Is this it? [Chapter 6: The Collector]

Another Nightmare for Ren to face.

“You know the concept where people will ball up their negative energy and throw it all away?”

Ren blinked upon hearing the question. The voice he heard was very familiar. It was one of a males. The tone was friendly and warm. Perhaps the voice was that of a friend he had a long time ago? He couldn’t remember. His memory was as dark as the space he had suddenly found himself in. He was surrounded by blackness. The ground beneath him was solid and felt like cool asphalt against his shoeless feet. “What the hell? Where am I?”

“Well, maybe this will work better for you! Instead of doing the whole ball thing… picture your negative emotions as monsters or demons.”

The voice rang out in the darkness again. This time it sounded closer and seemed as if it was coming from behind him. Ren swung around, expecting to see someone walking up to him in this chilling space, but he was only greeted by the same scene he was just facing a second ago. There was nothing but blank darkness on all sides of him. “What’s going on?! I’m so confused!”

“You said you liked the thought of killing monsters and evil creature’s right? Being a hero? Well- if channeling up negative energy and throwing it away doesn’t work for you- annihilate it. Smash it. Crush it. Dismember the negative energy as a beast in your mind. If you can’t do it yourself- focus your energies and create something that can.”

Ren knew that he experienced hearing these words before. He tapped at his forehead as he tried to remember where this young man’s voice originated. His brain cells for memory weren’t in at the moment. “Damn it.” He muttered before the voice started up again.

“You are strong. If you don’t believe you’re strong… imagine your positive energy in the form of strong warriors, giving you guidance. Imagine them giving you strength and protecting you. Then remember that those images are you. Give yourself the strength to take steps forward. If that’s what you really need to do- do it.”

“I remember this, but where is it from?” Ren asked himself as he let out a frustrated sigh. It was no good. He couldn’t recall. Suddenly, he heard something running in the darkness. He gulped as he looked over his shoulder to finally see another being. However, the thing that had suddenly appeared didn’t seem friendly. As Ren turned his whole body around, a growl was emitted from the throat of a lanky and brutish looking humanoid.

The creature had the figure of a man, but it definitely was not human. Its arms looked like withered branches and it had fingers on its hands that resembled blades. Its eyes glowed with an intense red, pulsing every now and then like a blinking stop light. It was hunched over and its upper torso swayed in a hypnotic rhythm as it drew itself closer and closer to Ren. It was at least 8 feet tall with its horrible posture. The creature’s skin was the color of ash- the same color of fresh burnt tobacco leaves from a cigarette.

However, all these odd features weren’t what made Ren feel an overwhelming sense of dread. It was the hearts. Attached to the humanoids flesh were several beating hearts. Some beat intensely, as if it belonged to a someone who was going to have a heart attack. Others beat slow and dully, like the life would fade away from them soon.

 

“Hearts.” The voice that came from the open mouth of the creature was raspy and hoarse. It sounded desperate and in pain. As it spoke, Ren noted the several sharp teeth that the creature had. They looked dangerous enough to rip the skin off of an animal… or a human.

Ren felt beads of sweat run down the side of his face as he backed away a bit. The creature stepped forward after him, sending Ren into a state of frenzied panic.

“Stay back, a*****e! I don’t know what you want- but you need to stay where you are or I’ll kick your a*s!” An empty threat. Ren felt like he could do nothing to defend himself from such a nightmarish creature with no weapons around.

The veiny hearts seemed to beat faster, throbbing as the creature squealed and swung it’s claws down into the floor. Ren leapt back and the creature pulled itself closer to him, swinging up into the air and ripping it’s razor sharp nails from the ground to land just a couple of feet from him. “I need more hearts. I need more love. Give me hearts. Give me love.”

“Wha-“ Although fear was running through at the moment, Ren was more horrified to know that he understood the creatures desire. Maybe not for human hearts- but definitely for love. He was desperately seeking it as a teen. He had gone out with several girls at the same time, just for the affection. He hadn’t thought about how his actions would hurt so many people. He wasn’t thinking about the foreboding shame and the guilt. He only wanted something to make him feel full. He’d give his heart to anyone, then accepted others offers of love. He collected as many girlfriends as he could- only to have his perfect little world shatter when he was found out.

