[THE MASTER COLLECTOR]

Behind Sleepy Hill's orchard lies a small brown house surrounded by woods and quaint landscapes. A Dirt Road that connects to Maine Street and nearby towns. The couple living there is trash-poor and would do anything and everything for survival.

They are sitting on the porch as we speak.

The woman seems disappointed, while the man appears unbothered, reading a letter.

Dear Customer,

We are preparing your account for write-off and referral to an outside collection agency. Your immediate response is required to avoid this action. In addition, Lennord County Wireless is entitled to write-offs to all major consumer credit bureaus.

We urge you to take this opportunity to avoid contact with the collection agency, plus the further expenses and/or impact of a negative report on your credit profile.

Your immediate payment of the full balance due is required now.

Lennord County Wireless Customer Financial Services.

1-866-266-1445.

This letter is for Moe Spence, a lazy, ambitious man who has a nasty habit of applying for credit cards, gift cards, and cellphones, but never paying them back. Moe lives with his son, Billy, and wife Monica, a Spanish woman who works at the Spanish store in town.

Conversely, Moe was unemployed and refused to find a job!

You know how they say: whatever you do, come right back to you.

Well, with an attitude like Moe’s. What is coming must be a horror show.

Let us keep our focus on the porch. Shall we!

Monica hissed as she watched him crumble and toss the letter.

The look of unhappiness remains on her face.

It was obvious she was tired of whatever was going on.

“When are you going to stop with all the stealing, Moe?”

“You don’t care for all these collectors calling?”

“I don’t care, babes,” he said.

Monica sighed heavily before answering.

“Maybe you should start caring,”

“Babes, relax. It’s just a collection. What could happen?” he said when he saw a strange man approach from down the dirt road. Moe paid it no mind, because from a distance, it was unclear if the man was coming up or just passing by.

He yawned.

“Another letter is coming soon,” he said.

“From?

“Hudson Valley Bank,”

“Should I ask what for?”

“Long story,”

“I have time,”

“That 4 grand I gave you came from them.”

“What did you do?”

“It’s nothing, just let me know when the letter comes,”

“By the way, Radrick is stopping by shortly.”

Monica was about to ask, “What for,” when they both saw the strange man who had gotten closer to the house, wearing a white robe, with a lantern and a walking stick.

Startled by his appearance, Monica stepped off the porch and onto the steps.

“May I help you?” she asked, looking back at Moe.

“One of you has been dishonest,” the man said, lifting his lantern, looking at Moe.

Monica looked at Moe as well.

“How may we help you, sir?” she asked the man.

“I was just on my way to Woodstock when I came upon your house and smelled a very dark presence lurking nearby,”

“I’m sorry, what?” “Who are you, by the way?”

“My name is Father Woodstock, I’m known for walking and traveling, and I happen to be passing your house.”

“I think the spirits want me to warn you.”

“About what?” Moe asked.

“An unusual man visits your house tonight to collect everything you own.”

Moe giggled.

“There is nothing to take, we don’t have anything.”

“What about your family, don’t you have them?” the man asked, looking at Monica, who was looking back at his strange, long, white hair.

She looked at Moe, then the man.

“Leave the house before midnight, and get your family as far away as possible,” he said, walking off.

Moe hissed and went back to sitting down.

“Crazy old man,”

Monica, however, watched until the man was no longer in sight.

She said nothing and went straight inside.

Moe shook his head, grabbed his phone, and was about to call someone when Rodrick drove up.

He didn’t bother making the call, but his phone rang; someone named Martha Wade was calling. Unsuccessful. She left a voicemail.

Radrick then approached, with his usual gesture.

Moe watched him as he dragged his fat ass, while pulling his pants up.

“Mooooee,” he said, sitting down.

Keon Radrick was a tall, fat white boy with a Biggie Smalls and Tupac attitude.

Smokes a lot. But keeps a focused head.

“Sup Moe,”

“Said you wanted to talk to me?” he pulled out a joint.

“Yeah, I need some money, bro!”

“How much are we talking?” Radrick asked.

“Like 10 grand,”

“Damn, I don’t have that much. Business is mad slow, but-” he said, when Moe’s phone rang again.

It was Martha Wade again; Moe hissed and quickly put it on vibrate.

Martha then left another message.

“Sorry, what did you say?” Moe asked.

“I got this job tonight. If you want in?”

“How much are we talking?”

“You didn’t even ask what it was.”

“Don’t need to, I trust you.”

“Oll Korrect then,” Radrick replied, fist bumping Moe, as he passed him the joint. Moe took a puff when his phone rang again. He didn’t even bother to look.

“Yō this fucking bitch is so annoying,” he said, coughing out smoke.

“WHO DAT?” Radrick asked.

“Martha Wade!”

Radrick laughed out with a choke.

“The Blind lady, whose dog do you use to walk?”

“Yeah,” Moe said.

“You fucking the blind woman,” he asked with a whisper.

“No what the fuck,” “That's who I wanted to talk to you about.”

