The Collected ~ Completed ~ Published

Empty Space - Max

I snickered and pushed away from the Collector before adding another mark to my arm.

When I looked up, I realized the seven of us were surrounded by bodies of the Collectors. Aliens of all different shapes and sizes stared at us in wonder. No one made a sound.

There was an eerie feeling and I started to feel sick. What had I done? Dark blood covered my hands and bodies lay at my feet. What have I become?

Man up.

The voices hissed, but instead, I wanted to throw up.

"More will come," Torryn stated, but no one moved. I felt my hands shake, so I balled them into fists.

Estelle started forward first, back the way we had come. The aliens watching pressed themselves against the walls to make a path for us.

I couldn't tell if they were scared, or if they viewed us as their leaders. I felt cramped as I walked through the bodies, pressing in from every side. There was a disturbance beneath my eyes, something fighting to be seen.

I felt like I was being pulled backward, even though my body kept moving forward. My control started to slip between my fingertips and I wanted to scream for help, but could not.

Stop fighting.

We can protect you.

"No." I choked out, grabbing back my controls. It was slow, but eventually, each step was my own.

Our small group was followed by some stragglers and we met very few Collectors until we were leaving once again.

Out in the hall passed the large doors where rows of Collectors. Three rows of them. The first line all had guns, pointed at our heads as we fanned out in the doorway.

There was a loud pop as one pulled the trigger. Nicholas pushed Andrea back, Torryn covered Estelle with his wings, Zillah pushed Cosmia down and I... I froze.

At first, everything was numb, until I felt the sharp pain. A gasp was ripped from my lungs and cry of pain torn from my throat. My right shoulder could've been on fire and it would've felt the same.

My knees slammed into the ground and someone screamed my name.

"Nobody move or we shoot again!" A Collector roared, but its voice still shook at the sight of my blood.

I pressed a hand to the wound and another surge of pain rocked through my body. There was something different about this bullet, something wrong.

My body turned ridged before shooting backward. It was the most agonizing thing I'd ever experienced like my heart was being ripped from my chest.

The world spun before turning blue and I felt myself stand. Why was I standing?

"Do not move!" A Collector shouted and I tried to stop.

An animal like growl rumbled from deep inside and the pain was gone, everything was gone. Like I'd been pushed out of my body and all I could do was watch.

More popping noises filled the halls, the others retreated back, I leaped forward. I jumped at am inhuman speed and height, pushing off the wall and knocking into the Collectors. It was a game of dangerous dominos as they fell and tripped over each other. I knew their bullets were finding their place, but I couldn't feel them.

I tried to block it out as I tore into the Collectors. The stench of their dark blood becoming too much to bare.

Please stop. I tried to speak.

"We will save you." I said, it said, whatever took over my body said.

Not like this.

But it didn't listen. My sight only became a darker blue as I crushed a Collector into the wall and another charged with a knife. I grabbed the hand with the knife, twisting it and spinning to jam my elbow into its face.

My head turned and I saw the others returning to the fight. Cosmia caught my eye as I growled and tried to slow my uncontrolled breaths.

"You need to calm down." Zillah was suddenly beside me, grabbing my shoulder.

"Must, destroy them. Keep this body safe." The voice that spoke was not my own.

"Oh, that's why you've suddenly gone savage." Zillah turned, taking down a Collector charging at us in a few swift moves. "It's nice to finally meet the voices from Max's head."

I growled again before pushing off the wall and leaping back into the fight.

My vision grew darker again and I could barely see. I was trapped, caught in a glass box. Where was the crack in this armor? This cage? Where was my escape, how could I take control again?

Everything went black.

I could not see, hear or feel anything.

It was odd, like I was floating through a starless space. It was lonely with only my thoughts to keep me company. My worry and panic for what was happening.

Was I going to turn on my friends once the Collectors were dead? Or would we be captured once again? Would I awake to nothing but grief? Or would I never open my eyes again?

I screamed, but there was no sound.

So I just waited, numbly in the darkness. Eventually, the darkness blurred with light and I was wrenched back to reality. It happened all to fast and I stumbled, finding my face in the ground.

"Hey, you alright?" A pair of hands pulled me back up, Torryn. He looked at me strangely before moving back to stand beside his sister.

"Max..?" Andrea questioned and they all stared at me, waiting in anticipation.

"Ya, it's me. What happened?" I questioned while looking around. We stood in a hall like any other, metal floors, metal walls. Yellow tinted lights swayed slightly from the roof. But the air felt different here, damp and there was an absence of the smell of blood I'd gotten so used to.

"You went a bit wild there, it was a little scary," Estelle announced, not sounding scared at all. I was impressed.

"It took over." I looked down at my hands, finding them caked with dry blood.

I'm not an it.

"Well, what would you prefer to be called?" I hissed, receiving multiple strange looks.

Give me a name.

"Not now." I snapped before looking back up at the others, "Um, sorry. So how'd we get, here?"

"My original route was blocked off so we've had to improvise." Zillah shrugged, urging us to start walking again.

"Do you mean we're lost?" I wanted to punch a wall, why couldn't anything go right for us?

"No," she hesitated, "I have a large portion of the Collecting Point memorized, this route is just going to take longer."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nicholas roll his eyes, he was itching to speak. I almost felt bad for him, but he deserves this punishment of endless silence. I didn't miss his snide comments.

"We better pick it up then." Torryn's wings ruffled and we walked to our escape.

Or maybe our end.

A chapter just in time for Christmas? Did you like it? Let me know what your thoughts are and what you think is going to happen.

Enjoy the holidays and don't forget to vote and comment!