PART 12

The Scar-Face Reaper stood outside the hospital, resting his newfound bat over his right shoulder, ready this time with a plan to kill J-JOE. After the previous two times the Scar-Face Reaper tried to kill Joe, the plan had failed, but now, as he contemplated his final attempt to rid the world of Joe once and for all, the Scar-Reaper was prepared to approach the hospital, hoping he could go in and finish him off while he was sleeping.

It was two hours before the sun would set. At the end of his two-hour wait, the Scar-Face Reaper was still as eager as ever to rid the world of Joe. His patience and hope for a successful conclusion of his mission as a mask-wearing vigilante hadn't wavered at all. He had been waiting for the chance to kill J-JOE, he just needed the opportunity and that would come with the sun going down. The Scar-Face Reaper was patient, but he was also an assassin after all. That patience wouldn't last forever. Soon, he'd reach a breaking point, and his anger, hate and desire to end J-JOE would finally break free of his restraint.

His plan was now complete. The sun was setting and it would be time to strike. He looked over his new plan for one last time. The plan was a simple one; it wouldn't be as easy as the two previous times. He would go into the building, and walk right into J-JOE's room. As he walked into the hospital, he would see J-JOE sleeping in his bed, resting in the midst of his bandages and tubes, his condition and status being monitored. He walked closer to his room, the Scar-Face Reaper would find an opportunity to get up against the wall and wait in the shadows, ready to ambush J-JOE. He would wait and wait, patiently hoping for the chance to strike.

While he waited for the time to strike, the sun began to set. He watched as the skies darkened and began to fall into shades of red, orange and violet. The colors slowly began to fade as the sun set behind the buildings of the hospital. The scar-faced Reaper watched as the red faded and all he could see was the lights of the hospital, reflecting off the windows. He still waited, patient, but soon enough his patience would wear thin. Soon enough his hate would begin to bubble up, and it would erupt in a fury. It wouldn't take much, he'd be able to turn it into a rage and he'd lash out at anyone in sight, trying to strike and kill anyone.

The Scar-Face Reaper entered the hospital, his plan ready to move into action. He looked around, making sure the coast was clear, before he walked toward J-JOE's room. He walked closer to the door and looked in the window, the room empty. With a sudden bang, the door burst open and the Scar-Face Reaper's plan had begun. The Scar-Face Reaper was ready, anticipating every possibility, even when none of it happened. A sudden burst of wind came in from the door, and ruffled the cloth on his mask, obscuring it from the view of any nearby people. He pulled his mask back down, trying to control the sudden rage that suddenly took over him. As his rage rose, his hands, fingers and eyes began to turn red, turning the inside of his mask a bright red. In an effort to stop it, the Scar-Face Reaper pulled the mask down tighter around his face, covering his eyes and the top half of his face, while he still kept the back half of the mask open. The Scar-Face Reaper wanted to control his rage, but it was getting to him, it was already a factor in his plan, but he had no idea what that would be yet. His anger rose, reaching its peak, and still he tried to control himself, and he couldn't. The Scar-Face Reaper's rage continued to rise, until it reached its peak. He could control his anger, but when he reached his breaking point he wouldn't be able to control it anymore.

He punched the wall, leaving a hole larger than a baseball, "Where the hell is he?!" He yelled as he started hitting the wall. He'd kill anyone in his path, it didn't matter who it was, "Get out of my way!" He yelled, his fists moving to the wall as he kicked at it.

The nurse and doctors that were inside of the hospital, the ones that were outside the room and could see him, they were afraid, but they knew what he could do if they tried to get in the room, and it wasn't that they were afraid that he'd go nuts and murder them, it was that the Scar-Face Reaper wasn't interested in them, he was interested in J-JOE. He wanted to kill Joe, but he'd go to any lengths to get to him. The Scar-Face Reaper didn't stop at hurting just anyone, he'd go as far as it took to get him. And he was getting closer, he could feel it.

He kept swinging and kicking at the wall, and before he knew it, the walls of the room had become rubble and a man-sized hole had formed where the wall used to be. He jumped through the hole and landed on a different floor, standing up, he still had his fist in the air and his eyes were still wide and staring at the wall, he didn't see J-JOE. He stepped over the rubble, he didn't see anyone, "Where the hell is he?!" He asked himself.

The Scar-Face Reaper was now on another floor of the hospital, the lights on that floor were on and the hospital was still running. He began to run through the halls of the hospital, every nurse and doctor he saw was frozen with fear. The Scar-Face Reaper didn't care, he was on a mission, his mission was to kill J-JOE. He didn't care that they were just trying to help him, he wasn't interested in them, he was only interested in J-JOE, and to him, they were all useless.

