• This is the second book of The Collected series •
"Those who bring pain are here to save, and those who bring hope will bring death. A great evil rests on the horizon, eating away at each setting sun. Nothing is as it seems while you beg for salva...
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The sun was setting in a beautiful mixture of purple and red, and Jasper refused to miss it. So with Torryn and I supporting him on either side, we allowed him to go outside. It was worth it, seeing the smile on his face. Granted, he was always smiling. Somehow this one felt more real.
"One day I want to be able to look at the sunset knowing I don't have to worry about the next morning." I sighed, gazing up through the maze of red branches.
"Considering what our lives have become... I wouldn't get your hopes up." Torryn shifted his body so that he was carrying more of Jaspers body weight. He'd been acting differently since we came back from town. Tense. We hadn't told anyone about the eyeless ones, not yet.
"At least we're making memories along the way." I joked, trying to lighten his mood.
"I almost died." Jasper pointed out for the hundredth time, causing us both to groan in annoyance.
"That was my fondest memory." Came a voice from behind and we all spun in unison. A hooded figure stood beneath the shadows of the trees, I didn't know how he could've snuck up on us so quietly. "However, I don't have many memories, care to make another." He slowly drew a knife from his waist band and pulled away his hood.
It was still a shock, seeing Nicholas's face. He still wore the black mask around his eyes, there was no point to it, as we already knew who he was. It only made him look more evil. I assumed that was the point.
"Nicholas" I raised my hands while Torryn and I stepped in front of Jasper, "what happened? What did they do to you?"
"That's not my name." He bared his teeth like a viscous dog.
"Then what is it?" I tried to take a calm approach, treating Nicholas like the wild animal he appeared to be. I started to take a step forward, only for Torryn's hand to shoot out and pull me back.
"Klaus, but everyone calls me Death." A sly smile slipped across his face, I never did miss that look.
"What did they do to you?" I asked again while Torryn's wings flared with anger, "Why are you doing this?"
"Because, darling, isn't it thrilling?"
His words sent a shock through my body, the strange sense of déjà vu crawling through my mind. It was something Nicholas had said to me, during one of the first few days at the Collecting Point.
"Because, darling, isn't it thrilling?" His eyes were wild, and that scared me. I took a small step backward, and he took one towards me. "All the pain, keeps you grounded, keeps you sane." I didn't think that was the case, quite the opposite actually. Nicholas didn't seem sane at all.
Even if he didn't remember saying this, it proved the old him was still in there.
"Hey man, I don't know you, and I don't know what your problem is. I don't think you know either. So how about we all figure this out together? Without the violence." Jasper tried to move around Torryn, only to be pushed back again, "I've had a taste of what it's like to die, I don't want a repeat."
