Matt stumbles through the halls of the canalization. He can tell that by all these pipes and hoses that stick out from the walls and lead into a lot of different directions. But fortunately there's no water...that would be gross. Matt hates the smell of the canalizations.
It's like a big maze of paths and dead ends. But Matt fights, he fights for his survival, and with that also for Nate's survival. He needs to find a way out of this, but it's easier said than done!
But his two legs are slowly giving in. The wounds are slowly destroying them and him from the inside. He couldn't last much longer.
After some time, he's out of breath and leans against the wall. He slides down the wall with an injured expression, the wounds make him much more than imagined and he sits down on the cold floor of the canalization. He stretchs out his feet to examine the wounds in his legs. They're deep and bloody. They will probably take a long time to heal.
Matt removes the blindfold and the rag he still wears. NateMare didn't remove them completely. He binds them around the wounds very carefully. Every movement hurts like hell. But for his health, it's worth it. He would like to do without an infection, that would be the last thing he would need.
He takes a few deep breaths and looks around. Before that, he only partially paid attention where the road leads, he just wanted to go away to be safe, there he didn't pay attention to such things. Now that he takes a little break, he can look around better.
Then he hears footsteps and talking people behind him, and they come closer. He don't recognizes the voices, but he knows that they aren't NateMare's employees. They are talking about normal things like work, family and life.
Matt does the first thing that comes in his mind. Screaming, screaming for help. He slams his hand against the wall.
"HELLO! PLEASE, ANYBODY! HELP ME!" his voice echoes through the halls, but it seems that they people heard him, because they are switching tone in a more panic one. Suddenly a door a bit far away, opens quickly. 5 mans, probably workers here, enter the hallway and run to Matt.
"Sir, are you alright? What happened?" the first worker asks, while he and another one are helping Matt to stand up.
"yeah...I think so...only the wounds..." Matt replies exhaustingly and nods to his wounds on his legs.
"Ok, Sir, we help you! 2 of you carry his legs you go ahead! Let's go! Before he gets an infection!" the same worker nods to two of the others and they are picking Matt's legs up, so that he doesn't need to walk and he can spare his legs. The last worker goes to the door and holds it open, so that the others can bring Matt out of the hallway and upstairs.
Matt looks for the last time back in the canalization. He knows that Nate's still down there.
He just hopes Nate's alright.
But he doesn't know that Nate, or more NateMare followed him. He was right behind him, but Nate managed to stop him, so that Matt can leave. Nate ran into a little room in the wall and sat down to the ground, while he was still fighting with NateMare. After some time, the pain stopped.
"You can give and take, crack my bones, but my heart won't break now!" he whispers to himself.
Now he sits there on the ground, head between his legs and curled up like a ball. But something seems foul. It seems like something or someone is in the room with him. Not in his mind, but personally...
Nate raises his head slowly and looks to his right side. A man sits, exactly like him, a few meters away from him on the ground, head between his legs. He wears the same clothes, but they are ripped, like he had a fight, and his hair is styled like Nate did it once. He raises his head and looks to Nate.
Nate gulps as he sees the man's face. Bruises, little cracks in the flesh of his lips and even some wounds with some blood. He stares at Nate with serious, angry, but also sad look.
But that what makes Nate freaking out is, that the man, looks exactly like him. He opens his mouth and mutters a few words very quietly. But Nate could hear it, and because of that he runs out of the room.
"I'm you, I'm your past...I'm your future...your nightmare...your NateMare." this were the words that the man said. Or more: The words that NateMare said.
Nate blinded by disbelief and panic quickly walks down the hall. What does this mean? Why is NateMare still here? He needs a body, how could he appear by himself, without a body?
"Can you believe, in something that you can't even see?" Nate whispers to himself. But he wasn't sure if NateMare was even a halucination or not.
The hallway ends in a small room with a table and two chairs, one on the right end of the table and one on the left side. Not wierd enough that they are standing there, even when nobody lives here. A bright light shines on the one on the left side, but it seems that it's not daylight. A big headlight shines on the chair. The other one, stays in the shadows of the room.
Nate sits down on the left chair and looks down at the table. Beaten down and tired. Why did NateMare say that? Why didn't he attack him when he had the chance? He could have finally broke Nate physically. Why didn't he take his chance?
"Because I'm you Nathan..." NateMare's voice echoes through the room. But not so sadistical like always. It was filled with Fear, Tiredness, Pain and Suffering. Nate looks up and sees NateMare standing behind the other chair. He sits down on the chair and stares at Nate with the same look like before. Anger, Serious but also Sadness.
Nate leans back anxiously and raises one eyebrow.
"W-What do you mean with that?" he stutters the words.
"I'm your past, your future and with that, also you...we're part of something bigger than you and me."
"...but why? I thought you're traveling from body to body and make stupid things with them!" Nate can't believe what NateMare just said. How could NateMare be his past, his future and with that, also him?
"That was my original plan...but every demon has an end. And for me, the time arrived...and this, because you beated me. Whenever a demon loses against a human, the time has come for it to disappear. To be wiped away from history. I have no choice, in probably 5 minutes I will be gone. But you will have the bear the consequences."
