Snaggle_Tooth

All right, all right. We can try again. Think of this as a clean slate. Things may seem a little different, but that is just because of your imperfect memory. Don't worry about it.

And remember: you can trust Alice, but not Snaggle Tooth!

Loop 2 Chapter 3

Don't Open the Closet!

Jacob scratched the back of his neck and frowned. It felt as if a hundred little spiders were crawling up and down his spine. He looked around his apartment, and his scowl only deepened.

"My apartment..." Jacob's voice was hoarse like a stranger's as he spun around in a slow circle. "Is this... my apartment?"

The invisible spiders continued their dance across his arms and legs. A wave of confusion washed over him as he stared at a drab couch full of tears and exposed stuffing. There was a dinky television sitting on a box across from the couch, and he could see an old Xbox covered in dust.

"I... I don't have..." Jacob's breathing was growing heavy, and he rubbed at his eyes irritably. "This... isn't my apartment?"

His legs were two stone lumps as his head filled with white noise. Because this had to be his apartment. Why would he be here if this was not his apartment? It was a shame there was not something as cliché as a family portrait to dispel his confusion, but this... this had to be home!

"I must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed..." Jacob muttered to himself.

The bright sun filled the room around him with light, but it was as if a black veil was being slowly lowered across his eyes.

Because he could not remember waking up. He could not remember falling asleep. It was as if he had simply popped into existence standing in the middle of this unfamiliar room. He could not remember anything.  

Jacob clutched his chest as panic stabbed at his heart. He could not remember yesterday. He could not remember last week. He could not remember where he worked or if he even had a job. It was not that he was confused or unsure. There was nothing inside his head. Parents? Friends? He could not remember anyone.

"Oh God..." Jacob bit his lip as the alien room around him began to shake and spin. Nothing. He could remember nothing. "Heart attack... I think I'm having... having a heart attack."

His frazzled nerves were one big ball of misery as a voice erupted behind his ear.

"Move it!"

Jacob screamed with all the enthusiasm of a frightened schoolgirl. He flailed his arms and almost tripped over his own feet.

"What are you doing!?" The unfamiliar voice was full of scorn. "Calm down!"

Jacob turned to stare... at a beautiful woman.

"Are you on drugs or something?" the unfamiliar woman asked with a scowl. "I almost called the cops last night."

The young woman had short ivory black hair and the willowy figure of a model. Jacob forgot about some of his confusion as he met her intense stare. Her eyes were the color of gold and seemed to trap him like a hypnotist.

He quickly realized he had no idea who this woman was.

The unfamiliar woman's scowl only darkened as she covered her chest with dainty arms. She wore a colorful t-shirt that would not have looked out of place at a rock concert.

"You keep staring and I'm going to pluck those eyes out, Jacob!" the unfamiliar woman said with a snarl, and his heart jumped. She knew his name... and Jacob realized that he knew his own name. "I am so done with this. No more parties. No more... whatever it is you're on! Got it?!"

"Parties...?" Jacob's voice was hoarse. He tried to swallow, but his throat was as dry as the savanna.

"Hah! Don't even try to pretend!" the woman said, and her fake laugh filled Jacob with the strangest warmth. "You probably don't even care that you were fired. Do you even remember that? Max called this morning. What're we going to do about rent?"

He tried to digest all that the woman told him, but he could practically feel his head swelling with what she had to say. While he had no idea who she was, she clearly knew him.

"Are you going to say anything?!"

Jacob shook himself free from his confusion and cleared his throat. He struggled to find the right words as he met the revulsion in her stare.

"I... This is a little confusing, but..." Jacob smiled nervously as he glanced between the woman's scowl and her black shoes. "I can't... I don't remember anything."

"Of course you don't!" the unfamiliar woman shouted. "With all the dope and- "

"N-No!" Jacob said, and he was surprised at the force in his voice. Fear and confusion were instantly replaced with frustration.

The woman recoiled and took an unconscious step back. White horror spread across her face, and Jacob bit his lip in shame.

"I'm sorry!" Jacob said quickly. "I can't remember anything. I don't... I can't remember anything!"

A pregnant silence lingered between the two of them until the woman's thin lips widened into an astonished O.

"No..." Her piercing gold stare seemed to peek under his clothes as she studied him from head to toe. "You can't remember... anything? Like... amnesia?"

Jacob nodded his head absentmindedly. Amnesia. It was the kind of thing you only ever heard about in movies and television. But amnesia... Amnesia...?

"Do you remember... who you are?" the woman asked, breaking Jacob from his stupor. Some of her fear ebbed away as she looked at him with new eyes.

"I remember my name," Jacob said, but he failed once more to remember even the smallest detail about himself.

"What about... me?"

Jacob looked up and found a worried look written across the woman's face. He shook his head, and she took a shuddering breath.

"I can't... I can't deal with this right now!" the woman said as tears tickled the corner of her eyes. "I just can't!"

"Eh?" Jacob blinked in confusion as the unfamiliar woman moved towards the front door.

