What if, no one came
Charlie watched the final parts of the fire signal burn out. The sun was setting and he can feel that time was up
The groaning from the zombies surrounding him got louder. With each mindless groan it gets overlapped by the sound of the walls that he tried so hard to keep up, getting so easily torn down. He keeps looking ahead of where the final bits of the smoke travel, just holding out for some kind of hope, that maybe someone may come out to help.
But no one came
"This is the end, Charlie" Patient Zero is at the other side and has the herd at bay. All of them are hungry but are waiting for one command
Charlie's bottom jaw hovers as he looks at the direction of the smoke. "They-...they didn't come"
Tommy just scoffs, "No one ever comes." He lifts his staff ahead. "You have a choice here, Charlie; you either choose to fight me and my herd-" seems like he stifled a small laugh. "It's pathetic! You cant fight on your own-!"
"I-I can! I-I-I made it 99 days! One more shouldn't be so hard!" Charlie was desperate to find some sort of way to get out. "With the help from the people I found! With people I have became friends with! They-they-"
"Where are they?"
Charlie lifted his head from his hands and was confused for a small bit. "Wh-what?"
"Your friends. Where are they?"
Charlie's mouth hovers again. He wants to yell out that they will be here. That they need to be. But the tears swell as he knows far too well that it isn't true.
Tommy just smiles. "You are surrounded by my army. You don't stand a chance here on your own.'' he raises the spear over head. "May the best zombie win!" He points at Charlie as the herd rushes to the base
Charlie watched as the herd from all around swarmed closer. Not being phased by the lava barrier, just taking the burning and climbing over. He takes out the mace as the young cackling can be heard. He quickly swings at the one that passed over and is rushing to him. The other end of the base is getting breached.
He swings and gets rid of one zombie but there is still so much more around. There's more jumping over and they are starting to get quicker. He can't handle this many at once.
Charlie looks ahead, in hopes that he can just hear the roaring engine coming to the rescue. Or at least that supposed wizard to come out and help. But...
Nothing
Charlie looks back at a small hole was cornered into. He takes a deep breath before jumping in. He is quick on running down the tunnel, hearing the zombies scream and run right after him. He wasn't thinking, just running towards the only spot that can give some sort of delusion of safety.
The tunnel was a lot more...stretched out than before. Charlie is barely taking note of it as his breath is almost gone. The odd feeling of his legs feeling weaker. The adrenaline is starting to wear off but the groans still sound right behind him. He can't stop running now, if he drops, he's dead.
Charlie continues to run until he can feel his chest burn up. But he kept pushing. Trying to ignore his chest tightening as the zombies are still behind him. But his legs doesn't seem to agree with him. As Charlie's legs began to wobble, he finally looks back and see...nothing
Just the outstretched tunnel he has been running through.
Charlie smiles in relief before taking the pause, then drops.
Instead of landing on the rocks of the caves, it's the wooden floor of a familiar shop. He softly smiles to himself as the goat is still there. Seeming more pissed off at his return after what happened.
The goat hybrid ahead of him glared as he was leaning against his desk. "Real world brought you back?" A slight chuckle leaves him, "Of course it did. Wouldn't have lasted that attack for a second longer if I left."
Charlie pushed himself up, still being out of breath. "Please...give me that apple."
The goat man's smile grew, "That little british brat broke you down that bad?" He laughs as Charlie raises himself up and leans against the wood. Still feeling the cramp in his legs. The goat man held out his hand and there appeared the golden apple Charlie rejected.
Charlie's eyes widen as he watches the apple materialize in the goat's hand. There was screaming from deep down. Yelling at him to turn back and face the herd. This can't be the last option. But his more sensible side, the side that's a part of this reality, knows that this can help in some way. It's worth risking whatever to make sure he won't get torn to shreds by the herd above.
The man ahead chuckles again, "Come on, Charlie. Eat the apple."
The screaming in Charlie's head and the groaning from above started to fade out as he felt himself get pulled closer. He used the wall to keep himself steady, barely stopping when he wobbled to the table ahead. Charlie leans against it as the golden apple is waved in his face. He goes to reach it until his own questions finally speak up. "Wait...how-how do you know my name?"
The goat man laughs as the apple gets pulled back. The sounds of everything slowly reaching Charlie's ears. "What do you think? I already told you, I have seen everything."
Charlie gets a flash of...a memory? That hasn't happened? He was surrounded and trying to fight back. Slowly getting tired but being determined. Charlie moves back as he holds onto himself. Hugging himself to try to shield himself from the scratching that isn't coming but he can feel.
"I already saw what would've happened if I didn't stay."
Another flash
He was getting torn apart. One swing didn't have enough force and it got stuck. The zombies surrounding took advantage of this to latch onto him and start to yank and tear at his body. They are not around, he knows this but he can feel the tearing that isn't there.
Charlie pushes back as he tries to keep himself together. In desperate attempts of keeping himself in one piece. "He-help! Help! Help me! Please!" His voice was strained as it hadn't had any time to recover. Tears start to prick as the feeling of his body getting aggressively torn apart grows. "Ma-make it stop! Please!"
The goat man tilts his head at Charlie falling over and still trying to hold onto himself. He shakes his head and moves the apple in hand closer to him. The feeling that Charlie has slowly melted away, but the stinging remains. "It wouldn't have happened if you took it the first time."
