They're killing me. Help.

The first time I saw them was in September 2019, when I was in the waiting room at the doctor's office. I was a kid, so I was excited to be there by myself. No parents, no siblings, just me. I was old enough I didn't have to bring someone with me, but still young enough I thought it was fun. I was flipping through the channels, bored, when I noticed something. Two men. They were sitting next to each other in a row of chairs along the wall, but they weren't acting like they were strangers. They were too comfortable. They were acting like they'd known each other their whole lives. But every time I looked over, one of them would look away, and pretend he was reading a magazine. I thought they were flirting. I felt bad staring at people flirting, so I looked away. But I was bored, and couldn't focus on the TV, so I kept glancing back. They didn't move. Ever. They just sat there, "reading", occasionally glancing at each other out of the corner of their eyes. It was so obvious. I got called back, and I had to go focus on why I was there in the first place. I had to get some blood drawn, because I was sick, and I had to get a physical, because I wanted to play a sport, and I wanted them to stop focusing on the fact that I was sick and focus on the fact that I was an athlete, so I could get better faster. I stopped paying attention to the two men in the waiting room and went through the various tests and exams I had to do, but when I came out, they were still there. The one on the left had moved an elbow onto the arm rest between them, and the one on the right was looking at the elbow, then back at the first man's face, over and over. I thought they were trying to decide whether or not they should hold hands. I didn't care. I didn't even think anything about it, besides *awwwww*. I left, went home, took a nap, and forgot all about it. I went back to the doctor at the beginning of October, and I saw them again. They were in the same row of chairs, sitting in the same two seats, but this time they were talking, quietly. I didn't hear what they were saying, but I could hear the sound of their voices. They were low and smooth and soothing, and I found myself focusing on them, leaning towards them slightly, and trying to listen. I got called back again, and I had to go to the exam room, so I had to stop paying attention to them. I didn't see them when I came out, and I didn't think about it again for a few days. Then, one night, I couldn't sleep. I was sick, and miserable, and uncomfortable, and I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about the two men, and wondering if they were a couple, or just friends, or what. I wondered if they worked there, at the doctor's office. I wondered if they were there all the time, and I just happened to see them two times, or if it was a coincidence. I couldn't sleep, so I was thinking about it, and I got really fixated on it. I couldn't focus on anything else. And I realized, I don't have anything else to focus on. I've been sick for a few months, and there's nothing I can do. There's no cure. There's no treatment. All I can do is wait, and eventually, I'll die. And that's what made me think they were following me. I'd been to a lot of hospitals, a lot of clinics, a lot of offices. I'd seen a lot of doctors. I'd been everywhere, and I'd never seen them before. But now, all of a sudden, I'd seen them twice, within a month. I didn't have any proof it was the same men, but I was sure. They looked the same. They acted the same. They *felt* the same. I was so tired. I didn't have the energy to focus on anything else, and I was so fixated on them. I couldn't sleep, and my stomach hurt, and all I could think about was the two men at the doctor's office. Then, all of a sudden, I fell asleep. Like that. I was sitting on the couch, and I was staring at the wall, and all of a sudden, I fell asleep. When I woke up, I felt a little better. It was the middle of the day, so I was groggy, but I could focus. I could think. And what I thought was, *I have to get proof*. I went online, and looked up the office, and read the reviews, and eventually, I found two employees with the same names. Mark and Gary. According to the website, Mark was the receptionist, and Gary was the head of security, but the review that had pictures, didn't match those jobs. I knew what they looked like, but I didn't know their names, so I scrolled through every picture I could find, until I finally found them, months later. They were standing outside the office, smiling, and waving at the camera. Mark was on the left, and Gary was on the right. Mark had put his elbow on Gary's shoulder, and Gary was smiling, looking up at Mark. I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. Everyone at the office already knew they were a couple, and nobody thought it was weird. They didn't act like they were strangers. They acted like everyone else at the office. They acted like they were coworkers. I didn't know what to think. I'd convinced myself they were following me. I'd fixated on them for months, and now, I'd found evidence that they didn't have any reason to be at the office. I felt like a kid, and I'd just learned there was no Santa. I felt like an idiot. But the next week, I had to go back again, and there they were. Sitting in the same row of chairs, "reading" their magazines, glancing at each other, occasionally. They didn't look at me. They didn't even acknowledge me. But I knew they saw me. They *had* to. I was so confused. I was so uncertain. I didn't know what was happening, or why it was happening. But what I did know, was that I had to get them to talk to me. I sat down across from them, and pulled out my phone, and pretended I was texting, but really, I was listening. Really, I was focused on them. And what I heard, was them talking to each other. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I could hear the sound of their voices. I could hear the way they laughed. I wanted to join. I wanted to be a part of whatever they were doing, even if it meant intruding on a private conversation. But I'd already been sitting there for a few minutes, and they hadn't acknowledged me, so I knew I'd interrupt. I knew they'd be annoyed. So I just sat there, and listened, and waited, and eventually, they noticed me. They glanced at me, at the same time, then they looked at each other, and back at me, and smiled, at the same time. They stood up, and walked over, and stood in front of me, looming over me, looking down. "Hi," one of them said. I can't remember which one. "Hi," I said back. They paused, like they were talking to each other, silently, and I heard them, mumbling, under their breath. "Do you want to?" "Yes, I do." "I know. Me too." "What do we call him?" "I don't know." "Don't answer that." "I have to." "Why not?" "We have to." "Why?" "We just have to." "We can't. We can't. We have to." "What's your name?" one of them asked me. "I-I'm Alec," I said. "I'm Mark, and this is Gary," the other one said. "It's nice to meet you," I said. "It's nice to meet you too," they said, at the same time. Then they sat down, one on either side of me, and put their elbows on the arm rests between us, and leaned in close, close enough I could smell them, and I froze. "What's wrong?" Mark asked. "I...I don't know," I said. "Why are you here?" Gary asked. "I'm sick," I said. "What's wrong with you?" Mark asked. "I don't know," I said. "Don't you know?" Gary asked. "No," I said. "They don't know what's wrong with me." "Then you shouldn't be here," Mark said. "I have to be," I said. "Why?" "Because they told me to." "Who told you to?" "The doctor." "Why did he tell you to?" "Because I'm sick." "Why are you sick?" "I don't know. That's what I'm trying to figure out." "What do you think is wrong with you?" "I-I don't know." "Do you think you're sick?" "I mean, I'm definitely sick. I'm just not sure what's wrong." "And you think they can help you?" "I hope so." "Why?" "Because they told me they could." "Do you believe them?" "I-I don't know." "Do you think they're lying?" "I-I don't know." "Why don't you know?" "Because I don't." "But you don't think they can help you." "I mean, I don't know

They're killing me. Help.

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