The first thing I regret is when I shook Nightmare’s hand. The second thing is being locked in this hellish landscape he calls home. Everything around him is dead and in ruins. The landscape is gray, brown, and sickly. The sun never shines in this place. I walk for what feels like days. I am currently being watched by this weird shadows in the distance. No matter how close I get to them, they always appear the same distance as before. I slowly stumble past some ruins of a wooden house. I see a shadow approach me. I frown trying to run away from it. It appears in front of me and the shadow turns into Flint.

“Zack. You made a foolish decision.” I frown walking away from him.

“You betrayed me Flint.” He follows me as we walk past the ruins of the building.

“I did what I had to. I had to make sure you survive out everyone and everything.” I frown turning to him.

“WHY! You tell me to trust you all the time and you haven’t once told me anything about your life.” He pauses for a second and sighs.

“You want to know my life. Fine. I warn you though it isn’t a pleasant one.” He walks over to the wooden steps and sits down. I stop for a moment and sit down with him. “It all began two hundred years ago. I was created in a lab. My memories of that place are foggy at best. The next are me running away as the lab gets destroyed. I survived for the next couple of weeks alone in the woods. I was a terrified child never being exposed to the outside world. One day, I fell into a hole and found Luna. In the beginning, I didn’t know she was the cloak. She taught me..” He pauses for a second gripping his pant leg. “A lot of things Zack. Maybe too much. After that, I started to roam around trying to find a purpose. I met Kroc, Queen, Eyes, and Wart. Most of them were children when I found them. We proceeded to hang out for twenty years. We found Wolf alone and lost. I took pity on him Zack. He was never supposed to be in the real world. After the falling out with Wolf, I met..” He stops trying to remain calm. “I met the Infection. The actual thing that caused it. No one else remembers but it attacked the group. I thought I killed the thing. I truly did.” A few tears falls from his face. “I left the group. I traveled trying to purge the Infection from the world. I was angry. I was.. Not myself.” He stops for a moment. I look at him trying to process the information.

“But the Infection is still around..”

“Once I thought I purge the world of it. I felt lost. I couldn’t go back to my friends. I just wandered. Doing things I thought were necessary. I then met Martha.” I pause confused.

“Who is she?” He smiles happily with tears still falling down his face.

“She was a farmer back east. She was perfect. She had no business being with such a monster like myself. We fell in love. The first time I truly loved something. I gave up fighting. I started to work on her farm. Life was perfect… except for me. I came back from town one night and found my wife gutted and hung from a tree.” I stare shocked at him. “The Infection wasn’t dead. I was going to make damn sure it was after that. I raged war with him for years. I did battles with many power beings. Until, I died. That’s when you were chosen Zack.” No words are said for a few minutes.

“So.. I need to finish off the Infection.” He shakes his head slightly.

“You need to put an end to everything about me Zack. The Infection will be the first place to start. That doesn’t matter. My other version of myself will find a way to make sure he never gives up your body.” I frown slightly and I hear screaming in the distance. I pause looking toward it as evil Nightmare appears in front of us.

“That fool!” Flint charges him tackling him to the ground.

“Zack wake yourself up now!” I hear them start attacking each other as I run up to the ruins slamming my face into it. I open my eyes to see myself standing in the road.