Forgotten Nightmares (Collectors)

Darkness had settled over Ducatsville, North Carolina and the sound of june bugs filled the air. A car lazily rolled down Hummingbird street and the one bar in town had started to come to life. The car, a solid black Lincoln, pulled into the parking lot and came to a stop. The driver side door opened and Killian stepped out into the southern summer night. His red hair blew in the night breeze and his boots made a soft crunch on the gravel as he made his way to the door of Hank’s. His hand rested a moment on the door handle before he pulled open the door, the muffled sound of Thunderstuck by AC/DC vibrated from the other side of the door. A growing smile spread across Killian’s face; he was going to like this place. Killian opened the door and stepped into the neon light of the bar. Hank had been behind the bar laying whiskey down when the door opened and the stranger came in. Hank was used to the occasional stranger coming in and paid the man no real attention as he made his way to a barstool at the very end of the bar. Hank flipped his towel onto his shoulder and placed his biggest smile on his face as he made his way down to the red-haired man at the end of the bar. The closer he got to the man though the more uneasy he became, and to Hank this seemed extremely odd. Killian had taken his seat on the barstool and the man started to make his way over to him. Killian glanced around the bar and smiled slightly to himself as the song changed from Thunderstruck to White Wedding by Billy Idol. The man was closer now and his smile had faltered a little and Killian new exactly why. His aura had breached the man’s mind. Killian smiled bigger and once the man was right across from him he spoke. By the time Hank had gotten to the other man his mind had begun to swim with incoherent thoughts and he struggled to keep his smile in place. Hank shook his head to clear the jumbled thoughts and once they subsided a little he heard the man say: “You alright there buddy?” Hank smiled weakly and said, “Yessir, right as rain. What can I getcha?” The man on the other side of the bar smiled and ordered… “I’ll have a Johnnie Walker black label, on the rocks.” He had locked eyes with the man across from him and then casually asked, “What’s your name buddy?” Killian’s smile grew a little bit bigger and he patiently waited for the man to answer. Hank extended his hand across the bar, “Name’s Hank, Hank Hillsbern.” The man across the bar took Hank’s hand and shook it, “And my name sir, is Killian, Killian Karver.” The moment Killian had taken Hank’s hand it was like a jolt of electricity had hit the center of Hank’s brain and Hank almost jerked his hand away from Killian. Killian shook the man’s hand and as he did he latched onto Hank’s brain waves. He rode them right into the center of Hank’s brain and once inside he let himself sprawl throughout the neural network. The first thing that Killian registered was Hank’s pain and fear at his invasion and he could sense the human’s feeble shields trying to come up. Killian smashed the shields easily and went on with his exploration. As with most humans there was nothing interesting inside his memory vault and aside from the fact this human, “Hank” he called himself, ran a bar in a one caution light town he was utterly useless. Killian pulled himself back into the form he had stolen and let go of Hank’s hand. Hank pulled his hand to him once Killian had let go and rubbed it gingerly. “Let me get you that drink sir.” Hank turned away from Killian and began to make the drink. He placed the drink in front of the stranger and said, “That’ll be four dollars. “ He watched as the man produced the money and downed the drink in one gulp. Killian let the whiskey warm up his insides and closed his eyes as he smiled. Oh, yes, he was going to love this town.