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