Chapter 22: The Hollow. (Part 2)

As the sound of approaching footsteps grew nearer, both Dawn and Penelope felt their anxiety rise. Penelope, seated on Dawn's lap, clutched his tattered rags tightly, her body trembling with fear. 

Dawn, equally trembling, kept his gaze fixed to the left, where the footsteps were approaching.

'Please don't let it be coming for us...!'

Despite his silent plea, the inevitable occurred. A dark, misshapen mass resembling a human emerged from beside the building—it was the Hollow. 

The sight sent shivers down their spines, but thankfully, it wasn't facing their direction; its attention was directed elsewhere. 

Upon spotting the creature, Penelope's eyes widened, almost letting out a surprised gasp. Dawn acted quickly, covering her mouth to prevent any sound from escaping.

'It hasn't noticed us yet...!'

Both of them remained perfectly still, hoping to escape the notice of the abhorrent creature. However, just as the Hollow was about to move towards the building it was eyeing, it suddenly stopped.

Shivers rush down their spine, as an eyeball popped open on the side of the Hollow's head, fixing its gaze directly on them.

[You have been detected.]

[Quest: The Secluded Village of the Hollow has failed.]

[Emergency Quest Unlocked]

[Emergency Quest: The Hollow's Menace]

[Objective: Evade the Hollow and survive its deadly presence-]

A red screen appeared upon their detection, but before Dawn could fully process the information, the creature made its move—

Blargh!

In a split second, the Hollow's body grotesquely expanded, a fleshy mass bursting forth towards them, aiming to engulf them entirely. 

Dawn, anticipating the danger, leaped away just in time, clutching Penelope tightly as they narrowly escaped the creature's grasp.

The two witnessed in horror as the fleshy mass, released by the Hollow, dissolved effortlessly through the building's wall in front of them.

'Acid...' 

Dawn's thought process was abruptly cut off as another mass of flesh shot out from the Hollow, hurtling straight towards him. 

Channeling all his energy into his legs, Dawn barely evaded the projectile, leaping away just in time. But the danger escalated as the detached flesh expanded towards him, homing in like a relentless missile. 

With quick reflexes, Dawn sprinted between buildings, dodging the approaching threat with Penelope clutched tightly in his arms. 

He knew he couldn't let it make contact under any circumstance. 

Just as he thought he had gained distance, rounding a corner revealed the Hollow's figure, its arm now transformed into a blade of hardened flesh hurtling towards him.

Reacting swiftly, Dawn channeled all his energy into his right leg, stomping it onto the ground before propelling himself forward with a powerful kick.

Boom!

They soared through the air towards the village center, the momentum sending Penelope flying into a nearby house before Dawn skidded to a stop on the muddy ground.

"Stay hidden while I draw its attention!" Dawn's urgent shout rang out as they separated.

Crash!

Penelope collided with the door, tumbling inside the house, while Dawn, recovering from his slide, looked up to see a blade hurtling towards him.

During the time they were airborne, the Hollow extended another fleshy sword-like appendage from its body, hurtling it directly at Dawn.

Clang!

With a hair's breadth to spare, Dawn narrowly dodged the blade, rolling to the left just in time to witness the weapon crash into the wooden wall of the traditional Eastern-style house behind him.

'Slow down, damn it! You're not giving me any time to think—'

But before Dawn could gather his thoughts, the relentless Hollow made its next move, kicking off and leaping towards Dawn at breakneck speed.

Rather than fleeing, Dawn made a bold move and charged directly towards the Hollow and swiftly slid underneath it, allowing its momentum to carry it past him.

Maintaining his own momentum, Dawn kept running as the creature collided into the building behind him. Glancing back, his heart sank as he noticed an awakened hiding inside that very house.

The violent scene unfolded before his eyes as a mass of flesh burst from the Hollow's arms, consuming the terrified awakened before their bones and body were devoured in a gruesome display. The boy didn't even have a chance to scream.

The horror of the sight threatened to make Dawn sick, but he gritted his teeth and pressed on.

His sprint came to a halt, however, when he realized that Penelope was inside the house next to it.

'Shit!'

He cursed inwardly as he stopped and turned to face the Hollow, which emerged slowly from the wreckage it had caused.

'I could've used this opportunity to hide myself again, but if I did, it probably would have headed for her right after.'

Despite his fear, Dawn managed a tremulous smile, his arms quivering as he dropped into a defensive stance, spreading his feet and extending his arm towards the approaching threat.

'I should've never taken on this mission... It's scary, I want to run but I can't… a mission is a mission.'

Despite the fear that consumed him, Dawn's determination never wavered. Though he considered himself a coward, he had never fled from a mission in his life.

Facing the Hollow, he braced himself, knowing that his following actions would determine the outcome. Meanwhile the creature locked its attention solely on him, seemingly unconcerned with Penelope's presence in the nearby house.

As the Hollow started to advance, transitioning into a sprint, Dawn swiftly devised a plan.

'I just need to buy her some time so she can find a better hiding spot and then make my escape. As for how I'll face it, I can't see its movements due to its speed... I'll just have to predict them—'

Before Dawn could complete his thought, the Hollow reached him, launching another attack his way.

Dawn sidestepped the attack, managing to evade it while maintaining his defensive stance. Lacking a weapon, he could only focus on dodging the onslaught, knowing that a single hit could spell his demise.

The relentless Hollow continued its assault, launching relentless attacks as it relentlessly pursued him. Dodging and running became his sole focus, utilizing the houses as shields to lead the creature away from Penelope's location.

Despite his heart pounding and his legs feeling like jelly, Dawn pressed on without pause. Dodge after dodge, he evaded each strike that came, unaware of the accumulating cuts that marred his body. 

Struggling to find a moment to break away from the relentless chase, Dawn pushed his body beyond its limits. Despite channeling all his energy, his reactions were faltering against the creature's accelerating movements.

As the chase grew more intense, Dawn's survival hung in the balance. Just as he believed he could maintain his evasion and escape…

Crash!

Suddenly, one of the smaller fleshy lumps that had detached from the Hollow's main body launched itself directly at Dawn from the ground with alarming speed.

Reacting quickly, he leaped away just in time, but not without consequences.

Crashing into a nearby house, Dawn's arms, defensively crossed mid-leap, made contact with the fleshy mass, causing skin to sear and blood to flow. 

The impact left him backed against the wall inside the building, grimacing in pain as the extent of the damage became evident. 

Blood seeped from his arms, partially melted due to the contact with the Hollow's flesh. The consequences of even a brief touch were devastating and horrific.

Breathing heavily, Dawn observed the approaching figure of the malevolent entity from inside the house. 

'Ah… how long has it been since I've been backed into a corner…?'

A faint words escaped his lips as the Hollow drew nearer, its ominous presence casting a shadow over him.