It was going to be over soon, Zane knew. The Dark Presence was almost at its most powerful, and the world was almost entirely covered in darkness. His power was dwindling as the Dark Presence grew stronger. Fighting it while protecting Alan had taken its toll; he'd been imprisoned beneath Cauldron Lake for decades. He was fading away; he could feel it. Barbara, his Barbara, was gone. She was never coming back, never would be, and he'd realized his mistake in writing her back to life too late. Perhaps, if he had never listened to Dr. Hartman's counseling, none of this would be happening. The Dark Presence would still be sleeping in the Dark Place, and the world would not be consumed in darkness, death and destruction. Sam Winchester would never have been killed by Mr. Scratch. Alison Wake would never have been taken by the Dark Presence, and her husband would never have been imprisoned in the Dark Place in exchange for her freedom.

There is nothing that could've happened to prevent Alan and Alison's arrival, a voice in the back of Zane's whispered. It's a never-ending cycle. Perhaps Sam and Dean Winchester will win this fight, perhaps not. The Dark Presence will rise again, even if they do conquer it. It's inevitable. Zane felt the Dark Presence surrounding him, smothering him in its power. He knew he could no longer communicate with anyone in the outside world. The veil between worlds was thinning as the Dark Presence grew stronger and more powerful. Reality and dream were now blurred in the outside world; the power of the painting and Alan's manuscript was giving it a strong foothold and great power. Power that was only growing, with nothing to stop it. Every time the Dark Presence was put back to rest, it would find a way to regain power. Now, there was nothing that he could do to stop it. Sam and Dean Winchester were the world's only chance of salvation. If they couldn't put an end to this war, no one else would—and the Dark Presence was winning. Zane knew it was only a matter of time before he faded away completely.

Barbara, I love you and I am so sorry. This is all my fault. His Barbara would never forgive him if she was still alive. He knew she wouldn't, but none of it mattered anymore. She was gone, and his time was coming. And a small part of him was glad. I was meant to die when I made my last dive. The war was now in the hands of Sam and Dean Winchester. Only they could finish what he'd started all those years ago. The light dimmed, extinguished by the darkness, and everything went white.

The screams of the townspeople rang through Alan's ears. It's getting bad out there, and it's only going to get worse. He couldn't help but think of Dean's breakdown earlier that night. Millions of innocents were dying, and the Dark Presence had claimed the lives of the only friends he had left. No wonder he snapped the way he did, he thought to himself. He mentally kicked himself. There were much greater issues at hand than Dean's emotional state. The Dark Presence was now shifting its attention back to Bright Falls, and everything was at stake now. The town couldn't – wouldn't – survive the onslaught, unless the Dark Presence was put to rest, and Mr. Scratch was still out there. He'd kidnapped Dean and killed Sam. Who knew what he was doing now? He was the herald of darkness, the Dark Presence personified, and therefore he was dangerous. He was much more of a threat than the darkness itself, and that alone scared the hell out of Alan. He'd gone after Alice – there was a strong possibility that he would go after her again. She was his weak spot, and everyone knew it. The Dark Presence had gone after her and used her as leverage. She wasn't safe from the darkness. Nobody was.

The writer felt sleep sweep over him like a tidal wave, and the world descended into darkness. War had come. Hell is empty, and all the devils are here, he thought. Sleep took him, and for a moment, he thought he felt something in the room. A heavy, smothering presence was in the atmosphere, and he felt a surge of panic surge through him. The Dark Presence was in the house with him. He jolted upright, and scrambled to his feet.

Through the blackness, he thought he could make out a form standing before him. A human form, shrouded in the shadows. "Who's there?" he demanded, reaching for his revolver.

"Al…what're you so freaked about?" Barry asked groggily. "Fucking Christ, it's 1:00 in the morning, dude." He yawned. "There is nobody there. Go back to sleep."

And all hell broke loose. A deep tremor ran through the earth, and the Dark Presence roared, piercing the silence of the night. Barry screamed.

There was no time to think. Just act. The Dark Presence was inside the house, and Dean fully intended to get the hell out – with Sam and the others in tow. "Alan, Barry!" he shouted. Sarah bolted up the staircase; Sam and Dean followed suit. Dean tried opening the door. No luck. He threw himself against it once, twice, before finally kicking it open. The room was pitch black. No sign of Alan nor Barry.

