Monstro the demon collector

A boy is standing at the bus shelter late at night and encounters a stranger and a night of unexplained phenomena occurs....

Tommy Hayden sat in silence on the bus shelter, on the bench, safely in the light the small shelter had provided and away from unknown and eerie darkness inches away from him. He stared into it for minutes but he couldn't make out anything, just complete darkness as before. The road was deserted and all the shops and houses near by was reduced to nothing but silence and darkness, consumed by the hatred of the wicked world.
Not a single light beside the one Tommy was sitting in was seen for miles. Not a single soul was about, as if their souls had been stolen from their bodies. He didn't like it but soon the night cab will be there and he would be on his way home. His safe haven.
"Tommy?" A voice came from beyond the light.
Tommy jerked and gazed around him. Someone said his name but he couldn't see anybody. But they would have to have seen him. He held his breath as he heaved himself slowly off the bench, forming his hands into fists. He could hear his heart beat slamming against his chest as if it was ticking down to explode. "Who's there?" He shouted out. He feared of what was going to happen and who was out there. But this person saw him and he couldn't cower now. He had to be brave, just like his hero, John McLain from the blockbuster, Die Hard.
A tall, thin black figure emerged out of the blackness, trench coat hanging all the way down to his ankles, a hood draped over his head as if hiding a disfigured face.
Tommy didn't even know whether to run or stay his ground. He just remained frozen. The figure stumbled, his right leg giving out as if he was a old man struggling to walk with every effort of walking. "Woah!!" Tommy said and run to help the man as he collapsed. "Careful old man" he said and walked him over to the bench. The man weighed a ton as he put him down, almost relived to not be carrying the weight.
The man coughed the sin out of his chest as he held his chest to keep the pain down but it wasn't helping as he sounded worse by the second. Then the coughing all of a sudden stopped and he chuckled.
Tommy couldn't help but think the stranger was losing, or probably already lost, his mind. He stood against the wall of the shelter, keeping his eyes fixated on the man. "How do you know me?" He enquired from the stranger.
"It's not safe for you to be here" he hissed, looking at the floor.
"I'm waiting for the cab to arrive" he snapped.
The stranger looked at Tommy, and he noticed the man's eyes. They were pitch black like his soul no doubt. The man never smiled, no emotion could be seen on his face. It was as if he was studying Tommy. "You never know what can be out there" he mentioned and nodded toward the darkness.
Tommy looked into the blackness. Anything could be out there, sure but he wasn't concerned. He stood here, every night, waiting for the cab. Like every time. So he knew that if something was out there, it would have come for him long ago.
"To answer your question, I've seen you around and your name has been mentioned from time to time I'm sure you're aware".
"Well glad to meet a fan" he said sarcastically.
The old man all of a sudden stood up. It was as if the pain he had been experiencing had suddenly vanished and it put Tommy off edge. The man turned his attention to Tommy. "I ain't no fan" he stated, "Im just a ordinary man come to warn you".
Tommy didn't reply. He waited to hear what the man was going to say.
"You ever hear about Monstro? Mr. Monstro?" He asked.
Tommy laughed, "That's nothing but a old legend. Told to keep kids in check, so to speak".
The man hunched against the wall next to Tommy. "You right about something there boy. It does keep kids in their place but..." And he fell silent for a second. "It ain't no legend".
"Well I ain't seen no evidence to prove this monster exists. And what you hear and what you see is two very different things" he said, sounding cool and brave.
"Oh I agree" he said in agreement. "But what exactly have you heard about him?"
Tommy moved away from the man and stood on the edge of the light. "Nothing major. A skeletal man, cloaked and goes around murdering people and if you did something bad, he would come for you" he concluded.
The man clapped his hands together in applause. Laughing. "Very interesting but that has zero basis to my story beside of how he looks. He is a skeletal man, wearing a cloak. He sticks to the shadows" and pointed out behind Tommy.
Tommy didn't turn to see what the man was pointing at. He just calmed himself although the nervousness and anxiety was already starting to form. He fought to keep it within.
"A monster of pure evil and hate. Satan conjured him to this very earth to take the guilty souls that prowled this earth to hell itself where they awaited trial and torture for eternity. He goes around at night seeking who he can kill, he tortures you, mentally or physically. It doesn't matter to him as long as you die in the end. He is probably out there. Waiting" he straightened up and walked over to Tommy. "Out there in the darkness. That's why I said.... It ain't safe for you to be out here".
Tommy was standing almost on top of the man but he couldn't help but not hide his fear from him anymore. His body was shaking and his heart was as loud as bombs going off in his head. Eyes were full of terror as he tried to let the story sink into his mind. He was scared beyond belief.