The nurses and doctors would scream for help, but he didn't hear them, they were all useless. All they could do was watch as he was on his way to J-JOE's room. He'd kill anyone that he encountered, and he didn't stop to ask questions or try to help. He just wanted to kill J-JOE.

"Where the fuck is he?!"

Meanwhile, J-JOE hid in the dark, guarded by security. His heart was racing, he knew he wouldn't be able to win against The Scar-Face Reaper if he had to fight, but at least he would go out fighting. He felt a sense of relief. This was a chance for him to show the world that J-JOE had real power inside of him. His heart was beating at a hundred miles per hour, and his blood pressure was through the roof. There was so much anticipation in him.

He didn't know what to expect when The Scar-Face Reaper finally showed up. He had gone on the assumption that The Reaper would be much stronger than he was and that he would have to kill him if he was to win. But he had also gone on the assumption that The Reaper would fight dirty, and that was always in his arsenal. He wasn't prepared for it, but he had to be ready for it. He knew that it could be ugly, but he still had to expect it.

So here he was, standing in the dimly lit room, with the lights out. J-JOE stood against the wall in the dark, waiting for The Scar-Face Reaper. He needed to be ready, but he also didn't want to be found, especially when The Reaper came in. It wouldn't be fun when the lights went on, and he would find himself in the worst possible position.

If he could win this battle, he would become a household name, and a very powerful name at that. J-JOE had never imagined that he would be a part of history, but he had a feeling this could be one of those historic moments in the lives of all his people: aspiring journalists. He knew that history would be made when the lights came back on, and he would be able to fight The Scar-Face Reaper.

As the last of the light receded from the sky, he knew that his time was almost over. His time to shine was coming to an end. He waited with bated breath, his heart was beating like a sledgehammer. Finally, he saw a flash of metal, and the lights popped on. He was ready for it, and he wasn't surprised that The Scar-Face Reaper had arrived.

J-JOE stood tall, ready to fight, his arms crossed, ready to fight dirty. He wasn't going to win this battle without a fight. And he knew he had to fight dirty if he wanted to have any hope of winning. So he did just that.

The door to the room busted open with a bang, a figure entered the room, he could tell from the sound of his footsteps they were calm but also nervous. As the figure came closer, the guards silently took up positions around the room, in between the guards was J-JOE. The figure seemed confused, they knew that J-JOE was there, they just couldn't see him. They stood for a few seconds staring around the room, and without knowing it; J-JOE struck. His fist smashed into the figure's jaw. His fist smashed into their face like a sledgehammer, and sent them backwards to the ground. They fell hard, and the guard had no clue what was happening, until, "Gah! What the hell!"

The figure turned out to be Shelley Hauswirth; She was stunned as she hit the ground, and a few seconds later she came to her senses. She looked at J-JOE, "You hit me?"

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" he said.

She slowly rose to her feet, and looked at J-JOE, "Thanks for letting me know that I'm not dreaming or something. Are you OK?"

J-JOE said, "Yes, I'm fine. But I am surprised at how fast you can move, I would have never imagined you could move that fast. I don't know how you did it."

"I practiced," she said. Hauswirth adjusted her tie, and brushed the dust off of her pants, "Jeez, you sure are jumpy. Are you sure you are alright? I don't want to see you get into trouble."

She walked up to him and said, "J-JOE, it's fine, I know I look like hell right now, but, just think what we can accomplish together."

J-JOE sat down on the ground, "OK."

"You really think you can win?" She asked, trying to give him more confidence.

"Not really. But I'm going to try. I mean I just want to do it fair, not like the Scar-Face Reaper. And I would just feel so bad doing that."

"Well, if you're so dead set on doing it fair, why are you out here? You should know by now that the good guys don't do this stuff, and you should just leave well enough alone."

"But that's not how I want to do it." J-JOE stood up, "You see, there is no way that I can leave well enough alone. I can't let this whole thing go. But if I just run away, I will never know. No one will know what I did or what happened, and I will never know."

"But you'll also never have to answer to that one person." Hauswirth said.

"Yeah, I guess, but not knowing that would be worse."

J-JOE's thoughts turned back to Liam's death, "Maybe it would be better if I just kept it all a secret."

