Chapter 8: Secrets in the Flame

Evelyn's pulse pounded in her ears as she and Miriam hurried through the winding tunnels of the abandoned mine. The flickering white flame in Miriam's lantern cast eerie shadows along the rough stone walls, but for the first time, the darkness did not reach for them. The Hollow One had retreated but not for long.

Evelyn's mind raced. Lillian was alive. Trapped, yes, but still there. And Nathaniel

Her stomach twisted. She didn't even know if he was still breathing.

She clenched her fists. I'm not leaving them behind.

They emerged into a narrow passage, the air thick with dust and the scent of something old something rotten. Miriam finally slowed, turning to Evelyn with an unreadable expression.

"We need to talk."

Evelyn exhaled sharply. "Talk? You just pulled me out of a crypt filled with people who should be dead"

"They're not dead," Miriam cut in, her voice calm but firm. "Not yet."

Evelyn's frustration boiled. "Then what the hell are they?"

Miriam glanced at the lantern, the flame reflecting in her tired eyes. "They're kept. The Hollow One doesn't just take people. It holds them, traps them in that in-between state. And if we don't act fast, Nathaniel will join them."

Evelyn's breath hitched.

Nathaniel.

He had been right behind her. And then…

She swallowed hard. "Where is he?"

Miriam hesitated. "That depends."

Evelyn narrowed her eyes. "On what?"

Miriam sighed. "On whether or not he's still… him."

A heavy silence settled between them.

Evelyn took a slow, steadying breath. "You knew about this place." It wasn't a question.

Miriam didn't flinch. "I did."

Evelyn's fingers tightened. "And you didn't tell me?"

Miriam looked away. "Would you have believed me?"

Evelyn opened her mouth then stopped.

Because she wouldn't have.

If someone had told her that an ancient, malevolent entity lurked beneath the town, collecting souls like a hunter preserving its prey, she would've called them insane.

But now?

Now she had seen it.

She had felt it.

Evelyn forced herself to focus. "How do we stop it?"

Miriam met her gaze, and for the first time, there was something almost like fear in her expression.

"We don't."

The Lantern's Curse

Evelyn's frustration spiked. "There has to be a way"

"The Hollow One isn't something we can just kill, Evelyn," Miriam snapped. "It's older than this town. Older than anything we understand. It doesn't just exist. It is."

Evelyn's pulse hammered. "Then why did it retreat?"

Miriam hesitated.

Evelyn pointed at the lantern. "That fire what is it?"

Miriam's jaw tensed.

Then, finally, she murmured, "It's the only thing that's ever hurt it."

Evelyn stared.

Miriam exhaled. "It's called the Lantern of the Veil. My family has protected it for generations. It's the last thing keeping the Hollow One from swallowing this entire town."

Evelyn's breath caught. "Then why didn't you use it before? Why let people disappear?"

Miriam's fingers tightened around the lantern's handle.

"Because there's a cost."

Evelyn's stomach twisted. "What kind of cost?"

Miriam's expression was grim.

"It doesn't just burn the Hollow One." Her voice was quiet. "It burns the user, too."

A cold weight settled in Evelyn's chest.

Miriam looked away. "Every time I use it, it takes something from me."

Evelyn's gaze dropped to Miriam's hands.

The skin near her fingertips was blackened, like frostbite or something much worse.

The realization hit her like a punch.

Miriam was dying.

The Last Attempt

Evelyn shook her head. "No. There has to be another way."

Miriam's tired smile didn't reach her eyes. "If there was, don't you think I'd have taken it?"

Evelyn refused to accept that. "We find another way. We have to."

Miriam studied her for a long moment. Then, finally, she nodded.

"Then we need to move fast."

Evelyn swallowed hard. "Where do we start?"

Miriam turned toward the tunnel ahead.

"We find Nathaniel."

And with that, they plunged deeper into the dark.

The Hollow One's Mark

The deeper they went, the colder the tunnels became.