Tommy looked at him, "well I'm waiting for the-"
"There's no cab coming" he interrupted . And his eyes had now turned a dark bloody red.
Tommy jumped back, half way in the darkness but still enough in the light. He needed to get away from this psycho, far away but there wasn't anywhere to go. "Bullshit" said in mock of the old man.
The man dropped to his knees, crying softly out in pain. He breathed hard and quick as if trying to catch his breath that was draining from him. He kneeled down like that for a few more seconds then mustered his strength and stood up. It was a struggle, Tommy noticed it right away but kept quiet. "I can get you to your destination Tommy. Just take my hand and nothing out there will harm you" and stretched out his hand.
Tommy caught sight of the hand. It was a skeletal hand, no flesh but just bone. Tommy jerked his hand back in fright and looked into the man's eyes. It was hollow, no eyes had been there, not for a long time. This was no man, he hadn't been one for many years. A dead man.
The dead man let out a deep demonic laugh, echoing around Tommy. He stared at Tommy or least that's what Tommy thought. "Sorry" his said, ducking into the shadows but still visible for Tommy to see him. "Light was giving me a sunburn" and he laughed hysterically.
Tommy moved, very slowly and cautiously back toward the back of the shelter, where there was no darkness for this monster to get him. "I didn't commit no crime" he said, tending up, readying himself to fight for his life. "Why come after me?" He asked.
He walked, paced, up and down the entrance of the bus shelter. Footsteps stomped the cement and empty eye sockets burned into Tommy's soul. "it is not for no reason Tom. Every human being on this crazy sinful rock has sinned. Some, the sin has been passed down from generation to generation from the first father of you all, Adam. While others, sin every day in their lives, theft, rape, murder, gambling. You name it they've done it. And you... My son... Have sinned and you know it".
Tommy reached behind his back and coiled his hand around the knife snuck in his back pocket. The handle was cold to the touch but Tommy held on to it for dear life. "What sin have I committed exactly?" He asked, trying to get his attention.
Monstro stopped pacing and stopped. "You confirm it" he stated.
Tommy moved to the opposite end of the shelter, distancing himself from Monstro. But never breaking eye contact. "I confirm no such thing because you don't have nothing on me!!" He shouted.
Monstro laughed in response. And eased into the light. "What you shouting for? You think anybody can hear you? They can't" he simply informed him.
"I don't care if they can or can't! I'll take you on all the same" and walked forward to meet Monstro head to head. As he kept his gaze on him, a black mist slithered out from beneath Monstro's cloak. Tommy halted in shock. This wasn't right he was thinking to himself. "How come you're able to be in the light? Legend has it you can't be in it or at least not for very long" Tommy said.
Monstro lifted up his hand and a black mist shot out and blasted the light bulb to pieces, shattering it. Instantly there was complete darkness. No light for miles. Tommy didn't stagger and tried to adjust his eyes to the darkness, seeing what and where Monstro was. He could hear the wind swirling around him. He shivered.
"Tommy...." Monstro whispered.
Tommy yanked his knife from behind him, gripping it and ready to kill. If this abomination could be killed. He turned around, frightened of where this monster was. "Come out you b*****d!!" He shouted. He wasn't worried about shouting, according to Monstro, there was no people for miles and they couldn't hear him.
"Boo!" A roar came from behind Tommy and he jumped, swiping the knife in the air furiously and blindly. Something grabbed his arm as he swiped and Tommy yelled out in pain as his arm was twisted. Tommy dropped the knife and Monstro grabbed it and yanked Tommy toward him holding his shirt, putting the knife to his throat. Tommy never moved, paralysis again overcoming him. He could not even breath.
Monstro's sockets glowed red with black mist slithering about his eye sockets. "It's a nice attempt" Monstro said, regarding the knife in his hand and chuckled, "but really... Do you honestly think you can kill me?" He asked.
Tommy gave him a silent but evil glare. Then he spat in his face.
Monstro sighed and the fluid evaporated in seconds. "Lack of self respect eh?"
"You say you know me" Tommy said, "tell me what sin I've done?"
As he said that, a flickering tick came from behind Tommy, and he was thrown back. His head slammed against the wall and Tommy laid dazed. Monstro vanished, leaving the place in silence. Tommy opened his eyes and faintly saw a orange and yellow glow just a few feet from him. He squinted his eyes trying to make out what he was seeing. And after a few moments of struggling he managed to identify what it was. His eyes doubled and he forced himself against the wall, to get as far away from this sight as possible. But he couldn't. He had to face this nightmare head on.
