The Things I'd Rather Forget // Countryhumans AU

Ch 44: Monster \\ The Final Confrontation

It didn't take long for America to realize where he was.

He was in the mindscape. His mindscape. Though... it certainly didn't feel like his anymore. Everything was wrong, off.

Behind him, there were the states, seemingly confused.

Ahead of them... stood Confederate.

But... there was something different about him. If you looked just close enough, Confederate seemed... blurry, almost? And if you looked even closer, it looked like two different people were phasing in and out of the same silhouette, both miles apart in appearance. One of them had the War flag America was so familiar with... the other had Confederate's true flag, not his war flag, the stars and the bars. The Stars and Bars had a seemingly irritated yet concentrated expression on his face, as if this was all just some miniscule nuisance he had to begrudgingly deal with.

Though, if you looked close enough, fragments of fear and confusion could be seen in his eyes.

The other... the other was different, to say the least. Not only did he have Confederate's war flag, but he seemed to be cast in a constant, inexplicable shadow. Just... everything about him was darker, drearier. Well, everything except his eyes, which shone a glowing red. In direct contrast to the darkness of his silhouette, there was a wide smile on his face, twisting upwards in an inexplicably cruel way that somehow seemed to make America's heart stop.

But, nevertheless...

What the heck just happened?

One moment, they were in the alley and the next...?

The next, he was dragged into the mindscape like it was no big deal. Did it... America looked intently at... "Confederate," watching the two blurry figures with concentration as he forcibly ignored the fear that seemed to fester in his heart. Did the... blurriness have to do with the nightmare DC mentioned? The part of him that somehow merged with Confederate? America peered at them, before pausing on the one cast in shadow, the one with glowing red eyes and a smile that made America's heart stop... with fear.

No doubt...

That shadow is it. The nightmare. That part of him that somehow got separated from him.

America felt himself tense, glaring at the two. Or... the one?

Bars seemed to join his other half in smiling, the shadow letting out a low growl- a low rumble that seemed to shake the mindscape itself. America's eyes widened as he watched the world around him shake before glaring back at them, his lips twisted downwards in a scowl as he threatened...

But nothing came out.

His voice was trapped in an invisible box, a cage where nothing could escape.

A cage he couldn't escape.

It was then that Bars took a step forward, the shadow suddenly snapping into place and phasing into Bars. Within instants, Bars's white eyes were stained a pitch black and those signature, bright, menacing blood red irises suddenly glowed into existence as his flag twisted and changed into his war flag. Noticing America's wary and fearful look, his grin only seemed to lengthen, his mouth opening to speak, "Well, I'm assuming since you're here, Puerto Rico survived his little... fall."

Confederate's eyes grazed across the crowd of states, seemingly looking for that one, familiar face... Unable to find him, however, Confederate simply shrugged, continuing on, "Well, whatever... but I suppose..." He grinned a little bit, "Has Puerto Rico told you my little secret yet? The little ace up my sleeve?"