How Indeed
“Are you still confused to where you belong Anodyne?” Anodyne continued to float in silence through space, basking in the warmth of a nearby sun. “Do you lay in the sun because the warmth comforts you?” “I lay in the sun because I like to be over hot, it makes me sleepy.” “Then why is Hollow so cold, why make a planet with nearly no sunny days if you enjoy the warm sunshine?” “Hollow was not always so cold, when it first started there were many warm days, but as I gathered more humans and there negative emotions filled me I was fueled with more hatred than I could imagine. As my negative emotions grew so did the negative attributes of hollow.” “So you are nothing but an empty husk, a shell that allows others empty their personality into you.” “The last life I lived saw what my first lives failed to see. He saw himself as not himself, just small parts of those around him. He was the only life I lived that saw that he had no personality just mix of personalities he had encountered as he pick and chose the parts of others he enjoyed to be apart of him.” “It amuses me how you lower life forms look back on what you used to be as if you have changed.” “Lower life form? I am a god there are none higher than me, I used to be lowly human now I am eternal a force to be reckoned with.” “You are nothing but a human with long life and some new tricks, you are far from eternal you may not age but you can still die. This universe is nothing but a small part of the multi-verse which is an atom compared to the true size of the Eterna-verse.Do you really think that you are the pinnacle of creation that great power ends with you, you are merely in the testing stage.” Anodyne sat wide eyed into the black, as a tsunami of thoughts rushed through his mind as nervous laughter escaped his lips. “So I am just some insignificant little bug incapable of seeing the bigger picture? I have visited the multi-verse my first humans came from another universe I do not remember seeing any Eterna-verse looming overhead.” An eerie laugh filled Anodynes ears as his head spun trying find the source. “Well you can’t see me, that does not mean that I do not exist simply that your thoughts are too narrow to allow you to see the bigger picture as you put it. The only reason I am even here is because you seemed to gain access to the multi-verse faster than the average.” “So who are you and how do I get to see you?” “How indeed?”
Where Do I Belong?
“So please explain this to me Anodyne, you were mad at one of the many other gods of the many other universes for mistreating their creations so you steal their creations and torture them for yourself?” “So that is how this is going to go, yes I did exactly what made me mad but it is different because the people have to be sacrificed in order to destroy their god.” “Oh really and how does sacrificing the creations of one god destroy them?” “Because if a gods creations is tormented by themselves or each other it puts them through so much unbearable pain that they cannot move. That is why once I bring them through to my world I spawn nightmares from their fears to harm them, a technical self harm thus causing the pain upon the god.” “How can pain truly effect a god?” “Well only a god can hurt a god, gods are only immortal because our creations see us that way. When a god enters conflict with another it is as two equals, except with much greater power at our disposal.” “You said that you spawn nightmares that have sentience but we have on record that you are incapable of creating sentient life, so which stories true?” “Well both, I am not creating the life I am taking it from the realm of sleep and moving it into reality it is a very simple trick for a god to do, so it is not creation of life simply moving a being from one plane of existence to another.” “This is all fascinating would you mind if I continued for a a few more questions?” “Not at all, Mrs, Mr, I um, who are you?” Anodyne stared into the black that surrounded him, his loneliness slowly crushing him till he found solace curling into the fetal position where his tears stained his shirt as he continued drifting through space all alone. “Where do I belong?”
The Seven Sea Sisters
I forget what day it is, I have lost track of time attempting to create life. My creations still do not surpass my first, as for them to surpass my first I would have to have a first. I am eons in and my hands still fail to summon intelligent life, I can give birth to plants of nearly sentient nature, but I still fail to create my own humans. I have spent decades sculpting the land just to lay it to waste in fits of rage as my abilities as a deity see their limits. Upon an island I lay, no room for anyone else, not that I could create anyone to enjoy my spec of land with me. At Least that is what I thought, now while it was not life I created I was visited by a deity from Earth. Earth was where my mortal lives lived, it was bizarre seeing one of the gods that crafted my origin planet. They saw me lonely and emotion filled, crafting just to destroy due to fits of anger, sadness, hopelessness, and soul crushing loneliness. The deity was gracious and offered me asylum in their universe where I may rest and watch how they created life. I spent a few lifetimes watching my old lives go by, remembering past events long forgotten. Years went by as I watched their creations grow and develop, I ventured to and from Earth trying to figure out the secret to craft life. I fail to recall how many times Earths deity started their world over, each time learning how to better appease the people of Earth, learning how to lead Humans down a path which leads them to happiness. I want my chance to create a world where I restart over and over making the perfect life for my inhabitants. I will be patient as this deity is and one day I hope to be rewarded with the gift to create life. Time, I fear I am running out of it, even I have lost count of all the iterations of Earth. I am tired of waiting, living in the shadow of this pretentious deity, they claim to be for the people but even now after all I have seen each Earth has been as bile as the last. Mistake after mistake, key humans ruining the world and this so called deity does nothing but wipe the slate clean and try again, letting their people suffer once more. I visit Earth through different time eras in different versions seeking to help but unable to do any good before the world resets and my efforts were for nothing. Every version of Earth that arrived I would wait for one time where I could visit one orphanage, there I would bring pets and tell stories to a small group of girls and make them happy before the cold could take them. I would tell them fantasies of sailing in ships all over the world where they got to see all the wonders Earth could holds, the whole time running from pirates and creepy sea monsters. They loved the excitement of monsters and bad men, I tried my hardest to make sure I was not too scary. No matter how well I prepared