Evelyn shivered as the darkness pressed in around them. The white flame in Miriam's lantern flickered, casting shifting shadows on the walls. The air smelled damp, laced with something metallic blood.

"Nathaniel has to be close," Evelyn whispered.

Miriam didn't answer.

She was staring straight ahead, her jaw tense.

Evelyn followed her gaze and froze.

The tunnel forked into two paths. But the one on the left wasn't just another passage. It was marked.

Long, jagged scratches covered the stone, as if something with clawed hands had dragged itself through. The air here felt wrong, charged with a presence that made Evelyn's skin crawl.

Miriam lifted the lantern. The white fire flared and the markings pulsed.

Evelyn swallowed hard. "What the hell is this?"

Miriam's voice was grim. "A warning."

Evelyn's pulse quickened. "A warning about what?"

Miriam met her eyes. "That something was taken this way."

Evelyn's stomach dropped.

Nathaniel.

Without thinking, she moved forward

Miriam grabbed her arm. "Evelyn, stop."

Evelyn yanked free. "He could still be alive!"

Miriam's grip tightened. "I know. But if we go down that path without a plan, we won't be."

Evelyn's breath came in ragged bursts. She wanted to argue. To scream. But Miriam was right.

She forced herself to breathe. "Then what do we do?"

Miriam hesitated then reached into her jacket, pulling out a small metal flask.

"Here." She handed it to Evelyn.

Evelyn frowned. "What is it?"

Miriam's expression was serious. "Something that might buy us time."

Evelyn unscrewed the lid and took a hesitant sniff. A sharp, bitter scent filled her nose. It smelled like burnt herbs and something else… something old.

"It's a ward," Miriam explained. "If the Hollow One tries to take you, spill a drop on your skin. It'll hurt like hell, but it'll keep you in this world."

Evelyn's hands tightened around the flask. "And you?"

Miriam gave a dry smile. "I've already made my choice."

Evelyn didn't like that answer.

But there was no time to argue.

Taking a steadying breath, she turned toward the marked passage.

And together, they stepped into the dark.

The Lost and the Taken

The air was thick like walking through water. Evelyn's ears rang with an almost imperceptible sound, like a far-off whisper just beyond understanding.

The tunnel twisted and narrowed, the walls pressing in. The claw marks grew deeper.

Then

The sound of breathing.

Evelyn froze.

It came from ahead. Ragged. Shallow. Pained.

Nathaniel.

She broke into a run before Miriam could stop her.

She barely noticed the change in the air until it was too late.

The shadows moved.

Evelyn skidded to a stop just as the ground split apart. A wave of darkness rushed forward, slamming into her with crushing force.

She was falling.

The world vanished.

The Hollow One's Realm

Evelyn landed hard.

The ground beneath her was wrong. Not stone. Not dirt. It felt soft, like the surface of something breathing.

She forced herself upright, her heart hammering.

Where was she?

The tunnel was gone. The lantern's flame was dim, struggling against the darkness.

And in the distance

Nathaniel.

He stood motionless, his back turned to her.

"Nathaniel!"

Her voice came out too loud, the echo unnatural.

Nathaniel twitched.

Slowly, he turned.

Evelyn's breath caught.

His eyes were black.

Not like Lillian's.

Lillian had still been herself, despite the Hollow One's hold.

But Nathaniel…

There was nothing left.

His head tilted. His lips parted.

Then he whispered—

"You shouldn't have come."

Evelyn's stomach turned to ice.

Nathaniel stepped toward her.

His movements were jerky, unnatural.

And behind him, the shadows stirred.

Evelyn's grip tightened around the flask.

The Hollow One was here.

And it had already started taking Nathaniel.

End of Chapter 8

This chapter deepens the horror—Evelyn and Miriam deliberately enter the Hollow One's domain, only to find that Nathaniel may be too far gone. The Hollow One isn't just trapping people. It's changing them.

What happens next?