Chapter 10: The Warning

Nathaniel's breath came in shallow gasps. His body trembled as he struggled to stay upright. The remnants of the Hollow One's presence clung to him, like an unseen weight pressing against his chest.

Evelyn knelt beside him. "Nathaniel, look at me. What did you see?"

His eyes darted around, unfocused, still trapped in somewhere else.

"I—I don't know," he whispered. "It's like I was floating in nothingness, but I wasn't alone. There were… others. Faces, voices, people I knew." His voice broke. "Some were calling for help. Others were just… watching."

Evelyn's stomach twisted. "Did you see Lillian?"

Nathaniel flinched.

Then a slow, hesitant nod.

"She was there. But not like before." His breathing hitched. "She was closer to it."

Evelyn's heart pounded. "Closer how?"

Nathaniel swallowed hard.

"She wasn't just trapped." His fingers tightened into fists. "She was becoming it."

The Truth Buried in Shadows

Miriam let out a sharp breath. "Then she's gone."

Evelyn shot her a glare. "No. She's not. She's still fighting it."

Nathaniel's hands tensed. "She told me something, right before I woke up." His face darkened. "She said, 'You're running out of time.'"

The words sent a cold shiver down Evelyn's spine.

Miriam's jaw tightened. "Then we need to get the hell out of here. Now."

Nathaniel gave a slow nod, though his body was still weak.

But before they could move, the lantern flickered.

The air shifted.

And then

A whisper.

Soft. Echoing.

"…you are not alone."

The three of them froze.

The whisper was everywhere and nowhere. The shadows moved, curling along the walls like tendrils of smoke.

Nathaniel gripped Evelyn's wrist. His pulse was racing.

"It knows we're leaving," he whispered.

Evelyn didn't need to be told twice.

Miriam grabbed the lantern and moved toward the tunnel's entrance. "We go now."

They hurried forward, every footstep against the stone echoing like a gunshot in silence. The darkness swirled around them, watching.

The whisper came again.

"…there is no leaving."

The Marked Path

The tunnel split ahead.

Left the way they had come.

Right a new passage. One that hadn't been there before.

The right tunnel pulsed. The walls were marked, jagged etchings that looked familiar.

Nathaniel stared at them. His face went pale.

"I've seen these before," he whispered. "Back when I was… inside."

Evelyn's throat felt tight. "What are they?"

Nathaniel hesitated. Then

"They're names."

Evelyn's stomach dropped.

"What?"

Nathaniel lifted a shaking hand and traced his fingers along one of the symbols. "They're the names of the taken. The ones who never came back." His voice trembled. "I think this is… where they cross over."

Miriam cursed under her breath. "That means we don't go that way."

Nathaniel hesitated. Then he pointed.

Evelyn followed his gaze and her breath hitched.

There, near the center of the wall, carved deep into the stone

LILLIAN GRAY.

The moment she saw it, the whispering stopped.

Silence. Complete. Utter. Silence.

Then

A single, ragged breath. Behind them.

The Hollow One Returns

Evelyn turned, slowly.

Something moved in the darkness. A figure, tall and inhuman, its body shifting like a living shadow. Its eyes if they could be called that were hollow voids, deep and endless.

And yet

There was a shape within it. Something almost human.

Evelyn's heart stopped.

The whisper came again not from the Hollow One.

From within it.

"…Evelyn… run…"

Lillian.

Her voice was inside it.

Evelyn's breath shook.

She wasn't gone.

But if they didn't move she would be.

Miriam grabbed Evelyn's arm. "We need to move. Now."

Nathaniel was already staggering forward, his body still weak.

But Evelyn couldn't tear her eyes away.

Because the Hollow One wasn't attacking.

It was just standing there.

Watching.

Waiting.

As if it wanted her to make a choice.

And that terrified her more than anything.

The Choice

The Hollow One stood motionless in the tunnel's depths, a towering mass of living shadow. Its body pulsed and shifted, like something unfinished something waiting.

Evelyn's breath shook. The whisper was still there, echoing through her bones.

"…Evelyn… run…"

Lillian's voice.

Inside it.

