeded downward, she let go of her double. Andrea looked up and watched her own face float above her, speeding past the floors of the shinning buildings.

Dr. Taylor entered the room and peered out the window.

"Someone go clean that up," he snapped. "And make sure you save me a sample of tissue. I hope no one got hurt down there. He looked at the traffic jam on the street far below them.