38(S3E13)- Closing The Loop

38

(Season 3, Episode 13)

Closing the loop

The stare was longer than it should have been.  As the two friends stood there Zachariah knew this was not the Scott he had left behind him battling a horseman, this was something else born out of something wrong.  A darkness flickered in his eyes that had never been there before.

"I...  am..." Scott broke the silence, struggling with his words.  "Sorry you have to see this."

He began to move and Zachariah yelled.  "Don't!"

He frowned but stayed his hand.  "I have to. Before they summon the Dahaka.  It's the only way to stop you from being... Removed.  It is the only way to make this right"

Zachariah started to put it together.  This Scott was from the future, or at least a future in which the Dahaka finds his prey.  "No, this won't solve anything."

Scott turned, his face curling into rage.  "What the hell do you know?!  You quit on me, and now I have lived two realities.  Do you know what that's like?  To look at your wife and kid every day and only be able to see the fucking lie?!"

Zachariah shook his head.  "I'm sorry.  I'm sorry I put you through this but this ain't you buddy.  You are not a killer."

Scott turned back to the monks on the floor. "You don't know what I am."

"You’re not a quitter."  Zachariah said, recalling the words Scott had used on him to bring him back from War's control.   "You are not going to give up on who you are.  You are going to be that guy who talked me back from the edge, you’re going to be the guy that risks everything for a friend and you are going to be the guy that finds a way to save everyone."

Scott stared as the weight of his actions and his life came back to him. The white noise of the killer fading from him until all that was left was a guy who really missed his wife.  "It’s...  the only way."

Zachariah shook his head and moved to Scott, touching his shoulder.  "No, it's not."

The Dahaka roared in the distance and Zachariah knew it had found him again. His time was growing short,  "Okay, we have to move, you and I need to concentrate on the point in which the Horsemen were bound to the first Rognaithe, because it was done here in the chamber too."

Scott shook his head, confused, "I don't understand why?"

Zachariah explained quickly.  "Because the Dahaka is not after me, it never was, it is after what is inside of me.  The legend is, the Time Mages summoned it to seek out the father of the Horsemen, that's not me it never was, it's Death.  I'm just the by-product."

"But the only way to separate you from Death is to kill you?" Scott asked, the words beginning to make him understand.

"Not if he has not been bound to me yet, or anyone for that matter."  With that, Scott understood and the two of them concentrated as the black mass of Dahaka closed they moved again, the moment of the bubble moved away and they were in the white again for a second before another moment moved to them, at high speed.

****

The skeletal figure was on its hands and knees before the three Time Mages, the other horsemen at its feet all of them held in a bubble of magic as two of the Time Mages worked to hold the spell up.

The skelton's black eyes reflected the void in their own souls as a dark voice seemed to surround them. "Interesting gamble, luring us to the place you three are the strongest, but it will not work."

The one lead Time Mage stood next to a Muscle Bound Celtic warrior with long red hair, holding a bold covered great sword.  His armor was tattered and blood seeped from various wounds.  His battle had been a long one, but it was almost over now. Soon he would be allowed to return to his wife and boy, and simple life, away from all this violence.

His name was Rognaithe.

"Silence, demon, You have been defeated."  He said, breathing hard.

Death laughed a chortling noise that made fresh crawl before responding. "Sad, blind warrior, this is far from over.  Your leader has failed to mention that this is only temporary. Every year his subordinate’s power will fade and we will gain our strength back and then our freedom."

Rognaithe turned.  "Is this true?  Don’t you mean to summon the Dahaka?"

Death chortled again. "That was the plan?  The Dahaka?  The spirit of temporal vengeance does not heed the call of any mortal man. Even if it did, the spell would take millennia to cast. The life span of you humans does not lend to such things. "

"No,"  The Time Mage agreed.  "But this place does.  You see, Death, we will be giving our lives in order to summon the creature. We will never leave this room again."

Death seemed to consider, then dismissed this. "It is still null and void because we will get free and kill you long before the spell's final word is uttered."

"No, there is a way..." The Time Mage began.  "We will bind you to a soul that you will not be able to escape for 28 years.  On the 27th year, we will send the soul back to the life stream.  We will trap you in this loop until we have time to finish the spell and free the world from you forever."

Rognaithe was many things, but stupid was not one of them.  "So... I am not to go home either, then."

The Time Mage turned with sadness in his eyes.  "I am sorry, my friend... there is no other way."

The Rognaithe took a second to think of his wife and child, of the promise he had made to return, that his last act was to betray the ones he loved.  He knew though, that this was the answer and although they would hate him for this, he would allow the Horsemen to bind to his.....

His thought trailed off as a weird-looking man with a heavy set brow and another with a scarred face, both dressed in strange garb appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Master?" He asked, pointing at the strange fellows.

The Time Mage turned. "What is the meaning of this,  who are you two?"

