He gripped my chin so tightly that it was painful. Then he jerked my head up, forcing me to look into his crimson eyes. There was a storm inside them. Anger is battling with disgust and distaste. 

"If you want to die so much, then I will kill you, but first let's make a deal."

He released me and gestured for me to stand up. I did so. Forcing those emotions that I had just been feeling deep inside me. I didn't know this man. So I shouldn't be feeling all this.

I should still be completely numb. It is better when I am numb. I dusted myself off and flashed him my usual crazed grin. 

"Let's forget about what happened and go our separate ways...Ale-." 

I could barely even get the name out of my mouth. Before he lunged at me, wrapping his hand around my throat. 

"Don't you dare say his name; you have no right." He snarled. 

Another jolt of emotion went through me. It wasn't because of the hand he had wrapped around my throat, though. It was because his words confirmed what the voice in my head had said earlier. I forced those thoughts away. I didn't want it to bring back those emotions. 

Numb is better. That's what I tell myself as I focus back on him. His hand wrapped tightly around my throat. So tight I could feel blood dripping down my neck from the spikes digging into his hand. He tightened his hand.

Choking off any air that the collar had left for me to breathe. He had a crazed look in his eyes. A look that told me he would not stop until I could no longer breathe. Just because I had said that one word. It would have scared any normal person. 

I wasn't normal, though. So I just stared him in the eyes as I reached up and grabbed his fingers. Then I jerked them backwards hard enough that I heard them snap. He released me instantly. However, he was stronger than I thought because only a pain-filled grunt escaped his lips.

Then he snapped them right back into place. The crazed look was out of his eyes, though. 

"I'll call you Crimson then. As I was saying, Crimson, let's ignore what happened...it was a lapse in my mental state." 

That wasn't completely untrue. Nor was it completely true either. I turned away from him before he could respond. Then, I went around picking up objects from the corpses. As I crouched down next to the third corpse.

I noticed one of the nightmare eyes watching me. Before I can contemplate why he was watching me. A knife came out of nowhere and buried itself in the middle of its eye. It froze in midair. Then, it dropped to the ground with a thud, completely useless. 

I didn't bother to glance back or stop what I was doing as I spoke. "The Nightmare Master won't like that; he's quite attached to his nightmare eyes."

"Why is there even one here? You're one of his nightmare Lords; it's not like he has to watch you."

I couldn't help the insane laughter that bubbled up my throat and spilled from my mouth. I stood up, completely, forgetting what I was doing. Then I turned to face him. Tilting my head as I stared at him. 

"Is that what everyone thinks of us?" 

I stepped forward until we were once again close enough that he could wrap his hand around my throat. He didn't, though. I don't know if it was because of the crazed look in my eyes. Or maybe it was because he actually wanted to hear what I had to say. 

"None of us 'Lords' ever asked to be one. We were forced from our homes or even given away to the Nightmare Master. Forced to allow him to use our bodies to murder, kidnap, kill, etc. Forced to the back of our minds as our bodies do his bidding, and we watch the whole thing. Forced to become numb or crumble under the weight of what he makes us do. Forced to be his puppet for so long that some of us don't even remember the life we had before. Forced to regain control once a year and go through a stupid trial, we can never pass to earn our freedom. Forced to feel him take control again and again after we fail. I know I told you to forget it. But why do you think I was on my hands and knees begging to kill me? Did you think it was for fun? That I was trying to toy with you? That I lied to you about trying to take my life. Why don't we go out into that maze, and I can show you every place I laid dying in that maze by my own hands. I can bet you it is more than the times I lay dying because of the things that are meant to stop me from completing it."

My hands were shaking with the emotions that spilled out with those words. The ones I had been trying so hard to keep at bay. Why was it so hard? Why can't I just still be numb? Tears gathered in my eyes again.

I spun around, not wanting him to see me cry again. I blinked my tears back. Then, with shaking hands, I went back to picking up those objects. He was completely silent as he watched me. I had turned away too fast.

So I did not know whether he believed my words. It really shouldn't matter whether he did. I ignored him as best as I could. Hoping it would get the shaking in my hands under control. When I was finished, the shaking subsided, and I controlled my emotions again. 

Clutching those objects in my hand, I walked up to the door. As usual, it was left completely open. People had to have a way to come in when I'm calling them with my siren call.