J-JOE knew this could be his last day on Earth, "And what about all those innocent people, all the people that died, the people that I knew and cared for. I could never live with myself knowing that I was responsible for all that, while I was blissfully watching shitty 80's horror movies with their killer." J-JOE stood up, looking ahead. "Anyway, I'm going to let the whole thing go. I'm going to get the hell out of here and get my life back. I guess that's my last chance."

"But what will you do if the Scar-Face Reaper finds you again?" She asked.

J-JOE shook his head, "I don't know."

"It won't be easy, but you will find a way... And so will I." Hauswirth smiled.

"Oh yeah?" J-JOE replied. He gave her a mischievous smile.

"Yeah."

The Scar-Face Reaper roamed the halls of the hospital, stalking through the corridors, the hallways, the long walkways, and the endless elevators. It was as if the Reaper had been chasing it, for no sooner did it disappear than it would re-appear, and again they would go hunting the next door. He was getting tired of this, he was getting tired of chasing shadows, but he was determined to find his prey. He was determined to kill his target, and by some magic trick, or by pure dumb luck, he would find him.

This place held so much potential, it held so much power, and yet it was like no other hospital he had ever been in before. His senses were on high alert as he moved from room to room, from floor to floor. It was all too familiar for him, he had hunted in this hospital before, but now he was not so easily fooled, he could tell that all was not what it seemed. There was a secret somewhere, a secret he had yet to unravel. He could feel it. He could sense it, like a piece of black magic, as if something inside was whispering at him.

The voices spoke to him, taunting him, mocking him, laughing at him. They were getting louder and louder the longer he took to find J-JOE. They grew louder and louder and more frightening until the walls seemed to close in on him. He could feel it, he could sense it, that he was being watched. His instincts were telling him to turn back now, but this was what he had been sent here for, to find J-JOE, to find whoever it was that he was looking for. This was the place. He would find him, and when he did he would take him down, he would crush him. And he would finally have his revenge.

He was breathing heavily, his heart pounding in his chest, his mind racing as he went from room to room. He was ready to move in and move fast, he wanted to strike now, to strike hard and do it now, and yet his body, his spirit, was resisting him. His mind was telling him to go, but his body was telling him not to. He was so close, he could almost taste it, he could almost feel the target breathing in his face. He was so close, so close. Then finally he stopped, the voices stopped and he could hear him, he could hear them whispering in his ear.

"You are too late, he is gone," they whispered. They spoke with a kind of mocking glee, they said he was too late and that J-JOE was gone. He wanted to believe them, he wanted to, but he couldn't, he knew it was too late, he felt it in his bones, his body, his soul, something was wrong, something was not right. He knew that he was not being watched, but he could feel it, he could sense it, something was wrong.

Something was very, very wrong.

"I told you to turn back, he is not here, you are wasting your time," they said. They were in his mind, they knew his thoughts, they knew his plans. They knew he was coming here, and they were mocking him. They were taunting him. He knew he had no choice, he could not turn back now. It was already too late.

"Follow him, find him," they said, they called out to him as he moved on.

"I'm here, don't you forget that," he said as he moved from room to room. He knew this hospital, he had been here before, he had been here for the same reason. It was here he had come for the man he was seeking, for the man that he was hunting. He knew that he could trust this hospital, it would tell him exactly where he was. The building would whisper to him, giving him guidance. It would guide him to J-JOE. It was this building he came here for.

"J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE."

The voices would continue to call out to him, they would call out his name, they would whisper to him, taunting him, teasing him. They would call out to him, calling his name like a chant, until he would finally arrive at J-JOE's room.

"J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE."

He moved from the intensive care unit, he moved from the waiting room, he moved from the cafeteria. He moved from the chapel, from the reception area, from the nurses' station. He moved from the gym, he moved from the parking lot; It was almost like a silent, but invisible, movie, where all the scenes and the lines played out in one's mind, where the events were all taking place all at once, one after the other, moving from room to room, floor to floor.

"J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE."

The voices of the hospital echoed throughout the halls. They seemed to laugh at him, and mock him, and tell him that J-JOE was gone, that he was a liar, that he had played his game and lost, that he had fooled him.

"You never know, J-JOE. I'm telling you, I know you. You never know. I can sense you. I know you, J-JOE, I know you.You never know, J-JOE. You're going to feel my fist in your eye, soon, if you keep playing with me. You never know, J-JOE. I know you. I know you. I know you, J-JOE, I know you. How many of your lies are you going to tell me, J-JOE? I know you. I know you, J-JOE. You never know, J-JOE. I know you, I know you. I know you, J-JOE. I know you. I know you. The day is coming, J-JOE, and I will finally get you. I will finally make you tell me what I want to know. You never know, J-JOE. I know you. You never know, J-JOE. I know you. I know you, J-JOE."

