[february 19, 1955]

y/n had barely slept. every time she closed her eyes, she saw it—the looming shadow, the glowing yellow eyes that bore into her like twin spotlights in the dark. every creak in her apartment made her flinch, every shift of argus in his bed made her tense. at some point, exhaustion finally claimed her, but it was restless, broken sleep, filled with vague, unsettling dreams that left her waking up in a cold sweat. now, as the morning light filtered through her blinds, she didn't feel any more rested than she had last night. if anything, she felt worse. heavy. drained. her body ached from curling into herself all night, but more than that, she was scared. she didn't want to get out of bed. she didn't want to step foot outside her apartment.

what if it was waiting for her? what if it followed her again? y/n had tried to call her work multiple times, hoping that maybe— maybe— she could convince someone to take her shift, or at the very least, let her skip out just for today. but every call went unanswered. not even a voicemail. she should've figured. it was only her second day...no one was going to go out of their way for someone that new.

with a frustrated sigh, she shoved the blankets off her and forced herself upright. there was no avoiding it. she had to go in. she needed this job. she couldn't let one terrifying encounter control her entire life. beside her bed, argus lifted his head from where he had been resting. he blinked up at her with those warm, soulful eyes, as if sensing her hesitation. y/n reached out and ran a hand over his head, scratching behind his ears. "wish you could come with me, bud..." she murmured.

but she knew that wasn't an option.

as much as she wanted him by her side, she couldn't put him in that kind of danger. if anything happened to him—if he saw one of them and got scared, or worse, got hurt—she'd never forgive herself. despite his size and his protective instincts, argus still had moments of being a big baby. she had seen it countless times when thunderstorms rolled in or when strangers got too close for his comfort. last night, though, he had been anything but a baby. he had stood his ground. growled. barked. scared it away. she didn't know what she would've done if he hadn't been there.

her stomach twisted at the thought, but she shook it off, forcing herself to move. she had to get ready. she had to go in. and more than anything...she had to act like everything was normal. even though she knew, deep down, that nothing would ever feel normal again.

currently, y/n stood in front of her mirror, adjusting her uniform as she eyed her reflection. her shirt was neatly tucked in, her name tag clipped in place, and her hair smoothed back just enough to look presentable and then grabbed her belongings and made her way toward the front door. but just as she reached for the handle, argus suddenly stepped in front of her, blocking her path. "argus..." she sighed, looking down at him. he didn't move. didn't wag his tail. he just stared up at her, ears pinned back, eyes filled with worry. she had a feeling he'd do this. "you gotta let me go," she tried, voice softer now. argus didn't budge.

y/n ran a hand through her hair, exhaling through her nose. she didn't have time for this. she was already dreading going outside as it was, and now, with argus acting like this, it made leaving even harder. she couldn't let last night get to her. couldn't let it keep her locked inside. she had to go. she had to. giving in to her last resort, she turned back toward the kitchen, rummaging through the cabinets until she found a small packet of dog treats. ripping it open, she walked back over to argus and held one out for him.

"here you go," she said, offering it to him. he took it, crunching down slowly, eyes still glued to her. she gave him another. then, the third treat, she tossed a few feet away from them but argus didn't take the bait right away. instead, he stared at y/n, then at the treat, then back at y/n. it wasn't until he looked back at her that y/n continued, "go get it," she urged, nodding toward it.

she kept her expression neutral, though her fingers were twitching at her sides. if he didn't take the bait, she didn't know what else to do. finally, after a long moment, argus trotted over, sniffed the treat, then picked it up between his teeth. that was her chance.

without wasting another second, she turned, yanked open the door, stepped out, and slammed it shut behind her, locking it with shaky hands. she could already hear argus rushing back to the door, whining on the other side, but she forced herself to ignore it, walking at a frantic pace down the hall, down the stairs, and out of her apartment building.

when y/n finally arrived at her work, her heart was still pounding, though she wasn't sure if it was from the rushed walk or the lingering fear coiled deep in her stomach. she reached for the handle and tried to open the front door—locked. she frowned.

she tried again.

still locked.

y/n huffed, stepping back as frustration began to bubble up. of course the door was locked. just her luck. then—

"you're going to hurt yourself before you get that door open." she knew that voice. slowly, she turned her head, glancing over her shoulder to see a familiar figure standing at the end of the steps. his stance was casual, arms crossed, but his sharp gaze was anything but. it didn't take her long to figure out that it was allen.

y/n let out a small breath. "you scared me." she stated with a hand over her heart in hopes of calming it.

