Hollow (part 3): Heart of War

A few days have passed since Wolfe and Estella have arrived at Jamestown. The disappearances have stopped, though that may be mainly due to the fact that there are no more children to change. The searches for both the renegades and their leader have turned up fruitless for the Hunters, but neither Hunters nor Coven vampires have given up trying to find the rebellious beings. Townspeople have started to act hostile toward the Hunters. No more messages have arrived from Headquarters. They find themselves isolated among enemies…

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It was very early in the morning, the sun had yet to break past the horizon and Estella was still back in the inn sleeping. Where was Wolfe? Out about a quarter of a mile from Jamestown, scouting the south side of town. He’d been all around the perimeter searching, but now—finally—he had found what he was looking for. Laying among the littered leaves was the decaying body of a falcon. The ring was missing. ‘So they know.’ He placed his hand in his pocket, and as he turned back around a dagger rested in his hand. “Leave, please.”

Hollow (part 2): Emerging Shadows

An extensive week of surveillance has given the Hunters information on the best path to take into the troubled town. In this time, Estella and Wolfe have begun to know each other better. He’s started to bounce back, though the same cannot be said of our other characters. Still plagued by the inner revolts of his people, Cameron finds his relationship with Camille to be taking another rocky turn. Still, they’re loyal to one another. What else can they do when everything and everyone around them is against them?

Meanwhile, the disappearances of children have spread to other towns surrounding Jamestown and Everstone. A great number of allies to Cameron’s Clan have reached out for protection and help because of kidnappings/murders of their members that have taken place. Neither humans nor vampires are safe, and distrust hangs in the air.

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Wolfe jumped down from a branch, landing with a soft thud that was muffled by the dampened earth. There’d been at least one vampire watching every main road. It looked like they really didn’t want anyone coming in uninvited. “Looks like they have a private party; Invites only,” he reported to the red head that’d been keeping watch below. “We’ll have to take one of the back roads or just cut through the forest, though I don’t like the idea much.” That was the hunting grounds of the Clan, and he didn’t want any run-ins with his past.

“I vote back roads; less easy to get ambushed,” she explained, hands resting at her side, though he’d learned that in less time than it took you to blink  she could draw a blade and have it at your neck. “Guess we should head back and report to HQ before we head out,” she took a few steps away before noticing that he’d grown very still.

Hollow (part 1)

                It has been nearly seven years since the sacrifice was made, and several months since the battle of the Heart was lost. The young warrior found himself losing interest in just about everything. Despite his initial thirst for revenge, he allowed himself to fall apart. Days and weeks at a time he would be found locked in his quarters, refusing to come out for any reason. He mourned the death of his lover… as he now would consider her. However, things have not been running any smoother for those back at the castle. We enter the story once again at nightfall, with the moon shining behind the stormy clouds…

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The thin fabric of her dress trailed behind her, dragging on the ground. It framed her thin figure snugly, almost like it was a part of her. Hollow black eyes stared up at the castle hungrily…

Inside, there was turmoil. At least one fifth of the Coven had left, and two more sections were teetering on the edge.  Still, Cameron refused to give in to their wishes. His steel blue eyes glared at anyone, as if daring them to speak. Finally, they did, though he wished they hadn’t.

“She can’t be your equal,” one vampiress growled. “It’s not acceptable.” Her medium-length silver hair gleamed in the faint light from the gas lamps.

The young woman’s sister spoke up as well, placing a hand on her chest as she spoke. “I for one, agree with Tanya. This is unacceptable; this goes against our laws—“

“Our traditions,” Cameron sighed and placed his feet up on the table as he leaned back, making himself comfortable for the long verbal war that was sure to ensue. “There is nothing in the books about this. It’s a preference that I do not share.”

“Preference or not, this is tearing our family apart. I will not stand for this!”

Cameron chuckled dryly and gestured towards her. “Well then, sit your ass down,” he glared, “or get. Out.“ His patience was wearing thing, and he wanted to make it clear to them that he would not be giving in on this subject.

Why We Run

    Bruised and broken, she sits under the light of the moon, her only friend for years. Wrapped up in her blanket it almost seems like she is safe from it all. “I can’t,” she tells herself at night. And so she hides herself from the world, convinced that she will be better off alone. Alone, but safe, she thinks. Safe, it seems like a completely alien idea that her mind can barely understand.  A gentle breeze makes its way through the window and brushes against her skin as if meaning to comfort her. She pulls down her sleeves, but the wind has little to do with her gesture.

    The scars on the outside are but mere scratches compared to the wounds inside. Thinking about all the memories, she feels a sharp pain in her chest and clasps her hand to the locket that rests against her chest. His touch, his laugh, his smile, they all crash against her mind as the tide against rocky cliff until she feels she will drown. For a moment she allows herself to drown in his memory until it becomes too much to bear. She closes the locket, sealing away his memory. Her vision blurs and she convinces herself that, for now, she will sleep. The silence closes around her and darkness envelops her gently, hiding her tears from the world.