"To seek what is unknown, often leads to our destruction"
Darkness, emptiness and above all the tenacity of a thick heavy atmosphere.
Deep down in the undergrowth of dimly powered street lights and rickety panels, the hunt for a man was continuing to unfold. A cat screech tore through the soundless night, managing to disturb every neighbour in the vicinity; all but one.
For a man in a dark winter coat, one sleeve hanging to long and the other to short; this figure was shuffling through the dust bins of the heavily emphasised back alley way streets, when he heard the familiar and satisfying call that beckoned him to do his duty. It was the sound of a child, possibly six or seven years old; he couldn't tell, but as he sniffed his hooked nose into the air, he discovered the child was a male.
"What are you doing mister?" The six to seven year old child asked him nervously, safe behind the door of his house; his question was relevant, the sight of a man looking through garbage was something this child hadn't been exposed to yet.
The man stopped short and turned his head around so he faced the child, revealing the bright red smile that was slashed upon his lips which contrasted against the cold dead eyes that had been imprisoned on his face. Parting his sleek lips for a moment he darted his tongue forward and spoke to the little boy.
"Why I'm searching for something to play with." His voice was peculiar in contrast to his age, he sounded almost like a child with the tenacity of one who enjoyed ripping dolls apart. The sound of a nearby set of sirens caused the man to shirk in fear, but as they subsided he immediately stepped up and advanced towards the child.
"In the rubbish? Mister, there aren't any toys in there." The boy replied curiously, as he spoke it was clear his age was well over six and maybe hit the category of ten years old.
A high screeching chuckle escaped the thin lips of the man, he coughed once and stepped forward again, "Oh I see, do you have any toys in your room that I could play with?" As he stepped forward his aroma became more noticeable, a mix of simple smell of dirt, paint and even blood.
"Sorry, mother says I'm not to let strangers into the house." The boy replied quickly, as if he had been instructed by a strict discipline leader, his voice became more high pitched as his breathing concentrated; he evidently did not feel comfortable with this situation.
"Did she say you shouldn't talk to strangers either didn't she?" The man sat down on the steps right up to the door, letting the little boy look down and even take pity on him.
The boy nodded.
"But yet here you are, what was your name again?" He asked shrewdly, tilting his head to the side and revealing a red line on his cheek; possibly paint marks.
"My name is Benjamin" The child replied smartly, proud of his namesake and not realising the position of power he had placed on this stranger.
"Lovely to meet you Benjamin" The man continued to speak, scratching heavily at the side of his head as if he had been irritated by nits the size of spiders. He acted disinterested with the conversation, letting Ben immediately piece together that the man truly wanted toys.
Before Ben could speak however, the man rose up and requested finally, "So Ben, would you mind sharing your toy collection with me? I would love to meet them all, to enjoy them individually and cast them aside when their bodies are unusable" A speck of spittle dropped from the strangers mouth and landed heavily on the steps right outside the door, for once in his life; Ben was relieved of the heavy lock on his door.
"I'll go get one from my room" He rose from his seated position, slowly walking back to retrieve a prized toy from his collection.
The man smiled again, letting the red lips shine through the night like a beacon; he raised his hand and scraped two fingers down the middle of the door window slowly as he spoke, "Bring them outside so we can play together."
Benjamin nodded immediately, completely obeying the will of this stranger with a frightened husk of self-preservation; leaving the door and turning into the other room.
Where the first thing he did was to activate the phone on the wall and ring 911.