"yeah, well, you scared me first, walking up like that," he shot back, lifting a brow. "aren't you a little too early?" y/n blinked. was she? she hadn't exactly checked the time before she left. allen studied her for a moment before shaking his head. "you'll have to wait a few minutes before you can clock in. door stays locked until then." he was surprised she was back. he figured y/n either had got nerves of steel or she was just plain stupid.

she sighed, crossing her arms. "seriously?"

"seriously." he replied. y/n chewed on the inside of her cheek, debating whether she should wait outside or find somewhere else to loiter for the time being. before y/n could decide whether to wait outside or wander off for a bit, allen broke the silence, his voice a little less sharp this time. "everything okay?" y/n hesitated. she didn't know how to answer that. 

"um..." she started, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. she knew if she lied, he'd probably see right through it. and honestly? maybe it'd be good to tell someone about what happened last night. even if that someone was allen. "something weird happened to me last night," she finally admitted. 

"define weird." allen pressed, his brows furrowing slightly. 

y/n swallowed. here we go. "well—um—i-i was walking my dog, right? and he, uh—he started acting weird. like, really weird. he kept sniffing at the air like he caught a scent of something but, i mean, i didn't see anything. i thought maybe it was just, i don't know, another animal or something, but then he wouldn't move. like, i tried pulling him back but he was just—locked onto something." she glanced at allen, who was listening intently, arms crossed.  she sighed and continued. "and then—god, i feel so stupid saying this—but, um, he, uh...he dragged me. like, fully dragged me across the street, right into some alley. and i still didn't see anything, but then he just...started growling. like, full-on hackles raised, teeth bared, the whole nine yards. and that freaked me out because, you know, he only does that when there's actually something there. but when i turned around?" she sucked in a sharp breath. "there was nothing..." 

allen didn't speak. he just nodded for her to keep going. y/n exhaled, rubbing the back of her neck. 

"but then, um, we left the alley, right? and i started getting this feeling like... like i was being watched. and then i heard something behind me. like, actual footsteps. so i tried to shake them off, but—" she made a face, hating how her voice was starting to waver, "—but whoever it was, they matched my pace. and i just—i freaked, okay? i ducked into another alley with argus and just hid." her fingers twitched at her sides, hating how saying it out loud made her feel like she was right back there again, cowering behind that trash can. "and then... the footsteps stopped. right where we were hiding. like, right outside the alley. and i didn't even want to look because i knew—i-i knew— something was standing there. waiting." she clenched her jaw, shaking her head. "i don't know how long we waited, but eventually... they left. so we ran. and when i looked back, there was just...this thing standing under the streetlamp." she shuddered. "it had these eyes, and i—i don't know. i don't even know what the hell i saw, but it just stood there while i ran home." 

another moment of silence stretched between them until: "y/n." allen's voice was unreadable. 

"y-yeah?" 

"you do realize that now i'm gonna have to ask you a whole buncha questions to make sure you're...not one of them, right?" allen stated.

y/n blinked. 

"are you kidding me?" 

"nope." allen shook his head, his expression unreadable as he slowly walked up the stairs, joining her at the top before fumbling with his id. he scanned it, the door giving a soft click as it unlocked. so, this entire time allen had the power to just open the door himself? y/n frowned, guessing that maybe the need of the d.d.d. members needing to interview her once more trumped the fact she needed to wait to clock into her shift and without a word, he pushed it open and gestured for her to step inside first. y/n rolled her eyes before stepping past him. she really should've stayed home...

