The hollow ones

Ellie burst through the light—and the world changed.

For a moment, she was nowhere.

Suspended between the Hollow and reality. The air was thick, like she was wading through molasses, her body struggling to move. Her limbs felt wrong, her skin still flickering between human and something else.

A voice whispered in her mind—soft, insidious.

"You are still ours."

No.

Ellie forced herself forward, pushing against the weight of the Hollow. She clawed her way out, reaching—reaching—

And then—

She fell.

The sensation of crashing through space lasted a heartbeat before she slammed into something solid.

A floor. Wood.

She gasped, blinking against the light.

A face loomed over her.

Malcolm.

His eyes were wild, his hands gripping her shoulders.

"Ellie!" His voice was raw. "Jesus—Ellie, can you hear me?"

Ellie gasped for air. Her body ached, her head throbbed. The air around her was sharp and real—the heavy, consuming void of the Hollow gone.

She was back.

Malcolm shook her. "Say something!"

Ellie swallowed hard. "…That sucked."

Malcolm let out a breath that was half a laugh, half relief.

Then Sam shoved into view, his face pale. "You—you were gone! One second you were here, and then the mirror exploded, and—and what the hell happened?! We thought you were—"

He stopped short.

Because Ellie's hand was still flickering.

Malcolm saw it too. His breath caught.

Ellie lifted her fingers. They weren't normal. Not completely. The Hollow had left a mark on her. The black veins from the sigil pulsed along her wrist, the edges seeping into her skin, refusing to fade.

She swallowed. "I'm… not sure I'm all the way back."

Sam took a step back. "Oh. That's… that's not good."

Malcolm's jaw clenched. "No. It's not."

The house creaked around them. The air inside Blackwood Manor felt wrong, the very walls pressing in like they knew what had just happened.

Malcolm stood, glancing at the broken mirror.

"We need to get out of here," he said, voice tight. "Now."

Ellie's stomach twisted. She had made it back.

But the Hollow Ones?

They were still watching.

And she knew—

They weren't finished with her yet.

---

The Hollow's Mark

Ellie's hands trembled as she stared at her skin. The black veins pulsed, faintly shifting under her flesh, as if something alive lurked beneath the surface.

She clenched her fist. It didn't go away.

Malcolm and Sam were still watching her, their expressions a mix of concern and fear.

Ellie took a deep breath. Keep it together.

"We need to go," Malcolm repeated, his voice edged with urgency. He grabbed Ellie's arm, pulling her up. "That thing in the Hollow—whatever it is—it's not done with you."

Ellie nodded, but her mind was spinning. She had felt it. That presence. That voice. It had whispered to her even as she escaped.

"You are already one of us."

The words echoed, making her skin crawl.

Sam was already at the door, his hands shaking as he pushed it open. The hallway beyond was dark, the once-familiar corridors of Blackwood Manor now feeling foreign, dangerous.

"Are we sure the house is safe?" Sam asked.

Ellie exchanged a glance with Malcolm.

No. They weren't sure of anything.

The Lingering Presence

They moved quickly, navigating the winding hallways. The house was too quiet, the air thick with something unseen.

As they passed an old mirror, Ellie caught her reflection—

And froze.

Her reflection wasn't following her.

Ellie stopped mid-step, her breath hitching.

The other her—the one in the mirror—stood still, staring back with hollow silver eyes.

The world tilted. The room blurred.

She wasn't in the house anymore.

She was back there—in the Hollow.

The silver-eyed figure smiled.

"You can't escape us."

Ellie jerked away, stumbling backward. Malcolm caught her before she hit the floor.

"Ellie!"

She gasped, her eyes snapping back to the mirror—

Her reflection was normal.

Her own face. Her own eyes. No silver. No Hollow Ones.

Just her.

Malcolm's grip on her tightened. "What just happened?"

Ellie's heart hammered. "I—I saw something. In the mirror."

Sam backed away from the glass. "Oh, hell no. We're leaving. Right now."

Ellie forced herself to breathe. It was still connected to her. Even outside the Hollow, the mark was growing.

She didn't know how long she had before it pulled her back.

And this time—

She might not make it out.