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The familiar chill of winter surrounded the area. Swathes of trees covered the area in a blanket of beauty. Nature slowly took over the roads, and animals seemed to be all that was inhabiting him. Though, the darkening sky and decreasing warmth caused a decrease in activity.
Of course, Ted knew that just a few miles from here would be people and buildings, but for a moment he liked to rest in the idea of a serene wilderness.
“Woah! Didn't think you'd be here!” A man who looked almost identical to him called out.
“Wha— who are you!?” Ted reflexively jumped back at the sudden noise.
His van shuddered as his back hit it.
The man stared at him blankly, tilting his head, he examined Ted closer.
“Are you not Rick C-137?” His voice even had the same timber.
It felt like a replica of him was standing in front of him, spewing random words like he was supposed to magically understand.
“N-no? I'm Ted…? Why do you…” He chewed at the words in his head, but his tongue felt heavy.
Ted squinted at him. The similarities were odd, same face but different hair and weird clothes clearly not built for the winter. Ted reached out to the man's face but stopped himself just short of actually touching.
Rough hands gripped his wrist and pulled his hand closer, his body only followed. It was strange, despite his lanky figure, his cold fingers felt as if they contained an inhuman strength.
Soft. When Ted touched Prime's cheek it was soft. Chills went down his spine but he couldn't name why.
His half lidded eyes stared back at Ted's as he leaned in to the touch with a slight grin.
“Well, this is interesting!” He chuckled into Ted's palm.
The strange man let go of his hand but Ted didn't pull away.
“Who are you?” Ted's voice was just above a whisper.
The ghost of a sigh lingered on the other's lips, dipping down as his unibrow furrowed faintly.
He eventually responded, “Call me… Rick. Your first Rick.”
A smile tugged at the corners of Rick's mouth, as if amused by his own response, confident and empty.
“My Rick?” Ted breathed out.
His hold on Rick's cheek began to slip, only for him to fit his fingers along the curvature of the side of Rick's face.
Rick laughed but he couldn't feel the humor behind it, “Yeah. I haven't been called that in a long time.”
Ted wasn't too close to Rick, but just being near him felt suffocating. He didn't take a step back, just shuffled closer.
He rubbed his thumb on Rick's face like he was feeling it for the first time.
Rick's face flitted between a shocked fluster and something he couldn't quite decipher.
Rick was… cold to the touch, his nose and cheeks dusted in pink. Though, he didn't feel dry. They really did feel similar.
“You're, like, freezing. H-h-how long have you been out here? I mean… Why are you even here in the first place and why do you look like me?” The questions just flew out of Ted's mouth, “S-sorry, we should get in the van first.”
Ted switched to holding Rick's hand and pulling him into the van. Rick stared at the back of Ted's head expressionlessly.
It was only when they were inside and Rick got a good look at his face that he grinned. Ted wasn't all too concerned, he assumed it was from being out of the cold.
He hurriedly grabbed his emergency blanket and gave it to Rick. It was a large red blanket with brown embroidery.
Rick just awkwardly opened it and wrapped it around himself, confusion plain on his face.
Ted watched Rick expectantly.
Rick slowly crept up a finger to point to himself.
Ted nodded slowly.
Rick slowly lowered the finger.
“I'm your long lost twin.”
“You're bullshit.” Ted grumbled.
“Question mark.” Rick stated in full seriousness.
“What?”
“I'm you from another dimension.”
Ted straight up laughed in his face.
Rick looked at him earnestly and grabbed his hands, “So you really don't recognize me? Not even a little bit of you all the way back in your head?”
Ted nodded and looked side to side, “...Yes…?”
Rick's smile almost reached his ears, it felt uncanny.
“Six hours.”
“Wha-what?”
Rick cleared his throat, face falling, “I've been here for six hours. I wanted to check in on an… issue.”
Ted grimaced, “What… issue?”
Considering how odd this guy was, it could really be anything.
Rick perked up, “Wanna come see?”
“...Fine.” Ted hesitantly agreed.
The trek to nowhere was long. They hiked up the mountains, past seemingly neverending trees. Ted thought he knew the place in and out but he was starting to see things outside his scope.
Then a pungent scent hit his nose. Beyond the bramble of berries and dug up snow, just in front of Rick. He was hoping that wasn't where the issue was.
“Here's the issue!” Rick ended the silence.
He began moving to the side and opening his arms, showing off the wet exposed dirt.
“What a-am I looking at?”
Ted began regretting trusting this random stranger. This place was relatively safe but… Rick wasn't from here.
“My corpse!” He chirped out the words.
