Epilogue
Part II
…and the End
Author's Note: This is it. The last posted chapter for The Stranger. I hope it makes for a good second part of the conclusion and you all enjoy it!
As Ezekiel pressed the button on the control panel in front of him, a flash of light was made.
The built-in camera on the computer screen in front of him flashed on, activating its bright light and giving clear view of Ezekiel's face within the dark metal room. He shielded his eyes for a moment, letting them adjust to the sudden change in light, and blinked slowly as he looked at the computer screen, noticing the camera was now recording the footage.
Ezekiel nodded his head while breathing slowly and leaned forward to the computer, resting his hands on the table before the computer. His body was shaking as the camera continued to roll the footage. Tears continued to roll down his eyes as he formed his hands into a tight ball.
He took a few more seconds of mental preparation, wiped the tears attached to the cheeks of his face, and looked up to the camera, staring directly into the lenses with a determined look.
"Administrator's Log. Date… doesn't matter anymore."
"This… t-t-this is m-my last log entry… forever. Some… s-something has come up… and there i-is nothing I c-can do to fix it… not w-without making things a-any worse…"
Ezekiel looked around the room, trying to calm down as he thought of the words to say.
"All of this… this madness, this game, this… absolute hell… none of this is what I wanted… none of this is what they wanted… but this is the situation we found ourselves in… it was unavoidable… and the results… will never be perfect."
"All I wanted was to just go home… to just leave and never look back on this… to forget this world and return to my own… but this is where I found myself in… and I can't run from it… not anymore."
"No matter what I tried or how determined I was, it was, in the end, a futile attempt. There was no escape from this world that would be easy. It was, from the beginning, just a trap with no exit, and the only way out… is to become like him."
"Now… at this moment… I have the control over life and death… who is more important over the other. These subjects, these… people… they are all strangers to me. I don't know who they are out there in the real world. I don't know if they are good or bad. I don't know any of them… and… and yet…"
Ezekiel faced the screen again, giving a quick nod.
"And yet I care for each and every one of them as if they were a cherished friend. They are just innocent people like me, who have their own lives and make their own choices, be it good or not. Despite not knowing a single thing about them, I can't help but still give care to each one of them. They are people that deserve their right to freedom like me… and… and I can't just take that away from them…"
Ezekiel closed his eyes as he shook his head.
"That bastard… he… he wants me to be just like him. All this time was just him trying to manipulate me to be just like him: a sadistic son of a bitch who doesn't give a damn about others. To become a person far different from me. To be controlled by a mad god and have my choices be controlled and influenced by someone else. He was… trying to control me…"
He opened his eyes instantly, and slammed his right fist on the table.
"But I won't let him do that to me! I am not the perfect person… no one is perfect. We all make our mistakes, make choices that may be selfish, and have regrets in our actions. It is human nature to make mistakes… and I know I made one too many…"
He turned around and faced the limp body of Flippy, lying dead on the pool of crimson blood beneath him.
"But I am not like him. I know I am not like him. I won't be like him. He will never control me and make me become something I'm not. I have the ability to make the right choices, my choices… no matter what the consequence is. I can stand by who I am… and do what I feel is right…"
Ezekiel faced the buttons on the keyboard again, stroking the top of it with his left hand.
"This isn't how I wanted any of this to end. I… I only wanted to end perfectly… to leave… and save the others… without any of this mess. But… life is not perfect… and perfect endings will only be found in fairy tales. There is no escape from this… no matter what I can try now…"
He turned his face slowly to the right, and noticed the lone red quill on the desk. Ezekiel's right eye shed a tear as he reached with his right hand to hold it gently. He nodded his head as he faced the keyboard again.
"I can still make the right choice… I can still win on my terms. I won't let myself be corrupted and become like him. I am me, and I will choose what I think is right. I made a promise…"
Ezekiel placed the quill just below the keyboard in front of him, and looked up to the camera.
"And I intend to keep it. This is Administrator Ezekiel Pearce, signing off."
