Chapter 20

Kez's blood ran cold as her words hit him like a slap. It's targeting you...

He blinked, his mind struggling to keep up with her harsh tone, and yet, it made sense. The Hollow Mother wasn't just an indiscriminate predator; it had a purpose. Kez had always been drawn to things that shouldn't have mattered, and now he understood—whatever sick connection he had to the creature, it was real.

"Wait, what do you mean 'it's targeting me'?" Kez's voice was sharp now, as if suddenly aware of the weight of every word. His heart raced with confusion and fear, and his pulse thrummed in his ears. "Why me?"

Allexis gave him a look, a mix of annoyance and pity. Her lip curled in disgust, but her words held a certain grimness, like she'd been rehearsing this in her mind for a while.

"Because of your emotions, Kez," she spat, the venom clear in her voice. "It feeds on emotion—on hate, despair and other negative emotions. And you're a walking example of it." Her voice wavered, the rawness of her hatred boiling through. "I've been through hell, and I don't need to be dragged down by someone like you."

Kez could feel the weight of her words. He started panicking. He realized if she could just abandon him which would definitely result him in his death. Worst of all, she hated his guts.

'I am not fucking dying here. Sorry Allexis but you will be getting me out of this mess. Even if that kills you...'

Kez exhaled deeply. He could feel the desperation building in the pit of his stomach, but there was no panic, no hesitation. He wasn't afraid of the Hollow Mother, not like Allexis was.

"Look at me, Allexis," he said, his voice cutting through the tension between them. "You've got the wrong idea about this situation," he continued, eyes glinting with something darker than before. "The hollow mother doesn't lock on to a single target. Even if you were right, think about it. If that thing is primarily locked on to me, what do you think will what happen if I drop dead? It will start targeting you. Do you think you can get out in the meantime? Don't be ridiculous. Haven't you heard of Hollow Mother's barriers? How long will it take you to break that? Or can you even break it at all?" He let the words hang in the air for a moment.

"What? What barrier?" Allexis asked with shock and confusion.

'Got you'

Kez smirked as he saw the flicker of confusion in Allexis's eyes. It was exactly what he was hoping for. He had little to no information of Hollow Mother, but he knew neither did she. She knew some things but not all about it. So, she really couldn't differentiate his lies from the truth. She was vulnerable now—her fear was starting to show, and that was all the opening he needed. His words were calculated, spinning the situation to his advantage.

Kez's voice grew more intense as he looked her in the eye, his tone dark and convincing. "The Hollow Mother doesn't just kill. It manipulates. You think you can outrun it, or hide from it, but you can't. It tries to separate its victims first. I've heard stories from Johan and his cohort who've survived. Hell, I've read about it in those reports—they tell you that once it targets you, it doesn't stop."

Johan and his cohort were relatively famous, and their names even popped up a few times in the novel. Kez tried to throw his name out to make his sources more credible.

He paused, letting the words sink in, his eyes flicking over his surroundings as if the creature was already nearby. "I've heard from people who've tried to get away, but it's not just the creature that gets you. It's the way it messes with your head. People think they're just being chased, but they're trapped—mentally and physically. It's like the whole area warps. You feel the walls closing in, and you can't even tell where you're going anymore. And that's how it gets you."

Kez's voice dropped even lower now, as if sharing a hidden truth. "I haven't seen the barriers firsthand, but I've heard enough to know they're real. You get stuck, the more you struggle, the more it tightens around you. People talk about the pressure, like something's pressing on your chest, making it harder to breathe, harder to think. If you're trapped in that feeling long enough..."

He let the words hang in the air, deliberately leaving out too much. "I don't need to have seen it myself to know it's real. But I know what it does to people. I've seen enough to know it doesn't matter if you run or not."

He let a long, tense silence stretch between them before continuing, this time in a quieter, more controlled voice. "It's just like the stories say—it's not just the monster. It's the way it bends everything around you, makes you question your reality. And once you're questioning your own mind... well, that's when you're already lost."

Allexis watched him carefully, her face still skeptical but less dismissive. Kez could see the doubt in her eyes, but it was starting to mix with uncertainty. He knew it wasn't about making her believe the entire story, just planting enough doubt for her to take him seriously.

"So," he finished, "if you think you can just keep running... well, you better hope you're faster than your own fear."

His words hit her harder than he expected. Allexis's expression shifted—there was something there, the way her lips quivered, her eyes darting around, searching the darkness. Kez could feel the change in her; she wasn't quite believing him, but the seed of doubt was planted, and that was enough. The fear was starting to settle into her.

"You can either keep playing the tough act," he continued, his voice low and venomous, "or you can do what needs to be done. Work with me, or... watch me die, knowing you could've done something about it. But either way, it won't matter. The Hollow Mother doesn't care who it kills. All it wants is to feed."

Allexis remained silent for a moment, her body stiff, her eyes still flickering nervously as the clicking sound grew louder in the distance, but Kez could feel the shift. She was no longer acting as though she was in control. She was thinking—really thinking—about what he'd said. Her mind was racing, considering the possibility that he might be right.