them the Deity of Earth had wrote they were to die of the cold, poor, alone, and hungry in their little book of destiny carried on their person. This deity was no idiot, they could sense my hatred and in return said they decided to let me vent, let me change one thing in their world. Without hesitation I ran as fast as I could to the Orphanage where I greeted the seven girls once again, I offered them freedom and a chance to survive in my world. They were elated, they jumped and grabbed what little they had; hand in hand I took them to my world. Entire eons had passed in my world as I left it neglected to watch Earth, I had nothing but a small island and oceans to cover the rest, I could see the disappointment in their eyes. Had I done wrong, was this fate worse than what the other Deity had done, had I lived too long and simply forgotten what humans need? No, I was going to give them a life worthy of all they had been stripped of, so I told them with words of the mind, I gave them visions of all the lives they lived and what their Deity had written of them in the book of fate. I flooded their minds with the memories of all the lives they had lived. Never had I felt hate this strong, I saw pain and anguish that dwarfed the pain I felt through the eons I sat alone, theirs was true pain. I asked them what they wanted, all seven stared at me with hate burning in their eyes, one word uttered between them in perfect unison “REVENGE.” As this word was uttered I felt my body overwhelmed with emotions, I was incapable of crafting my own thoughts. My mind was filled with raw emotions, I could feel the girls in my mind screaming. Although there was only seven I saw every iteration of them that ever existed, all of them demanding revenge. I could not deny them, I had seen suffering of innocent’s time after time and this time, the innocent would claim what was owed, a life for a life, and they are owed more lives than I could count. I told them to wait, they trusted ma as I jumped back to Earth, they awaited my return. I could feel them, their thoughts, the once sweets thoughts of seven little girls turned sour by the visions of lives gone by. Their deity did not seem to notice me this time, they were busy re doing what was already re done. I could feel their cravings, each time I walked pass a human I could feel their rage burn inside my brain. I was incapable of controlling myself, I could feel the emotions of all the inhabitants of my planet, and all of them were full of rage. I was unaware that I had released every soul of every version of those seven girls into my world. My young mind was unprepared for the minds of so many, even though I had lived for eons it was nothing compared to the amount of times those girls had existed. If I counted the versions of Earth where they existed it would surpass my age by a number I have yet to name Every Time I drew close to one of the humans I would collapse, as the rage from the seven brought me to my knees, I could not handle the emotions they were capable of, if I were to handle taking more I would need a way to harness their emotions a conduit to channel my emotions through. Although I know what needed be done I could not as I laid crippled by a stew of negative emotions, I flickered in and out of Earth’s physical plain, eventually I found myself stable in the physical plain curled in a ball next to a carnival, weeping and writhing like a babe out of mother’s arms. I had no hope as I laid there incapable of moving. But then a man in a strange outfit laid his hand upon me, asking me if I needed help, I saw my chance and acted. I grasped his head knocking off his hat, I funneled all my emotions and those of the girls through this man. His head burned as he was removed from his own body so he could be filled with what he did not know. At that point I could see everything I needed, I did not need to create life I was going to harvest it. I gleamed into the man’s mind, the circus conductor now the conductor of my emotions, he had dreams and nightmares and these are what I will harvest to give birth to life in my world. My emotions had been drained but essences of the girl’s emotions still remained, I was now nothing but empty husk filled with pain. I returned to my girls all sitting patiently with eager grins, they asked if he was their first pray, I turned to see my conduit standing behind me, he explained he is now a part of me so where I go, he follows. I told the girls they would have to wait for this man was mine, a necessity if we were to burn the lives of others. I told them they would have eternity to roam my world in a boat like the stories, a group of deadly pirates ready to plunder the lands of all humans I steal to my world. With that I brought forward seven mighty vessels with each a crew for them to control, not of my creation but harvested from the nightmares of those on earth. I tell them that I will give birth to a new world, one with wide oceans for them to rule and lands for them to plunder filled with the humans I steal from earth, tormented by the very nightmares they have each night. I was going to ensure that these girls got what they craved, to show all others from Earth the true meaning of pain. Together we would rule my world, a world named after the condition of my soul. Hollow
Nothing Is Staring Back
Nicholas awoke in a cold sweat, crawling out of bed he fumbled his way to a light switch. The light burnt into his eyes as he did his best to turn away, not wanting to blind himself a second time he wandered down the hall in darkness till he found himself in the bathroom. There he stood staring into the mirror, barely able to make his own image out in the black. Nicholas stood there until his eyes finally adjusted, he did not move or grin he stood staring. Thinking back to the many nightmares that had occurred over the years gone by, he waited for his reflection to move independently to drag him into the mirror world. Minutes went by but still nothing, Nicholas knew that nothing was going to happen, he knew that all the nightmares were in his head, he hoped one day they would not be. A full hour went by with no sign of anything, just him alone in his home staring blankly into his own eyes, hoping that he may see them blink. Nicholas knew none of his nightmares would ever come to reality, the thought of it was constantly on his mind for in a way he was closer to the monsters than he was to people of the real world. Multiple hours went by with him standing in front of his mirror, hoping to catch the mirror beast slip up. It was not till the sun started to creep in through the windows Nicholas realized that he was alone, he was always alone, and never would there be a time where he was truly in company of anyone who he could understand like his nightmares. His shoulder was caressed with the warming touch of a relative, asking if he was ok. Nicholas could not answer because truly deep down he knew he did not know, he simply responded. “There is nothing staring back.”