He pressed the button on the keyboard, and the light from the camera turned off, saving the recording and bringing the computer screen back to its original selection, along with the countdown timer, now showing just less than 11 minutes to spare.
Ezekiel turned around to face the lifeless, limp body of Flippy, his eyes half-shut while his skin cold to the touch. Ezekiel held back the tears in his eyes as he nodded his head slowly, taking in a deep breath as he spoke calmly and quietly.
"I'm… sorry, Flippy. This is not how I wanted it to end… I… I hope you'll be able to forgive me in the end…"
He turned to face the keyboard one last time, and placed his right index finger over the number '2.' His finger rested gently on the surface, with only a little force needed to push it down.
"I… can't derive you of your freedom… I won't derive you of your ability to choose… or anyone else's… even at the cost of my own…"
Ezekiel took one last deep breath, and closed his eyes shut.
"Because that's what I choose… to set you free."
He pressed the button swiftly and without a hint of regret. He smiled lightly as he opened his eyes, staring at the computer screen in front of him. Ezekiel took a small step back as the screen suddenly went black, shutting off instantly.
A confused expression grew on his face as he looked around. It was only a few seconds after he pressed the button, though there was no apparent evidence of anything happening. No sound, no sudden movements, just the same quiet atmosphere in the room.
Ezekiel jolted back as he turned to face the body of Flippy, and stared in awe at what he saw.
Flippy's body was emitting an outer bright glow, light blueish in color. As Flippy's body began to be consumed by the bright light, his body slowly deteriorated in small particles of dust. While it took time, Flippy's body went from being completely visible to being transformed into a small blue orb, shaped with the particles of dust.
Ezekiel kept a dumbfounded look on his face, staring at the sudden disappearance of Flippy's body and the creation of the orb in front of him. Curious, Ezekiel walked slowly towards the floating orb, and reached out his right hand to touch the outer surface of its ominous glow.
Suddenly, the orb started to float around Ezekiel in circles. Ezekiel tried to keep up with the floating orb with his eyes, getting dizzy as it picked up momentum. The orb, after circling Ezekiel roughly ten times, flew off away from him and out into the central room outside of his office.
Ezekiel shook his head as he chased after the blue orb, watching it fly off and outside the window in the central room. He collided with the window hard, hitting his head lightly against the glass. He placed his right hand over his forehead as he looked out the window, watching the blue orb lower itself to the base of the tall tree Ezekiel hid in.
As he rubbed his head, he dropped his jaw when looking out into the depths of the city. Similar to Flippy's, Ezekiel could see just under two dozen other blue orbs of light flying out of the city, all heading towards the tree in the center. He watched them all gather up in one large pile at the base of the tree, sticking together closely.
Ezekiel felt a tremble underneath his feet, and looked down to notice nothing in particular. The tremble got worse, and his footing was lost as he felled back on his posterior, landing hard on the metal surface. He looked around frantically, trying to find the source of the trembles, which was starting to become the equivalent of an earthquake.
He covered his ears as the sounds of what was a loud gunshot went off just underneath him. Ezekiel's ears rang violently from the loud sound, unable to even hear his own breaths. He brought himself up to his feet and looked up to the ceiling, knowing the sound came directly above him.
Ezekiel swiftly turned around and made a quick dash back to the control room, as the larger computer at the end of the room revealed a marvelous sight on one of the viewpoints outside the tree.
A large blue beam was being emitted from atop the tree he stood in, reaching up to the heavens above. As the beam shot through the sky, a large portal was being opened, the clouds around it circling in a counter-clockwise motion. It grew brighter and brighter as the beam shot through the sky, its luminosity lighting up the whole city around it.
Ezekiel marveled at the sight, unable to look away from its beautiful glow. Something then caught his attention as his peripheral vision picked up a small movement occurring at the base of the tree. His eyes were met with the sight of the blue orbs rising above the tree, forming a single file line in an orderly fashion.