He tosses up the apple and Charlie was quick on grabbing it. The stings melt away but something is still trying to reach out to him. He can feel the undead all around but they can never reach. The voices that were yelling at him to reject it have been fully muffled out by something else. The call to eat the golden apple to be saved from this hellhole. He can hear its promise to save him, he just needs to take a small bite.
And he does.
Charlie raises the apple up to his lips as the fear of danger is faded away. Its promises are growing stronger and louder. He sinks his teeth in and the groaning from before is gone. He can feel the zombies being far far away from him. He swallows the piece and everything changes.
Charlie gets a rush of memories flooding in his head. Each adventure comes back. All from many worlds he was apart in. Feeling everything again, seeing everything. The power that was dormant before surges through his veins. He can feel his godhood return to him.
But within the flood, he found something.
"Schlatt!"
Schlatt cackles, "It's great to have you back Charlie!"
Charlie looks down and sees the golden apple in hand. Seeing the bite he had just taken. The dread returns to him as he just realized what had happened. He drops the apple on the ground as the goat man continues to laugh. "You-you tricked me! I-I thought we banished you! We did banish you!-"
"You can't banish the one that controls everything!"
Charlie shakes his head till he remembers something. Bizly, Grizz and Condi are here! He can save the first two. But-but if he can find the zombie that Condi has turned he-he can reverse it! Right?!
He turns to run out of the shop but there is a barrier that holds him back. He hits the invisible wall as the cackling continues. "Schlatt! I have to go and save them! I need to go! Let me go!"
"Oh don't bother." Schlatt moves away from his spot and walks closer to Charlie. "They're long gone, dead since you ran down here. Those zombies got them."
Charlie freezes at this. "N-no no! They can't! I-I can save them! They-they need me! LET ME-"
Charlie mouth gets frozen open as he can feel the claw land on his shoulder. Schlatt begins to quietly shush him. Charlie tries to move his mouth or to yell something out, but nothing. Schlatt raises a hand to turn Charlie's face to him. He lifts the jaw shut with a finger. The air was suddenly dragged out of his lungs. "There's nothing you can do." There was still a smirk on his face and he goes to lightly slap Charlie's cheek. "Let's get out of here."
There was a sudden breath that returned to Charlie as the fabrics of reality outside of the shop started to tear. He drops and lands into a coughing fit. Kneeling in front of Schlatt as he desperately tries to gain his breathing. He was still muttering something. "Please, pleasepleaseplease. I need them back."
Schlatt knelt down, "You see them again, don't worry."
Charlie looks up to him and tries to keep himself together. "I-I had them here. I just want them back to normal." He plead, just trying to get something
Schlatt's smirk grew as he got up. The floor beneath them starts to fall apart. The cracks from the floorboards tearing themselves apart. The world around them shifted into a plane that was just filled with darkness "Again, you'll see them. It will just be a bit different."
There was a painful headache that suddenly appeared. Charlie held his head as the pain just grew, screaming at the feeling that something was tearing his skull apart.
"Remember, you ate the apple."
Gold liquid started to pour out of his eyes and head. There was a sudden new weight on his head and it's growing even heavier. He felt something tighten around his neck as he was forced to stand. Charlie tries to grab whatever it is but grasp at nothing.
"You just need to listen to me in this new scenario."
Charlie felt the pressure around his neck release him. His body falls as it's weak by the amount of overwhelming pain that he was in. His body shakes against the ground before getting a proper look.
It's...it's the ground from Molympus. It's the green glass from his throne, now having the red from the blood he spat out. He continues to cough as he tries so hard to regain his breath
Three shadows grow closer around him. "Charlie?! Charlie! You are going to be just fine! Condi! Get one of your potions!" It's...it's Grizz! Before the banishment.
Charlie looks up and sees Condi run off as Grizz gets closer to help him to sit up and Bizly takes off his cloak to cover him. The air slowly returns to him as he gets covered by the fluffy cloak and is leaned against the base of his throne.
Condi rushes back and hands Charlie the potion. Charlie lets out a few coughs before taking and downing it.
His three friends surround him, each of them being visibly concerned. He was still shaking as he held the bottle close. His body was still weak but it was no longer on fire.
"Dude..." Bizly spoke up as a small chicken jumped onto his lap. "What the hell happened?"
"Yeah, none of us have ever gotten in this state. And especially not you." Condi added in
Charlie's eyes were still heavy as he tried to talk to them. "It-it was...nothing"
"It wasn't nothing. You were suffocating when we were just talking" Grizz pointed out and all three were obviously not going to just take that answer.
Charlie shook his head, he forced his eyes open and looked over to the group and he was frozen again. Schlatt was back
The goat man was behind the group, none of the three seemed to notice his presence and were focused on Charlie's reaction. The three tried to get his attention but Charlie can only focus on Schlatt
"They don't seem to be listening to you, Charlie."
His eyes start to have a yellow glow. The three men start to get up, not knowing what's going on but knows it wont go anywhere good.
"They need to be punished, right?"
Involuntary, his body stands up on his own as his eyes get completely covered in a golden glow. The cloak drops as the three can see his hand have a light take the form of a sword.
Charlie can see his friends grow more tense. Yelling something out, it's all muffled as the three get into a more defensive stance. Those muffles are completely taken out as he can hear the voice right next to him
"Let's make sure they listen next time"
