The Hollowing

Chapter 28

"Brothers and Sisters, I ask that you now drink from that which is in front of you. Fear not the pain you will feel, for it is but a small price to pay for eternal salvation! We will all be with our Lord soon enough!"

–Father Elijah Campbell. Larkspur, Colorado. 20 Days After.

* * *

Morale could not have been more low than now.

It had been almost a week since they'd left Aspen. Almost a week had come and gone since their happy little adventuring party had devolved into such desperate self-destruction. Leah had come inches from killing Liam, and had it not been for his last minute restraint, he suspected that he would've done the same.

The others had barely spoken to her since. Liam supposed that this was for the best. All he cared about was making it through this damned final stretch.

That's all that mattered. Finishing the mission. Liam had only started this journey out of the hope of seeing Nelly yet again, and now that her trail had gone so miserably cold, the only path forward was finishing what he'd started. Otherwise, the messages that his wife left him would have been for nothing in the end.

Liam couldn't allow that.

"Town up ahead!" Kurt announced.

The barren foothills of the lower Rockies rolled down into a populated valley. Hundreds of homes rose out of the otherwise olive-colored landscape, peppering the hills like white, square tumors before congealing together into a redbrick mass. It was the first artifact of mankind they'd seen in days.

"Do you believe this is the one?" Mastermind asked.

Liam opened the topographic map they'd scavenged a few days back and again scanned the surrounding terrain. "This is it. Cripple Creek."

"What a peculiar name. I'll never understand where you humans derived your nomenclature from. Why, this one is borderline offensive!"

"Don't blame me, mate. I didn't build the place."

"You sure it's a good idea to roll into town?" Kurt asked. "Could be watched."

Liam nodded. "It's been over a thousand miles since we've last seen Hades and his people. Even if they were to locate the truck we abandoned, we've traveled hundreds of miles since, through windswept mountains that don't hold tracks for more than a few days. I think I can say confidently that there won't be anyone else but us."

"Would you do me the kindness and explain your purpose here again?" Mastermind asked.

"It's simple," Liam explained. "From the center of town, we should just be able to get through with the radio that Mother gave us. If she's available, she'll come get us."

"This does seem to be an unnecessary risk. Perhaps we could meet Mother directly. We won't know who's on the other end."

"The range of that radio is only twenty miles. Even if they had the right channel, what are the honest chances that they'd be close enough to hear our broadcast?"

No answer came in rebuke.

"Trust me," Liam said. "We'll be fine."

He led them through the outskirts of the town from there, keeping to the high ground and bounding through whatever scarce brush was available. When they had a good line within, he surveyed the buildings, using the telescopic sight of his suppressed hunting rifle. The lens twisted this way and that until a target fell within his criteria.

A church, north of the center of town. The walls were made of solid red brick, and the roof had aged, green tiles. But it was the steeple that drew his attention. Three stories tall with a pillar that rose even higher, and unlike the rest of the building, it was surprisingly intact.