"We are here to fix all you your problems," the one with the brow said, as he pointed at the two Time Mages holding the shield in place.

The other spoke two words, "Got It," before exploding into motion, delivering a shift kick to both the Mages back to back.  They dropped, unconscious, to the floor and with them, the shield.

"What have you done?!" The Time Mage screamed before turning back to the most powerful Horseman.

Death rose, his laughter assaulting them all.  "Now you shall bear witness to the end of time. Now I shall feast on your souls and my children will feast on the souls of the ones you love. This world will fall into-"

Zachariah cleared his throat, loudly.

Death turned.  "You dare interrupt me?!"

Zachariah shook his head.  "Not me... him."

He turned and the black cloud tore through the very itself air.  The Dahaka appeared like a great beast, a tiger or a bear, its form constantly shifting as it charged. Death had nowhere to go and the creature slammed into the horseman.  A sudden sucking feeling engulfed the room and Zachariah. it was as if the Horsemen were being pulling out of realty right in front of them.

A second later, it was over.

Only Scott and Zachariah stood, the door to exit somehow now in front of them as if they had accomplished what they were supposed to and could now go home.

Zachariah felt a twinge of guilt. “You know I have seen enough Doctor Who to know that when we walk through that door, time is going to rewrite itself and you are going to cease to exist.

The Killer smiled for the first time in a long time, it was a pure feeling of joy. “Thank God.”

Scott reached for the door.

****

Epilogue…

Zachariah came around the final corner of his morning jog.  Slowly, he was getting better, faster.  He remembered all of it, even though it had never happened.  The time stream had rewritten itself without a Rognaithe since none was needed.  Zersch, Kahn, Catherine, none of it had actually happened to him but he remembered it all and still, in the back of his head, he was glad he did.  It had spurred him to live.

As he approached the front door to his apartment he saw the familiar figure of the dwarf, Mel standing out front.  He came to a stop, breathing hard in front of him.  Mel scuffed. “Ugh you are sweating all over me.”

Zachariah gave him confused.  “You remember?”

Mel shrugged.  “Sure, some of us do, the ones that really want to.  Those whose lives were truly changed by it.”

Zachariah shook his head.  “But Scott doesn’t remember anything. Why not?”

“Scott was involved in a very small part of it, when you really think about it. It was only a couple of days of his life.  Not to mention, he has a wife and kids, so the urge to forget would be stronger. After all, what parent is going to want to know what’s really out there?  It’s enough to give you a stroke.”

Zachariah nodded acceptingly. “Well, I guess that’s that then, huh?”

Mel smiled and extended his hand.  “Yeah, that about covers it.”

The two shook hands one final time.  Mel turned and strolled away. “Take care of yourself, chosen one.”

Mel vanished for possibly the last time and Zachariah took a breath.  Behind him, a familiar voice snapped him out of his reverie. “Since when do you jog?”

Zachariah Turned to find his best friend Scott standing there with a birthday present in hand. “Something new I’m trying.”

Scott smiled and chuckled to himself as the two headed in. “You know with how depressed you have been since Maggie, I thought I would have to kick down the door to save you from killing yourself.”

Zachariah awkwardly laughed in response.  “No buddy, I think I am… over it.  After all, I have a date tonight.”

Scott’s eyes went wide. “Holy shit man, that’s great!  With who?”

Zachariah smiled.  “This girl I used to know named Melissa. She’s got this face I just can’t seem to… let go of.”

“Congrats man, I’m happy for you. Let’s have a beer and I’ll get out of your hair.”  Scott said as he walked up the stairs.

“Thanks man, I really feel like I am getting a second chance.  Almost like a do-over. And I think this time it is going to be awesome.”

THE END

THE END?  What the hell does that mean?  No more Stranger Things?  No more crazy stories of Zachariah and his friends?  It does look like everything is resolved. All the loose ends tied up nicely, didn’t it?

But, then again, we all know life has a funny way of making new loose ends doesn’t it?

Until the next time…

STRANGER THINGS; ZACHARIAH’S DEATH

38(S3E12)-The Instant... Again

 

38

(Season 3, episode 12)

The  Instant…  Again

 

Zachariah was out of time.

The long walk down the spiral had been an interesting one, as he had reconnected with his friend.  He had let Scott in on everything that had happened to him since that fateful day when the Druids and ninja's had appeared in his dad's backyard to kidnap him.  He told him about the fight with the rock troll, the insane midair battle down these very stairs and the final battle with the great wyvern Zersch.

He told his friend about his alternate self, and the trial on the floating city of Avalon, the fight with the Ork in his room and how Maggie was secretly a succubus.  He told him about watching himself die for a woman he had never met.

He told him everything because Scott was his best friend and he should know, but also to go through it again in his mind, looking for holes or pieces that would turn this confusion into something that made sense. He felt like he was close to something, close to understanding but it was just out of his reach.  It reminded him of when you forget a word and you can almost see it in your head but can't quite make your mouth say it.