once they were inside, allen closed the door behind them with a heavy thunk, the sound echoing faintly through the empty lobby. he locked it with a flick of his wrist, the mechanism clicking into place. y/n didn't even glance back at him; she was already putting distance between them, eager to get to her station—or at least somewhere where she didn't feel like she was under scrutiny. but allen wasn't having it. "hey, get back here," he said, his voice firm but not unkind. 

y/n stopped immediately, stiffening at the command before reluctantly turning on her heel and walking back to his side. she could feel her face heating up, partly from annoyance, partly from lingering nerves. allen scoffed, shaking his head as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a radio. 

without wasting any time, he turned it on, raised it to his mask, and spoke. "is anyone in here?" for a moment, all that answered him was static. then, finally, the radio crackled to life. 

"yep," came a voice, casual and unmistakably male. 

allen's posture relaxed slightly. "oh, hey, howard," he greeted as if they were just catching up on a regular shift. "do you think you have some time to swing by the entrance? we have a code #07e8." there was a pause on the other end. then, a murmur—howard clearly didn't catch it right. allen sighed through his nose, then repeated himself, more clearly this time. "no, a 07e8." he corrected his coworker.

another pause. then— 

"copy that." howard confirmed, his tone more serious now. when all was said and done, allen clipped the radio back onto his belt and then turned to y/n, his expression unreadable beneath his mask. even though she couldn't see his full face, the way he stood, the way his head tilted just slightly— like he was sizing her up— made her shift uncomfortably where she stood. 

she didn't like this.

her fingers curled into her sleeves, and after a moment of silence, she finally asked, "what's a code 07e8?"

allen didn't hesitate. his answer came fast, flat, like he was reading off a script. "a suspicion that one of our own is being mimicked by a doppelgänger." 

y/n's stomach twisted. she frowned, her lips pressing into a thin line. "can't you just interview me?" 

allen shook his head. "i can't." 

her brows furrowed. "...why?" 

"because i've been around you the longest and have some bias. i don't need that swaying the results in any way." he sighed and for once, she thought she believed she had caught a glimpse of something softer in him—an ounce of regret, maybe. "sorry, y/n...i really am." he apologized.

she narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms. "if i were a doppelgänger, don't you think it'd be dangerous to stay in here with me? i could've killed you by now." she pointed out the obvious.

for a second, he just stared at her. 

then, to her utter disbelief, he laughed. 

"c'mon, a tiny thing like you? don't humor me." y/n felt her face heat up. she scowled, but it was hard to hold onto the frustration when he was still chuckling, shaking his head like the idea of her being a threat was the funniest thing he'd heard all week. still, the weight of the situation lingered in the air, unshaken by his amusement. she wasn't out of the woods yet, and right on cue, the heavy doors at the far end of the lobby swung open, and in strolled another d.d.d. agent, clad in the same yellow black uniform as allen.

their outfits, their masks—it all made them look eerily similar, unidentifiable from one another, like a sea of faceless figures. but this one walked with purpose, his head tilting slightly as his gaze locked onto y/n without hesitation. "this her?" he asked, voice muffled slightly through the mask.

"sure is." allen nodded.

the new agent— howard, she rightfully assumed— let out a quiet hum before raising a hand and gesturing for her to come closer. "alright...follow me, miss." y/n hesitated for only a second before stepping forward, her feet moving automatically despite the growing discomfort settling deep in her stomach. she didn't like this. she didn't like the way this whole thing felt so impersonal, like she was just another box to check off a list.

as she and howard walked, she stole a glance over her shoulder, back toward allen. to her dismay, he didn't stop her, didn't call her back. instead, he lifted a hand and gave her a small, casual wave, the kind someone might give a friend before parting ways. 'good luck and see you on the other side,' it seemed to say. y/n clenched her jaw and snapped her head forward, her pace quickening just slightly.

soon, they reached a door. unlike the others in the lobby, this one was different—solid, unmarked, sterile. howard reached for his keycard, swiped it against the scanner, and with a faint beep, the lock disengaged.

he pushed the door open and stepped aside, motioning for her to enter. y/n stared at the darkened room beyond for a moment, its cold fluorescent lights flickering on one by one. she swallowed and then, without another word, she stepped inside.