Slowly, Branch rose back up to his feet, looking down at his hands in confusion, studying them closely. He seemed... normal...

     "I... I'm ok?" he whispered softly to himself, beginning to carefully look around the room, overjoyed to see that he was still safe and sound in his home, a large smile slowly forming on his face. "I'm ok!"

     With a quiet laugh, Branch looked down at the watch hanging around his neck, the hands still completely frozen in place. But he was there... he was perfectly fine... he hadn't been taken away from the love of his life...

     That mystery troll must've heard his pleas, and finally realized how much he cared about Poppy. She was letting him stay to protect her... and he couldn't be happier with that realization...

     "Thank you..." he finally whispered great-fully, looking up at the ceiling with a large smile plastered on his face, his heart overflowing with joy. "Thank you for letting me stay with her."

     With a sigh of content, Branch finally turned back towards the couch, his smile instantly fading as his eyes widened in pure horror...

     There... laying on the floor in front of him... was his own lifeless body...

     "N... no..." he whispered softly in disbelief, tears beginning to form in his crystal blue eyes as he panted heavily in fear, unable to look away from the horrifying sight of his own death... "It... it can't be true... it... it can't..."

     "Branch?" a familiar voice suddenly called out from the other room, seeming tired as it spoke softly. He turned, instantly seeing Poppy walking out of the bedroom as she rubbed her eyes sleepily. "I heard a noise. Are you oka..."

     She froze, her eyes widening in fear as she stared straight at Branch in pure shock.

     "P... Poppy..." Branch said softly, his heart racing as he stared at her in fear. He didn't want her to see him like this... he didn't want her to worry...

     The horrified look on her face brought tears to his eyes, seeing the sadness rising from inside the young queen.

     "I... I'm ok," he finally continued, taking a small step towards the love of his life, almost as if trying to block his body from her view. "I'm... I'm right here... don't... don't worry. I'm ok..."

     "No..." Poppy whispered softly, her hands slowly moving up to cover her mouth in shock as tears began to slide down her cheeks. She couldn't believe her eyes... Branch was... he was... "Branch!" she suddenly screeched out in pure terror, quickly running right through Branch as if he weren't even there, so she could get to his lifeless body which still lay motionless on the floor. "Branch!? Branch, can you hear me!? Branch!?"

     "Poppy... I'm fine. Really... I... I promise... everything will be ok..." he told her softly, trying to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, but instead, much to Branch's surprise, it went right through her...

     His eyes widened in shock, as he looked down at his hands in disbelief. What just happened...

     "Come on, Branch..." Poppy cried, shaking Branch's body gently. "Wake up. You need to wake up..."

     "P... Poppy?" he said softly, looking back up at her with tears in his eyes. "Can't... can't you see me? I'm... I'm right here... I'm right behind you..."

     But she didn't respond... the devastated pink troll just kept staring at the love of her life laying lifeless in her arms, unable to see or hear Branch right behind her...

     "I... I'm gonna fix this..." Branch finally said, his voice shaking slightly through his tears. "You'll be ok. I promise... I won't leave you... I'm right here..."

     He tried again to place his hand comfortingly on Poppy's shoulder, but just like before, it went right through her as if he didn't even exist...

     "No..." he whispered softly, lowering his head in shame as his ears drooped down in sadness, unable to comfort his girlfriend in her time of need. "This is all my fault..."

     "Branch..." he suddenly heard in a far away whisper, causing him to jump slightly in fear, as he looked around the room to try and figure out where the mysterious voice had come from.

     "Who said that!?" he demanded, looking around frantically, but there was no sign of anyone being in his bunker. Just Poppy, who was still crying hysterically as she tried frantically to get Branch to wake up. An attempt that was unfortunately useless...

     "You can never come back..." he suddenly heard in another whisper, the voice somewhat echoey as it rung through his home, seeming to drown out the sound of his devastated girlfriend...

     His eyes widened in terror as his heart sunk down into the pit of his stomach, suddenly recognizing the voice. It was that mystery troll... the angel... the one who had warned him not to wind the watch...

     "No! Please! Let me stay!" he begged, looking around the room frantically for any signs of the angel troll. "Poppy needs me! And... and I need her! Please! Don't take me away!"

     "You can never come back, Branch..." the angel whispered yet again. "You can never come back..."

     "I don't care!" he yelled out at the top of his lungs, crying hysterically in devastation and fear, tears flooding his bright blue eyes. "Just let me stay with Poppy! Please! I need to be with her! Please!"

     "There's only one option left, Branch..." the angel whispered menacingly, Branch still looking around himself to try and spot her...

     Suddenly, the floor began to shake under Branch's feet, causing the little blue troll to stumble back a bit.

     "Wha... what's happening!?" he yelled out in terror, continuing to look around as his heart pounded inside his chest.

The ground began to crack beneath his feet, Branch looking down to see lava bubbling down below him, as an ominous red mist slowly began to flood the room, Branch's eyes widening in horror at the sight...

"AHHHHH!" he screamed out in terror, instantly turning to run away from the danger. "No, no, no!"

Suddenly, a gigantic hand shot out of the crack, reaching right for Branch...

Branch noticed the hand stretching towards him, his eyes widening once more as he began to run faster, desperately trying to escape his fate...

"AHHH!" he screamed out loudly. "No, no, no, no, no!"

Suddenly, the hand grabbed onto him, it's long boney fingers wrapping around the little troll's body tightly, sending a sharp pain shooting through his skin, almost as if he had just been lit on fire...

"UGH!" he screamed out in pure agonizing pain as the burning sensation sunk down through his bones, his eyes shutting tight to try and force the excruciating feeling away... "N... no! Please, no!" he cried out, trying desperately to wiggle free, but the hand just wouldn't release him from it's grasp... "Poppy! Poppy, help!"

     Unfortunately... Poppy hadn't heard the little troll's desperate cry for help... she was still looking sadly at Branch's lifeless body, seeming completely unaware of the horror going on right behind her...

     "D... don't worry, Branch..." she whispered softly, hugging Branch's body tightly in her arms as she cried into his chest. "I'm... I'm going to find help... you... you'll be ok..."

     Branch's eyes widened in horror at the sound of her words, knowing exactly what they meant. She was leaving the bunker!

     "No! Poppy!" he cried out in terror. She couldn't leave the bunker! Creek was still out there! He still wanted to hurt her! "Poppy! No!" he yelled again, struggling against the massive hand trying to drag him down to his doom. He had to get to Poppy... He had to protect her! "Poppy! Don't leave!"

     Completely ignoring the blue troll's request, Poppy jumped right up to her feet, quickly running towards the elevator.

     "No! No, Poppy!" he cried out, desperately hoping she would hear his calls. "You need to stay hidden!"

     Much to the blue troll's dismay, the young queen left his sight, heading up the bunker elevator towards the exit hatch, a scream of pain and terror suddenly ringing out from above as she got outside... a scream... that he would know anywhere...

     "POPPY!" he yelled out in terror. She was hurt! He had to get to her! He had to save her! "No! Let me go!" he cried out, pulling against the hand that held him tight. "She needs me!"

     But the hand wouldn't listen... instead it just pulled the little troll down into the flames below, the crack closing up once and for all, as if it had never even been there in the first place...

     "Nooooooooooo!"