The Collected ~ Completed ~ Published

The Beginning of The End - Andrea

"Someone get him up." I pointed at Max and approached the cell doors. This was going to be slightly more difficult.

I didn't need to raise my hands or close my eyes and concentrate for the metal to move. It was like another limb, extension of myself. I lightly touched the metal bars and let everything come into a sharper focus.

This whole place was metal. It seemed to go on forever.

For a minute I was overwhelmed and the walls seemed to close in towards me. But I drew on that feeling, directing it at the doors. The metal bent like clay creating easy openings for Zillah and ourselves to slip through.

When I looked back Cosmia and Nicholas were supporting a groggy Max. Well, Mostly Nicholas. Cosmia seemed so small beside Max as she could only be a few inches over five feet.

"Where to now?" I felt a weird feeling as I let our lives be placed in the hands of a stranger. But Zillah simply nodded to the doors and the end of the hall.

Already hands were poking through the cell doors, grabbing for us.

"Help me." "Please, set us free." "Don't go." "Help." "Take me with you." Their voices became a soft chorus of cries that I tried to push away.

"We have, to help them." I was surprised to hear Max talk, surprised he was still the boy who'd help those he does not know.

"They're murderers, can't be trusted." Zillah shook her head, not even bothering to look back.

"You're a murderer. I am too. They've killed Collectors, they could create a distraction." Max argued, still not sounding completely focused.

We reached the doors and Zillah placed a hand on them before pausing to speak, "I-"

But it wasn't her decision to make. The sound of metal chains dropping to the floor and doors bending open echoed through the hall. I ignored the glare I received, no one could ever top Nicholas's.

"Let's go." I nodded to the door, wanting to get away before the other dangerous aliens decided to turn on us. Together we pushed open the doors and entered a new hall, to the right, at the end of the hall are a huge set of doors with a strange word across the top.

It only took my translator a moment to change it to English.

Primitive species.

And to our left, an identical set of doors with the words,

Dominant species.

Across the hall from us was one last door, most likely the exit from these cells to whatever else was in this horrid place.

It wasn't hard to guess where we had to go.

"There's guards on the other side of there, then another set of doors before we get to your friends. As you know there will be many Collectors in there as well, be prepared to fight. Is everyone ready?" Zillah talked in a hushed voice and everyone nodded. Max was able to stand on his own again and looked much more alert. I was glad, we were going to need whatever awful alien was living inside his head.

I swung the metal doors open with my mind, receiving a small thrill from it. The three guards on the other side looked stunned for a moment before springing to action.

But they only got so far.

Before we could even touch them, dark blood dripped from their ears and noses. I had to close my eyes when their skin bubbled and eventually popped. They screamed and screamed, but they deserved it. This was nothing compared the amount of pain they caused so many others.

But I hadn't expected Max to kill them.

Eventually, they slumped to the ground. Bodies disoriented and slick with blood. Zillah handed Max a sharp knife and I frowned when he dug three deep points in his arm beside a slowly healing one. The crimson blood ran down his arm, a signal, a sign. We are here to destroy and to save, we will be locked away no more.

I opened the doors and that's when the alarms sounded. I'd never seen or heard the alarms before. It was an awful pitch, screeching through my eardrums. A kick of adrenaline boosted my system. My fight or flight instincts attacking my body, but there was no decision to make. It would be fight. Always fight.

Zillah leaped at a Collector, bringing it down in a couple of swift moves. Nicholas took another, taking the knife from Max's hand and never giving up until it found it's spot. It was strange how much the punches didn't affect him and how quickly the bruises came and disappeared.

Everyone was in chaos, aliens running to their cells in fear. But I knew there would be two who would surely fight their way to where we were.

"Estelle and Torryn should be coming, let's hurry before more Collectors arrive." I started to run, pushing my way past the aliens and in the direction of the cells.

It was easy, going in the same direction as everyone else. But Estelle and Torryn would surely be having trouble. And it would be difficult going back.

Once in a while we'd run into a guard, Max or Zillah usually bringing them down. Every time Max did so, he'd dig the knife into his arm, adding more dots.

It was easy to catch on to what he was doing. He was marking his kills. It made me sick to think about.

"Nicholas!" I let out a sigh of relief when the little girl burst from the crowd, engulfing Nicholas in a hug. He looked taken aback, like he wasn't sure what to do with his arms. But cautiously, he wrapped her arms around her too. I don't think I've ever seen him hug somebody.

Torryn pushed through the aliens soon after. He didn't look so good. One eye was bruised and a gash ran down the side of his head. The silver and gold blood swirling and dripping down his skin.

"What happened?" Cosmia gasped, stepping forward.

"The Collectors didn't like the fact that we knew you." He shook his head, "doesn't matter now, they're coming. Do you know where we're supposed to go next?"

"I do, follow me," Zillah announced, spinning back in the direction she came. Torryn didn't question who she was, that was good, he was starting to trust us. Or maybe it was just that he trusted a strange alien more than the "evil" humans.

"Stop!" A voice bellowed as Collectors shoved other out of the way to reach us. They were blocking our way back, we would have to fight in this crowded hallway.

I looked behind us, not surprised to see more approaching.

We were surrounded.

Nicholas spit blood, Torryn bared his teeth. If we were to go down today, we would go down savages, go down fighting.

4 or 5 chapters to go! Thank you for everyone who is reading!
Do you think they are going to get out?
Please vote and comment if you liked the chapter! :)