"Get yourself s-straightened out!" the woman shouted as tears flowed freely down her face. "I can't live like this!"

"W-wait a minute," Jacob said as she tore open the front door. "I need help! I can't remember- "

But the woman marched outside and slammed the door shut despite his protest. Jacob was left alone in the strange apartment. Possibly his strange apartment. The woman had mentioned rent earlier.

"What is going on...?" Jacob mumbled to himself as silence returned to the room. He thought about chasing after the woman, but for what? He had no idea who she was.

He simply stood in the middle of the room for several minutes. He tried frantically to remember anything, but each time his efforts came up short. He knew his name, but not the woman's. They could be married for all he knew. He could have a child!

Jacob's heart was heavy in his chest as he looked once more around the shabby apartment. There had to be some kind of clue. If he had amnesia... If he had amnesia, should he call an ambulance? Was amnesia a hospital sort of thing?

And then he jumped with surprise as something tickled his leg.

He slapped his thigh as if it were an oversized mosquito, but the sensation continued uninterrupted. Blinking away his fear, Jacob realized it was just... his cell phone.

Fireworks went off in his chest as he hurriedly groped his pants pockets. He tore out an unfamiliar black cell phone and quickly answered Babe's call.

"Hello? Hello?!" Jacob licked his lips nervously as he listened to the voice on the other end. He heard someone sniffle loudly and then the same woman from before spoke.

"You don't remember... anything?" Her voice was soft with concern.

"Y-yes!" Jacob shouted into the phone. "I can't remember anything! Look, I'm sorry if- "

"Just s-stop," the woman interrupted with a low hiss. She fought back a sob. "Just... Just relax. I'll come back home after I've c-c-calmed down. You'll be fine. We'll fix this. Do y-you remember about the closet?"

"The closet?" Jacob frowned and shook his head.

The woman did not speak for a short while, though he could hear her misery through the phone. He might have more guilty if he actually knew who she was.

"Look, I'll be home s-soon. Just don't open the closet." Jacob could hear cars in the background. "I'll be home soon. We'll fix this. I always... always do. Goodbye."

"Wait!" Jacob shouted, but the call ended without another word. He stared at the blank wallpaper of his phone with a rising frustration. It took a supreme force of will to keep from smashing the black box against the floor.

"What is wrong with today?!"

He stowed the phone back into his pocket and looked around the apartment. Amnesia. It all felt like a great big joke.

Jacob bit his lip and looked over at the unfamiliar couch. It certainly did not feel like his couch. It was not exactly a memory, but Jacob felt he would have liked one that was more... colorful.

"And I definitely wouldn't own a vintage Xbox."

With all the wariness of a burglar, he walked over to the dusty console. It matched the downtrodden theme of the apartment. The couch, even with all its tears and exposed stuffing, seemed to be the most expensive thing here.

He poked his head into the adjacent room and was met with a cramped kitchen scarcely large enough for one person. The sink was full of dirty dishes, though the trash was thankfully empty.

Jacob still had no idea who the woman was, but she said she would help. It filled him with anxiety, but who else could he turn to? Could he even afford a hospital visit? Half the drawers and cupboards he opened were empty. The apartment did not seem to have even a speck of cereal.

He turned absentmindedly to the humming refrigerator.

"What am I even doing?" Jacob wondered aloud as he opened the freezer and stared at a wintery mess. Ice and chalky snow had taken over the entire thing.

He reached for the fridge below it and opened the door. A dull light flickered on to reveal a sterile white emptiness. It was almost entirely empty aside from the bottommost row. A large plastic bag was sopping wet, though who knew with what. Beside it was another mystery covered in brown butcher's paper.

...thunk...

Jacob looked up from the fridge. He thought he had heard a noise, but all was quiet.

...thunk, thunk, thunk...

Jacob's heart skipped a beat as he realized someone was knocking on the front door. He stood paralyzed beside the open fridge.

...THUNK...

...THUNK...

...THUNK...

Whoever was at the door knocked louder, and Jacob went back into the other room. The windows were not helpful in finding out who it was, and an odd part of Jacob did not even want to know.

"Hellooo? Anyone home?"

The voice on the other side of the door sounded... friendly. Jacob wrestled with what to do for several moments before the loud knocking resumed.

...THUNK, THUNK, THUNK...

"A m-moment!" Jacob shouted on impulse. He immediately cursed himself as his mind continued to race with who could be at the door. Was it even a bad thing to answer the door? This could be his apartment, after all.

Jacob's arms and legs were trembling as he walked over and gripped the doorknob. The door did not have a window or even a peephole.

The day's warmth tickled his face as he opened the door. He looked out on an unfamiliar urban street. Tall brick townhouses flanked the way, as did dozens and dozens of cars.

His focus anchored onto the police cruiser parked outside his apartment.

And then the two police officers standing outside his door.

"Good morning, sir!" The young police officer wore a bright smile as he looked over Jacob's shoulder and into the apartment. "We were hoping to speak with you for just a moment."