The Window Walker
I finally got to move out of my parents home and into my own flat, I say my own but it was my brothers. I was lucky enough that we get along, his flatmates and I are friends too which is nice. I have not been living with my parents for a few years but I am in a position where I no longer need their financial help, so it is like I am finally my own person for the first time. The flat is at the back of a cul-de-sac that leads out to a forested area so there was literally no one behind us. The entrance leads to the kitchen on the left and a toilet on the right we have a “downstairs” it is only a few steps down, more of a lowered floor than anything else. Down there we have the lounge and that leads to deck that faces out into the wooded area behind our flat. We also have an upstairs that has four bedrooms and two bathrooms. There was already four people living in the flat when I asked, but fortunately there was a linen cupboard that was not being used. The cupboard was about a meter wide and 170 cm long, so I could nearly lay down in it without my feet sticking out. It was fairly high, well over two meters with a roof access hatch in it. I was gifted the opportunity of flatting with friends and I was in a fortunate situation where I owned very little. I had a two door car, bike, computer, war hammer and a small selection of clothes. It was all I had ever wanted and now I also got to live with the people I enjoyed being around. My computer went down stairs in the lounge out of the way and the bike was just outside locked up to a rail. Since my computer was downstairs I was downstairs, a lot. At the present time I did not have a job so it was a lot of late nights and mid day starts. During this time I managed to catch up on gaming with a little side practice of painting and writing. Really I should not have wasted my time but my friends were playing and my motivation was really low because I had no call backs from CV’s that I had handed out. About a week had gone by and I had started staying up till the next morning and then sleeping only a few hours, just to return to my computer. Late one night, or early one morning I remember sitting alone downstairs wanting to head out to grab a beverage. I stood up grabbed my keys, wallet, and was just about to head out when something moving in the corner of my eye caught my attention. There was a man out in the trees but he was too far away to determine features, he kept on weaving in and out of trees so I constantly lost sight of him. I figured it might be one of our neighbors looking for their dog, there was four of us in a row at the end of the cul-de-sac so it was very possible. But still the more I stared the more uneasy I felt so I decided to stay in that night, something about it just seemed odd a man pacing out in the woods, a little eerie even. Over the next two weeks I would see what I assumed was a man pacing outside in the woods, in the end I decided that it was just some crazy person doing late night fitness. Even after coming to this conclusion he still creeped me out, there was something odd about him. Fortunately I did not have that much time to dwell over him as I got a job which ended my late night sprees. It was nice feeling as if I had purpose again, as much as I enjoy being lazy I feel useless and like I am letting my life waste away even after just a few days of doing nothing. I managed to round up an impressive 27 days straight of work that was interrupted once by me getting sick, probably because I was not used to the long hours. Sadly though this all came to an end and my freelance work supply dried up and I returned to my lazy lifestyle. First night staying up late and just like before he was pacing in the woods but this time he stopped, he was so far away I could not tell whether or not he was staring at my flat or facing the other way. No matter what the answer was it was nothing less than unnerving. I closed the curtains and decided to go to bed that night I was clearly too tired and he was getting into my head. Since I had gone to bed so early I was up before the sun was, to me this was very strange but nice because it means I get a decent amount of lazy in the morning then I could go for a bike ride. I had gotten down stairs and all wrapped up in my blanket when I heard the cat scratching behind the curtain, playing with some tinfoil from Domino’s pizza garlic bread. Reluctantly I got up and opened the curtain picking up the ball of tinfoil and throwing it up stairs giving out a little laugh as the cat chased it so blindly. I turned back to close the curtains but instead I ended up staring down the man outside, not that he was close enough to pick out features but he was definitely close enough to know he was facing me. He was still way too far in the trees to be concerned so I just closed the curtains and made sure the sliding door and the windows were locked. Then I went back to my computer and continued gaming. By the time I reached the next night I had completely forgotten about the man in the window as I spent the whole day with my Brother. We ended up deciding to stay downstairs to watch movies but unfortunately he got a late night call for work and had to ditch me. I ended up finishing the movie we started but decided to leave the other ones for another night with him. Naturally I went for my computer, no point going to bed this early. I wish I had though, between standing and walking over to me computer I had to stop, eyes were on me, I could feel a cold burn on the side of my head. I turned outside to see it, not him, it. I could not move it was so close, it definitely was not facing me but it stood just a few meters in front of our porch hunched over. I stepped back and put my foot quite precisely on the cat’s tail causing her to jump and hiss at me. This shocked me and I looked away to see the cat run under my desk, I turned back to see it was closer slowly moving backwards towards me by this point I could see everything. Its fingers were long, they reached the ground from the side of its body. Its body was anorexic not an unhealthy skinny, organ-less, its rib cage gave the only definition to its upper body below that the only thing showing definition was its pelvis the rest its body was skin wrapped tight around its bones. Still it faced the other way just standing there now, no movement, from either of us, I was too afraid to move and it was just standing there toying with me. I moved to my left to line up with the stairs behind me but as I did the image of it disappeared partially, it hit me it was not outside I was blocking its reflection. I noticed then its feet were not on the ground it was hovering in the glass but still its feet stood firm. This thing was standing behind me, my breathing got faster and faster eventually I got the nerve to turn around only to see the stairs leading to the kitchen. My neck snapped back around to the thing in the window, still it stood there back to me hovering off of the ground, image distorted by my own. I had no idea what was going on at this point I was beyond confused in my confusion I moved closer to the sliding door, I needed to see unobstructed what it was, I needed to see without interference. I got to the door and undid the hatch, this made the thing more awake, its head rose and its body straightened. still I persisted, I slide the door open but as I did the less I saw of it, by the time the door was fully open it was no where. Again I looked behind me just to double check but still just an empty room, I pushed the door fully open and looked out reassuring myself that I had been having too many late nights. I turned to my right to grab the handle of the door to see its head sticking through the window not from either side but out from the glass. Its head was no different from the rest a tight wrapped skin across the skull, no mouth just scars where it has been sewn shut. The eyes an adrenaline hysteria beaming around the room in opposite directions. I opened my mouth to scream but only a slight whimper was let out, the head of it cocked to the left and the long fingers lashed out at me multiple knuckles allowing it to bend an unnatural amount of times wrapping me up it climbed out of the window and carried me upstairs all the way to my room. It placed me down in my bed with one of its hands and opened the ceiling hatch above my bed with the other, not once breaking eye contact. It used its one free hand to climb into the roof leaving me in my bed wide eyed and staring, slowly it disappeared into the black above me. As it closed the hatch my eyes got heavier until finally the hatch and my eyes were closed. Ever since then it has not returned but I feel its eyes cold burn on my neck some nights when I sit in the lounge.