“She is the one I stole the 10 grand from 3 months ago, and I think she has just found out.”

“Bro, you robbed Martha Wade, you wild for that?”

“You know she is into voodoo and shit, right?”

“Yeah, I know,”

“I had to, I didn’t have a choice, Monica needed the money,”

“Nah, I get it, is that who you want to pay back?”

“Yeah,”

“But believe it or not, I had this weird dream, saying I should pay it back,”

Radrick laughed and passed him the spliff.

“That is your conscience bothering you.”

“Nah, bro, listen to this shit,” he said, quickly accessing his voicemail message.

“Good morning, Mr. Spence. Martha Wade here. I hope all is well with you. I have called you over 17 times, hoping you would answer and take responsibility for your dishonesty, so I wouldn’t have to go the extra mile to make an example out of you.

“Mr. Spence, you will come to find that I have friends in high and dark places, and you just happen to be the first person that I will introduce to those dark friends.

“How dare you rob the blind?”

“Dishonesty without consequences will just go on forever,”

“Have a great day, Mr. Spence.”

“And lastly, my dogs hated you the moment you arrived.”

“What the fuck?” said Radrick.

“Bro, she was deadass threatening you just now,”

“What the fuck was that!” he said.

“Fuck she mean by friends in high and dark places, like who the fuck says that.”

“That is what I’ve been telling you,” Moe said.

“The fuck does she mean, make an example out of you,”

“Bro that whole speech was just fucking weird,” said Radrick.

“Yeah, I know,” Moe replied.

“That was one unusual fucking threat,” Radrick said.

“I don’t like it, Moe, like Andre Paul would say, if it doesn’t go like that, it is close.”

Radrick sighed. He didn’t bother smoking again.

“What if it's a prank?” Radrick said.

“What if it isn’t, though?” Moe asked.

“You know Monica keeps telling me to stop, but she doesn’t know I want to.”

“Yeah, definitely pay this fucking woman back,” Radrick told him.

Moe sighed.

“What time is it now?” he asked, with an intoxicated tone.

“10:45,” Radrick told him.

“Shit Monica has to be at work soon,”.

“Ight, I'll pick you up before 12,” Radrick said.

“Okay,”

“By the way, my sister Summer was asking for Billy,” said Radrick and left.

Waving as Radrick drove away, another call came through on his cellphone.

But it wasn’t Martha; it was someone or something with a much more sinister look.

“Incoming Call,”

“THE MASTER COLLECTOR”

“The Collector of all Collectors Is Calling, to collect what he was intended to collect, so collect your thoughts, and await my collection.”

“You Better Pick Up”

Moe’s heart started beating unusually fast as he watched the phone ring to a stop.

“Who the fuck was that?” he contemplated, looking at the screen.

At the same time, Monica was leaving for work.

“Are you okay?” she asked when she saw his head down.

“Yeah,”

“Why do you have your head down?”

“It is nothing,” he said, even though he was frightened of the name he had just seen.

“Okay,” she said.

Monica sighed.

“You know, Moe, I can’t stop thinking about that old guy, and what he said,”

“What if he is not a crazy guy?” Monica asked.

“Babes, you can tell something is not right upstairs with that guy.”

“I don’t know, there is something sincere about him.”

“Just go to work, I will see you later.”

“Okay, Billy is already awake,” she said.

“Okay,” he replied.

Monica walked off. Moe went inside.

Moe came upon Billy having breakfast. But he was so high, he didn’t even say hi to him.

“I’m going to take a nap. Wake me if you need anything.”

Billy didn’t look up. His head was nose deep in whatever he was eating.

Moments later, around 11:15 am.

Billy was still around the table when he heard a heavy wind shaking the front door. The sound annoyed him, so he decided to check it. Frightened, he was when he saw an unusual thin 8-foot man standing in the middle of the road about 40 meters down.

Billy was trembling, looking at the man’s black charcoal face, with his huge black lips and red eyes. The man was wearing skin-tight pants that stretched above his ankles. He had no shirt, just a pair of suspenders showing his rib cage, which matches his needle-sized legs, and pointy shoes.

He wore a thin top hat that shone like a diamond.

And carry a 5-foot cane that shone as well.

The 8-foot man was stylishly walking off with an Ichabod Crane gesture

Walking slantingly, heading down the dirt road and onto Maine Street. He was holding what appeared to be an empty sack that lay comfortably on his back.

Billy saw it, but what he saw next made his heart race.

He heard the empty sack begin talking to the 8-foot man.

“FEED ME NOW,” it says, with a deep and cynical rage, when the 8-foot man calmly pats the sack. And said: “Come, come now, you know the rules, no meal until midnight.”

Billy quickly shut the door, went to his room, and hid under the sheets.

Poor Billy was traumatized by the ominous conversation he had just heard.

So afraid, young Billy spent the rest of the day in his room.

12 Hours Later.

Monica was getting home, just in time to see Moe leaving the house, as Radrick waited for him on the outside.

