Shadows of the Night | BOOK 2 DRAFT

22

WARNING: early, super long chapter ahead :)

22.

Elias and I don't speak the entire way to the village. The night speaks for us—distant howls, bird calls, cicada's—but no sounds of the hollowers. There's so much to say and nothing to say at the same time. An image plays in my mind of that human boy in the grasps of the hollowers, his eyes open but mind not really there. His screams echo in my head. We left him there all alone to die. Part of me wants to turn around and grab his body, bring him with us, give him a proper burial. But we both continue on wordlessly. And despite the horror, there's a comfort in the silence between us, a gentle reminder that no matter how horrifying that was to witness, I'm not alone.

The fog has only gotten worse. I can barely see a few feet ahead, having to keep a close eye on Elias so I don't smash into a tree. We're moving fast, halfway between a walk and a jog. Humidity hangs in the air and sweat beads at the back of my neck. My muscles burn, but I don't stop; we can't afford to stop.

We walk for a couple of hours before the trees start to thin and the surroundings become more familiar. My stomach twists in knots; we're close. The area becomes less densely packed, evidence of our last time here shows in the stumps of trees, once black and charred and burnt to a crisp. Evidence of the fire has been washed away, now it just looks like an explosion went off and left stumps and dead grass. I take a shaky breath as Elias slows at the edge of the trees, turning to look at me over his shoulder. His golden eyes pierce through the fog.

"We're here."

I step forward so I'm standing next to him. Fog hangs in the clearing, but the absence of the trees means it's lighter. Still, I can't make anything out and it would be a lie to say that I'm not glad.

"Where are the others?"

He pauses, narrowing his eyes at the fog, before nodding forwards. "Come on. I can hear them in the tunnels."

I shove down the protests in my throat and follow him through the fog. The earth we walk upon, once grass, is littered with broken pieces of wood and debris. Without the protection of the trees, I feel exposed. A hollower could attack from any direction and I wouldn't see them coming. But Elias' confidence somewhat eases my anxieties. If there was anything dangerous close to us, he would know.

My memory fills in the blanks for what my eyes can't make out. We pass the old tomato patch, trampled and destroyed, and I know the kitchen shack is only 20 few feet to the right. The earth transitions from dead grass to dirt and I know the entrance to the tunnels is only seconds away. We trek through the stream and I can hear Flo's laughter swirling in the air, her high-pitched screams as Darius splashes her. I shove the memory away, but her voice is there, all the same, a haunting melody in the thick fog.

Ahead, the fog makes way for the tunnel entrance, a dark hole leading into the ground. The cold doors slid to the side, the ominous opening—though everything else has changed here, the entrance remains the same. My heart hammers as Elias steps toward it. Should we really be going down there when there's only one way out and the hollowers are on our tail? That didn't go so well last time.

"Elias?" He pauses to look at me over his shoulder. "How far away are the hollowers from catching up?"

"They won't be here any time soon." I take a shaky breath and step forward, into the tunnel entrance. "Milena." I turn my head to look at him. He raises a hand as if to touch my shoulder but then thinks better of it. "We'll be long gone by the time they get here. They're not going to get to you. I promise."

It's not me I'm afraid of them getting.

I just grit my teeth and nod, turning around and walking into the tunnel. Elias follows me silently, his presence warm in the icy underground. It's pitched black, but I know these halls like the back of my hand. Voices, low and hushed, carry towards us from the social room. I press on, ignoring the crushing pressure on my chest. Stepping into these tunnels feels like stepping into the past. So many of my memories took place down here, good and bad, but they're all overpowered by one—the last time I was here, we lost Elias. The last time I was here, I killed Charles, on purpose. Stepping into these tunnels is like stepping into a nightmare.