A Hollow Welcome
Frigid air runs across my face, caressing my cheeks into an awakening embrace. My eyes flutter open to the sparkle of the stars above, and the sound of nature all around. I sat up and took in my surroundings, I was in a clearing, surrounded by trees. Even though I had no idea where I was, I could not help but feel comforted, like returning to a childhood memory. A place that even though I have no memory, I knew I could place all my trust in it to protect me. I laid back down digging my hands into the grass, feeling my way into the dirt, allowing the breeze to cool my warm skin. I watched as the moon crossed the sky, slowly it crept through the void of space until it reached the horizon, just to start again the next night. I wondered if the moon enjoyed the journey it took every night, a labor endured to avoid the harsh heat of the sun. I must have been laying there for hours just enjoying the feel of the wind, sound of the bugs, and birds all combining with the sounds of the trees, making an orchestra where I was their only attendee, or so I thought. My relaxing night was interrupted by the sound of rustling among the trees, a steady shiver crawled its way up my spine till it reached the back of my neck, where my entire body shook. Spinning my head around with my ear turned outwards I hoped to pinpoint the location of rustling, but the more I turned the more I realized it was all around me. In a hastened panic, I stood continuing my sporadic spinning hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever was hiding in the tree line, praying that it was simply some harmless animal and not the horrors running through my mind. “Show yourself, I want to see you.” I shouted at the top of my lungs, not realizing the error of my words. Not one second passed before every inch of tree line gave birth to a horde of small, green, grotesque, half-lings. All wielding spears or rope. I darted back and forth trying every direction hoping for a break in the lines but I was surrounded, I collapsed to my knees as they drew ever closer to me. I watched as they screamed and chanted their way over to me, time felt as if it slowed to a slither allowing me to watch them prepare their ropes. Everything went quiet as I watched them move at a fraction of their speed, this was my chance I could escape if they continued to move so slow. I tried moving but as soon as I did time seemed to speed up. Although small they struck like a tsunami, knocking me straight onto my back with no effort at all. The ropes burnt and cut as they were attached to me, stretching my limbs out like a starfish. Two of the Goblin like creatures climbed onto my chest, grinning, and giggling, “Welcome to the Hollow, cunt.” The two Goblins screamed at me, laughing as they poked me with their small sticks. Although the laughter was not to last long as a mighty roar echoed through the forest scaring all the fauna in the area into silence. All the Goblins were staring around in a panic and the two on top of me jumped from my chest and ran away from my still bound body, as a figure flew in front of the moon quickly descending upon me. Fear jump started my body as I writhed in my bonds hoping, begging, praying that they would loosen before this beast landed atop of me. I was too slow though, he landed a foot either side of me, facing away from me. A colossal man with enormous hand and feet, along with the most blood curdling smile which ran unnaturally high upon his rounded head. His body twisted and turned till his face was directly in front of mine, his smile now appearing even larger and his eyes filled with crazed determination. His voice as loud as a cannon blasted my ears. “Why if it aint little ol Anodyne, you’re a little early. I hope you enjoyed your nap so far but you are early, so it is time to wake up.” His voice as deep as he was gargantuan, he intertwined all his fingers together and rose his fists above his head. Then with all his might his fists descended upon my head. I shot out of my bed, sweating and shaking. I quickly got up to turn on the light to see my window was left open. I heard a noise from the hall so I opened my door and turned on the hall light. I saw nothing, I heard nothing, I did not sleep the rest of the night.
Run Nightmares Run
The yelling in the camp drowned out the noises of that which was approaching them. Once again sides were being taken as the argument got heated, it was apparent there was a murderer in the camp but no one knew who. A guard had positioned himself on top the catwalk, to search for suspicious behavior. What he saw was far more than he expected, he started running to the gate yelling, “Someone’s here, someone’s here, someone’s here.” Slowly one by one the encampment stopped yelling and started running to the gate, the screams of a man started to be heard as all the shouting had disappeared. Everyone arrived to the gate as the man on guard let the gate swing open. The man fell through the opening collapsing to the ground covered in blood. Those closest to him tried to help, but every touch made the man scream with agony. Through his pain he managed to utter but a few words before falling unconscious. “Camp, slaughtered, nightmares, run.” A chill ran down the spine of the whole camp, no one had anything to say they were frozen to the spot till the little voice of Penrose spoke out. “If he is here, does that mean the monsters are coming here too?” It took no time at all before the idea of throwing the man outside the gate, but with every idea there is those who oppose it. The camp was nearly perfectly split in half as panicked screams demanded the safety and sacrifice of this unknown individual. “Everyone shut the fuck up, the question is not whether to kill this man or not it is do we run? We have not left the safety of these walls besides food since they have gone up. So do we run before they get here or fight here?” The crowds of people murmured to