“I’m going to do something with Radrick. I will be right back."

“Okay, where is Billy?” Monica asked, placing her bags down on the table.

“Right there,” Moe said, pointing to the couch.

“He has been sitting in that one spot all night looking outside.”

“What, Billy, are you okay?” she asked when Billy made a mumble.

“What baby?”

“The weird man is coming back tonight, mommy," he said.

Monica looked at Moe.

“Who is coming tonight?” she asked him.

“He has been saying that all night,” Moe said, walking toward the front door.

“Later,” He said and slammed it.

Moe hastily got in the car.

In the back were Clifton and Benny.

Two white boys with a “Let us do this now” personality.

They both smiled nonstop after seeing Moe.

Monica and Billy stood at the window, watching Moe and others slowly drive off.

She then closed the curtain and checked the time; it was:

11:45 at night.

“You want to watch a movie and eat ice cream with me?” Monica asked Billy.

Billy didn’t answer; he decided to remain seated.

She quickly changed and sat next to him as she watched TV.

15 minutes later, it was now midnight, and after 5 seconds, Monica heard Billy shout out:

“Mom, he is here.”

“Who is here?” she asked when the TV suddenly shut off.

“The man with the sack,” said Billy, trembling, when the front door flew wide open.

Billy looked at his mother.

“Hold on, baby,” Monica told him, and got up to check the door.

Watching from down the dirt road was Father Woodstock.

He tightly held onto his staff, watching the 8-foot man as he entered the little brown house, and shut the door with a BOOM!

Father Woodstock immediately shook his head. Knocked his staff twice and walked off!

Meanwhile, on the other side of town!

Radrick and the others had pulled up at CVS with no one in sight.

The time was now 12:05 am, and the boys stood in the car at the drive-thru window.

“Ready?” Radrick asked with a tenacious smile.

“Ready for what?” Moe asked.

“What are we doing at a pharmacy, Rags?”

“We are going to rob it,” he said, and gave him a black ski mask.

“What?”

“We're going smash and grab some pills. We already have a buyer willing to pay us 40 grand,”

“With that, you can pay Martha back,” Radrick said when he suddenly got a call from his mother.

“Why is my mom calling me so late?”

“Hey, Mom, what’s up?” Radrick answered.

“Keon is Moe near you?”

“Yes.”

“Let me talk to him,”

“Okay,”

Radrick quickly handed Moe the phone.

“Hey, Ms. Christine,” said Moe.

“Moe, I need you to go to your house now. Summer just woke up and wouldn’t stop crying, saying the Boogie man took Billy and Monica.”

“What the fuck,” said Clifton with a whisper, looking at the others, when a sudden rush of goosebumps took him over.

“Okay, I’m coming,” said Moe.

“Ms. Christine,” he said.

“Yes,”

“Why didn’t you call Monica?”

“I did, but she wasn’t answering. It said her number was disconnected and can no longer be reached.”

Rags took the phone from Moe.

“Okay, Mom. See you soon,” he said, hung up, and drove off.

“Yō, something is not right,” Benny said as Radrick pressed on the gas.

“Don’t overthink it, bro,” Radrick said.

“I meant something felt spiritually wrong,” Benny said.

And that statement somehow dragged Moe’s memory back to this morning.

“I forgot to tell you guys something,” said Moe.

“This morning, I had the most bizarre person calling me,”

“Some guy, named the Master Collector, the collector of all collectors.”

They all got uncomfortable hearing that name and awkwardly shuffled up.

“What?” Moe asked when he realized everyone was quiet.

“Bro, are you telling me you never heard of The Master Collector?” Benny asked.

“No what the fuck, who is that?”

“Cliff, you heard of him, right?”

“Yeah, my dad used to tell me stories when I was a kid that he was like a demon for hire, who collects everything in your house, and puts them in his sack.”

“His sack?” Moe asked.

“Yes, his sack,” Cliff said.

“But he was just an urban legend; no one has ever seen him.”

“Well, if he is just an urban legend. Then why do you guys look so worried?”

“Trust me, Moe, it is just an urban legend.”

“Then why did he call me?”

“Someone is probably playing a joke on you or something.”

“You guys stop scaring him,” said Radrick.

“Moe, why don’t you call Monica and see if she is home?” Radrick said.

Moe didn’t hesitate. He dialed, and Monica did pick up.

“HELLO,” SHE SAID.

“MONICA, WHERE ARE YOU?”

“I DON’T KNOW, BABES, I CANNOT SEE ANYTHING, IT IS DARK AND WET, AND I CAN’T FIND BILLY”

“I CAN FEEL THE BAG MOVING, BUT I DON’T KNOW WHERE HE IS GOING,”

“THE CRAZY MAN JUST ATE US,”

“MOE, I’M SO SCARED. PLEASE GET US OUT OF HERE.”

“PLEASE FIND THE MAN FROM WOODSTOCK,”

BEEP – BEEP - THE PHONE CUT OFF!

To Be Continued…