Nathaniel stumbled back. "We need to go."

Miriam's grip on Evelyn's arm tightened. "If we wait any longer, we're dead."

But Evelyn couldn't move.

Lillian's name was carved into the wall.

Her voice was inside that thing.

She was still here.

And if Evelyn left now if she turned her back and ran

Lillian would be gone forever.

Evelyn clenched her fists. "I can't just leave her."

Miriam's expression darkened. "That's not Lillian anymore."

Nathaniel's breathing was shallow. He looked at the Hollow One, his gaze flickering with fear and recognition.

"No," he whispered. "It is."

Evelyn turned to him sharply.

Nathaniel's eyes were haunted. "When I was… inside, I could feel them. The ones it took. Some were gone just empty shells. But others…" He hesitated. "Some of them were still there, buried beneath it. Fighting."

Miriam cursed under her breath. "That doesn't mean we can save her."

Evelyn swallowed hard.

What if they could?

What if this was the last chance to pull Lillian back before she was swallowed completely?

Miriam took a step toward the tunnel exit. "You can't fight this thing, Evelyn."

Evelyn's pulse raced.

She had seconds to decide.

The Shadow's Reach

Then

The Hollow One moved.

Not an attack. Not yet.

It lifted an arm.

A long, shadowed hand stretched outward toward her.

And Evelyn's stomach dropped.

The shape of the fingers. The length of the arm. The delicate curve of the wrist.

It wasn't just any hand.

It was Lillian's.

Still inside.

Still reaching for her.

Miriam took a sharp step forward. "Evelyn, don't you dare"

But it was too late.

Evelyn took a step toward the Hollow One.

And the shadows rushed forward.

The Descent

Cold ripped through her body, like sinking into frozen water. Her vision blurred, the world twisting into a dark, shifting void.

And then

She wasn't in the mine anymore.

She was somewhere else.

A place without walls. Without light.

Without time.

Whispers surrounded her, pulling at the edges of her mind.

Faces flickered in the darkness. Lost ones. Trapped ones.

Lillian was among them.

Evelyn gasped. "Lillian!"

Lillian turned, her face half-formed, caught between who she was and what she was becoming.

Her voice was a whispered breath. "You shouldn't have come."

Evelyn's chest tightened. "I had to. I can get you out."

Lillian's expression twisted. Something deep inside her fought against the shadows wrapped around her.

"No," she whispered. "You don't understand. You can't save me."

Evelyn's heart pounded. "That's not true. You fought this thing for fifteen years. You can still fight it!"

Lillian's face contorted with something like pain. "Evelyn… it's already inside me. It's been inside me." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "And now… it's inside you, too."

The words struck like a knife to the chest.

The shadows around them stirred.

A deep, inhuman voice rumbled from the void.

"One stays. One leaves."

Evelyn's blood ran cold.

The Hollow One wasn't going to let them both go.

One of them had to stay.

The Impossible Decision

Evelyn's breath came in ragged gasps.

Lillian's form flickered. She was trapped here, a heartbeat away from being completely lost.

But if Evelyn didn't leave now she'd be trapped, too.

Lillian's fingers tightened around Evelyn's wrist.

"I won't let you stay," she whispered.

Evelyn shook her head. "I won't leave without you."

Lillian's eyes were filled with sorrow.

And then she smiled.

Soft. Heartbreaking.

"You have to."

Evelyn barely had time to react before Lillian shoved her backward.

The shadows rushed in.

And suddenly

Evelyn was falling.

Back to the Mine

Her back hit solid ground.

The freezing cold vanished. The darkness lifted.

And when Evelyn's vision cleared

She was on the floor of the mine.

Nathaniel was shaking her. "Evelyn! Say something!"

Evelyn gasped, lungs burning.

Miriam was standing over her, horrified. "What the hell did you just do?"

Evelyn's heart shattered. She turned, eyes searching the mine searching for Lillian.

But the Hollow One was gone.

And Lillian…

Was still trapped.

End of chapter 10.

📚😊The hero needs your help! Every vote and comment gives him strength to fight the next battle. Add this novel to your library, and let's continue the adventure together!.