Romans & histoires Dark Hollow By John Connolly

Centred and ready, he began his search. Connor wasn’t looking for much. He knew the Grey Stone wolves wouldn’t have some large pin board that detailed all their evil plans, like storybooks would have him believe, but he was looking for a paper trail. He needed something concrete; a note from their discussions, a hint of the work they were doing for Red Dawn. However, it wasn’t information they wanted to be public, otherwise Autumn would’ve caught wind of it. No, they were keeping it under wraps. It meant Connor wasn't looking for something obvious. He was looking for a mistake. One lick of information they didn’t manage to erase would be enough. Just like with Red Dawn incriminating themselv

The creator shouted sharply— “Stop listening to it!” The alternate Silas laughed brokenly. “How?” His voice cracked apart. “It’s telling the truth.” The Hollow pulsed eagerly. The darkness flooding into our world thickened instantly. Because despair fed it. Not fear. Not grief. Giving up. The void beside me recoiled painfully. Because it understood this thing better than anyone. The Hollow wasn’t born from pain. It was born from the moment people decided healing was impossible. The marketplace lights died one by one. Cold spread through the streets.

And soon my whole world goes black. And I fall. ———— I can hear people speaking. They're worried about me. They wonder when I'll wake up. I can't answer them. And even if I could I'm not sure I want to. Dena is gone. Torn apart in front of me. And I was happy. But now I'm falling slowly into the abyss and I wonder; What does that mean for me? To take sure pleasure in the demise of another. Like him. “Like me” the Hollow man says.

The fire crackled low in the hearth, casting dancing shadows across the dimly lit room. Sasha sat at the edge of the plush sofa, her hands trembling as she cradled the mug of tea Ethan had made for her. It had gone cold long ago, untouched. Across from her, Ethan leaned against the window, his silhouette outlined by the pale moonlight. His silence was deafening, each passing second amplifying the weight of his confession. “The Hollow… it’s inside me.”

I thought at first that he was taking me to a casino, or an office building, or someplace else in the city – but then I realized we were heading out of town. Waaaay out of town. Into the desert. Connor was quiet the entire way. I reached out and took his hand for assurance; he held mine in his, smiled briefly, then stared out at the road ahead as though lost in thought. After thirty minutes on the highway, far past all the suburbs, Connor exited onto an empty side road and drove through the darkness. The lights of the city receded into a dim glow on the horizon, and the stars began to shine brighter above us.

And now— Because convergence had changed— Every connected reality was beginning to wake up too. Far beyond Earth, somewhere deep inside the recursive dark— Something answered the Hollow King’s awakening. Then another. And another. The chamber lights shattered again. The Hollow King slowly opened his eyes. And for the very first time— Ethan saw genuine concern inside them.

On the cliffs, dawn began to break. And in the harbor below, the people of Black Hollow would wake to calm waters— Never knowing how close the dark had come. But deep beneath the lighthouse, in the chamber of spirals and stone— Mara felt the ocean watching her back. Chapter 5: The Second Pulse Dawn painted the sea gold. From the harbor, Black Hollow looked peaceful—fishing boats rocking gently, gulls wheeling overhead, sunlight catching on windows still wet from the storm. The lighthouse beam still burned.

We didn't let the darkness win. END OF VOLUME ONE

However, Nothing seemed to shine the light on Michael's doing. Truthfully, Harlow felt so much darkness. It was like Michael had dug a hole for her, a hole she couldn't find a solution to digging out of it, and at this moment, she felt like she was drowning. The darkness she had seen herself in when she was under began to creep into her reality. "Harlow?" Her head swivelled around so quickly; her mind was fully alarmed as to the person who had uttered her name. "What are you doing out here alone?"

They’d be giving it time. And that was the one thing they couldn’t afford. She looked at her pack. No hesitation. No fear. Just readiness. And with that, Lyla stepped into the Hollow And the darkness swallowed them whole. The Black Hollow swallowed them whole. The trees loomed higher. The air thickened. Even the bond the power that had always guided Lyla felt weaker here. Like something had suffocated it. Like something else had taken its place. Mason muttered, "Yeah, this place definitely wants us dead."