The point had become moot.

The group reached the bottom of the stairs where once Zachariah had danced with a monster beyond his power and come out on top.  There was a door at the top, but standing in front of it all were the three Horsemen in all their terrifying glory.

"It is time for you to realize your destiny, Zachariah."  The one in the middle appeared to be Zachariah to Zachariah.

To Kahn it was her father.

To Scott it was the weeping widow.

"The middle one is the horseman of war, it will appear as your greatest fear," Mel said to strengthen everyone's resolve as they all seemed to take a collective step backward.

The horseman took a step forward.  "Yes, be brave, be bold, it will do you no good."

Just then, a noise like a small thunder crack, echoed throughout the giant open space and Mel cried out in pain, dropping to one knee.  Zachariah and Scott turned and saw the black mass at the edge of the room, slamming into Mel's shield like an animal testing its cage.

Zachariah whirled back to the Horseman and saw something new flashed across the face of his mirrored image, fear.

"Go my brothers, the Rognaithe must die!"  The Horseman of War yelled as Famine and Pestilence followed lead.

"They do not reach The Gaijin!"  Kahn yelled and the ninjas exploded forward.  Chaos followed.

Zachariah stood there as the unspeakable violence in his name commenced around him and, for the first time since this whole thing began, started to form a plan,  "I think... I think I figured it out."

Scott, usually a man of action, watched as a druid and a small army did battle with the physical manifestations of the apocalypse.  "What is it exactly?"

"Whatever it is, it's time to move!"  Mel said through gritted teeth, tossing him the key to the door.

Zachariah caught it and yelled.  "I just need to get to the door!"

He pushed into motion, his tired and bruised legs responded by pushing him forward into one last run. If he could make it to the door, to the chamber, maybe he could fix all of this.

"Stop him!"  War yelled from somewhere in the fray and almost on cue, Famine exploded out of the anarchy, a ball of razor sharp deadly teeth looking to end Zachariah and release his father.

"Duck!"  Bevan yelled and Zachariah dropped, diving forward into a roll, Famine's hand barley missing him as he did. Bevan's Rune gun shot was right on and a ball of flame washed over the creature. Zachariah did not turn back even when he felt the heat singe the hairs on the back of his neck.  He came back to his feet and kept running.

Red beetles descended on him, biting his exposed skin and drawing blood.  Zachariah screamed and slowed as Pestilence attacked. He was unable to do anything.  He dropped to one knee as the beetles became so heavy, his sight was becoming cloudy.

"Grab on!"  Kahn yelled as a weighted chain hit the floor in front of Zachariah.

He grabbed the chain and wrapped it around his hand and looked up.  Through the mess of bugs on his face, he saw Kahn and four of the ninjas, two on either side of her.  Kahn held the chain and anchored herself to the floor while the other four made three quick and strange hand gestures.

"Uindo!"  They yelled in unison before throwing their hands forward. Four extreme gusts of wind converged on Zachariah. The chain went taught and he was lifted off the ground but the bugs were ripped off him and hurled away.  The wind subsided a second later and Zachariah fell to the dust covered stone, itchy, but bug free.

"Go!"  Kahn yelled and leapt past Zachariah into action with the other ninjas.

Zachariah pulled himself up and pushed up the stairs, the home stretch for the door...

The blow caught him in the chest and hurled him through the air down the steps and crashing to the concrete with a sickening thud and a cloud of stone dust.  Zachariah had never been hit like that and he had been in two car accidents in his life.  He coughed uncontrollably and gasped for air.  He turned to see the dark image of himself striding towards him.

War smiled.  "I told you it would not matter.”

Zachariah screamed at his body to move but it would not. He had taken too much damage and had not had enough time to pull it back together.  War raised his foot to step on Zachariah's head and release the final horseman and the Armageddon that coursed through his veins.

That's when Scott blindsided the horsemen.

Scott had thrown training to the wind and put everything into a tackle spearing the horsemen.  They hit the unforgiving floor, hard.  Scott yelled to his friend, "GO!"

Zachariah pulled himself together and began to stand when the pain hit him.  It felt like a cold boney hand had wrapped itself around his heart and was crushing it.  Zachariah screamed and stumbled again. Death had become impatient and was taking matters into his own hands.

Zachariah scowled and gritted his teeth. "Fuck you, pal! We are going through that door!"

He stood again and reached out with the key, placing it in the lock.  Again, the pain came and he fell to one knee.  Death couldn't kill him from inside his body but it didn't mean he was going to make it easy for him.

Zachariah turned back and saw the resolve fade from Mel's eyes.  The mage had lost faith and had begun to believe the Dahaka was the only way.  Through the chaos, he saw Mel mouth the words, 'I'm sorry.'

