The door opened and she walked inside. She knew it was the last chapter of this dream - this twisted nightmare that seemed to have no ending. Not until now.

The world is black, as black as if she'd had her eyes closed. The memories flooded back, telling her the story she already knew. Of her childhood. Her high school - the romance she'd had with a young, handsome man. Marrying the handsome man and chasing dreams with him, only to have those dreams come crashing down by the harsh limitations of reality. Memories of moving to Canada, escaping the law as they fought and conned their way through life. Of buying yet another house that she knew they could never call home. He was once again caught, minor infraction this time. She went to visit him...and the world went to hell.

Prison had been the last place she'd have imagined living in, but she was with Al. The chaos had set in, but Fate had seen fit to keep the two dream chasers together, at least for one last adventure. They'd fought the monsters, the casino - the world together. But now the last chapter was ending. The infection had gotten her, just as she knew it would, and it was time to close the boo-

Legacy.

The word rang through her thoughts. She was a legacy. She was an infection to be given, to be spread among those who had yet to know its touch.

Eyes opened. Or at least, the attempt was made. She wasn't sure how she was seeing, she wasn't sure how anything was happening. There was nothing but vines, vines and thoughts.

Her memories collected themselves, focusing on a form. The nearby plant life seemed to stir, as if drawn in by the thought she was creating. Stalks began to twist around one another, tightening and connecting, slowly creating a being - creating her. This was her now. This was how she was meant to be.

Stepping forward, she experienced the difficulty that any infant must contend with. She had to learn to walk, her legs now learning the coordination of movement as vine limb after vine limb moved in sync with one another. As she stepped, slowly but firmly, a body came into view. Was it hers? Could it be her former self?

One hand softly touched the woman's cheek, vine fingers caressing the soft skin. Her hair was long, entwined with dozens of vines that surrounded the rest of her small body. The green limbs had all but devoured the imp from sight. No, this was not her, but the face...she knew this face. This was the face of the girl who had tried to save her, back on the highway. The one that was young, inexperienced, but at the same time had been determined and willing to attempt a rescue. She had tried to save Lola from her inevitable fate.

Hmm.

Fingers moved to brush away at the vines, which curled back in response, as if they were charmed snakes obeying a master. As they cleared, she bent down to pick up the body. What a pitiful thing.

The weight should have affected her, but it did not. Nothing seemed to, not at this point.

Slowly, she made her way out of the chamber, the vines surrounding them bowing and retreating further away, giving them both the space they required, but nothing more. She sensed a bond with the vines, a strange relationship that has grown in the place of the fear she had once had for them.

Upon reaching the staircase, she instinctively knew to descend. The stairs appeared to never end, each step further down taking a piece of her energy with her. She could feel herself begin to grow weak, her need to be closer to Creation growing stronger the further she pulled away from it. But she had a duty. A favor for a favor.

The staircase ended, the exit now in view. The view quickly dissipated, however, as her body continues to unravel itself. The sensation was akin to losing her mind, only instead of her mind, it was her existence that was being lost. Her legs were growing looser, as were her arms. She was falling apart.

Another step forward and she struggled to thrust her arms out. From the fog that danced between the outside world and the doorway came more arms, shadowy arms that grabbed and clutched at the limp body she held. These were her people. Her allies and friends. This would allow her escape. A rescue.

A favor for a favor.

Her feet were desperate to return up the stairs, so she turned and ascended them without a second glance behind her. What happened to the girl was no longer any of her concern. She had repaid the favor, the debt had been settled.

She needed to return back, to regain her senses and seek out what she could before the time came. Standing at the top of the staircase, she could make out the forms of others, vine replacements that held similar memories to her own. Perhaps she could find familiar faces within these creatures, maybe she would have an opportunity to say her farewells and whatnot, before her thoughts unraveled for the last time.

It would not be long before even her memories joined her former body - dissolving until nothing remained but her ability to infect and spread, alongside the others that had joined her on this new journey.