The orbs proceeded to circle around the tree at a high velocity, slowly trailing up the outside of the tree as they moved faster and faster. Ezekiel took a step back from the large computer and watched the orbs make their way to the very top of the tree, encircling it one last time.
Ezekiel shed a lone tear as he watched the orbs now shoot upwards to the large bright portal in the sky above, heading towards the magnificent and beautiful light towards their freedom. They went in one by one, never wasting time to stop and look back.
As the last of the orbs went through the portal, the beam that emitted atop the tree suddenly turned off, and the portal slammed shut, making the sound of loud crackling lightning throughout the land.
And, just like that, in a matter of a few seconds…
Everyone was set free…
Except for Ezekiel.
As he watched the names of all the people inside the world disappear from the screen, Ezekiel wiped the tear from his right cheek, sniffled his nose, and nodded his head as he gave a small smile.
"Good luck out there Flippy… Flaky… everyone…"
Ezekiel looked down away from the computer and to the keyboard in front of him. Just below it he noticed the lone red quill he placed earlier. Still holding his smile, he reached out and held it gently with his right hand, bringing it close to him as he tilted his head to the left.
His eyes widened in shock as he noticed a sudden sight. The red quill, just like the body of Flippy, was deteriorating in a light blue light in the palm of his hand. Ezekiel could only watch as the red quill went from resting in his hands to disintegrating into a blueish dust, flying off into the air and erased from existence.
He turned around him quickly as he saw the lights of the room shut off one by one. The central room turned off its lights before the main control room, each individual light turning itself off without warning. Once the lights were shut off, the remaining pieces of technology in the room turned themselves off, now inactive and completely dead silent.
It was now left to the large computer at the very end of the room. Ezekiel faced the computer with a blank stare, watching the screen keeping its view on the large tree in the center of town. The light on the screen began to dim slowly, and went completely dark after only a few seconds.
And then…
There was silence.
Complete silence resting in a shroud of darkness.
Ezekiel was now left alone to his final hours in solitude, trapped in a virtual world and to never see the light of the real world again.
And he was okay with that.
He let out a soft, depressed sigh as he looked down, standing in the center of the room and unable to even see the floor beneath his feet. His attention was captured by the sudden glow of the ATC strapped to his left forearm. Its built-in light turned on, almost lighting up the entire room he stood in.
Ezekiel brought the computer up to his face, and noticed the only visible words on the screen was a timer counting down.
9:57
9:56
9:55
He brought his left arm back to his side again and looked around the room in silence. There was nothing of interest in the room anymore, and no one else to converse with. He shrugged his shoulders, and turned around to walk out of the control room, holding his forearm out in front of him to use the bright light on his computer as a flashlight.
Ezekiel stood in the central room, just as dark as the room he exited. Seeing there was nothing of interest here either, he entered the exit hallway left of him, walked down it quietly, and took the elevator down to the bottom floor. Once there, he noticed it too was as dark as the previous two rooms he entered.
Still seeing nothing of interest, Ezekiel decided to do one last thing before his time was up. Something he wanted to do all his time stuck as the Administrator.
He smiled as he walked to the hidden front door. He waited for a moment and pressed a tiny button just on the side of it. In an instant, the door slid upwards, revealing its exit to the outside world.
Ezekiel looked around from his spot at the front door to see he now stood at the base of the tall tree at the center of town. The sun was setting on the horizon, its bright rays creating an extravagant orange sky up above. The snow still rested nicely on the cold ground, and a cool breeze blew through the air.
But aside from the refreshing breeze, it was completely silent. No birds chirping, no people conversing with each other, no cars driving on the roads…
Nothing.
Ezekiel looked back and forth on the hill he stood, observing the small incline that led up from the base of the hill to his current position. He stood up tall and nodded his head, and walked down the hill carefully, making sure not to trip or fall over any rocks or solid objects hidden by the snow he trekked through.
Once down the hill, he continued to march forward through the empty streets of the city. Everyone, both unique and generic, was completely absent from the sidewalks, the buildings, or the roads. Ezekiel looked to his left and right as he took slow steps across the asphalt on the road, his steps almost echoing through the quiet atmosphere of the city.