one another as they contemplated the words shouted before them. Before a decision could be made Penrose’s oldest brother spoke out. “What if they are already here? We never noticed the one that killed that one asshole, what is to say they aint here?” Eyes started darting around the camp ensuring that nothing was lurking in the shadows, people started spinning on the spot to get a full view of the camp but no one could see any sign of a monster lurking. “Everyone group up and check the camp then we will decide if we should leave.” Greg yelled as he started handing out what little weapons they had, initiating the first nightmare hunt on record. Thomas the leader of the builders lead a small group around the edge of the wall, the whole time his head raced with what was coming their way. What had the capability to wipe out an entire town, something small that snuck under everyone’s vision, or a beast of great proportions that simply squashed the town with one stomp. Thoughts of monsters and beasts started to run through everyone’s mind as they walked the camp, meanwhile Anodyne was floating about with the Conductor. “Conductor do you know how I bring nightmares into this world?” “I assume you made them my lord.” “Oh no I can’t create life, only manipulate it. For you see nightmares do exist because all humans have an ability that no other species share. They can create pocket worlds when they sleep, these worlds are destroyed each morning as they wake, so I simply take what they created and bring them unto Hollow.” “So how is it you intend to bring forth their nightmares, do you intend on waiting till they are asleep next?” “Well most of the time I do, but if you get a human to concentrate heavily on something they can create pocket worlds for short periods of time while conscious. All of them below are panicking, the only thing they can think about is what killed that mans town, all I have to do is wait till someone is lost in thought then.” Anodyne paused and grinned, “Then I take out the beast they imagine.” Anodyne flickered from the Conductor’s vision, as he returned he applauded himself and bowed. “I thank you individual for such a fine creation!” A long slender black creature started to crawl over the wall, it dripped tar everywhere it laid its bony limbs. It was not long till the camp noticed, it was met with screams and sheer terror. No one had the mental strength to approach the beast, as it opened its unnaturally large jaw it screamed a harrowing scream causing everyone to start running from it. It ran towards people like an excited puppy, constantly changing its target based on who was closer. It ran all over the camp till it finally caught the young orphan boy on the stairs, covering his body in tar he pinned him to the steps. His older brother snapped out of his fear upon seeing his little brother held down by the monster, he started running full speed to the stairs grabbing a dropped spear on the way. Penrose who was standing next to her oldest brother tried her best to keep up, she followed as fast as her legs would let her. The monster leaned in to take a bite of the small boy, its mouth stretching to nearly the size of the child before a well placed spear landed cleanly into its back. It let off another screech as it turned to the older brother, it leaped landing on his shoulder drenching him with tar. The older brother writhed as the tar covered his entire body, bubbles formed over his face where his breath tried to escape. It turned back to the younger boy, where it walked back over to have its snack. Penrose got to her oldest brother in time to clean tar away from his nose, “Don’t worry big budda I will save little bro.” He tried grabbing her but the tar was too heavy for him to lift quickly, as she ran back towards the stairs her oldest brother slowly started to stand up. Everyone had started to gather by the gate ready to leave, but they had to stand there, they had to know if the children were going to die, but none of them wanted to risk their own lives to save them. The monster was now lurching over the small orphan boy mouth slowly opening as Penrose approached the base of the steps. Its jaw crunched as it extended wider now capable of swallowing the boy whole, Penrose ran up the steps as fast as she could but was being slowed by the tar dripping down them. The oldest brother had nearly reached the base of the steps when Penrose managed to grab the beast’s hind leg. Being so small it did not notice and slammed its jaws shut, taking boy and tar in its disturbing body. Silence, shame, guilt, all ran through those standing at the gate too scared to help the three little orphan children now two. Penrose broke out into tears as the nightmare turned to her swallowing loudly, the little brother let out gurgling screams as he was being swallowed alive. The nightmares red eyes glowed before Penrose as it chuckled to itself, but unfortunately for the nightmare Penrose was broken she had forgotten how to be afraid. “Dat was little big brudda, you hurt him, hes my brudda not yours, these are my stairs not yours get off my stairs and bring back little big brudda.” Both Anodyne and the Conductor stared in amazement as a strange black energy seemed to be pouring from the ground and into the small orphan child. “Lord Anodyne what is that.” “I have no idea, some kind of energy but I have no idea what or who is making it.” Before Anodyne could investigate Penrose yelled once more.“Dis is my stairs and my little big bro, you need to go!” With that the nightmare, Penrose, and her older brother all disappeared into thin air. Leaving all behind confused. Lord Anodyne do you know where they…” “I have no fucking clue, I can’t even see a trace of energy they are just gone.” The rest of the camp started to be filled with the sound of approaching nightmares, everyone started to leave the camp running deep into the surrounding woods as the sun started to set in the sky.