The voices continued, getting angrier and bitter the longer he took, "J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE."

The hospital's hallway was cold, dark, and silent, all except for the voices that called out to him, and taunted him. The darkness, the silence, had a strange effect on him. He felt like he was going to lose himself. It was almost like his senses were heightened. It was almost as if he could hear them all, as if he could even feel them, touch them, almost, as if his eyes were able to see them all, and even sense the movements. He was going crazy, the voices called out to him, they called out to him, and they just taunted him.

"I hate you. I hate you. I hate you, J-JOE. I hate you, J-JOE. I hate you, J-JOE. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you, J-JOE. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you, J-JOE. I hate you, J-JOE. I hate you, J-JOE. I hate you, J-JOE. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you, J-JOE. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you, J-JOE. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you, J-JOE. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you, J-JOE. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you, J-JOE. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you, J-JOE. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you, J-JOE. I hate you. I hate you!"

The voices continued to call out to him, "I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you!"

He began to get angry, he began to get angry with them, with himself, and with life. He began to hate himself, he began to hate the world, and to hate the doctors, and to hate the nurses, and he started to hate the world. He hated it. He hated everything and everybody.

"J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE. J-JOE."

"SHUT UP!!! JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!!" He yelled, "JUST FUCKING QUIT IT FOR ONE GOD DAMN MINUTE!!!"

The voices continued to taunt him. The voices continued to taunt him like play-yard bullies.

"SHUT UP!!! JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!!"

The voices continued to taunt him.

"SHUT UP!!!"

The voices continued to taunt him, they snickered and laughed at him.

"SHUT UP!!!"

The voices continued to taunt him, getting more aggressive and more hateful.

"SHUT UP!!!"

The voices continued to taunt him; he wanted to die just so the voices would stop.

"SHUT UP!!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!"

The voices continued to taunt him; just the sounds of their voices felt like nails to a chalkboard.

"SHUT UP!! SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!"

The voices continued to taunt him; he felt like his eyes were popping out of his head.

"SHUT UP!!!"

The voices continued to taunt him; he wanted nothing more at the moment then to tear out his brain.

"SHUT UP!!!"

The voices continued to taunt him. Why wouldn't they stop? He wanted them to stop so bad.

"SHUT UP!!!"

The voices continued to taunt him. Was this his punishment for his crimes?

"SHUT UP!!!"

The voices continued to taunt him; they nagged and nagged, like an abusive parent.

"SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, JUST SHUT UP!!!"

The voices continued to taunt him; he should just end it now.

"SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!"

The voices continued to taunt him; everything in the room spun, creating a violent vertigo that the Reaper couldn't handle.

"SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!!"

The voices continued to taunt him; he wanted to vomit from how intense his headache was.

"SHUT UP!!! PLEASE, JUST. SHUT. UP!!"

The voices continued to taunt him.

"SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!! SHUT UP!!!"

The Scar-Face Reaper pulled his hair, he couldn't take it anymore. He felt like he was going insane, they wouldn't stop; the voices wouldn't stop. He felt himself get closer and closer to the edge. That was when he saw it, out of the corner of his eye. The shadow of a man, or something, in the darkness.

And then something happened, he couldn't explain it. He started to run towards it. Like he knew exactly where it was, and why it was important. It was like he knew he had to do it. He felt like he would die if he didn't do it. The man just stood there, watching him approach. He felt himself slowing down, like a train to a stop, and then there was the man, in front of him, looking down at him.

The Scar-Face Reaper stood in front of the man, now, just inches from him, and then he saw himself; it was Thomas. He had no idea how, and that is when he spoke, "You need to stop this, I will not let you do this to me."

The Scar-Face Reaper didn't say anything. He just stood there and stared at Thomas, unmoving.

"You need to stop this, and let me go." Thomas felt like he was losing his mind. He knew he had to stop, he didn't want to end up like this, trapped in this world. He just wanted to go back home.

The man's face was so cold, like ice, he felt it on his skin. Thomas tried to pull back from it, but he couldn't, he was frozen. And then Thomas felt the man's face, so close to his. And then he remembered the man's face; there in the dark, as Thomas walked back. His face when he came out of the dark, and took a step forward.

"You must stop this, please. You must stop." Thomas felt like his voice was breaking, "Please."