"Shit," Sarah cursed.

"Sheriff, the Dark Presence is here. We need to fucking leave – now!" Dean reminded her. "Come on, we need to get going." Shadows were bleeding into the house relentlessly. Dean couldn't help but recall the attack on the sheriff station. This was completely different; the Dark Presence was at its peak of power now. Perhaps they had a chance, perhaps not. There was the sound of rabid growling and barking, and footsteps on the rooftop.

Taken. "Please tell me you guys are fully loaded," the eldest Winchester said to his brother and the sheriff. "It sounds like we have company." The trio rushed back downstairs just as a Taken raised its axe and swung it downwards at them. Taken flooded the house, and the world soon exploded into blood and warfare.

Dean narrowly dodged the death blow as Sam and Sarah blinded the Taken with their flashlights, firing at them simultaneously. The Taken soon burst into a shower of sparks before vanishing into nothingness. A Taken mutt threw itself at him, snarling and snapping and barking at him rabidly. He reached for the dagger in his pocket and stabbed it in the throat. The dog screamed in pain, a loud, keening cry. "Fucking – Taken – bitches!" he grunted. I swear to god, they're worse than hellhounds. Sam shined his flashlight on the mutt before shooting it thrice, and its body disappeared, just like the other Taken.

"Taken dogs? That's a new one," he remarked as he pulled his brother to his feet.

"Less talking, more shooting!" snapped Sheriff Breaker. Time seemed meaningless as the three of them combatted the influx of Taken. Over and over, they repeated the same dance of weakening the Taken with light before finishing them off with their firearms. It felt like hours had passed until the Taken stopped coming. "Everyone okay?" she asked.

Dean nodded. "Peachy," he said dryly. "I'm pretty sure one of those sons of bitches grazed me with an axe, but I'll live. I've had worse."

"I'm okay," Sam reported. "We need to track down Alan and Barry. The Dark Presence…it's after them. Hell, it's after all of us – but Alan is our only shot at ending this war for good." Sarah whipped out her cell phone and speed-dialed his number.

"You think calling him is going to help?" Dean queried.

"Maybe," she said curtly. She paused briefly. "Hello? Alan? Thank god, I'm so glad to hear your voice right now…don't worry, we're okay – just a bit shaken up. Where are you guys camped out right now? We need to regroup and figure out our next move…yes, I'm aware that the Dark Presence is after us, but we can't – we're stronger together as a group. This town has become a goddamned warzone, Alan." She shook her head vehemently. "Alan, I'm begging you – don't do anything stupid and reckless. Meet us at the lighthouse, okay? Okay. I'll see you when I see you. Bye." She cut the connection and pocketed her phone.

"They made it out?" Sam queried. "How?"

"I guess they went out the window or something – I don't know," said Dean. "What I do know is that this darkness, it's never going to stop going after us. Its beef isn't with you, Sarah. It's after me, Sam and Alan."

"What are you saying, Winchester?" Sheriff Breaker demanded. "That I should just high-tail it out of Bright Falls? I have a responsibility to protect the town!"

"How can you protect the town from something that is worldwide?" he challenged. "Sam and I, we barely managed to end the Apocalypse. The way things are right now…it's best if you went underground. Find any survivors and go underground until this is all over. Alan, Sam and I will figure something out and put an end to this."

"You can't be serious," she said angrily. "You can't expect me to just stand by and let this town burn!"

"I'm sorry," Sam interjected, "but my brother's right. Sarah, I get where you're coming from, I do, but if there is just a snowball's chance that there might be survivors… Look, this town needs you – but we have to handle this alone. There have been more than enough casualties. This is for the best." Sarah was visibly hurt and furious, and Dean felt a stab of sympathy for her. He had nothing against her, nor did Sam, but he felt that the town's survivors needed her more than they did.

"And what if there aren't any survivors?" Sarah countered. "What do I do then?"

"Go underground," Dean said. "It's the safest place you – anyone, really – can be until this all blows over. We're going to be fine, I swear."

"You'd better be," she answered. "Good luck. Kick this thing in the ass. Don't miss." She departed from the brothers solemnly.

"You think we did the right thing, Dean?" asked Sam once she was out of sight. Dean shifted his attention to his brother. The younger Winchester's face was a mask of doubt.

"I do, Sammy," he said. "Come on, we'd better get moving."