He shook his head with a depressed look on his face, looking down at his snow-covered shoes while continuing to walk down to the end of the road. Once he made it near the end, he was met with the opposite hill at the end of the city, and continued to climb to the top and make his journey out of the city.
Ezekiel looked up to see the clear view of the soon on the horizon, walking towards the orange glow it emitted. Just in front of it, Ezekiel noticed he was heading for the large park where everyone would come together for recreation and fun. He smiled as he looked around the park, even if it was completely barren.
He then stopped and took a close glance at the pavement, the setup of the park, and the large lake at the center, now completely frozen due to the cold temperature. A tear rushed out of his eye again, making a large joyous grin on his face as he recalled the days in the past as one of the active people in the town.
Just over five years ago, this was the same park he and Flaky went on their first date… and the same day he made the promise to her that he would, no matter what, save her and everyone else from the damned world they resided in.
And he kept that promise today.
Placing his hands in the pockets of his coat, he looked over to see the same old tree he and Flaky rested underneath during the hot summer. He walked over to the tree, observing the beautiful oak wood while noticing the absence of any colorful leaves during the seasons prior. Ezekiel stood to its right side, and rested the palm of his left hand on the side of the tree.
Ezekiel patted the old tree while nodding his head, looking up to it as if it were an important monument. He kept his smile as he stared blankly at the bark of the tree, nostalgia and pleasant memories recollecting in his mind.
He jumped in shock as his ATC made a loud beeping sound. Ezekiel quickly brought the computer to his face and noticed it was now counting down the remaining five minutes of his life. Ezekiel could feel his heart beating a little faster as the fear of his sudden inevitable death was approaching by the second.
Ezekiel took a deep breath to calm down, and brought his right hand to touch the screen of the ATC, bringing up a list of commands for him to choose. He tilted his head with a question thought, then made a happy grin.
"Last day to do this; might as well go out the way I like it to."
He entered a few commands, and pressed 'Enter' on the command prompt. Ezekiel's body suddenly emitted a bright light, engulfing his body from head to toe. His body structure slowly began to shorten, his height getting smaller, nearly half his original height.
While his height dropped, his own appearance changed significantly. His body turned grey with fur covering his skin. His hands morphed together in a paw shape. And a tail grew out from his lower backend. He went from being human to an anthropomorphic creature in one flash of light.
When his transformation was complete, Ezekiel opened his eyes and noticed he was back to his original form all those years back. The body of the old Tree Friend form the world was set to be brought back to him, now by choice instead of force.
He smiled at his old body, somehow happy to see it again despite hating its appearance for so long. It just felt right for the time being, and felt good to be back where he started.
There was only one last thing for him to get rid of. Ezekiel, still holding his smile, took off the remaining clothes he had and unhooked the lock on the ATC resting on his forearm, letting it slide off and hit the snow beneath him. He threw his coat, pants and shows to the side, and shook his body once he was completely absent of clothing.
He chuckled as he looked at his now naked form, though felt no shame with all the dark fur that covered his entire area. The extra use of the fur providing warmth was also a well added bonus, and stood with a grin on his face while marveling at his old body.
Ezekiel looked up again and stared at the base of the tree again, noticing the side facing the frozen lake lacked a person there, giving a free seat for the taking. He nodded his head and walked over to the front side of the tree, and slowly brought himself to sit down on the cold ground.
His tail rested on his side as he leaned back on the bark, his head resting on the bumpy wooden surface of the tree. His eyes looked out to the sun and frozen lake in front of him, the two mixing together to make a perfect and beautiful scenery. He smiled as he sat in awe of the final view of his world, and enjoyed it without ever making a sound.
Ezekiel closed his eyes after a few more minutes, waiting and accepting his death, which should arrive in just under a minute. Despite his acceptance for his life to seize, he began to cry softly, tears flowing down both his cheeks as he sat alone by the tree. He knew he was scared beyond imagination, and was praying not to end this way, but he had no choice but to face his end alone and accept it.
