Page 83 of Black Hollow: Awakening

“You think that’s bad? It called me a nasty bitch. Demons say a lot of offensive shit, don’t take it personally.”

“What happens now?”

“We’ll have to find it somehow, which shouldn’t be hard, especially since we know who it’s hiding in.”

“Where are Christine’s parents?” Will whispered, not understanding. “How is it possible they didn’t realize something was wrong with their daughter?”

“To notice something, you have to actually pay attention to your kids, don’t you?” Norma asked, a bitter note in her voice.

Abby glanced at her discreetly.

“Anyway… your first almost-successful mission is behind you,” Norma added, happily.

Will smiled grimly. He didn’t see anything successful about it.

“Hey, cheer up!” Norma said. “It’s not your fault.”

He knew. He had no control over it. And that was the worst part.

“How are you going to explain all this to Christine?” he asked, wanting to change the subject. “When she comes to?”

“Possessed people don’t remember much. She’ll be confused, probably scared, but oh well. We’ll blame it on drugs or alcohol… It shouldn’t be too hard.”

“And those murdered girls… What will be the official story?”

“We don’t know yet. That’s a bigger deal. We had to notify the Agency, so they’ll decide what to do. As a rule, it goes like this: if the family is in on it, they learn the truth. If not… Well.”

That wasn’t a very optimistic well.

“So if I had been killed back then, my grandparents would have no idea what happened to me?” Will whispered anxiously.

“Like I said, that’s a bigger deal. But if you were the only victim, we’d probably forge a suicide note and leave your clothes by the river… or something like that. Sometimes we stage accidents. I know, it sounds cruel,” Norma added, seeing Will’s frightened look, “but we have to hide. It’s better than drawing attention to ourselves, believe me.”

Something clicked for Will.

“You know Brad Foster, by any chance?”

“No, why?”

“He’s a guy who went missing a few years ago. Oscar’s ex. I was just thinking…”

“…that maybe something paranormal happened to him?” Norma asked, and Will nodded. “I’ll find out. If you want.”

“I do. Thanks.”

This world was pulling him in deeper and deeper.

And it was terrifying him more and more.

January 12 | Sunday

It was a little after ten as Will was heading to Norma’s house. Walking along the edge of the woods, sleepy and a little chilled, he wondered what he’d do after leaving his friend’s place, when a low, raspy chuckle suddenly echoed nearby. He stopped instantly and looked toward the trees, with the impression that something had just darted behind one of them.

Will swallowed nervously. He recognized that sound—it was how the demon had laughed. But was it really here? Or maybe he had heard some wild animal, and his not-quite-awake mind had turned a natural sound into something more unsettling.

Biting his lip, Will wondered what to do next. He had two options: run to get Norma, tell her his suspicions, and at worst, make a paranoid idiot of himself; or check it out himself and, at worst, die.

And although the second prospect was far riskier, Will was sick and tired of making an idiot of himself, so he walked into the woods, treading slowly over the melting snow and looking around for anything suspicious.