"Why me!? What have I done to bear the consequences?"
"Because we are the same person. I always was chosen to be the demon inside of you. But I needed to get you. I needed to possess you. All the other victims....all the sacrifices...were only...for you. And now, that I'm dying, you're going to be free from me."
For Nate is this too much. He stands up and stumbles out of the room, not believing what NateMare had told him. NateMare, a part of him? NEVER! This can't be true.
"But it is Nathan...I think, I believe. Now I can feel it speaking to me, my reasoning is logical like it's all in my dreams. He says the truth! Accept it Nathan!" Nate speaks to himself. He walks down a different hallway, that ends in a big, empty hall.
Only a mirror stands there. Nate starts to walk down the hall. As he passes the mirror he can see in the corner of his eyes that NateMare's standing there. Nate stops and turns to the mirror. NateMare still standing there and glaring at him with the same look. Nate waves his hand to see if he would react, but he doesn't.
Nate continues to walk down the hall has suddenly NateMare's hands are grabbing his shirt. NateMare walks out of the shadows. Still with the same look. Nate doesn't try to get out of NateMare's grip. All the words that NateMare said until now, they weren't telling that NateMare will hurt him. Nate opens his mouth to say something, but NateMare immediately cuts him off.
"I know you have questions, Nathan. But I will make it quick. Then, the healing process will be quicker." NateMare raises his right fist, ready to punch Nate unconscious. Nate grabs his fist panicly.
"WAIT! I know, why you're doing this....and I...just want that you answer me one question:
Who Are You?"
"I was the original idea of you. The devil wanted to make a demon out of you. But his plans changed and he decided that you will become an Angel or a Fallen Angel.
That's why the mirror's always showing me. A shell of you. A shell of who you originally used to be. I was going to become you, when it was the right time. And now, that you beat me, I'll take the long road home. The one that's lined with blood and snow. We aren't both forever young and will simply fade before we're old. That's the circle of life." a tear runs down from NateMare's face. He knows that he will die after he leaves this place. This are the last words that he will say to anyone. He didn't even have a chance to say "Goodbye" to Paultin.
"Are you ready for our "Goodbye"?" another tear runs down NateMare's face.
"Will I remember anything that happened?"
"You will have flashbacks, nightmares, visions, of you, being tortured. The most of them didn't really happen. The devil wants that, so that you forget me and everything I told you about this. You need to forget who I was, and that means I need to hurt you very bad. I'm sorry..." now a tear runs down Nate's face as well. He knows that NateMare's doesn't want to do it. But he needs to. It's a rule of the devil.
"Okay I'm ready...Goodbye..." Nate says his last words before NateMare punchs him in the face.
Nate falls to the ground, holding his bleeding nose. NateMare grabs him by his hair and throws him against the wall with full power. Nate slides down the wall and fall to the ground. But he still isn't unconscious. NateMare picks him up and pins him against the wall, with both of his hands around his throat. His feets aren't even touching the ground. Nate, because of survival reflex, grabs NateMare's hands to get out of the grip, but he only tightens the grip. Before Nate passes out, NateMare throws him to the ground kicking him in his stomach and ribs.
Before Nate completely fells unconscious, because of the pain and blood lost, NateMare picks him up and brings him, in bridal style, to an exit were somebody could find him. During the entire way, Nate stares at NateMare, with respect in his eyes.
That NateMare has so much strength and sanity to not kill him completely just impresses him. NateMare went through a lot of rough times, but he was very clever. Also when he looked and acted insane, he was in his mind, the sanity in person.
Suddenly NateMare opens a door and both of them breath some fresh air. They finally are out of the canalization. It's still dark outside, but the first sunrays are filling the dark with brightness. NateMare lies Nate down to te cold floor. He stands up and wants to leave, but Nate grabs his hand.
"please...stay...with me...for the last...seconds..." Nate is about to pass out. But it's his last wish. The last wish before NateMare completely disappears.
Surprisingly, NateMare turns around and comes back. He sits down, in front of Nate, looking to the sunrays that are coming closer and are getting brighter. NateMare turns to Nate, raising his hand and holding it above his face and head.
"The final hit, the hit that will make you forget everything..." he says and Nate nods slowly. NateMare slams his hand on Nate's face and hand, so hard, so that the back of the head hits the hard concrete.
Nate's vision gets darker and blurrier. He can barely remember when he met NateMare. The last hit, clearly was suppose to make the victim forget everything. Not immediately, but more and more.
"Just sleep. Just dream. It's only a NIGHTMARE. And soon we'll be set free." This are the last words of NateMare. Then he completely passes out.
NateMare stands up, smiling at Nate with a kind smile. He knows that Nate is going to be okay, he did this so many times. He knows how all this works. But this time, it was the first time that some wanted that he stays. Normally he's used to be called a monster or a sick bastard. But Nate, in the end, did nothing of this. He accepted NateMare how he was.
NateMare turns around, the sunrays almost reached him. He streches his hand in the light and it starts to turn into dust. The last tears are running down, and then NateMare takes his last steps. The steps in his death. Within seconds he completely turns into dust and the dust falls to the ground.
Now this is the end, the end of NateMare.