### Chapter 3
The darkness swallowed them whole, the chaos of the hospital room morphing into a surreal nightmare. The machines, once beeping a steady rhythm, now faltered in their purpose, lights flickering in a frantic dance as if the building itself were haunted by the stakes at play.
"Maya, hold his hand!" Alex shouted to break through the din. They had never faced the Collector in such close quarters; the man's presence felt almost palpable, threading anxiety through the air. "He needs you!"
Maya's eyes were wide with fear, but she nodded voraciously, gripping Leo's small, frail hand with a strength born from desperation. Her other hand brushed his cheek, tears streaming freely now, splattering against the stark white linens that wrapped around her child like a shroud.
"Don't leave me, Leo. Fight," she whispered, voice trembling. "I'm here. I love you; please don't go!"
"Dr. Ellis!" Alex cried, urgency cracking through their voice. "What's happening?"
The doctor remained focused, rallying her team amid the chaos. "The power fluctuations are affecting the monitoring equipment, but we still have to—" She was cut off as another alarm blared, drowning her words beneath an agonizing wail.
The Collector's presence shifted, his eyes glimmering with delight at the scene unfolding before him like a macabre performance. "Time is a fickle opponent," he mused softly, leaning casually against the wall. "Will you ultimately choose to save the child or devote your life to this futile struggle?"
Alex's heart raced, each beat a drumroll in a game of dice. They had never wanted this—never anticipated being thrust into the depths of such darkness. "You can't have him. Not like this!"
With each second that passed, the impending essence of loss gnawed at the confines of their mind, fueling a primal instinct to act—not just out of obligation but out of sheer, raw love for life itself.
"Switch to manual override!" Dr. Ellis shouted, snapping Alex from their thoughts. "We need to administer the defibrillator quickly. Now!"
Nurses rushed to the machines, frantically pressing buttons, while another grabbed the paddles from their station with a fierce determination born of experience.
In that fleeting moment, a thought struck Alex—a reckless hypothesis fueled by the desperation and absurdity of the situation. "Maya," they breathed, "I can try to bargain with him."
Her gaze flickered, realizing what they meant. "No! Don't!"
"Maya, listen!" Alex insisted, eyes darting toward the Collector. "I'll negotiate for Leo's life if I have to. You have to keep him alive while I do this!"
"Maya," the Collector purred, feigning sympathy, "no matter how valiant the cause, I'm afraid the decision has already been made. This is the moment where fate interjects, blending the boundaries of sacrifice."
Ignoring his taunting voice, Alex stepped back toward the Collector, heart hammering—ready to challenge what should never be challenged. "Why not make it interesting, Collector? You want power, right? You want to play this game of debauchery? Let's raise the stakes."
He arched an eyebrow, intrigued. "Ah, is that earnest courage I detect or reckless foolishness?"
"Whatever you want to call it," Alex countered, steadying their breath. "I'll give you my life. Let Leo go. Unconditionally."
The Collector's eyes darkened, interest piqued by this unexpected twist. "A bold offer, indeed. But life is not merely an exchange; it's a game where the rules weave deeply into the fabric of existence. What do you offer beyond mere existence?"
"I offer my freedom in return for his health," Alex said, channeling the gravity of their conviction. "By the end of this deal, you can take my soul—my will, my essence. Two years of service to you in exchange for his life."
Maya's horrified gasp pierced the air. "Alex, no!"
"Do we have a deal?" Alex locked eyes with the Collector, who stood unyielding, a gatekeeper to the abyss. "Or are you just a coward, frightened of truly gambled power?"
The Collector's lips parted in an amused smile, his voice a velvet whisper. "Ah, you truly think you can outmaneuver fate? My dear Voss, you seem not to understand one salient truth: the offer isn't about simply extending life. It's what that life comprises—the choices you make will follow you."
"Then let's make the right choice," Alex pressed, heart racing, willing to fight beyond reason for the sake of a child who didn't deserve this burden. "Release him."
The air vibrated with silence as the Collector mulled over the proposition, curiosity dancing across his features. "Interesting, but you seem to forget the nature of souls. They are not awarded lightly. Two years of servitude… That is a substantial commitment you place upon yourself."