Now, in front of Ren, stood something that had a familiar aura. After breaking Pixel’s heart, had this creature come to remind him of what a monster he could be? This was a ghost of a period that should have been let go of, reviving itself and taking it's own form during such a relevant time. “Who are you?” Ren asked while frowning at the monster, desiring to know more about it.

“I am the Collector of Hearts. I want them all. I need them. I need the voices of care. I need the sacrifice of others. I need the warmth of hands. I need the taste of lips. The caressing of flesh against mine. I need it. I need the hearts that love me.” The creature lifted its hand up, those gray claws curled, ready to come down and strike. “Give me your body. You desire the hearts as much as I do.”

“No, I’m not like that anymore.” Ren jumped back as the creatures hand came down with a heavy thud. Whatever the black surface underneath the two was made of exploded into chunks as the Collector’s palm and claws smashed into it.

“You are a liar. You broke the heart of the other because you want more hearts. Her heart wasn’t enough! You want more!” The Collector’s voice became louder and more desperate. It swung its other hand at Ren horizontally, attempting to slash him into bits. Ren screamed out in anger and annoyance as he dove to the ground, just barely avoiding the Collector’s attack. He then rolled as far away from the creature as possible.

He stumbled clumsily to his feet and glared at the Collector. "No! That's a lie. I appreciate everything she did for me. I did... I-"

The creature roared loudly and cut Ren off. The ground felt like it was shaking from it's powerful display of anger.

“You are like me! You lust for love and affection, even if you don’t admit you do. You’re weak without others love. It is the truth. You should understand this because you have locked yourself in this darkness. You are stuck here and have no choice but to accept me!”

Ren stood up straight and screamed at the creature in response. “F**K YOU. I’m not you! I don’t ever want to be you! I want to move on! And I know I can!” Ren gritted his teeth as he watched the Collector move towards him with the same ill intentions it had this entire time.

The creature roared in anger, revealing all of its razor sharp teeth. It lifted its claws up high for another attempt to smash Ren. The young male stood up straight and refused to budge, glaring at the creature with all of his disgust and hatred.

He lifted up his hand and gave it the middle finger before yelling out his rejection to the Collector. “I’ll never be like you again, I swear! Karin and Aya wouldn’t let that happen! I know they wouldn’t. They’ll come here and kick your a*s.”

When the Collector was a foot away from Ren, it swung its arms down with all of its might, letting out another roar as it did so. It was deafening and horrific; enough to send chills across Ren’s skin, even in his defiant stance. Just before the claws could pierce his skin, a bright flash of white light burst between the Collector and Ren.

Karin stood with her back to Ren holding a bright shield of pure white, stopping the gray claws of the Collector. “I’m happy for you, Ren. You know what you don’t want to be. You refuse to end up a pathetic man that goes around, fiendishly gathering whatever love you can from whoever you can. Love yourself before you love anyone else.”

Karin glared at the Collector before continuing. “When you were empty, you hoped others love could show you how to love yourself. Instead, you hurt many innocent girls and ended up loathing yourself for years. But that was in the past- where this piece of trash should stay.”

Ren knew Karin would show and here she was. He walked up to the blonde girl in front of him and wrapped his arms around her neck, hugging her gently and kissing her on the top of the head. “Thank you, Karin. You came to save me.”

Karin rolled her eyes as she smiled childishly. “You’re attempting to save yourself. You’re fighting your own negativity and standing up to your own demons.”

The collector grunted as it slammed its hands against Karin’s shield over and over again. Sparks burst as the savage claws smashed into the defensive light, but the shield showed no signs of weakening or breaking.

“Stupid little b***h! I’ll break you!” The Collector lifted its hands up again for another attack on the shield but stopped as if time froze.