Zachariah nodded and mouthed back, 'It's okay'

The shield dropped and the Dahaka exploded forward.  Ninja warriors were parted and hurled, Famine was toppled under the black mass of void that moved with a singular purpose at Zachariah.

For a second, Zachariah thought of just letting it come and take him. That oblivion might be the only way, after all.  Those mages all those years ago must have known more than some simple dishwasher, right?

"No”.  He spoke the word to himself more than anyone else and dragged the door open, closing his eyes and stepping through into the chamber.

He had not expected the otherworldly place to feel so familiar.  It was white, white for as far as the eye could see, but it did not feel like he was closed in, but instead like an open space.  He looked down and had to fight a momentary feeling of vertigo as he saw the absence of ground.  Make no mistake, he was not flying, it was more like he was standing on nothing.  All around him in the distance, he saw small black spots. Each seemed to throb and pulse with energy onto itself.

 

He understood the place faster than he thought he should.  The dots were all the times that people had entered this chamber and they were all happening now, all changeable, all of them working to decide how the rest of the world ticked on.  He knew that if he moved and thought about the one he wanted to go to, he would get there.  Why he knew any of this was a mystery to him but he felt the Dahaka behind him, entering the chamber and coming for him.

He thought of the Time Mages and began to run. Five steps later, one of the dots raced toward him and he stopped cold in his tracks at what he saw, "Scott?"

Scott was barely recognizable.  He wore a long black coat that had been torn to shreds. His face was older and covered in scars.  He held a nasty looking sword above his head as he stood over one of four shrouded monks who chanted, sitting in a circle.  The Haggard face looked over with shock at his long lost friend, "Zach?"

Zach and Scott meet again, but this is far from the friend he left outside battling War.  Will Zachariah let his murderous compadre kill the Time Mages and destroy the Dahaka, or can he find another way to fix all this?  Find out on the thrilling series finale!

NEXT WEEK...

STRANGER THINGS; ZACHARIAH'S DEATH.

TO BE CONCLUDED...

37(S3E11)-The Killer's End

37

(Season 3, Episode 11)

The Killer's End

 

10 years after The Instant...

Zersch fell.

The mighty and ancient wyvern had put up a hell of a fight but The Killer had brought with him three of the most powerful beings on the planet for the sole purpose of conquering the beast.  They had done their jobs, but not without casualties.

The first to fall was Leesa, caught in the creature’s great maw and crushed to death early.  Very little of her remained.  This early loss had shaken The Killer's confidence as they engaged, throwing everything they had at it.  Big Green was killed by an errant tail swipe that had sent him into a stone wall at terminal velocity.  No amount of money could have stopped it from happening.

Finally, Dire Wolf had opened the creature’s throat, its blood pumped onto the floor before it fell to the ground, lifelessly.

The Killer looked past the creature at the door up ahead.  It was a simple, old-style wooden door that did not show its age at the top of a wide set of steps.  It was such a simple thing to have been the center of so much power.  He began to walk toward it, a deep exhaustion in his bones beginning to take root after the years of violence.  It was almost over.  He was so close to finishing it.

"Not so fast."  Dire Wolf had switched back into his human form.  He grabbed The Killer’s shoulder to stop him.  "It's your turn to deliver."

"This is over."  Before he could respond to Dire Wolf, Kahn's voice echoed throughout the large amphitheater.

The Killer turned to face her and, what seemed like an endless army of ninjas, awaited her command to attack.  Dire Wolf growled and prepared to go to war again, but The Killer raised his hand.  "You are right.  It is my turn to deliver."

All eyes went to him as he looked to Kahn.  "You see, Dire Wolf, Avalon has a great many magical defenses.  In fact, one would say it's magically impenetrable, which in many ways, is true."

He pulled a small radio detonator from his pocket with a flashing button on it.  "They are paranoid about the magic because they believe it is impossible for normal humans to find it.  In this hubris lies Avalon’s one true weakness; technology.”

The room stared at the button.  The Killer was the most important person in the room, possibly the world, at that very moment.  "Kahn, you knew I killed Mel and you came after me but you never stopped to ask yourself how long I had been on Avalon before I attacked the druid and stole the key."

"Don't do this..." Kahn's voice was low and had a ping of defeat in it.  It was not something he enjoyed hearing in her voice, especially since he had put it there.  He wished he could take it back but it was impossible.

"It's already done."  He clicked the red button and the color went out.  The device sent the one signal was made to send before becoming no more than a paper weight.  He tossed the piece of scrap away.

Somewhere in sky, miles away from them, three pounds of C4 detonated at the Chamber of Life, cutting the magical city off from the source of its flight.  Mel was dead, and without him, no one would think to enact the spell to keep it afloat.  It would tumble out of the air and crash below and the world would never be the same again.