He held himself with both his arms, crying away his fears while sitting quietly by the lone tree in the park.
Ezekiel then brought his depressing thoughts to a halt as he felt something tough his right shoulder. He opened his eyes slowly, rubbing away the wet tears stuck to his cheeks. He blinked slowly as he turned to face his right shoulder, and look what was resting on it.
He didn't smile nor looked shock, but in his heart, he was as joyous as he had ever been his entire life.
It was a red hand, smooth to the palm while having a soft patch of fur on the top. He followed the arm the hand was attached to and noticed a red porcupine, looking down at him with a smile that reached both ends of her face.
Ezekiel did not utter a word or make any movements. It had to be just his last minute imaginations getting to him, and made nothing of what he was seeing. It was not real and only a taunting vision before his death.
And yet, he did not stop the red porcupine from sitting down next to him, taking his right arm, laying it gently over her shoulders, and leaning against him softly, sighing in relief as she closed her eyes slowly. He looked at her without any expression, watching her relax against his side and in his arms happily.
Before Ezekiel could speak to the random appearing woman, he felt another touch on his left shoulder, this time three quick taps. He turned his head sharply to the left to see a light-green bear, standing over him while wearing a military jacket and beret. He looked down at him with a cocky smirk, and nodded his head at Ezekiel.
Ezekiel attempted to find the words to speak, though remained silent as the green bear sat next to him, resting his head on the palms of his hands that laid against the tree behind him. The male bear closed his eyes as he breathed softly, not making any attempt to converse with Ezekiel, only sitting next to him.
Completely shocked at the sight, Ezekiel opened his mouth before shutting it after seeing more people come from both sides of the tree behind him, all of them having the appearance of colorful creatures. He watched them come out one by one, either leaning against the tree or sitting down gently on the ground in front of him.
He watched as all of these strange people, including a blue moose, two green raccoons, a purple lamb, a blue skunk, an orange and purple beaver, a pink chipmunk, a blue flying squirrel, a blue anteater, a yellow rabbit, a purple mole, a bear with a thick orange afro, a brown bear carrying his young boy, a purple deer, a light green crazed squirrel, and a light-blue otter with an appearance of a pirate, pushing a frozen marmot with his back, all come together next of in front of him, and looked out to the sun in front of them.
Ezekiel, looked at all the people around him, the type of people he called 'friend,' and looked out to the sun in front of him.
Even knowing if any of these people were real or not, he had one feeling he was glad to have.
He did not feel alone. Even with their absence, he did not feel alone.
He felt like he was home again.
He smiled widely as he looked out to the lake in front of him, holding the woman next to him tight against his side. As he heard a loud bang go off in the distance behind him, and kept his ground and held his smile on his face.
Ezekiel leaned back and closed his eyes, letting out one last breath while speaking silently to himself.
"It's good to be home…"
A large wall of light pierced through the land, going straight through the bodies of Ezekiel and all of his friends. As Ezekiel sat against the tree, all of his friends disappeared into the open air, flying off in small pieces of dust.
And, as the red porcupine that rested underneath his right arm disappeared, Ezekiel's arm feel to the ground he sat on, limp and cold.
His one last breath came out slowly…
And he was silent.
As his body laid against the lone tree in the park, the world around him slowly began to be consumed by darkness, surrounding and drawing near him.
The world, and everything in existence, hid in the abyss of nothingness.
And then there was silence.
The old man, after working countless hours in the gleaming sun above, jammed the shovel into the ground, leaning against it as he rested deep in the ground. He wiped the sweat of his forehead and took three deep breaths as he looked around the ground around him.
Nodding his head, he got on his right knee and search through the green sack he brought with him. Taking time to rummage through his things, he pulled out a small paved stone, well decorated and embedded with multiple words. He brushed off some of the dust it picked up inside the green sack, and brought it over to the pile of collected dirt made into a large mound.