Ren’s eyes widened as he saw a puddle of blood spill forth from the Collector’s feet. “What the heck?!”

Aya stepped out from behind the Collector and stopped at its right side. Her katana was unsheathed and covered in crimson. One by one, the Collector’s hearts exploded, spraying blood into the air, cascading down from the monster as if it were a lawn sprinkler.

Karin yelped at the sight of the incoming blood and her shield quickly changed shape after pulsing brightly. Now in her hands was a large white umbrella, opened to its full span. Karin leapt towards Ren who caught the girl in his arms. He blinked, confused at her actions, as the rain of blood pattered against the umbrella of light. Ren felt the blood on the floor rush against his feet, making him quiver in disgust. He stepped back a little and the thick and gooey liquid trailed after him like wet paint.

Aya snickered as the Collector fell to his knees, breathing roughly. She didn’t mind that the blood was splattering her black outfit and purple hair. She pointed the tip of her sword to the Collector’s throat. “You. Yeah, you… The annoying piece of s**t that talks a lot. Get the f**k out of his head.” Aya’s dominating voice earned a look of rage from the Collector. He swung his hand at Aya, hoping to take the girl down with him, but she was too fast.

Aya swung her katana in an upward crescent motion, dismembering the Collector’s arm and sending it flying up into the air. Blood would spiral in a trail, following the appendage as it crashed somewhere behind the Collector. It screamed with all its fury. “YOU B***H. I’ll make your heart mine! I’ll rip all of your hearts out and make them all mine!”

“You’re old news, pal... Just a demon in the boy’s head that’s never going to take over. You’re OUR b***h.” Aya grinned psychotically. She looked like something out of a horror movie.

Chains flew out of the ground and wrapped around the Collector, tightening around the creatures frame with a deathly vice-grip. The creature screamed over and over again as the chains seemed to drag him down into the darkness, slowly sucking him underneath whatever was hidden by this black surface. Ren watched in awe as the Collector disappeared from view.

“Holy s**t… when did you get here, Aya? You just came out with your sword whipped out and pierced it!” The blood that was covering the black surface also disappeared with the Collector, but the blood on Ren’s feet remained; an annoying reminder of the ash colored creature.

“That’s what she said…” Aya smirked at Ren as she responded. With all the blood on her, she looked like she had just butchered a small army.

Karin slipped out of Ren’s arms and shook the red off of her umbrella. She would make little fussy noises every now and then before she glared at Aya. “Couldn’t you have done it a little more cleanly? You didn’t have to send a tsunami of gore in our direction!”

“Chill, little girl. I was being productive while you were just standing around with your boring shield.” Aya sheathed her sword and started to walk away.

“I was protecting our master!” Karin muttered annoyed. She fought the urge to lift her hand up and shoot the bird at Aya.

“Whatever. I did what I was suppose to do… protect this idiot from himself.” Aya grew distant with each stride. Her hips swayed with arrogance and she left bloody footprints behind her.

Karin huffed before looking back to Ren. “Your nightmare is over, wake up.”

Ren blinked a couple of times before lifting a puzzled eyebrow at Karin. “What?”

She threw the umbrella into the air and it disappeared in a flash of light. She then trotted over to Ren and placed her hands on his cheeks.

“Wake up, master.” Her warm hands sent a pleasant sensation through his body and he felt like he was melting.

*******************

Ren opened his eyes only to be greeted by the sunlight shining through a window in his room. Of course it was a dream. That creature couldn’t have existed in this reality. It could only exist in his mind. But the Collector was gone, and Ren felt relieved.

He remembered what happened the night before with Pixel. And although he was still sad about what happened- he knew that he wouldn’t allow himself to slip into a bad path... for love anyways.

“S**t happens… just avoid stepping deep into it...” He muttered to himself as he left the bed to head downstairs.

Author's Note

I would really appreciate feedback... I haven't had any for the last chapter. Also, if you haven't already, please check out the other chapters for this series and leave feedback. Thanks.