Death

Chapter 12

I looked at the other me, shocked. He was an exact copy of me, except he was more dirty, and covered in dry blood and scabs.

"Are you just going to stand there, or do you want to want to get your ass out of here before another ghoul shows up?" He said.

"Let's go, then talk!" I exclaimed when I heard the ghouls growling in the distance. We both ran over to an empty cave.

"Look, I know you are confused about this. But it will make sense soon." He said. "Ask as many questions as you need." I thought about what I should ask.

"How are you here?" I asked.

"I'm you, just near the end of the two months." He explained.

"Wouldn't that create a paradox?" I asked.

"In here, time isn't exactly normal, timelines overlap. There is no paradox in Purgatory." he said as he sharpened his weapon.

"So there are other versions of us too?" I questioned.

"There is only the beginning, which is you, and the end, I'm where you end up. But don't be stupid enough to think that just because we look the same, means we are the same." He explained. "I am still Death, and Jared. But Purgatory knew what would happen if we came here. He knew that we would be dumb enough to accept the challenge. He runs this place, he controls what we turn into."

"Brutality." I stated. "When a dead man walks, the people go to war."

"He lied." Brutality said suddenly.

"About what?" I asked.

"I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier! It was so obvious! I can't believe I missed it!" He excalimed.

"Missed what!?" I questioned.

"It was a riddle." He stated. "When a dead man walks, the people go to war! It isn't about Insanity and Hatred! Think about where this all began! A kid in the shadows, with his research. The one who was supposed to have a heart attack. What was his name again? Clint, was it? Yes! Clint! He was supposed to die, but he didn't! He's a dead man walking, he stayed alive, and Hell- well, Purgatory, came charging out. We are just the missing link. I can't leave, I've changed. But you are still you. Go. Live the future I never will. Get Clint, and kill him. I will end all of it. No more Purgatory, no more Hatred no m-"

"No more Jack." I interrupted. "What would happen to Jack?"

"I'm not sure. But do you want to risk the life of billions, to save the life of one. Jack hasn't come back. He is gone. For all I know, he could be dead. Besides, Jack isn't Jack anymore. He's Insanity." He said.

"Why can't you do it? You don't seem different to me." I asked.

"Look into my eyes. Can you not see the fear, and terror in them? I have caused so much pain, it scares the hell out of me. Do you really think this is my own blood? It isn't. There is a thing about Purgatory that Insanity didn't tell you." He said.

"What didn't he tell me?" I asked.

"Purgatory can stretch moments of time, if you were being tortured for 1 hour, he can turn it into 5 hours." He explained. "Sometimes the torture is the pain you cause for others. He can make moments that scare the living daylights out of you play back again and again, you relive the pain and suffering so long, you want to let a ghoul take your life. He makes you want to die. This place makes Hell seem like a vacation spot." I gulped.

"I will leave. But I have one question." I said. "What will happen to you?"

"I'll die. But dying here is a reward. I was staying alive here because I thought I would be going back." He said.

"Doesn't it scare you? We've lived so long, for thousands of years, the thought of us dying after seeing the entire history of Earth. We always took people's lives, but never though about what would happen if we died. No one on Earth would die. Billions of paradoxs would be created. No souls to take, not a single one. Would there be a million versions of Purgatory. What then?" I asked.

"I thought about it every day, and every night. It doesn't scare me one bit. That is the point of this place. To break you enough to make you want to die. If I don't, I'd end up like one of those damned ghouls. Besides. You would take the souls. Not me." He said. "That reminds me. You should take the souls I have, it would double the amount of souls you have. Twice the souls, twice the power." I heisitated, but I eventually took the souls. Brutality started glowing.

"W-what's happening!?" I exclaimed.

"Thank you!" Brutality exclaimed. His glowing body slowly faded away. He was dead. I had killed Brutality. 

I walked out of the cave, I stood in front of the portal, as it stood in front of me, it staring into my very soul, and I stared into it's. This was it. Brutality was gone. No sign of Insanity anywhere. I stared up into the deadly green swirls.

"Purgatory! I'm done with your little game! You win!" I exclaimed. I rose up into the portal. I was free.