The Hollow (Part 2)

The Last Light

Charlotte had always felt out of place in Hollowbrook. She didn't belong to the old families that had lived here for generations, nor did she share the deep-seated fear that the townsfolk had about the Maw of Mourn. But when the stories of the forest's curse began to resurface-whispers of disappearances, strange sounds in the night, and the old superstition that no one should venture too close-Charlotte became determined to uncover the truth.

Her mother had grown up in the town, but Charlotte's family had moved away when she was a child, only to return a year ago. Now sixteen, she felt a pull to understand the past of the town that was too strong to ignore. But she hadn't expected what she found.

The stories were true.

The entity that had haunted the Maw of Mourn for centuries, the hunger that lived beneath its roots-it was real. Charlotte's investigation had led her to the journals of long-dead villagers, cryptic notes about bloodlines, sacrifices, and forgotten rituals. The Hollow was no mere forest; it was an entity, an ancient hunger that fed on fear, silence, and despair. It had lived in the shadows, bound by an unspoken rule-the bloodline of the town's founders had kept it in check.

Until now.

Charlotte had seen the evidence of the entity's return. The ground quaking. The trees shaking. The strange, dark figures at the edges of the forest. People were disappearing again, and there were whispers of the Hollow's hunger growing stronger. The entity had awoken, and it was consuming the town from the inside out, one soul at a time.

The stories of Maggie, the girl who had ventured into the forest and never returned, haunted her. Maggie had been the last of the bloodline. Charlotte had no idea what had happened to her, but there were rumors that Maggie had been the final key. And now it was up to Charlotte to stop it.

It was late, past midnight, when Charlotte stood at the edge of the Maw of Mourn, the forest looming like a dark wall before her. She wasn't supposed to be here. No one in Hollowbrook went near the forest anymore, not since the disappearances had started. But Charlotte had made her choice. She wasn't going to run. She was going to end it.

Her heart pounded in her chest as the trees seemed to sway and shift in the unnatural breeze. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and decay. The Hollow had always felt like it was alive, but tonight, it felt different. It felt hungry. Hungry for her.

Charlotte took a deep breath, pushing her fear aside. She wasn't alone. She could feel it-the eyes of the forest upon her. They were watching, waiting for her to make a mistake, to turn back. But she couldn't. Too many people had already been taken. Too many lives lost.

She had one chance to stop it.

The whispers came again, the soft, almost melodic voices that seemed to rise from the ground itself.

Come closer, child... Come to us...

Charlotte clenched her fists. The voice was powerful, soothing, like it wanted to lull her into submission, to give in. But she had learned from the journals, from the records of the old town historian. The Hollow fed on fear, but it was also bound by certain rules. Certain sacrifices. And Charlotte knew what she had to do.

With her flashlight in hand, she stepped forward, her footsteps echoing in the stillness. The forest seemed to close in around her, the branches overhead twisting like skeletal fingers. But Charlotte wasn't afraid anymore. She had read the stories. She knew that the Maw of Mourn wasn't just a forest. It was a doorway to something older. Something that had been locked away for generations, waiting for the right moment to return.

And she had to be the one to close it.

Ahead, through the trees, she saw the clearing-the same one Maggie had stood in before she had disappeared. There, at the center, was the stone slab, now cracked and glowing with a faint, sickly light. Symbols were etched into its surface, symbols that pulsed with an unnatural energy. The very ground around it seemed to shift, as though it were alive, breathing.

Charlotte's heart raced, but she pushed forward, her eyes locked on the stone. This was where it had all begun. This was where it would end.

But before she could reach the stone, the figure appeared.

It was tall, shrouded in darkness, its face hidden beneath a veil of shadow. Its presence sent a cold shiver through Charlotte's body, but she stood firm, her grip tightening around the flashlight. She wasn't going to back down now.

The entity's voice filled the air, deeper than before, a chilling, guttural growl that seemed to come from the very earth.

"You should have stayed away, child. You are not meant for this."

Charlotte raised the flashlight, pointing it directly at the creature. "I'm not afraid of you," she said, her voice steady, even though her heart was pounding in her chest. "I've come to end this. You don't belong here."

The entity tilted its head, its shadowy face shifting, as if it was considering her words. "You cannot stop what you do not understand," it said, its voice low and almost sad. "The Hollow feeds on all who come, and you, too, will be consumed."

Charlotte shook her head. "No. I know how this works. I know what you want. And I'm not going to give it to you."

The entity laughed, a sound that sent a cold chill through her bones. "You have no idea what you're dealing with. The hunger is eternal. It will never end."

She stepped forward, her feet moving with determination. "Maybe. But I'm ending it now."

Charlotte pulled a small vial from her jacket pocket. It was filled with a dark, viscous liquid-a mix of herbs and ash, a concoction she'd learned about from the town's old records. This was the key to breaking the curse that bound the entity to the forest.

With a steady hand, she uncorked the vial and poured the liquid onto the stone. As it touched the surface, the stone began to tremble. The symbols on it glowed brighter, then flickered and sputtered, as if fighting against the power Charlotte had just unleashed. The air around her thickened, the ground shuddering with a force that made her knees buckle. The entity screamed, its form twisting and distorting, as if it was being pulled apart.

"No!" it howled, its voice rising in fury. "You cannot stop me! I am the Hollow! I am eternal!"

Charlotte gritted her teeth. "Not anymore."

With one final, determined motion, she raised the flashlight high and smashed it onto the stone. The moment the light shattered, the entire clearing erupted in a blinding flash. The entity screamed again, the sound cutting through the night like a knife, before the light swallowed it whole.

Then-silence.

Charlotte stood alone in the clearing, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The air had cleared. The oppressive weight that had hung over the town for so long had lifted. The trees, once twisted and alive with dark energy, now seemed still, almost peaceful. The faintest breeze stirred the leaves overhead, a sound that felt natural again.

She had done it.

The Hollow of Mourn was no more.

Charlotte sank to her knees, exhaustion flooding her body. She didn't know what had happened to the entity, where it had gone, but it was over. The town was free.

For the first time in a long while, Charlotte allowed herself to smile. She had ended the killing. And Hollowbrook was safe.

But as the first light of dawn broke over the horizon, Charlotte knew that some things would never be the same. The Hollow had been a part of the town for centuries, its presence buried in the roots of the land. And while she had ended it for now, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was still watching. Waiting.

Perhaps, just perhaps, the Maw of Mourn would never truly be gone.

But for now, it was finished.

And Charlotte had won.