DollMaker

Into The Nothing- Chapter 6

Owen felt a small monster crawl inside his heart and eat at it, the blood dripping from it's razor sharp teeth. It was just a figure of his imagination, but guilt was the monster that roamed inside of him. He was sitting on his bed, thinking deep thoughts and reflecting on what he's done.

"Surely I haven't done any wrong-", He stopped that thought from being completed.

Didn't he hurt Hero earlier?

Owen's eyes hardened, "I wasn't listening to her and she got hurt because of me." He knew he had to make it up to her, but he didn't know how.

As Owen kept thinking about it he slipped on his cape tying the two small strings in the front. A brilliant idea came to his head.

***

"Hero! I have something for you!", shouted Max wrapping his arms around Hero's neck from behind. Hero's eyes widened and wrinkled her nose.

"What is it?", she questioned skeptically. This boy always seemed up to no good.

"Follow me and I'll show you my surprise!", Max answered, his voice almost fake sounding. Hero followed him through the tattered curtains into a large room. The room consisted of precisely ten wooden tables. The tables were all chipped and worn down, as if a man had come in and intentionally smacked each table with an axe.

Max let go of Hero and mounted onto a table. "I've decided we're going to put some meat on those bones, and so next time I'll something to look at.", he announced proudly. He looked as if he expected applause and much praise from imaginary friends.

"I've put some food on the table near the corner, please enjoy!", Max said with a wink. Hero stepped cautiously, uncomfortable with Max watching her eat. She ate politely certainly aware of her manners. Max grinned, amused at how thoughtfully she ate.

"How did you ever meet Owen?" , Hero asked, crumbs falling from her mouth. Max chuckled, "Don't talk with your mouth full."

"He's mad, if we don't keep him restrained, we'll lose him.", whispered his rival to the others that surrounded him. Max couldn't see well, his eyes slightly closed. However, he could feel the pain inside him that wanted to escape this prison. It wasn't an actual prison, but in his dimension, it was a burning Hell.

"My dimension, my rules, my..mine..mine..", Max breathed slowly losing consciousness. Blinded by his own illusions, Max fell asleep.

A immense white space of nothing lie before Max's eyes. He wanted to drench himself in it, to feel absolutely nothing. No pain, no hurt, no more emotions that held him back and kept him in that prison. He felt something touch his head, something soft and warm. It was soothing, but it wasn't the nothing that he thought it was.

Taken back to reality, Max's eyes popped open. He reached out to feel what was in front of him. Surprisingly, it was a face. A small chuckle rang in Max's ears.

"What an odd thing to do when you first meet someone, boy.", said a sweet sounding voice. Max's eyes weren't as blurry, and he saw the face of a handsome young man. Max removed his hand and the man held it tightly. "I'll get you out of here and I'll make you immortal."

Max's eyes widened dramatically and his grit his teeth. He wasn't going to trust this man. "That's not possible though.", Max croaked. The man threw Max over his shoulder.

"Let me-" Max gasped at the sight of his rival.

His eyes were rolled all the way back with the foam coming out of his mouth. The rival's neck gushed blood. All of the others were like that as well.

"You...you killed them?", Max asked his voice quivering. The man only smiled creepily.

"I really want you to come back with me and Teresa, and they were in the way.", he paused, "I took care of these delinquents for you."

Max's eyes were hurricanes of emotions. "Why. Why you would want a boy like me? I am wanted dead by many. I'm only going to cause you trouble."

"You're an interesting doll, boy.", the man answered sweetly. Max's emotions dimmed, as he slipped into his deep sleep.

"How come you had a rival?", Hero asked wiping the food from her mouth. Of all whom she met, Max was the most interesting.

"I was a feared little boy at the age of fourteen.", he smirked. "Abandoned by my parents, I grew up differently than others. I didn't expect pity from others, and I didn't want it either. I was raised by my emotions and by my dimension-"

"Your dimension?"

Max sighed but smiled, "When I fall asleep, I roam around a place where I can't feel. No more pain or anything."

"My rival was someone who had everything but common sense. I, on the other hand, was the attractive homeless boy who loved to be with the ladies. Of course all of the ladies were attracted to my rival for his fortune, but it didn't bother me the least bit. I would always win their hearts over anyways."

"My rival and I fought almost every day, and that's how I quickly learned hand-to-hand combat.", Max hesitated, his eyebrow twitching.

"Although I was a strong fighter, I was still caught by my rival."

Hero listened carefully, oddly intrigued by Max's story. Max's eyes wondered over to Hero.

"You seem so interested to know more about me.", he remarked. Hero smiled faintly, "Your story is interesting. It just made me smile." Max grinned, his face lit up with happiness. Someone would finally listen to him. "How old are you, Max?"

"Seventeen, it's been three years since Owen first picked me up.", Max said sliding his finger across the table. Hero stood up and smoothed her dress holding a hand out to Max. "Come with me, we can go on a walk outside.", she insisted. Max barked with laughter, "But it's raining outside! I guess you were so deep into my past you didn't hear the rain pounding the ground."

A blood-curdling scream struck Hero's ears.