The old man slowly placed the stone on the pile of dirt, pushing it in and making sure it was tucked nicely in the dirt while still giving clear view of the writing on top. He kept his smile as he got up to his feet again, taking the shovel out of the ground and picking up the green sack, throwing it over his left shoulder to rest there.
He let out a heavy sigh and turned away from the mound of dirt, and walked off to follow the path down the hill. The old man walked forward, never taking a look back, and closed his eyes briefly.
"Next time… I'll do this alone."
While he left the top of the hill in silence, the stone rested forever quietly on the very top of the hill, never to be moved or to be mourned over.
As for the man that laid underneath it, he slept peacefully and alone in the darkness below.
And everyone, finally, returned home.
The End
Author's Note: Man... just... wow. Look what has happened. After nine months, nine LONG SLOW months, 'The Stranger' has went from it's small start to its big finish in the same year. From the small start it had with its prologue and first chapter in March, to the big finale here in December, over 220,000 words later, it has become the longest HTF Fiction written to date, and was actually able to reach the glorious status of 'Complete.'
And you know something here? None of this was possible if I did this alone. With God as my witness, there would have been no possible way of me being able to do this, to complete this story, hell, to even WRITE the story, without the best people I have ever met.
You.
You, the readers, the reviewers, the followers, and even the people I have chat to that may have not even read the story yet, it was all of you, with your kind words, support and just a warm welcome here, that inspired me to stay and see this story through. There were many points in my time writing that I felt like throwing in the towel and give up, to just let this go and forget everything.
But it was you fellow readers and writers that gave me the heart and strength to keep going, to try and find new ways to push forward, to find new ideas of stories to write or ways to carry out a scene, to have the internal strength to make sure, no matter what, I see a project to the end. You gave me the courage to fight through whatever challenge I had and to keep fighting, to write this story out for you all.
Everyone, this has been possibly been the best time I have ever had in my life; not just writing this epic for you, but being part of this community. I met great authors, new and old, all amazing and kind that accepted me here not just as a writer, but as a friend, just as I see them. I met great people that wrote works that started out small and turned out into the best pieces of writing I've come to love. I got to meet people that made me feel welcome, to actually feel great to be alive, to feel like I was doing something good for once.
And honestly, I could not be any more happier than I am right now. This was a hell of a ride, going up and down for me these past nine months in my first year here at FanFiction, but it was worth every moment here. You all make this worth it, and all of this was possible thanks to the positive support you have given me.
With that said, I would like to give my special thanks to the following people, who have shown great support as reviewers, followers, aid to my story, authors that gave support and kind words, partners from other works, and/or were just a great person and friend overall (I tried to remember all by heart; SOOO sorry if I forgot):
BlueberryCookieCrisis
Better a Freak Than a Fake
FlippyIsKing18
BiBiTheAlmighty
Loli-Lolita
Dtksgirl
AsHely Hewlett
Cartoanime02
Shakespeare-The-Imposter
Scarecrow77
ashdash2417
AlexFalk
Baylee1100
Carmelita01
DeeSquishy
HeadlessHorselessHorsemann
Keyblade132
Lunamann
Ms annemay
Person P
Refleckshun
StariChanx
ThePigThatWentMooo
generalLDS
SarEma29
Hatrfa327
ToonAngelStar17
And all of my glorious readers, from the past, now, and the future!
I seriously could not have done this without you all! So what happens to me now? What else do I have next to do? Well... that's something that will reveal itself in the future, I suppose. I got plenty of stories planned and lined up to be release during 2016 (and worked on, obviously), as well as some great friends that I will be working with throughout the year. And if I'm not writing, I will always be here, to give every writer, new or old, my thoughtful reviews and support, to read and promote others to push forward, and to lend a hand in anyway I can. It's the least I can do for all of the support you gave me.
And that is the end, everyone. Thank you all for the support! Merry Christmas to you all, bless every single one of you, and have a great New Year's!
Brandon 'HTFan' P.