"Leo is worth my life—or whatever that means to you," Alex replied, voice strong as they leaned into the challenge. "And you will not take him from us."
A flicker of something crossed the Collector's face, a glint of admiration or perhaps respect for the tenacity in Alex's proposal. "Very well. Should you succeed in your endeavor to change the course of fate, I will entertain your offer. Should Leo survive this night, I shall remove my claim—which means that I will not come for him until the full term of your contract passes."
"What happens if he doesn't survive?" Maya interjected, her voice trembling, the fear of the unknown wrapping around her heart like a vice.
"If he does not…" The Collector paused, savoring the moment, "then your life will be the price to pay for this folly. After all, it has always been about balancing life's debts. Should scorched hope reign supreme, then consider it a lost investment."
Dr. Ellis continued her work, the urgency of the moment suspended in the balance of silence. The monitors were beeping erratically, but there was resolve in Maya's eyes, a fleeting reflection of hope. "Leo!" she cried out, "Come on, baby. Fight!"
"Maya, hold on," Alex pleaded, glancing between her and the Collector. "Don't lose faith."
In that charged moment, as time stretched around them, the Collector extended his hand. "Then we have an accord, dear Voss—a fragile thread binding our fates. Whatever the price, the clock will tick whether you like it or not. You will have until dawn, when the shadows retreat."
Alex grasped the Collector's hand, feeling the cold seep into their bones, an inkling of conflict swirling in their heart. The world around them blurred, yet remained clear: a child's breath hinged on a deal with darkness.
But as the Collector withdrew, a chain of fate tightened around Alex, knitting threads that spanned ratios of life and death. The room vibrated with the energy of unsung melodies—of pain, loss, power, and love.
A gasp erupted from the monitors—their steady rhythm jolting back to life as Leo's tiny body convulsed. "No!" Maya cried, her heart breaking as if a dam around her emotions had burst, flooding waves of despair.
"Push the 200 millijoules!" Dr. Ellis ordered, voice cutting through the emotional fog like a beacon. The nurses scrambled into action, positioning the paddles once more.
The tension tightened, the moment heavy as Alex faced the Collector, the weight of promise crashing against the explosive desperation of a mother's love.
Once again, the electricity crackled in the air around them.
"Stand clear!" Dr. Ellis shouted, raising the paddles.
As the reanimation attempt began, Alex pushed back against the overwhelming tide of own fear, drawing strength from the unyielding spark that belonged to Maya and Leo. They had already gambled so much and decided to take one last stand against the inevitable.
"Leo," Maya's voice was fragile yet strong, anchored with a mother's devotion. "Please!"
"Ready… and clear!" Dr. Ellis yelled out, her team bracing for impact.
Time slowed, breaths suspended mid-air as the paddles connected and the jolt surged through the air, a messenger of hope sent forth.
And in the crucible of that moment, the world seemed to split into two—a cacophony of decision and consequence unfolding like the wings of a butterfly.
And then, suddenly, the monitors chimed—a stable rhythm thrummed through the room, steady and certain. Leo's small chest rose and fell, the weight of existence held in the delicate balance once more.
Maya gasped, hope surging back into her voice as she leaned over her son. "Leo! Are you with me? Please, come back!"
The Collector drew back, a satisfied smile playing upon his lips, his intrigue palpable. With a mere glimpse of victory held, he started to fade into the shadows once more.
"This game has just begun," he murmured. "And I will be watching, dear Voss. Lest you forget: the essence of power lies in the choices you make."
A chill ran down Alex's spine as the reality of their deal settled like a stone in their heart. The battle wasn't won; it had merely evolved. Leo lived—at least for now—but the price Alex had bargained for loomed over them like a storm cloud on the horizon.
"This isn't over…" they whispered, a seed of defiance blossoming within.
But as they watched Maya clutch her son and the medical team breathe life back into his small frame, Alex understood the weight of fighting a battle that would span beyond this night—1260 days to navigate a treacherous terrain among shadows.
And so, they resolved within themselves, a flicker of light daring to emerge amid the encroaching gloom. They had won a moment, but the war with the Collector—and the essence of their own being—had just begun.