There are a lot of things you don't expect to hear during the zombie apocalypse.
"Sup, I'm you," is **definitely** high on that list.
Especially when it's coming from a guy who looks just like you but cleaner, cooler, and somehow **buffer** like he discovered dumbbells during the end of the world.
Everyone froze.
Sir Quackers honked softly, then hid behind a tipped-over server case like he couldn't handle two Darrens at once.
"...What the actual f—" I began.
"Language," the other me said with a grin. "We're technically government property, remember?"
---
Rafe had his gun raised in half a second. "Explain. Now."
Chai looked between us like she'd accidentally opened a fanfiction tab she didn't mean to click on. "Wait. Is this a clone? A mirror? A multiverse Darren? Because I need to emotionally prepare."
"Not a clone," the other-me said. "Not exactly a multiverse either."
He took a step forward, hands raised.
"I'm Loop 2.2."
Aira's eyes narrowed. "What does that even mean?"
"It means," he said, still too casually, "I'm a backup of Darren. Version 2.2. Stored in memory cache before the last partial reset. When Loop 3 started breaking, the system woke me up."
"And let you walk around with abs?" I muttered.
"Someone's jealous."
---
He tapped his bracelet — identical to mine, but glowing a softer, steady blue.
"I know how this ends," he said, looking me dead in the eye. "You destroy the core. Break the loop. And everyone outside of us evaporates like spilled soda."
"No way," I said. "That's what Voss said. You sound just like her."
He pointed to her body, still warm on the floor. "She was right. Horrible, manipulative, evil? Sure. But right."
Rafe stepped forward, gun still raised. "So what — you came here to stop him?"
Other-Me sighed. "No. I came to stop *you all.* Because you're making the same mistake I did. And last time... I survived alone. It was hell."
---
I stared at him.
This version of me—cooler, calmer—had that same pain behind his eyes. Like he remembered **everything** I'd only caught glimpses of.
"You're lying," I said. "You just don't want to let go. You're addicted to the loop."
"I'm not addicted," he said, his voice suddenly cold. "I'm **haunted.**"
He turned and pointed to the reactor.
"That thing is the only reason your brain hasn't melted. It's the only reason we're still standing on dirt instead of drifting in a memory vacuum. You break it, Darren, and you *erase* everyone."
He looked straight at Chai. Then Aira. Then Rafe.
"**Everyone but us.**"
---
Chai took a step forward. "So what, you expect him to just roll over and stay in zombie Groundhog Day forever?"
"I expect him," Other-Me said slowly, "to accept reality."
"Reality is broken!" I shouted. "We're stuck in a time-looped corpse salad with glitching zombies and duck poop on the floor!"
Sir Quackers quacked affirmatively.
"You want to survive?" he said. "Fine. But not everyone deserves to *vanish* just because you want closure."
Then, he looked at me again—and his expression changed.
Less smug.
More… sincere.
"You think you're the main character. But you're just the *last copy that hasn't snapped yet.* I'm what comes next."
---
Alarms blared.
**EDU SIGNAL DETECTED – 50 UNITS INBOUND – ETA: 2 MINUTES**
Rafe turned toward the tunnel access. "They're coming from underground."
Aira growled. "They won't wait for a vote."
Chai whispered, "Okay, this is spiraling."
Then, the terminal beeped again.
A voice filtered through the speaker system, different from before.
Synthetic. Familiar.
> "Hello, Darren. Or should I say... Darrens."
Everyone looked up.
> "This is Central Eden Command. If you're hearing this, then the core has fallen out of sync, and the anchor has destabilized."
> "Proceed with emergency overwriting procedure. Wipe subject. Reset cycle."
Other-Me turned pale. "No. No no no. That's not supposed to trigger yet—"
> "Purging anomaly in 60 seconds."
My bracelet began glowing wildly, buzzing like it was trying to *warn* me.
Suddenly, **everything hurt**.
Flashes tore through my vision—**all** my past versions blinking into view, screaming, running, dying, laughing, **losing.**
---
I collapsed.
Chai screamed. Aira pulled me back behind cover.
Sir Quackers flapped uselessly as red light flooded the room.
My brain felt like it was being downloaded at 5G speed through a meat straw.
Then…
My voice.
But from a past memory.
> "If I ever wake up during a loop... don't trust the copy."
The real me.
Not 2.2.
**Me.**
---
I opened my eyes and looked at Other-Me.
"Stop lying."
He froze.
"I'm not the unstable one," I said slowly. "*You are.* That's why you survived. Not because the system saved you—but because it couldn't delete you. You're the glitch."
He didn't speak.
"You've been stuck in here longer than you admit. And you don't want to break the loop... because *you don't know what's left of you outside of it.*"
His hands trembled.
"I remember now," I said, standing up even as my vision split and blurred. "You were the backup. You were the fail-safe. But you were never *real.* You're a recursive echo."
Other-Me took a shaky step back.
Rafe raised his gun. "Move. Now."
"I can't," Other-Me muttered. "If the core goes, I go too."
The sirens roared louder.
Final countdown blared from the ceiling:
**PURGE IN 15… 14… 13…**
Then, in one fluid move—
**Other-Me lunged forward.**
Right hand glowing.
Going straight for **my bracelet.**
His fingers touched it—
And suddenly—
**Time froze.**
The lab blurred.
Alarms warped into distant howls.
And in the stillness…
**We weren't alone anymore.**
A **third Darren** stepped out of the shadows.
Older.
Scarred.
And holding a weapon that pulsed like it had devoured ten timelines.
He looked at us both.
Smirked.
"Damn. You boys really screwed this loop up."
He raised the weapon.
And **fired.**