This is what Aaron wanted. He told me to go. He told me to save myself. That he was willing to lay his life down for mine. Running meant I got to live, to help others.

I told myself this as I sprinted along the building, trying to justify my actions. It made me feel a little better. Only it didn't help stop the tears. Or the voice inside my head that called me a coward.

I ran from alley to alley, clearing congested and wrecked roads without so much as a thought to where I was going.

After three or four blocks, I stopped. My stamina was shot from being chased earlier. I really should have worked out more often. Scratch that – I should have worked out in general.

Gunshots rang out from the city from where I just came. Aaron's last stand had begun. I counted the shots as they came. Six in total before the screams started. One last shot was heard and the screams stopped.

I wiped a tear from my eye and continued down the road. I was still lost. Nothing had changed about that. I had no idea how to get to Becca's. How to get to the Tim Horton's. Hell, I didn't even remember how to get back to the police cruiser.

I was a goddamn mess.

I stumbled along the street. I figured at that point, I couldn't get more lost. Every street seemed the same to me; stalled cars, burned out streetlights, trashed buildings. Everything a wreck. It was so uplifting.

I turned the corner and froze. No way could I be that unlucky.

A group of Pokémon advanced down the street. These were the sane kind. I could tell. They talked to each other. I couldn't make out any words, but that was definite chatter I was hearing. And they all moved with a purpose. Also the fact that they didn't have foam dripping from their mouths was kind of a giveaway.

I hid behind the wall. They were too busy checking their sides that they missed me. I looked around for a place to hide. Cars would only go so far. If they checked inside, which they apparently did, then I was screwed. My eyes fell on the alley across the street. Those always served well in the past.

I sprinted for the other side of the street, my legs already protesting from their overuse. I didn't stop running until I reached the next street over. I skidded to a halt at the end.

"You've gotta be kidding me," I muttered. I guess I really shouldn't have been surprised at that point. It did rush off into the streets on a rampage. What did I expect it to do? Just vanish into thin air? I did not have the luck for that.

Sure enough, there was my old friend, the Aggron. It tore through the hood of a sedan, rummaging around inside of it for a tasty treat. A treat that was almost me. I didn't hear any screams from inside, which was fortunate. No one had been caught by it. Yet.

Apparently, the Aggron couldn't find anything to munch on in the car, and moved on to the next one. It ripped off the side of a truck and started sniffing inside that too. While it was distracted, I causally slipped back into the alley and out of sight.

Now I was stuck in between a rock and a hard place. A group of sane Pokémon who would most likely eat me on one side of the alley, and a Pokémon that just tried to eat me on the other.

I searched the alley. The voices of the Pokémon were getting louder, as were the sounds of metal being shredded. It was only a matter of time before one of them found me.

There was a little cranny in the wall. Hey, if it worked against the Aggron once, who says it couldn't work again?

I pressed my back up against the wall, and something pushing into my spine. I felt the behind me to see what it was, and wrapped my hands around a doorknob. Not wasting any time, I twisted it and fell ass-first into the building. The door slammed shut behind me.

I laughed in relief. Just what I needed for once. I started to push myself up when something jabbed me at the base of my neck. Not a gun. Something sharper this time. A blade. I could feel it digging into my skin even through all the layers of clothes.

"Not so fast, kid," said a shaky, slightly high, voice. I couldn't tell why it was shaky. Fear? Nervousness? Anxiety? Who knew? "You're in my sanctuary without my permission. No one comes in here without my permission."

"I-I-I'm sorry," I stuttered. It was hard to keep my voice even with a blade in my neck. "I just- I was just, you know, p-passing through."

"Stand up. And drop your weapons," the unknown man said. When I hesitated, he dug the blade deeper. "I said, stand up and drop your weapons."

That time I complied. I stood and let my bat and shotgun fall to the ground. He scooped them up, just barely staying out of my sight.

"Stick your hands out behind your back," he ordered next. I did, and he wrapped something sticky and tough around my hands. Duct tape, most likely. He made it as tight as possible, eliminating any chance of me removing it by myself.

"C'mon, man. Why are you doing this?" I asked, my voice quivering. "Just... let me go. I won't tell anyone about your sanctuary."

He pulled on my taped hands, jerking me closer to him. "Why would I want you to leave? I want to show you something. Something very... important. But it's a surprise."

Oh, dear lord, please don't let it be what I think it is, I thought as he spun me around. I would rather take my chances outside than with this nutjob.

I finally got a good look at the room I had fallen into. It was lit by candles, but devoid of any furniture. It was just a barren room, the walls too dark to tell what colour they were. That somehow freaked me out more than if it was regularly furnished. This guy went through the trouble of making this room as empty as possible and that just made me even more uneasy.

He pushed me forward, towards an open door. The door led into an eerie, candlelit corridor, making it as inviting as the room I had fallen into.

My knees quivered so bad that I thought it would be impossible for me to walk with them. The blade digging into my neck served as enough reason to get moving. I walked through the door and corridor as slowly as possible. I wanted to avoid seeing his surprise as much as possible.

"Can't you just tell me what this surprise is?" I asked, keeping my stutter at bay. "The suspense is killing me."

"Oh, I'm sure it won't be the suspense that kills you," the man laughed. Well, it was more of a cackle in my opinion because a chill shot up my spine. "But, no. Words won't do this surprise any justice."

"Not even a little hint?"

"Hmm... put it this way. It's a... collection."

A collection? That didn't sound so bad. Maybe this guy collected stamps or hockey cards, and just really loved to show them off. Just a harmless, little collection.

Why didn't I believe that?

The hall I was being led down ended in another door, this one also open. I could see the room behind it was very large, probably the lobby of an office, or a hotel. More candles lit the room, but just like the one before, it seemed to be devoid of furniture.

"Keep going," the man prompted. "My collection is right on the other side. I can't wait for it to grow larger."

He pushed me through the doorway and into the main room. Muffled shouts came from my left, gaining my attention instantly. I turned to them and froze, not due to fear, but confusion.

Humans and Pokémon alike were bound and gagged along the wall, with the exception of the glass doors, which were barricaded from the outside by a city bus. I didn't get an exact number, but there were more Pokémon than humans.

"Is this your collection?" I asked quietly, still confused.

"They will be part of it soon enough," the man said. "You're looking the wrong way, though."

Before I could fully understand what he said, he grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. This time I froze in fear.

"Wh-whu...buh...huh... wh-what...?" I sputtered. My mouth couldn't form the words. The part of the brain responsible for speech was preoccupied with trying to rationalize what I was seeing.

"I told you words couldn't describe it," the man said with unsuppressed glee. "Isn't it wonderful? My pride and joy."

Along the reception desk was a row of severed heads, fresh from the bodies. Men, women, Pokémon, even a mannequin head stared back at me with lifeless eyes. All were frozen in a state of pure horror.

"Why?" I finally managed. "Why would you do this?"

"Because I'm a collector," the man stated simply, like he was telling me the weather. "I used to collect meaningless things before the Lights. But I was touched... given a more divine purpose. And I seek to fulfil my purpose, by making it larger. And you are just what I need for that to happen."

"How?" I asked, nearing tears. "What the hell can I do?"

"Oh, that's the easy part." He kicked me hard in the back of my legs, forcing me to my knees. The blade's edge pressed against my neck.

"Your head will join it."