He hoisted himself up, keeping as much weight to the wall as possible. He slowly walked, the shock wearing off momentarily. He started shaking, terror, fear and tears were building up within him but he needed to keep them down. This wasn't real. All of this, what he was seeing wasn't here. It was gone.
He stopped and he screamed.
A old Sedan was parked out in front of Tommy, rusted and used, bought from a junkyard based on the condition. The car was ablaze, yellow and red doused with orange flames soared into the air to extreme heights. But that wasn't the worst part. Inside the car. Within the flames, was the torturing screams of people. Innocent people. They were burning.
"I didn't mean it!!! I didn't f*****g know this was gonna happen!!" He yelled out, full of remorse.
Woman's screams pierced Tommy's ears and he buckled to his knees, putting his hands to his ears trying to silence the screams. But they didn't go away. Tommy looked into the burning skeletal frame of the car. Burning hands smashed against the empty glass windows, the skin had burnt off, leaving nothing but charcoal left over from the burning flames.
Tommy couldn't, as much as he wanted to, he couldn't take his eyes of the blazing catastrophe in front of him. Tears spilled down from his eyes. Pain and sorrow, that's all he felt at the moment.
"Interesting" came a voice from behind. "How memories never seem to stay buried".
Tommy spun around. Eye to eye with Monstro. Tommy could feel the heat burning on to his clothing. "How is this possible?" Tommy asked in confusion and pointed to the car that was still blazing. "This happened years ago!!" He shouted.
Monstro touched his shoulder and an agonizing pain shot through Tommy and he screamed and fell, pleading and pleading to stop the pain. Monstro laughed at the satisfaction of seeing this boy screaming in pain beneath him. It was like getting on a high and Tommy was the drug. "You asked me what your sin was.... And now" he hoisted his hand in the air at the burning wreck. "I'm showing you what it is".
Tommy started to cry from the most anguishing pain he ever experienced. "I was young. I didn't know" he said in between tears.
"We all have free will Tommy. You had a choice and you chose. And because of that you have sealed your fate".
No sooner had that been said when Monstro was alight in flames. It spread like wild fire to every inch of his body. Tommy clicked the lid over his lighter, extinguishing the flame and grinning as the monster burnt. But his success suddenly got knocked down.
Monstro didn't scream, didn't shout, not even a whisper. Nothing. He stood before Tommy, letting the flames burn him. Tommy was in disbelief. Monstro walked toward Tommy and was on top of him.
"Poor Tommy. A poor effort to try and get rid of me".
Tommy felt something sharp pierce his shoulder, hoisting him up into the air, above the fire. Monstro had a wing sprout from his back, the point of the wing had stabbed Tommy through his shoulder, hooking him like bait. Tommy gasped for air, for mercy but he received none. He could do nothing but hang as Monstro stared up at him.
"You say you didn't know" Monstro yelled up at Tommy, loud enough for him to hear. "You joined a satanic cult at the age of 14, you were obsessed with it. And when the opportunity presented itself you just couldn't turn it down, could you?"
Tommy was starting to feel weak as the energy, his vision blurred as he slowly started to loose consciousness. He couldn't answer the question. He couldn't.
"Yeah" he sighed and forced the tip of the wing further into his shoulder forcing Tommy to scream more. "You sacrificed animals in my master's name and later..." And he cocked his head at the people still screaming and burning in the wreckage. "These poor people" he said in disappointment.
Tommy gasped for air, the blood was seeping out, and he could hardly keep his eyes open. He was dangling in the air when he was shot down and he slammed into the cement, not moving. Blood splattered around him as the tip of the wing was pulled out of shoulder. Tommy murmured.
Monstro walked up to him and lifted him off the ground and slammed him into the hood of the car. "Look at that sign you painted Tommy" he said, holing his face into the satanic pentagram on the hood of the car. Tommy screamed out in frustration and pain. "I've been watching you for a long time Tommy and now.... It's time to take you back to where it all began" he said and threw him into the burning wreckage with the innocent people suffering in the fire. Tommy screamed and cried as the flames engulfed him. His skin burned to charcoal as he tried in vain to get out but Monstro wouldn't allow it as he threw him back into the flames. Hands gripped Tommy from behind and yanked him down. Hands tightened across his throat, shoulders, waist and arms... Pulling him down to hell itself. Tommy fought to the very end till his body gave out and went limp as the flames finished him off and the hands dragging him down into the fiery inferno...
The wreckage disappeared in a instant and there was just silence and darkness like before along with the light of the bus shelter. But no more Tommy....
Monstro took one look at the light of the bus shelter and slowly strolled back into the darkness, becoming part of the night with a silent slithering of his cloak.....