The Hollow

Chapter 2: The Hollow

October 31st: 7:43pm

Jonah sat with his fingertips pressed together, staring at the Jack 'o Lantern head before him, waiting. He hated waiting, hated how stuck it made him feel. He couldn't do anything until The Mayor showed up with his fucking VIPs so he had no choice but to sit here and wait. People bustled around him, setting up and coordinating and making sure the opening of The Festival went off without a hitch and Jonah just stared at his Fathers mask, feeling like it was mocking him. The Pumpkin King, wait? How dare they keep him waiting. His Father was the King of The Hollow, but his Father was dead. So that made him King. Did he want to be King? Shaking his head slightly to try to turn his thoughts somewhere else, Jonah looked around the room.

"Something to settle your nerves, dear?" Salem crooned as his eyes fell on her.

Jonah eyed the baggie she held out to him before shaking his head again. That wasn't a good idea tonight. He needed to be alert. With a sigh he stood and shook out his limbs, rolling his neck he turned back to Salem. He snapped his fingers to get her attention and held his hand out, it was going to be a long night and he may need something to perk him up.

"Got a smoke?" he asked, making the older woman chuckle as she dropped a pack of cigarettes in his hand with the baggie.

"You're going to be fabulous, darling. It's in your blood," she reassured him.

"Hm," he hummed out, smoke trailing out of his mouth and curling up to the ceiling.

"A Skillings man is a powerful man and you, Jonah Skillings, may be the most powerful yet," Salem continued softly.

"Thanks," Jonah grunted.

Salem finally moved on. She was right, the Skillings have always been strong. His Great Grandfather had started The Hollow and his family had kept it running ever since. The Hollow was basically its own town within The City, much like his bedroom was just a curtained off area in his living room, pull back the curtain and you see The City at large.

Even though The Hollow was located inside of The City it operated completely separate from it. The only thing they got from The City was their food, shipments coming in once a month, their utilities, and their patrons. They went out, of course, and no one was required to stay but most of them had been born here and didn't know how to function with the Outsiders. The Outsiders didn't understand them, most just thought they were thugs and bums, but some of them knew who they truly were. They were where they got their fun; drugs, women, degeneracy as a whole, because that's what The Hollow truly was. It was a business and their product was moral decay.

They dealt in drugs; weed, cocaine, meth, pills, LSD. Anything you could think of you could find inside Salem's Apothecary. They dealt in women; tall, short, blonde, brunette, redhead. Ogden Bogue's girls had it all and they did it all, any fantasy could be realized in his dark rooms. He also had the casino, where you could get lost for days amongst the lights and music, selling your soul for just one more bet. Vlad’s boys handled security, you could find one of his men at every entrance. They were known as The Vampires because they were hardly seen during the day and when they were out and about they stayed in the shadows, if you didn’t know where one of them was supposed to be you wouldn’t even see them until it was too late. They were The Hollows police force, making sure the Outsiders who were allowed entrance followed The Rules and that the residents stayed in line as well, because The Hollow had rules. They were simple, easy to follow, and rarely broken but when they were the punishment was quick.

Rule number 1: Nothing shall be done without consent.

Everything that happened inside the walls of The Hollow was consensual. Everyone from Ogden’s whores to Salem's meth chiefs did their job of their own free will. The Hollow attracted the odd and fucked up so there was a girl, or guy, to fulfill almost every sick fantasy an Outsider could ever entertain but they were also free to say no or stop at any time and Vlad’s boys would make sure it happened. Every night before they allowed the Outsiders entrance a safe word was established and if the word was heard coming from any of the Back Rooms there would be hell to pay.