Mountains [Vikklan]

Chapter 24- Alone [Vikk]

Six of us stand at the cave entrance, staring up into the darkness. The sickly green glow surrounds us, mingling with the tendrils of shadow that twist outwards towards us. Shivers pass down my spine, and I grip Lachlan's hand tightly. Glancing back behind us, at the view over the forest and the plains, I can just see the village, a tiny dot of brown surrounded by the green grass of the plains. The sun is just rising behind it, casting orange light across the world.

The light doesn't seem to reach this mountain, though. We stand in dawn shadows.

I look back at our companions. We grouped together at the bottom of the mountain, broke the news to them about Kara and Lizzie.

And now we're here. Somehow, it's us, the last six from season 3, all back together, working together to stop this... Looping.

We all know it would drive us crazy if it continued, perhaps forcing us to fight again, or live alone.

We have to stop it.

Even if it means dying is permanent.

"Mitch, Jerome, you guard the entrance for zombies. If we need backup, we'll call. So, uh, if we're ready...L-lets go."

We step forward, immediately engulfed by the darkness of the cave. I can see nothing in front of me, and behind me the once bright sunrise is pale, covered by shadows, giving the silhouettes of my companions dark red glows. Creepy.

Soon enough, the natural light is gone completely, and the only light we can use are the glows of the two gems that we have; Kara's crown and Lizzie's sword. The green glow all around us, though, becomes brighter the further we get into the cave.

We're getting close.

All is silent; the only noises are the ginger steps of our group, the pattering of stones as our stumbling feet touch them.

Lachlan looks at me, face illuminated in various colours.

I give him a weak smile, squeeze his hand. We're going to get through this together.

Then I hear it.

It's quiet but yet so loud.

A sneer. One I've heard before.

My head snaps up, and I look up, stopping in my tracks.

The green gem. Right there.

And the silhouette of a man holding it.

"Hello, Vikk. Remember me?"

He looks up, and all I can see are his eyes, looking right at me, and that twisted metal crown on his head.

Lachlan gasps beside me, steps back. Rob and Preston behind us both draw their swords, eyes narrowing.

"It's him."

The person who killed us before. 

He speaks again, familiar voice echoing across the wall of the cave.

"I suppose you've figured it out, then. It's these gems that are holding back your memories."

He steps forward, closer to us.

"They've always been here. In every season. Destroy these, and you can claim back every memory. Season one, season two. But you pay the price.

You'll stop the looping. There'll be no season five. No new world to wake up. When you die, you'll stay dead."

I swallow, look up at him.

"Who are you?"

He laughs. It's short, and sharp.

"We were friends, would you believe it? Season one. No past loops, no hidden memories. We thought that when we died, we'd stay dead."

He stops, looking at us.

"Then you all had to go and get yourselves killed. I was alone for so long...

It was years until I died. I died because I was alone. I died because you all left me."

His voice has risen to almost a shout, but now he speaks quietly.

"When I killed myself, I was supposed to be free.

And then I woke up again. At first, I was hopeful. There were signs of life, in season two. And I thought I had finally found you. But you had already gone, already moved on."

All that you left was your three idiot NPCs. Lifeless characters, sworn to protect their stupid, stupid gems."

I touch Lizzie's sword, at my side, realising he meant these gems.

"I killed them, just to get the gems. And suddenly, I was a person again. Those gems made my life okay again. I was happy, for once.

And then I had to go and die. It wasn't my fault. One of Mat's stupid redstone machines."

At the mention of Mat's name, I start. Yes, he's said my name before, but I suppose I overlooked that. The fact that he knew another one of us made my heart drop to the bottom of my chest.

"And then, once again, as I expected, I woke up. Season 3. Red band on my wrist, and the gem; gone.

There they were, the signs of you lot; houses, explosions. But no life.

I was sure that I was just destined to be alone.

I was ready to die again.

And then I found you."

He looks straight at Lachlan and I, face now visible.

"Star-crossed lovers. Memories wiped. Sitting by the graves of our friends. I had missed again. I was too late. And it was all your fault!"

My eyes are wide with fear. He blames us.

"I found my gem. Worked it out. It's always the last alive who remembers. So I made it so I wasn't the last alive."

He killed Lachlan, and himself. Leaving me last, with all my memories.

His voice is dangerously low, now.

"After that, I was supposed to be back with you all. Eighteen of us."

But why didn't he?

"I had to go and touch this gem. All of my work, gone. My memories; restored. Every minute of pain, every second of fear."

The gem seems to glow brighter, the green, eerie glow spreading around us.

"I gave up, Vikk. I gave up. I was never going to get my life of peace, like you lot. Why should you get to live happily? Why!?"

He's so close, now, but we're too scared to move.

His voice has dropped so low, it's more like a hiss.

"You want these gems destroyed? Sure."

And he looks at us, that terrifying grin on his face, and smashes the green gem down onto the cold rock floor. A blast of green seems to sword outwards from it, still lingering in the air as the pieces of gem turn dull in colour. The four of us are thrown back, and from somewhere behind me I hear a sickening crack.

The world seems to stop, tip forward into slow motion. I can't move, the blast was too powerful, and seemingly neither can anybody else.

And that's when I see them. The crown and the sword, lying discarded a few feet away, out of my grasp. The temperature of the air seems to plummet, as he bends down, plucking them from where they rest.

I try to struggle upwards, but a sharp pain rockets through my chest again, and I fall back again.

The man looks at me, holding each gem above his head.

"Goodbye, Vikk. Oh, and by the way, my name is Tyler."

And then, he smashes both gems down on the floor, and I'm thrown backwards in the air.