A tension seemed to leave the ruins.  Dire Wolf's face of shock slowly turned into a smile before he began to laugh loudly.  The fight was over before it had begun.  The ninjas deflated one at a time as they realized their mission was failed, and had been, since the beginning.

"Challenge." The one word spoken from Kahn in a low and dark tone returned the weight to the situation.

The Killer frowned at her.  "It is over, it is not worth it."

"Challenge." -She repeated in an even tone and her masked soldiers parted as she approached him, drawing her sword.

The Killer's hand went to the hilt of his sword.  "Please, don't make me do this."

"If you ever had any respect for the clan, for nin-jitsu, or for me, you will draw your sword." Kahn finished and charged her sword high above her head.

For a second, the Scott that was buried deep inside The Killer began to panic.  He had told himself he had no feelings for Kahn or the ninja, that it was just a means to an end, but there was something there. He had expected her to be angry, but to see that her connection was served.  He had bet on her logical side seeing that there was no longer any profit or positive reason to continue and walk away.  He had always known her to be cold and calculating, but for the first time in their history, she had surprised him.

She was being emotional.

The Killer moved inside his head and silenced Scott.  The white noise of the terrible things he had done to get here, again were blocking out all feelings.  Once again, the light left his eyes and he felt the cold of what he had become, what he had to be; one more time to make this all worth it.

 

"It doesn't matter."  His hand whipped to his blade and he drew.

With skilled swordsmen, the battles can be long and amazing.  They are shows of whirling violent beauty, full of artful stokes and masterful parries.  They are visions amazing to watch.  Neither The Killer nor Kahn were skilled swordsmen.

They were great swordsmen.

Their level of skill had gone far past that of the long and aesthetic fight.  Each would only need one strike.

In a half second, with one loud sounding of steel on steel, the two warriors passed each other like something straight out of an old samurai film.  They both hovered for a second, as if the laws of physics were behind them trying to figure out who had made the cut that would cost one of the warriors the duel, and their life.

A second later, Kahn's legs became weak and she toppled forward to her knees.  Her black Shozoko became soaked with her own blood and in that second, she knew her life was over.  The clock was ticking down to zero.

The Killer flicked the blood from his blade and sheathed it.  No one moved.  Everyone was too stunned with the outcome.  The ninja and Dire Wolf just watched.

The Killer moved quickly to Kahn and, as she fell forward he caught her.  His cold heart had receded and his eyes showed a deep pain for the woman who now was dying in his arms.  His complicated relationship with the ninja master had come to this violent end.

She opened her eyes and looked upon him one last time.  She smiled, a thing that had been reserved only for Scott in the privacy of their personal time together.  "Can you really fix everything?"

Scott, The Killer, swallowed hard, trying to find a response.  "I have to.  This can't be the way things are. This cannot be the way things are meant to be."

"What if... this is the way it is supposed to be?" Her question was honest, as if searching for a reason to let go.

The Killer shook his head and looked away for a moment, his confidence, held together by metaphorical duct tape as it was, showed cracks.  Finally, he turned back to her.  "Then you will see me soon."

Kahn exhaled.  "That would not be... so bad..."

In that second the life drained out of her eyes.

Scott closed her eyes and gently laid her down on the stone ground.  The Killer rose.  Dire Wolf's eyes met his.  "No redemption for us my friend."

The Killer turned away from the old werewolf.  He turned to the doorway, the Chamber of Time.  No one had the strength or energy to stop him.

He opened the door and passed through.  There would be no redemption, but he would make this right.  He would fix the universe... or he would destroy it.

 HEAVY STUFF!!!!  As we get closer to the end, The Killer has entered the Chamber of Time will he kill the Mages of Time and stop the Dahaka?!  Can he put things right,  or is all of it too late to save Zachariah?

Find out next time!

STRANGER THINGS; ZACHARIAH'S DEATH

TO BE CONTINUED...

36(S3E10)-The will to live

36

(Season 3, Episode 10)

The Will to Live

The Horseman of War did not appear as the weeping widow to everyone.  In the second after War had ripped out of him, before he lost consciousness, he saw himself standing above his friend.

Kahn, who had just reached the clearing, stared in lost amazement as she saw her dead father standing over Scott.

To fight the Horseman of War was to fight your own fear.

The Horseman turned and walked into the forest to unite with the other two.  There was only one horseman left to go.  Time was growing short on the planet Earth.  Its only threat was Zachariah, but now killing him would not be enough.

Things had gotten bad.

*****

10 Years after the instant…

The small fire was getting low as the group's final break before the spiral was coming to an end.  The Killer sat on a log with a whetstone, calmly sharpening his blade in preparation for the final run. Everything was in place.  All that was left was the execution.

The Big Green snored loudly against a log.  The witch filed her nails, as she sat Indian-style to the left of the fire as nonchalantly as if she faced Wyverns and ninja armies every day.  Dire Wolf sat across from The Killer.  The Killer had not failed to notice his eyes upon him.