Hollow Circus – Filling The Hollow
The slums of rem started burning as Anodyne flew from its boundaries, the panicked Holites ran from their homes to calm the flames before it could escape deeper into the city. Meanwhile The Ringmaster and his band of insane circus freaks walked the back alley streets, finding a location to set up for the coming nights festivities. The Ringmaster wandered the empty alleyways, dancing as he went. “I have plans and aspirations, goals and dreams, to have the greatest circus ever seen. Hollow Circus up in lights, dishing out a nightly fright, to all the little Holites.” The Ringmaster continued to lead his gang through the morning light, singing and dancing as he went on his way. Sarah felt discomfort with this new side of the Conductor she had never seen before. “Hey Conductor, why are you happy, why are you singing? I have not seen you this way before, it is concerning.” The Ringmaster stopped dead in his tracks, turning on the spot. “I am sorry you called me what? For the Conductor is who i’m not. The Ringmasters my name, red coat with a world to tame. You call me Conductor again, and you will be nothing more than a bloodstain.” The group fell silent as Sarah looked concerned, she went to respond but held her tongue. Breccan was not so controlled, he let his tongue roll. “I like new Ringmaster, he seems fun. Lead on Ringmaster, ignore this one.” The group moved on leaving Sarah behind, Ringmaster first, Breccan second, magician third, but the beast tamer took a second. “Look little one, people change and have different faces. Just move on.” Ulysses marched on following the others, “Come Sarah, the circus is no circus without a lovely looking acrobat.” Sarah blushed and ran on, catching up with her circus group. They pulled a corner slightly ahead, by the time Sarah arrived they had stopped dead. Before the group stood a tent, red and white, striped and tall, parked right next to the south Rem mall. “Here, it’s here. My tent is here for all, now I know it looks so small, but inside it is larger than the mall. Furthermore what hides within, Circus town for us to prepare, the most devilish circus fair.” Holites gathered round, circling the tent, listening to the sounds that seemed to be spilling forth. No one had seen this tent before and was wondering how it all arrived with no one noticing it, a couple of Holites walked to the entrance only a meter away when the Ringmaster erupted from the mouth of the tent. “Hello, hello, what have we here? Two young gentlemen wanting to come in? Our circus is not prepared yet, please wait till we have all prepared within. But you can get a ticket to the show, would you like one? Would you like to go?” Both of the men were highly confused, “But what is a circus?” “My goodness friend, it is a stupendous event of fun, wonder, and thrills. Do you not wish to see a man tame nightmares, or even someone make entire objects disappear and reappear, how about a thrilling dare-devil flying overhead from rope to rope, not to mention the strongest man lifting impossible weights.” The Ringmaster continued to ramble on, drawing a larger crowd till he was surrounded by intrigued Holites. He handed out tickets to all of those that wish to see the first Hollow Circus later that night. “Do not fear, these tickets are free. I just need to know how many are coming for the night. Do not worry about space for there will be plenty, we can always make room for more.” The Ringmaster quickly ducked inside after everyone had tickets to his show, he made his way through the tent and out the back to circus town. A dimension created by him that exists within the tent, allowing all the circus acts to prepare in silence. He stared out at the bare ground knowing that someday there would be a grand complex of tents and circus acts that would be performed in his main tent. “Ringmaster I have two for you.” Breccan appeared from the main tent with two Holites, one under each arm. Their mouths were gagged and their hands and legs bound. “Are you going to give them a piece of your soul, like you did with us?” “Oh my no, a soul can be split only but a few times. What I am going to do if far more interesting though, I am going to eat them without touching them. Why yes I will indeed, and since you all have part of my soul you can do this trick too. We need clowns, obedient and mindless, in order for that they need to be soulless.” The Ringmaster knelt down breathing in heavily above the wriggling man, his skin started to steam as screams tried to escape the gag. The longer he did the thicker the steam got, absorbing the colors from his skin as it went. By the end the man was as white as a cloud, eyes opened wide. “Now I just dress them accordingly, to how I want.” A wave of his hand and the man was fully dressed in the most ridiculous of clothes, with the face paint to match. “Now I am going to get the majority of clowns dressed but you may take a few for you, make them in your image, let them follow you, let them fill the tent with fun and joy.” The group was in an uproar as more and more Holites were taken for the circus, never before had any of them consumed a soul, nor would they ever wish to consume anything else ever again. Before long they had an army of soulless workers at their disposal. All the preparations were done by the clowns, they set all the decorations, and were to run all the stalls. Circus town was to be their home, a place for them to live in anticipation of the next show. Moods were high for they knew that the first show was nearly upon them. Only minutes to go, everyone was on edge for the night to start, except Sarah who sat quietly on the ground.” The Ringmaster knelt down by her side, “Now Sarah where is that smile, where is that energy that lasted all this time, why are you not prepared for the show?” “I listened to all your stories of the circus on Earth, the acrobat sounds amazing but they always worked with multiple, I am just one my show won’t be fun.” “Why yes it will, and do you know why. Because you were my first fragment of a soul, inexperienced was I, a large portion of soul is what you got. You are more me than any other, but with that comes power. You tired of being one, then be three be six have fun, tap within and release your desires for the sake of fun.” Sarah was confused but tried to listen, she closed her eyes and hoped. As she opened them she looked around to see she was still one, standing up and walking off she yelled with frustration, “See I am terrible I am one, I can not be an acrobat show with one.” To her amazement as she turned to yell at the Ringmaster, she saw herself still sitting, the version of her sitting stood, “Well then let me help you one, for I am two. Together we can make this fun for both me and you.” Sarah was elated jumping around, leaving behind another duplication receiving a similar greeting from each one as they appeared. “See look at that your show will be fun, now I have to run. The tent opens soon, so I must take my position as welcoming buffoon.” The crowds of Holites started to gather in front of the tent, slowly amassing in number the Conductor waited for the right moment. He gave one final look around the internals of his glorious tent before pulling the rope to let all in. The curtains raised, as the joys of the circus were gazed upon by the public. “Come in, come in, let the Hollow Circus begin.” The crowds forced their way through the narrow opening, swarming to the attractions. The lights over head shone down giving the whole tent a colorful air, the stalls below each had their own glow of color and decoration. All around was fun and games that enticed all who drew near, an uproar of laughter was trapped in the tent as it filled with more and more souls. The clowns wandered around the games entertaining people as the night went on. Never before had Hollow had such a fun-filled environment. A loudspeaker system crept through the loudness of the crowds to tell the crowds to take a seat for the upcoming show that was about to happen. As they were told they did, all sat at the seats provided and awaited the promised show. The large grandstands full of people filled the whole tent as they circled the show stage in the center. Not a single Holite realized that the stalls had all vanished into thin air in order to make room for the grandstands and the stage, all were engrossed with what was to happen next. All the lights went out leaving the crowds to fall silent in the black as a single light appeared in the center of the stage. In the light was a mic but no one to operate it, through the hush of the fans footsteps could be heard until finally the Ringmaster appeared. “I want to welcome you to my show, you have all had fun, this I know. I watched from afar as you laughed and ate, having fun on every take. The night is not over yet, before you I have a set, of great performers to entertain you yet. Without further ado, I give my first performer to you.” One after one the Ringmasters crew come to stage and performed for all, enticing and amazing the crowds in every act. Once again the Ringmaster took to the stage. “Tonight you have seen a man with the power of ten, a group of women who all looked the same perform daring acrobatic feats, a man who can trick your eyes with the art of magic, and a man who could tame the most unruly of nightmares. But fret not that is the end of the show, for our final act a feast will be held.” The Ringmasters group of four all came out, along with the clowns as well. “The feast is not for you but us you see, for we have a full team to feed not to mention the nightmare we contained. I am truly sorry but once you have tasted soul it is the only flavor you shall ever know.” The crowds started to panic as the nightmares tamed in the show re entered stage, screaming ensued when no one could find the way out. What was once a soft curtain now hard as stone, all the entrances no more. “Let the feast begin, let us all get stuck in.” Everyone made their way into the crowds of screaming Holites, one by one consuming their souls leaving a Hollow husk of a body behind for the nightmares to consume. The clowns were used as herders, scaring everyone into groups for easy containment, where there was once pleasant makeup now a face of a Holite who was Hollow within, no soul or life left in the eyes. Hours went on as everyone was hunted down and consumed, both body and soul. Everyone rested as the clowns cleaned up the mess and returned the nightmares to their cages. “My hour has come, I must return to Anodyne for I am the Conductor to him. Please remember I am the Ringmaster …