Then there was a flash, a huge explosion, and Thomas saw himself disappear. The darkness that was the man's body was gone, and he was just standing there, now, in the dark. Thomas looked down and there were two piles of ash. He couldn't believe it, there was the man, and then there was Thomas, just a pile of ash, just like the others.

"You must stop this, please, it is not real. I must go home." Thomas felt like he was falling, like he was falling into blackness. And he knew it was time. He pulled his head back, and closed his eyes. He wanted to see, and then he saw a figure. It was himself, as a boy, coming back to his family, in the darkness.

And then he opened his eyes. The dark was gone, and he was standing in the light again.

Thomas heard voices, and saw faces in the dark. He saw himself in the light, and then he remembered. And then the faces faded, and Thomas saw a man walking towards him. Thomas recognized him, of course; it was The Scar-Face Reaper. He felt his muscles getting tighter, and he wanted to scream. He didn't want to stay here, he didn't want to stay trapped in this hell. He thought he was going crazy, his heart was racing, and the terror was almost too much. He tried to calm himself, tried to get control, but he couldn't.

"You're not real!!" The Scar-Face Reaper truly didn't know what was happening, "You can't be! We're... How...? You're not supposed to be here!!"

"No, I'm not real. Thomas is, however, and right now I think you're regretting your actions."

"What?"

"Deep down, you know this is stupid. I think you're nothing more than a bully, so seeing someone without any skills beat you two times emasculates you. I think right now you don't even want to kill him because he saw you, I think you want to kill him just to make yourself feel better. I'm right, aren't I?" Thomas sounded angry, almost as if he was disapproving of himself, "Yes, I suppose you are. You're right, the man was stronger than I thought, and now I have to live with the fact that I can't take him down. No wonder he could beat you, he can use your own powers against you. He has the ultimate advantage."

"This isn't real, it's a nightmare!" The Scar-Face Reaper was panicking.

"We all are, and you need to wake up." Replied Thomas.

"You're real, and you're lying. That's all you know how to do, and it's disgusting. You're lying to me, you didn't see me, I was a pile of ash."

"Mrs. Winslow saw you." Thomas said, "It doesn't matter, you can't get out of this."

"Get out of what? You've made it all up, made this all up. It's not true. I am a monster." The Scar-Face Reaper said, "I am not a monster, I have a heart, and I have feelings. You do not know what you are talking about."

"Yes I do, I know exactly what you are and what you did. And I know what you did to me, so don't say that."

"Then why did you do it? Why did you do what you did? Why were you running from me? Do you want to die?" The Scar-Face Reaper was desperate, now, because he knew he would not let Thomas live, "You want to die?! How do you think you can live with that?"

"I didn't mean to hurt you." Thomas said, his voice cracking, "I know you, and you are a monster, I know who you are. You are the biggest coward out there, and that is why I couldn't kill you, you know how to use my powers against me, and you wouldn't hurt me. But you did hurt me, and then you did things that I would never think you would do."

"Like what? What did I do?" The Scar-Face Reaper was confused, and scared, he didn't want to believe that this was real, that he was here, trapped in a nightmare.

"I think you just like to watch people kill, because you can't beat them without justifying it first. And you can't face that. You can't face yourself, you're just a little boy that wanted to be a man, but instead you just bullied other boys and girls to death. So that's what you do, you can't beat them, you watch, you see what they can do, and then you kill them, so you feel powerful, and J-JOE was supposed to be the next victim. But he's not, you made that up, and now I'm real. But you won't be able to kill me because I'm not real. I'm standing right here, I'm not a boy, you can't beat me, but I'm real and you can't kill me. And I'm stronger than you." Thomas stated.

"What are you talking about, you can't kill me? I don't know what you're talking about." The Scar-Face Reaper was getting angry, he couldn't understand what Thomas was talking about, "You're just lying to me, it's your story, not mine. You're lying, you know what I did, and you're trying to scare me into stopping, into getting out of here."

"Like I said, I'm not real." Thomas said, "I don't want to hurt you. You're a child, and you're making this up, this is a nightmare. It doesn't matter, I'm right, I'm telling you the truth. I'm the real Thomas, and I'm going to wake up, you're not going to be able to kill me, you're not real, and I'm not J-JOE."

The Scar-Face Reaper felt an urge, an urge to fight Thomas, "You're not going to make it." The Scar-Face Reaper said.

Thomas smirked, "Take your best shot."

