Ruby

I woke up to the distant comotion of the city, muffled through the walls of the hideout. My body ached. Every muscle felt like it had been wrung dry, and the fire inside me was nothing but dying embers. 

I exhaled slowly, staring at the cracked ceiling. The air was thick with the scent of old wood and lingering smoke, but something about it felt different. Heavy. Like the walls themselves were pressing in, waiting for me to move.

I didn't want to.

But I forced myself up anyway.

Andre was already awake, hunched over a table littered with papers, maps, and old books. He looked like he hadn't slept.

Typical.

"You look like shit," I muttered, rubbing my temples.

Andre chuckled, but didn't look up. "Takes one to know one."

I rolled my eyes and stretched, feeling the stiffness in my limbs. Heat rolled off my skin in waves, instinctual, a response to the exhaustion pressing against me. The flames inside me always flickered when I was on edge, like they could sense I was close to burning out.

Andre finally glanced up, taking one look at me before scoffing. "You're pushing yourself too hard."

"I handled it."

"Yeah? And what happens when you don't?" He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temple. "You keep throwing yourself at the these things like you can fix it with sheer force. That's not how this works."

"At least I'm doing something," I shot back. "Unlike you, sitting here reading the same shit over and over."

His gaze darkened, "You think this is easy? You think I like waiting around while everything falls apart? I'm trying to understand this mess before it kills us all."

I scoffed. "You don't get it. I don't have the luxury of waiting. I can't just sit here while people are out there getting torn apart by this—"

The words stuck in my throat.

By me.

Because that's what I was, wasn't it? A walking disaster. A spark waiting to ignite everything around me.

Andre must've caught the hesitation because his voice softened. "Ruby—"

And then the air shifted.

It was subtle at first, like an invisible ripple crawling up my spine. The air grew thick, pressing against my skin like something unseen was watching. The walls breathed.

The neon lights flickered violently, twisting between colors that shouldn't exist, casting eerie shadows across the hideout. Outside, I heard shouting—panic bleeding into the usual noise of the Ashlands.

Andre was already moving. His hands went to his twin guns, his entire body tensing. "Another Hollow."

I grabbed my jacket, shoving down the exhaustion clawing at me. "Let's go."

The Ashlands were alive with chaos. People scattered from the heart of the disturbance, some too busy running to even register us passing. The streets pulsed with the ever-present thrum of music spilling from run-down bars. But the distortion was stronger here—warping reality in ways I hadn't seen before.

Then I saw it.

It wasn't like the last Hollow I fought.

This one was stronger– more unstable.

Its form flickered, twisting between human and something else—something that shouldn't exist. A void carved through its body, its limbs stretching and retracting like it couldn't decide what shape to take. It let out a sound—half a scream, half static—before lashing out.

The shadows reacted first, stretching unnaturally across the street. A neon sign exploded, glass raining down like shattered stars.

Andre moved first.

His guns fired in quick succession, bullets laced with his juju, reality twisting just enough to strike true. The Hollow recoiled, its form flickering like a glitch in space. But instead of staggering back, it surged forward—fast.

Too fast.

I barely dodged as its elongated arm slashed through the air, the force sending a shockwave through the street. A car behind me crumpled inward, metal screeching.

I clenched my fists. The fire inside me roared, eager, desperate, hungry. I had to be careful.

I darted forward, flames coating my fists as I struck. The impact sent a ripple through the Hollow's body, but it didn't stop. It twisted, its form snapping into something monstrous—a jagged maw opening where its chest should've been.

Then it lunged.

I barely got my arms up in time. The force sent me flying back, slamming into a wall hard enough to crack it. My vision blurred, the taste of iron flooding my mouth.

"Ruby!"

Andre's voice cut through the haze.

I forced myself up just as the Hollow turned its attention to him. It moved erratically, glitching between places, appearing inches from him in an instant.

Andre fired point-blank. The bullets struck, but the Hollow didn't falter. Instead, it split—like a shadow fracturing into two separate entities.

"What the fuck—" Andre barely had time to react before one of them lashed out. He dodged, rolling under the strike and flipping backward.

I didn't hesitate. Heat surged through me, my flames erupting in a controlled explosion. The fire caught one of the Hollow's forms, forcing it back, but the other one moved through the flames like they weren't even there.

Shit.

I twisted, barely dodging its attack before retaliating with a kick. The impact sent it skidding, but its form rippled, reforming instantly.

Andre fired again, aiming for the legs this time. The bullets struck, but instead of collapsing, the Hollow's form snapped—reassembling its limbs in a grotesque, insect-like fashion.

It wasn't just unstable. It was adapting.

I gritted my teeth. No more holding back.

With a sharp inhale, I let go.

Flames roared to life around me, the heat cracking the pavement beneath my feet. My body moved on instinct—faster, sharper. I closed the distance, grabbed one of the Hollow's shifting limbs, and ignited.

The fire consumed, burning through whatever the Hollow was made of. It screeched, glitching violently, its form struggling to hold.

Andre seized the opening. He unloaded into its head—shot after shot—each bullet laced with enough of his juju to keep it destabilized.

Then, with one final blast of fire, I drove my burning fist through its core.

The Hollow let out a final distorted wail before imploding, collapsing into a void of static and flickering light.

Silence.

I stood there, breathing hard, my hands still trembling with residual heat.

Andre holstered his guns, watching me carefully. "You hesitated."

I tensed. "No, I didn't."

"You did." He stepped closer, voice quieter but firm. "You can't afford to second-guess yourself in a fight."

I swallowed hard. "I know."

The tension between us stretched thin, fragile.

For a moment, it felt like he wanted to say something more, but instead, he just let out a slow breath. "Let's get back."

I nodded, falling into step beside him.

But as we walked, a single thought burned in my mind.

This Hollow wasn't random.

Something was calling them here.

And whatever it was, it wasn't finished yet.