And that was all Kez needed.

She turned her head, eyes narrowing, her voice a low hiss as she finally spoke. "If what you're saying is true... and if I can't escape this thing... then what the hell are we supposed to do?"

Kez's grin widened. It was a moment of twisted satisfaction. He had her.

But then he started to feel the weight of her question. What now?

He leaned in slightly, his eyes cold and calculating. "We fight," he said, his voice low, almost a whisper, "but not like you think. We don't go charging at it like heroes in some fairy tale. We survive the mental game it's playing. You keep your head on straight, and we'll work together. But first, you need to stop underestimating how much this thing can manipulate you. If we're going to make it out of here, we can't be distracted by petty feelings or thoughts about who's the bigger asshole, even though you clearly are the winner...cough cough...We need to focus."

Allexis's fingers clenched into fists, her nails digging painfully into her palms as her mind raced. Every word Kez spoke cut through her like a blade—calculated, sharp, and unsettling. She could feel the anger bubbling up inside her, threatening to burst. She wasn't used to being talked down to, not by someone like him. His smirk was a constant reminder of her own vulnerability, like he saw right through her. And damn it, he probably did.

The truth was, she hated how easily he got under her skin. How easily he made her question herself, made her feel exposed, vulnerable. It was the same feeling she'd gotten from them—they who had betrayed her, abandoned her when she needed them most. The same people who left her behind to rot. The same ones who looked at her like she and her family was some sort of scapegoat for their own failures.

And now, here she was, stuck with this arrogant, snake-like bastard. Kez. She knew he had little to nothing to do with that incident, but she still couldn't help but hate him. He was Stricoss's lackey. But for now, she had to rely on him to survive, but that didn't mean she had to like it. She could feel the weight of their past insults, their twisted words and manipulations, all building up to this moment.

He was trying to break her down, wasn't he? Just like them. He didn't know her. Not really. He had no idea what she had survived. What she would survive.

She wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of seeing her crack.

Taking a slow breath, Allexis forced herself to look him in the eye. Her pulse raced, but she wasn't going to let him see it. She wasn't weak. She never would be again.

"You think you know me, don't you?" she said, voice low, barely containing the rage that simmered beneath the surface. "You think you can manipulate me like you've done with everyone else? Let me tell you something, Kez. I've been through worse. And I didn't let it break me then, and I won't let you break me now."

The words tasted bitter, but they needed to be said. She couldn't let him twist her like everyone else had. She wasn't their victim, and she wasn't his either.

"I've survived things you wouldn't even understand. You think I'm just going to roll over and let you control me? I'm not a pawn in your little game, Kez. So you can keep playing your mind games, but I won't play by your rules. You want to survive? Fine. I'll do it with you, but you don't get to call the shots. Not now. Not ever."

She took a step back, feeling the weight of her own words as she stared him down. His expression was unreadable, but she could feel something shift in the air—like maybe, just maybe, he understood. Or maybe he didn't, and that was the point. It didn't matter.

He was still waiting, still calculating. But Allexis was done with this fight. It wasn't about him. It was about surviving. She wouldn't let her past dictate what happened next.

Still, she couldn't deny it. His words had planted a seed of doubt. Something about his cold tone, the way he spoke about the Hollow Mother's manipulation, rang true. The thing wasn't just a normal demon. It was a force—an entity that twisted minds and crushed wills. If she wasn't careful, it would break her, break them both.

Kez narrowed his eye, his expression returning to neutral. "I'm not the one you should be worried about. If you keep fighting me, you'll just play right into its hands. And I can promise you—it doesn't give a damn about who's in charge. Let's focus on the plan for now"

For the first time, Allexis felt like they were on the same page, though she would never admit it out loud. And as much as it sickened her to admit, she needed him.

But that didn't mean she would trust him. She wouldn't fall for that.

Kez had his own agenda. And so did she.

"We need to move," Kez said, his voice suddenly serious. "The Hollow Mother's game is just starting. If we're going to survive it, we need to stay one step ahead. And that means not letting it twist our minds. If it starts playing tricks on you, you can't let it. You have to stay in control."

Allexis took a deep breath, nodding slowly, but her eyes were still darting around, as if waiting for something to emerge from the shadows. Kez could feel it too—the presence of something watching them, circling, waiting.

He glanced around, his own paranoia creeping in as the darkness seemed to grow thicker, pressing in on them. The clicking had grown louder, closer. The Hollow Mother was near.

"Stay close," Kez muttered. "And don't break. Not yet."

They began to move cautiously, Allexis's footsteps light, her hand gripping the hilt of her weapon tightly. Kez led the way, scanning every corner of the shadowed landscape. Every noise, every shifting shadow could be the Hollow Mother making its move. He had to stay sharp.

His mind raced, calculating their next steps, weighing every risk, every decision. But more than that, he was savoring the moment. He had the upper hand now. And in this world, that was everything.