"You are not being honest."  Dire wolf grumbled, finally speaking.  "I am on to you."

The Killer stopped sharpening.  "I will honor our agreement."

Dire Wolf waved a big hand.  "Not that, you will honor our agreement.  It is who you are, but you are not being honest about everything."

The Killer shook his head.  "I fail to understand you."

Dire Wolf grinned.  "You strut around and speak low, you bathe in blood in order to prove you are one of us... one of the outcasts, the outlaws.  You cannot hide your true nature.  You have another goal, one that you believe will redeem all this violence... otherwise, you would not be working with us."

The Killer did not respond.  He was in a dangerous spot.  If he said the wrong thing at this point, everything would fall apart as his gang of blood-thirsty, hyper, powerful, magic criminals turned on him.  He was good, but not that good.  And even if he managed to win, he would be easy pickings for the ninjas.

Dire Wolf watched him as if looking for weakness.  "I should warn you... There is no redemption.  Not for what we have done and not for what we are going to do.  Possibly freedom for our people, but we will always be looked upon as monsters."

The Killer felt the danger pass.  Dire Wolf had not seen the insecurity within him, so he survived another day.  Just one more day.  "Do not presume to know me."

Dire Wolf grinned.  "Fair enough.  We will all burn our own bridges."

Redemption was not an option for The Killer.  When he had seen the path ahead of him, he knew it would be bathed in blood.  He had resigned himself to the atrocities that he would have to commit in order to accomplish his goals.  The redemption at the end would be absolute...

...it had to be.

 

****

12 Hours before the Instant…

Zachariah had awoken with a different goal.

Somewhere in the madness that had possessed him, Scott's words had gotten in and he had decided to live, or at least to try.  To do that, he needed information.

Bevan and Mel had arrived a couple of minutes after the ninjas.  Scott was being attended to by the ninjas who were trying to heal him.  Bevan seemed to eye Zachariah as he came out of the forest, suspicious of the man after the outburst.

Zachariah raised his hands.  "I'm good, now.  War escaped."

Mel shook his head.  "Then time is short, indeed."

"Why?"  Zachariah asked.

"I'm sure you noticed that the characteristics of each of the Horsemen to escape your soul has manifested in you each time.  For death to free himself, you have to die."  Mel explained.  "They will gather and then attack.  There will be no force on the planet that will stop them."

Zachariah nodded.  "Awesome, seems like that fits right in with the day we are having."

"We have to keep moving.  We are close to the chamber of time."  Kahn said, preparing her men to move.

"Not a chance.”  Zachariah said, and everybody seemed to collectively sigh at what seemed like Zachariah's suicidal tendencies.

Zachariah shook his head.  "No, not that.  I'm going to try to stay alive, but to do that, we need to understand the situation.  Mel, you have to tell me everything you know about this; The Horsemen, the Dahaka, the Time Mages, the chamber, everything."

Mel seemed to eye him, not sure if Zachariah was telling the truth or not at first.  Zachariah's look seemed to rejuvenate his faith.  "Alright..."

"Thousands, possibly millions of years ago, the human race faced extinction from the Horsemen.  There is much speculation as to where they came from, whether they were off-shoots of the life stream itself or some other demon, but their power was immeasurable.  Their only goal seemed to be the destruction of all life on the planet."  Mel began the story.  "The history is not well kept from all those years ago, but it is said the Time Mages, powerful sorcerers who could harness the power of time itself, found a way to trap and weaken the Horsemen."

"How?"  Zachariah asked, wanting more information.

Mel shook his head.  "I don't know.  They cast some kind of spell inside the chamber of time after baiting the Horsemen in.  The first Rognaithe was there.  He sacrificed his soul to have the Horseman attached to it.  He then killed himself, his soul returning to the life stream, the Horseman dragged along.  The Time Mages then put into effect the Dahaka, trapping themselves inside the chamber to summon the beast that would go forth if the future Rognaithe's ever reached twenty-eight."

"So the druids started feeding us to the Wyvern to keep even that from happening?" Zachariah asked.

Mel nodded.  "Yes."

Zachariah seemed to consider.  "That does not make sense."

Mel looked confused.  "What do you mean?"

"If the Dahaka is strong enough to destroy the Horsemen, why not just summon it in the first place and have it go after the Horsemen?  Why bother with the trap and the human soul thing?"  Zachariah questioned.

Mel shrugged.  "I'm not sure."

An unearthly howl sounded in the distance.  The Horsemen had found each other.  Kahn shook her head.  "We need to move, they will be coming."

The group pulled together and moved, but as Zachariah ran he could not help but turn over the holes in his mind.  He was missing something, a fact that might keep him alive if he could figure it out in time.

****

10 years after the instant…

Shinji and Kyo watched the four from a tree a couple of yards away.