The Scar-Face Reaper lunged forward, intent on bashing Thomas's head in, "You're dead meat, me!"

Without care, The Scar-Face Reaper swung violently, missing every shot he took. He swung his bat again, getting angrier that Thomas dodged every swing - Why won't he die?! The room spun, and the walls became translucent, the blackness became deeper and the pain of the cut on Thomas's arm was still fresh, but not intense enough to stop him. It was like a fog, he couldn't find his footing - Why can't he die?! Why?! The Scar-Face Reaper raged.

Thomas stood up, laughing, "You can't kill me. I don't need to die." Thomas said.

The Scar-Face Reaper lunged again, this time in desperation, the fog was fading, he had to save this last chance, and kill Thomas. Thomas spoke, "You can't kill me. I don't need to die. Wake up. I'm not really here, this isn't real."

The Scar-Face Reaper swung again, and Thomas easily dodged him, The Scar-Face Reaper lost his focus, and he swung again, and Thomas dodged, he didn't have the strength to keep dodging, but he knew this was his only chance. The Scar-Face Reaper swung again, and Thomas stood firm. The Scar-Face Reaper swung harder, his arm shaking with effort, he was trying to break Thomas's wrist.

The Scar-Face Reaper knew he didn't have much time, he didn't need to kill this boy, he just needed to stop him. "Stop me!" The Scar-Face Reaper yelled.

Thomas smirked, "You're not going to kill me. This is all in your head. Wake up!" Thomas said the room was still spinning, but he could see much clearer now, and the Scar-Face Reaper was fading into nothingness. Thomas started to laugh, and it was the funniest thing he'd ever seen, and he just laughed harder and harder, the laughter was the only thing that could drive away the pain that was still present.

The Scar-Face Reaper's body started to shake, his muscles strained. His hand began to curl around the bat. He had no more strength in him, the muscles were burning and the sweat pouring. The pain was almost unbearable. He knew it wasn't real, he knew it was all in his head. The Scar-Face Reaper was breathing hard, fighting to keep himself conscious. But as hard as he tried, the pain made him cry out. The pain was too much, he couldn't fight it any more, his hands were going numb, he couldn't hold on anymore, he was going to pass out; the darkness consumed him.

Falling to his knees, The Scar-Face Reaper couldn't keep fighting. Thomas approached the now defeated Reaper, now cocky over his presumed victory, "Do you see now? Logic always wins in the end."

"Not exactly..." The Scar-Face Reaper managed to say between exhausted breaths.

"You gave it your best shot and this is what you have to say?" Thomas was confused, The Scar-Face Reaper had a smile on his face that made it seem like he knew something he didn't, "You have something to say?"

"My actions will provide the statement."

"How?" Thomas asked.

"By this!" The Scar-Face Reaper pulled out a hunting knife he had hidden on him, and stabbed Thomas in the thigh. Thomas yelped. "I will not be silenced."

The Scar-Face Reaper moved closer to him and took a few more steps, "I will not be silenced!" He continued to stab him over and over, until he reached his knee. "I WILL NOT BE SILENCED!"

With each stab, Thomas was hit with more pain. He began to cry in agony. He couldn't believe this was happening, this was real, this couldn't be happening.

The Scar-Face Reaper took a few steps back, "I WILL NOT BE SILENCED!" he cried again. The first two stabs had not hit his knee. The knife fell from the hand that held it. Thomas looked up to see the blood pouring out of the stab wound. The next time the knife hit home. "I WILL NOT BE SILENCED!"

As Thomas' blood covered the floor, the Scar-Face Reaper's mind was on the tip of a knife. He did not want to be silenced, and he didn't want to die. He was ready to give it his best shot. But all the signs of failure made it seem futile. He saw a tear slide from his left eye, it ran down his cheek. He knew it was true. Thomas was his best bet at stopping, It was clear that no one else could even come close. He wanted to be successful, he wanted to not be silenced. But everything was about to end, the end was only moments away.

Now no one could help him, he was nothing more than a slasher villain at this point in time - Someone who went insane because he couldn't kill the final girl. He had failed every single time he had faced him. There was no way that was going to happen, no way.

"You're killing me! You have to stop!" The Reaper screamed.

The Reaper continued to stab Thomas over and over again, over and over again until there was nothing left, no pain, no pain at all, until the blade stopped moving. The Scar-Face Reaper stopped stabbing him, he stopped breathing, and he stared up at the wall. He stood there, staring up at the wall, still, thinking about how much he wanted to maim J-JOE until he was unrecognizable.