Hollow Circus – Through Farmers Valley
The group of four now walked north, over the jagged landscape of the Opeos region and into the rolling hills of Farmers Valley. The green valley travelled as far as the eye could see, vibrant trees and lush grass was in abundance, with different crops painting the landscape with a variety of colors. The Conductor stopped at the beginning of Farmers Valley. “This is the fastest way to Rem, but my powers are all but gone, so I am a mere immortal. Chances of us being stolen to be slaves is pretty high.” The conductor continued walking forward, Sarah followed with no hesitation. The brothers looked at each other with concern, Ulysses decided to speak up. “So if there is a good chance of kidnap, why are we heading in?” “Because any other route will take months, and unlike Sarah and I you two are mortal. This means you need to eat food, so this way has food.” Ephraim’s eyes widened, “Wait you guys are immortal, how? Furthermore how do we?” “I can give it to you once I recharge, but in order to do that we need to find Anodyne. The easiest way to find Anodyne is to get me in a compromising position, weakness of me is weakness of him.” Before either brother could ask the question Sarah answered it, “This is the Conductor, Anodyne’s Angel. Don’t worry he only hurts those he does not like.” Neither brother had words, they simply followed the Conductors steps wondering if they had made a mistake leaving Opeos. The party traveled in silence through the valley, the Conductor was content, Sarah elated, and the brothers deeply concerned. Hours went by without a word, until the silence was broken by the sound of growling stomachs. “Urgh, not even one day without food and your body is already complaining, mortality is such a tedious state of being.” The Conductor turned to his left, heading towards a small homestead that could be made out by its lights cutting through the night. The party just about reached the house when the ground they were standing on opened up consuming them. The hole closed itself above them, forcing them to follow a dim light deeper into the tunnel. As they went further in the light got brighter until they arrived at the end. Even the room where the light was dim, but also contained one other Holite. “Looks like the Conductor was right, we are slaves now. Ephraim and I should have stayed in Opeos instead of blindly following you two.” Sarah scrunched up her face, “With a hat that big I assumed you wouldn’t be such a little bitch.” The man in the corner gave off a little laugh drawing the attention of the group. He was mostly covered in shadows where he sat, but as he stood up he revealed his full self. A hulking man of incredible strength, he stepped towards the group causing the brothers to step back. “The man who used to run this farm is dead, his skeleton is there, he was delicious.” The hulking man licked his lips as he stared at the group, “The fight I get from you might just be as tasty as your flesh.” Ephraim scoffed, “You don’t know who you are dealing with, this here is the angel of Anodyne. You are nothing in his eyes sit down little man.” Just as Ephraim finished his sentence the brute grabbed the Conductor by his collar, tossing him into the far corner of the room with a war cry. His body crunched and cracked under the force of the blow, his body bleed from holes stabbed through flesh by shattered bones. “Never tasted angel before, might have to save him for last his blood should be sweet.” Ephraim and Ulysses both drew weapons in anticipation of the oncoming tidal wave. “You think your tiny weapons will help, look around you there are weapons everywhere. I will consume you alive and watch as you die from pain weak man, hiding behind your weapons is pathetic. As for her well my body can enjoy her before my stomach does.” Sarah grinned, “You see unlike the Conductor I don’t give false hope, I like to warn people of my skills with a blade. I like to cut people, I like to hurt them, I want to hurt them. Cutting is my art and you are such a big canvas.” A baritone cry erupted from the man as he lurched towards Sarah, she was far too fast, planting a blade into each shoulder as she vaulted the charging cannibal. “I am Breccan the Devourer, I consume all in my way. You are nothing but a meal to me, now crumble under my might.” Swipe after swipe Breccan tried to grasp Sarah, each attempt was met with disappointment and another slash to his hands. Although he had enough strength to pry a man in half, Breccan struggled to keep up with the slowest of Sarah’s movements. “I do so adore the fact you let me cut you time and time again. My blades thirst for you Breccan, Hollow thirsts for you.” “I thirst for you.” Everyone turned to see a figure standing down the dim corridor, speaking as he walked towards the group. “You speak your own title as if it was given to you for you to speak, if you have to announce it, it is not a title we need recognize. You may have achieved one but keeping it is another story, you’re in my world, you follow my rules, or you die by my hand.” Anodyne emerged from the darkness, the brothers dropped to the floor bowing to Anodyne as he walked towards Breccan. Breccan did not hesitate, as soon as Anodyne was within reach his neck was grabbed. Using all his might he squeezed onto his neck, Anodyne did not react as his neck stayed in tact. The Conductor emerged from his own corpse, climbing out of his chest back into the dim room. “Nice of you to join us Conductor, did you enjoy your little nap?” “I did lord Anodyne, thank you for being patient but I will be taking my strong man now.” The Conductor placed his hand over Breccan’s mouth, his eyes turned black as his body changed to the touch of the Conductor. What was once rags now the finest of red and white striped leotard. Sarah started jumping, “Yay another friend, hey Conductor what are you actually doing when you touch people?” “I am giving them immortality as I did you, by simply feeding their soul a small part of mine. Ephraim, Ulysses, this is your last chance you can join me or go back to being simple performers.” Both the brothers were still bowing on the ground, slowly they stood up shaking. “If we follow you we get immortality, but we will lose all mental freedom is that right?” The Conductor stared at Ulysses confused, “No, you do not lose any freedom but the soul will always want to be whole. You will instinctively follow me but you do as you choose, Sarah was different I had to make her insane before she could join.” Breccan’s eyes had returned back to normal as the Conductor finished his sentence. He dropped his hand from Anodyne’s throat, shaking at the new energy running through his body. “Now or never brothers, I am not a patient man.” Staring at each other the brothers nodded to signal their joint decision. “We are sorry but we will be on our way, we will find immortality elsewh…” The Conductor leaped across the room interrupting Ulysses, grasping both of the brothers by their faces and smashing them into the ground. “I am out of time I need you two, looks like you get a dose of insanity too.” Both of the brothers bodies rolled on the ground in agony while everyone else laughed at the foolishness. Anodyne walked over to the Conductor, “When will you be done with this circus nonsense, I need my angel back.” The Conductor released the still writhing bodies, “I need just one day in Rem for the first and final act. Then my circus will not need me and can wander Hollow in my name.” Anodyne scowled, “I will give you one day total, but never say I never help, I will take you all there now.” The whole party was consumed with a blanket of darkness, regaining vision in a dark alley way of a city. “24 hours Conductor, then I re attach the tether and you are done with this circus nonsense.” Anodyne wandered out of the alley way arcing colored energy from his hands as he flew into the sky. The sounds of pain and panic echoed down the narrow alley they all stood. The Conductor took the lead foot, turning to the others he grinned. “Welcome all to the capital of Hollow, the first stop for the Hollow circus. Come tonight we will have a glorious act for all Holites around. We have our lead acrobat, the mightiest of strong men, the truly fearless beast tamer, with the trickiest of magicians. The Conductor turned to the opening of the alley drawing a fine walking stick from the air. “Finally I, not as the Conductor but the Ringmaster. Now my friends let us create chaos in the name of our gracious god Anodyne.”