Shinji shrugged and spoke in Japanese to his friend.  "I don't get it.  Why don't we just get in there and kill them now?"

Kyo shook his head.  "Kahn said we hold."

Shinji frowned under his mask.  "Look, I have stuff to do.  We should just off these four and head back."

"You going to disobey Kahn?  Good luck with that shit."  Kyo said, then turned.  "What the hell do you have going on, anyway?"

"House of Cards, season three."  Shinji answered nonchalantly.

"Oh my God, so good."  Kyo responded.  "She totally leaves him!"

Shinji took a deep sigh.  "Spoilers, man."

"Silence."  Kahn's voice from behind them had the desired effect.  "Tomorrow, they face Zersch.  We will let them and should they be victorious, that's when we will strike."

The stage is set for the big finale as The Killer has to face the Wyvern and an army of ninjas, while Zachariah struggles to get to the Chamber of Time before the Horsemen kill him or the Dahaka erases him!

NEXT TIME….

Stranger things-Zachariah’s Death

TO BE CONTINUED…

35(S3E9)- Z v S

35

(Season 3, Episode 9)

Z v S

There is a thin line between friends and enemies.  It only takes a small twist of someone's emotions, a slight shift in outlook and something beautiful can turn ugly.  While, as a friendship ages and changes over years and decades, this becomes more and more true because the friends have more and more information about each other, their situations and their mistakes.  No one can really hurt you like a friend can.

Scott and Zachariah were two friends standing on the brink of the abyss known as hatred.  They stood in a clearing of grey dust and dark, dead trees that seemed to mimic the evil of it all, though long dead.

"You are your stupid dreams."  Zachariah began to snare as he circled.  "Constantly trying to convince me we are more than just a couple of assholes...  It's pathetic."

Scott's face was hard and ferocious.  "It's better than just quitting, giving up and then whining about it later."

"Self-righteous bastard!"  Zachariah yelled and charged.

"Self-centered dirt bag!"  Scott yelled back and moved.

They collided a second later, both of them launching punches which passed each other’s hands by mere centimeters, before connecting with each other’s faces, seemingly at the same time.  They both staggered, but the seasoned father and martial artist was more adept at taking blows and shook off the punch first, pressing his advantage.  He moved in and grabbed the back of Zachariah's head, bringing it downward into his raising knee.

Zachariah took the blow and grunted.  Scott tried to maintain the grapple and bring his other knee up but Zachariah hook-punched the inside of Scott's left thigh with a knuckle extended.  Scott's leg cramped and he yowled slightly.  Zachariah brought the back of his head straight up into the underside of Scott's chin.

Scott's teeth rattled and he saw stars as he stumbled.  He was still trying to figure out how Zachariah had hit him when Zachariah rushed forward, leaping into the air with a skill he had never shown before.   He planted a double dropkick to Scott's chest, sending him backward through the air, again into the dust.

Scott was still coughing out dust when he saw Zachariah had kicked-up to his feet.  Scott shook his head, Zachariah had never been a fighter.  The guy could hold his own, but technique like this was beyond his skill.  Yet, here he was, pulling out high level moves.

Zachariah's face turned to a wicked grin as he saw the confusion in Scott's face.  "What?  Did you think you were just going to steam roll me with all that training?  Big surprise, you think you are better than everybody."

Scott brought himself to his feet, the pain and Zachariah's aggression had broken down his filters.  "You know what?  Maybe I think I'm better because I am.  You have been a dishwasher for ten years and you spent five of those in a relationship with someone else's girl."

Zachariah's smile faded and the anger returned.  Scott grinned, this time without joy.  "Sorry, buddy.  Facts are facts."

Zachariah screamed and charged, this time, Scott was ready.  Zachariah threw a hard and fast high-hooking punch at Scott's head.  Scott ducked it and landed three quick, hooking punches to Zachariah's exposed right side ribs.  Zachariah made a groan as the air was forced out of his lungs.  The blows forced Zachariah off balance and he stepped, cock-eyed to the left, exposing his back.

Scott could have finished it right there with a hard kick to the base of Zachariah's spine but that would have ended more than the fight.  Though filled with anger, Scott was not willing to resort to such a final solution.  Instead, he stepped in and roundhouse-kicked Zachariah to the left temple.

The blow sent him to the dirt, kicking up a cloud of dust.  "You caught me by surprise Zach, true.  But I have not even begun to kick your ass."

Zachariah roared and scrambled to his feet.  Scott only had a second to notice that, between the knee and the kick, no real damage had been done to his face.  Scott had not pulled his moves. Logic seemed to cut through the testosterone and rage.  Something wasn't right here.

"Dude, what the hell is going on?"  He asked, trying to calm the situation.