Rick shoved his hand into the dirt and quickly pulled out a head. Blood and dirt clung beneath his finger nails. He held up the head by its hair, it was barely decomposing. Yellowed teeth reflected the horror in Ted's face as its milky eyes bore into him.
It looked exactly like Rick, and by extension, Ted.
“...Ha…Hallo…ween…Halloween prop…?” Ted's words came out shaky.
A head was ripped from the ground by someone identical to him, and the head was also identical to him.
He pointed to it with his other hand, “It wasn't decomposing right. Probably from my tech. Some kind stranger must've buried it after I terminated it.”
Ted heaved out the words, “Kind… stranger…?”
Ted couldn't keep up with Rick's words.
He slammed his hands onto his mouth. His knees hit the freezing ground and the hold on his face switched to grab onto the dirt. His back trembled as he vomited up his dinner, lunch and breakfast. Tears dripped down his face.
Rick rushed to his side, he patted Ted's back.
“Oh. That's not good.” His tone wasn't malicious but it lacked sympathy. Vapid yet bemused and playful all in one.
Ted shoved Rick back and felt a rush beneath his skin. A current that shot out his arm, metal wiring bursting out and reforming into a secondary arm restraining the other Rick.
“Remember me… now…? Prime… I'm—” was the most he squeezed out of Rick before he began coughing.
Rick barely squirmed, he seemed awfully calm. Ted was mortified, he tried to run but tumbled down instead. Still, Rick stayed restrained above him, wires keeping him in place.
Spit and the remnants of vomit dripped down Ted's chin as he coughed, the cold biting at his throat. He felt feverish, sweat coating him as his unibrow dipped down his face, scowl spreading across.
He hadn't meant to, he didn't understand what was happening.
“I-I—!” Was all Ted could choke out.
Ted shook his arm, laying down in the snow. He tried tugging at the wire, but nothing.
Rick began mouthing words to him, telling him to ‘breathe’. So, he listened to the murderer.
He inhaled and exhaled, trying to calm down – at least that's what he inferred Rick meant.
Slowly, the wire lowered, loosening. It was a while before Rick's feet hit the snow. Rick only smirked when the wires began retreating back.
“Wh…why ha-haven't they gone away?” Ted asked him, the only person he could ask.
This had never happened before and Rick seemed to know what was happening. He couldn't help but rely on that. He didn't have any other options but the one person who was probably a killer. His life had never felt so bleak.
A different fury and disgust gnawed at his head, his stomach, he couldn't pinpoint what. Rick instilled a visceral reaction in him, that head, the breathing. How much was coincidence? The head made him believe none.
Rick moved closer, hands up, but the wires reached out to him again, not grabbing, but veering into grabbing territory. They moved their pincers to the rhythm of his movements.
Rick huffed and moved in despite the arms protest.
Ted tried to stop him as well, “Wait!” Was all he could manage.
He told himself he didn't want to hurt Rick, but a part of his head clung to the image of the head.
Rick pushed the wired arm away and hugged Ted. The armed wrapped around both of them, but didn't squeeze as hard.
“Hmm… I was hoping for a different reaction. Ya’ know, make love not war?” Rick spoke into his ear.
Ted's mind felt like static, he wasn't sure what to think or say, he just wanted to go back into his van. His breath hitched.
Rick just patted Ted's back strangely. It was seemingly meant to be a comforting gesture but Ted just wanted to throw up again.
“There, there!” Rick's words came out clunky, not exactly fitting him.
Ted coughed, growing into a giggle then a laugh at the absurdity. He wanted to throw his head back but he was worried it'd roll off and under the dirt like the other guy's.
Rick stilled as Ted's body shook. Rick stayed silent before he giggled a little bit.
Eventually the laughter died down, but the wire didn't move an inch.
“I don't even!” Ted cackled again, gasping for air he continued, “What do I even do now!?” It came out as a sob.
Rick began to get up, Ted moved with him.
“Let's start with walking to the van.”
At that instant, he moved to Ted's side, arm slung around his shoulder.
They began to walk to the van.
The way down felt even longer than the way there.
By the time they reached the van it felt as if an eternity passed by.
Ted let go at the sight of the van. He ran inside. Each step felt lighter than the last, the missing warmth just another burden he freed himself of.
Ted entered and slammed the door shut behind him but nothing trailed him. He searched the van for any changes, explanations, anything.
A hologram began to play but he already tuned it out – the man. He needed to see the man – Rick! He turned swiftly on his heel, another hologram behind him but he ignored it.
He stared straight ahead, slamming his hands onto the window as he looked at the snow.
4 sets of feet, to two, to none.
Nothing, just a breeze.
His Rick wasn't there.
Just lazily covered tracks.