Hollow Circus – The Magician And The Tamer
From the Thrush in the forest to the tumultuous sounds of the nearby town of Opeos, the Conductor and Sarah had reached their next destination. The town’s walls were high and marked, deep gouges decorated the plain grey metal walls. Small pieces of flesh stuck in the jagged metal gave color to the otherwise mundane wall. The commotion of the township roared over the protective walls, flooding the nearby area with an ear sore of noise. The Conductor and Sarah both followed the edge of the wall until they came across a well guarded opening. It’s portcullis was bent and stained with peculiar colors of blood, obscuring the view into the town behind. “Do you know Sarah, I don’t think I have ever been to this part of Hollow before.” Sarah looked at the guards as they stood at attention, watching her as she approached. “You mustn’t have, they have not tried killing you yet.” The Conductor and Sarah both walked up to the gate, standing side by side waiting as the guards looked them up and down. They turned to one another, they held their stare for a few moments before bursting out with laughter. “You are by far the funniest looking performing group I have ever seen, I mean we have seen plenty of you freaks through here, but you two look comical.” The Conductor was confused, “You mean there is an event on in the town?” “What? No. You two must not be from around this area, this is Opeos the largest town in all of Hollow. It has the most freedom in the world because Anodyne has never visited us, naturally that means we have had freedom to develop more than any other town. We have performers, writers, cartographers, chefs, and plenty more since we don’t have to focus on survival.” The Conductor peered through the portcullis at the thriving town behind, amazed at the amount of progress Holites can make with no interference. He was unable to make much out due to the sea of bodies flowing through the township being blocked by the gates, which started to shake. They creaked and moaned as their twisted figure retreated back into the fortifications above. “We only open it a little when it is just people going through, so you two will have to duck under.” One guard shouted while pointing to the stationary gate only a meter off the ground. The Conductor stood sideways stretching one long leg under, allowing him to bring through the rest of his body without dirtying his suit. Sarah simply limbo-ed the gate with little effort, as she snapped up she got a clear view at the active town square. There were people everywhere, somehow navigating the main square by slipping past each other by the cotton of their shirts. As far as Sarah could tell everyone was shouting something from wanting to buy and sell, all the way to cursive words of frustration. Sarah panned the whole crowed till her eyes locked back onto the Conductor, who was examining the front entrance. “Hey Sarah, if these walls are designed to keep nightmares out that can tear steel, and that gate takes that long to open. How do the guards get back in, in time to avoid certain death?” Sarah giggled, “Well it was nice to meet them before they died, even if they insulted me!” They turned and headed into the crowds of people, although limited in powers while away from Anodyne, the Conductor was able to make sure both he and Sarah would be able to walk through the crowds untouched. The seas of people parted as they moved forward, finally leaving the main walkways to what seemed to be the center of town. Everyone seemed to be moving around the center square for trade, while the middle was filled with performers a plenty. There were, jugglers, singers, instruments, storytellers, and a man that neither of them could see due to the significantly larger group of people watching him. Much like before the Conductor parted the cheering people, until a very clean man in a fine suit was center stage. “Yes yes I know, but we all know this will be my final show. It is nearly the time, darkness is falling and the beast tamer is a calling.” Right as the man finished his showy sentence a crack of a whip sounded over the crowd, everyone parted cheering as another man in a suit and hat appeared. “Conductor that man’s hat is much bigger than yours!” “I fail to see the significance of hat sizes here.” “Well you know…” Sarah stabbed at the Conductors ribs, grinning excessively. He stared down at her until she stopped stabbing him, then looked back up at the duo’s act. “Well I thought it was funny.” Sarah took a step away from the Conductor crossing her arms while pouting. The magician on stage waved his hands revealing two Curassow that flew out in different directions, another whip crack sounded and a green flash flickered over the crowd, calling back the Curassow to land on the Magicians shoulders. Everyone let off a cheer and applauded as the Magician and beast tamer bowed. The Beast Tamer raised one hand gesturing towards the Magician, “Lets hear it for Ephraim, the greatest of magicians.” the crowd once again cheered and applauded. “Now let us all be quiet for the awe inspiring power of Ulysses the great tamer.” The crowd went quiet as Ulysses made his way to the front gate. By this time trade hours had ended and the guards out front had retreated into the safety of the walls. Ulysses gave a head nod to one of the guards manning the gate control and the portcullis started to rise. The Conductor made his way to the back of the crowd, Sarah was oblivious at first but chased after him. She had to fight her way through the crowd as she was too far away to be given the benefits of the Conductors powers. By the time she got to the back of the crowd the front gate was fully open. “Why did you move to the back, I can hardly see I am not as tall as you.” “I moved to the back because I did not want to get covered in the blood of all these people.” “Well by the sounds of things they have done this before, can I sit on your shoulders?” “They have not done it with me around,” the Conductor placed his hand on a citizen. His eyes went black and his body loosened. “You can jump on this man’s shoulders.” Sarah cheered jumping onto the man’s shoulders to get a clear view of Ulysses, he had a wide low stance with his whip in one hand. As the first nightmares reached the gate it started its slow descent. All the nightmares were small, feral and wild, but with one crack of the whip they all stopped in their tracks growling at Ulysses. He waited patiently for the right moment, just as they lurched forward he spun his whip around creating an explosive sound and a green flash. Every creature stopped, their eyes turned green as they whimpered and cowered at the Tamers feet. Without fear powering them they reverted back into Shadow Rabs, a small black creature similar to rabbits with a long tail. Turning to his crowd he bowed awaiting his admiration. Ulysses expected applause and cheering not the screams of absolute terror from the inhabitants of Opeos. “Brother turn around.” Screamed the Magician as he made his way through the frantic public. The Tamer spun on the spot to see a gargantuan beast holding the gate above his head, stepping forward dropping the portcullis behind it. A stuttering roar resonated in the ears of all within the town walls, as it faded the guards drew their weapons. The hulking beast lumbered forward standing higher than the buildings that the Holites were cowering in. Ulysses was cracking his whip as rapidly as he could, filling the town square with flashes of green light. A guard ran forward hurling his spear into the beast’s underbelly, they stuttering roar sounded once again, deafening the guard. As he covered his ears the behemoth brought its colossal fist down, flattening him. The blood sprayed out covering Ulysses, stepping forward he yelled. “You think you can take this town, I may not be able to tame you but we shall slay you.” Ephraim ran up behind Ulysses, “Brother here I have your blade.” A curved sword was thrown through the air, received by Ulysses. Ephraim stood at his side with a lance in hand, “It was us who killed that man, we set this right then we leave.” The beast lifted its fist, opening it’s hand to extended three foot claws. Ulysses did not react, running in as fast as his legs would allow him. The hand of the beast swiped as Ulysses raised his sword to block the attack, but the claws broke through his sword slashing his chest. Ephraim could see that the beast was about to attack again, using the gem in his gloves he swapped Ulysses with a crate in town square. Both the crate and Ulysses glowed blue before switching places right before the fist of the beast came crashing down, obliterating the crate. The Conductor started moving forward after seeing such a performance by the two brothers, Sarah hesitantly followed. The Conductor raised his hands towards the beast. “Sustosh kwiv bristkuv svelton, Vek tuk vonada at Anodyne. Kuv tulukya bristet nyil pyrlon bret vish kelt.” The beast contorted in a violent uproar until it too was nothing but a Shadow Rab. Ephraim turned to the Conductor. “How the fuck do you know Shadow speak, only the scientists know it.” The Conductor chuckled and walked towards the gate. “If you wish to find out join me, unless you have somewhere better to be. Because I am sure those around here don’t like you any more, even if the damage was only minimal here.” Ephraim switched his brother with the smashed crate once again, bringing him to his side. “What do you say, nothing left here but your shattered sword.” “That and about half my blood.” “Stop being dramatic you were barely touched.” “You’re right I should just man up. I have to admit I do want to know Shadow speak.” The Conductor lifted the heavy portcullis above his head, “If you’re coming I am leaving now, come Sarah we have another to get yet.” Grinning Sarah jumped forward grabbing the brothers hands, “Come on boys, we have chaos to spread.”