"This!" Zachariah was not hearing it and brought his right-hook into the side of Scott's head.  The blow caught him hard and Scott's knees buckled.  He had no time to get his hands up when the left struck him in the same manner.  He felt a tooth come loose and saw it go skipping into the dirt as he crashed to the earth.

"You are a quitter."  Zachariah said as he stepped toward Scott, who desperately tried to get his bearings.  "You checked out of life and got yourself a wife and a kid and a nine to five job so that you no longer had to think."

Zachariah grabbed Scott's throat and lifted him, with one hand, into the air with a strength that he had never had before.  "You killed yourself too... You just took the scenic route."

Scott gurgled for air as his oldest and best friend squeezed the life out of him.  He felt his wind pipe constricting and, for a second, he could swear he could taste the color blue.  He closed his eyes and felt his will to live begin to fade.

Scott found himself in front of a white, formless light floating there.  Slowly, a figure materialized out of the void.  It was his son, three years old with curly blonde hair and blue eyes.

The kid looked down at Scott and then frowned.  "Really?  You can't even picture him at twenty?  I have to come to you as a fucking three-year-old?"

Scott muttered the name of his son, confused.  The child shook his head.  "No, not really.  I'm actually a physical representation of the process of life.  I just appear as your son because, in a weird way, you worship him."

"What is going on?"  Scott asked the being.

"Well, you are about to have your throat crushed by your best friend."  The child explained.  "Also, side-note; really?  That guy?  Of all the people you could have made your best friend, you picked him?"

The words were strange coming out of his son, so articulately, since his boy had barley began to understand how to poop on a toilet.  "He can be... difficult sometimes."

The kid raised his eyebrows.  "Difficult?  He is currently choking you to death."

Scott shrugged.  He had no argument there. "So, is that it?  Am I dead?"

The entity shook his small head, an act meant to be serious, but failed thanks to the golden curls.  "No, you have a choice.  You can die here or fight for your family.  But, if you do fight, you will lose your friend.  Not that I see much of a downside there."

Scott frowned.  "No... There has to be a way to do both."

The entity narrowed his eyes at Scott.  "Do you understand how a choice works?  It’s one or the other."

Scott shook his head.  "I refuse to believe that.  I refuse to quit on him."

The child shook his head.  "When are you going to grow up and realize that you can't have your cake and eat it, too."

"Never," Scott said.  "I'm going to keep my family and I'm going to save Zachariah, or I will have neither.  I like cake too much."

The entity looked skeptical.  "You can't fight fate."

Scott grinned.  "Watch me."

By sheer will, Scott brought himself back into the world.  Pain was everywhere.  His head felt like it was going to pop and his lungs ached for oxygen.  He brought up his hands, putting them together in one giant fist and brought them down on the crux of Zachariah's elbow.  The move forced the arm to fold and released Scott from the death grip.

Scott threw off a leg, kicking Zachariah in center mass, just to get some distance.  He rubbed his throat and spoke with a groggy voice.  "Where are you, Zach?"

Zachariah was advancing but stopped, confused by the phrase.  "What?"

Scott stood.  "Where is my best friend?  The guy who hates authority?"

Zachariah scowled and charged forward with another fast-sweeping punch.  Scott, however, was only focusing on dodging now and slid out of the way.  "The Zachariah who dropped out of high school because he didn't like people telling him what to do?"

Zachariah took another swing but Scott slid past it again.  "The guy who walked away from his parents because they thought they knew better about his life than he did?"

"Shut up!" Zachariah said and  threw another barrage at Scott, but Scott was convinced the blows were coming slower.

"The guy who knew that figuring it out on his own, better or worse was the way he had to go."  Scott continued.  "I want to know where he is, because that guy would never let whatever is in you, making you do this, control him.  That guy does not let this world tell him what to do.  He does not let this world tell him he is better off dead.  Zachariah makes his own decisions!"

Zachariah missed again but his punches had slowed, as if the need to attack was subsiding inside of him.

Scott pushed the advantage, stepping in and open-palm slapping Zachariah across his face, before grabbing his shirt and pulling him close.  "That Zachariah tries to find a way to prove everyone wrong and live."

Scott could see Zach in his eyes, replacing the hate.  The moment was broken by a scream and an explosion.  Zachariah and Scott were thrown in opposite directions.  Zachariah landed, unconscious. Scott pulled himself to his elbows and saw the pale woman with tears of blood.  She turned to him and stepped forward, power coursing through her.

She bent over, as if sizing up Scott, and smiled.  "You are going to be interesting."

The Horseman of War stood and then walked calmly into the forest.  Scott pulled himself together and scrambled to Zachariah.  He grabbed him, pulling him up slightly, trying to wake him.  "Zach?!  Are you okay?!"

Zachariah groaned.  "No... You slapped me."

The friendship has survived this fight but can they now find a way to save Zachariah and what seems to be the whole of time and space?!

Find out on the next episode!

Stranger Things; Zachariah's death