Hollow

She killed four people before we knew where she was.

Ray, Dad, Aunt Theresa, and Bo fell lifeless into the mud.

I stood my ground; Nate, Val, and Garth dropped, running for cover. The direction in which their bodies fell gave me a good idea of her location.

Two more died trying to radio for backup. I pointed my rifle toward the hillside, and I fired.

Another man crawling through the mud like a maggot stilled from her deadly hand.

Death whizzed past my ears; every whistle was another life snuffed.

The forest was filled with the raucous screams of my rifle; the light from its explosions ignited the blood-soaked earth.

Another gone, and another.

I stood alone amidst the river Styx. Their blood trickled past my boots.

Coldness stole through me. I took a step forward.

A gnat whizzed past my ear. The earth behind me donned a new hole.

Then, I ran through the gnats. Following me was a reaper who slammed his scythe into the earth with every step I took. I ran in a straight line; I made it easy for her.

I sprinted up the mountainside with the reaper hot on my heels. A flash of light, a puff of smoke… There was the vixen. She dangled from a tree branch like a child, her hair dyed with blood. I pointed my gun at her and fired.

She didn’t move; she made it easy for me.

The tree branch donned a new hole. A smile crept across her face.

She raised her sniper and fired three shots; all missed me.

I retaliated. This time, she made it hard for me. She wriggled so much that I was forced to fire farther to her left and right than before. Her smile soured.

I ran forward, her gun trained on me; I pushed my rifle into her forehead, and her smile returned.

That’s when I understood.

This isn’t a punishment. You’ve become tired, just like me.

I threw my gun aside; her eyes followed it. She let out a small gasp despite herself.

While her eyes were averted, I snatched the barrel of her gun and kept it pressed to my forehead. Though hopeful, I knew she wouldn’t.

She screamed, the gun falling from her trembling hands; she ran from me.

You finally understand me. A tear came from my deadened eyes. And now you can’t do it.

Her gun felt heavy in my hand.

I’m disappointed in you.

More gnats rushed past my ears, all missed shots.

I snatched my rifle and chased the vixen. My shots were wide; she ran in an unobscured line.

She made it easy for me.

She fired another shot, but no gnat bothered me this time.

I passed by a freshly dropped body, still twitching. This time, it was her comrade.

Outside, Lulu’s fingers flew over the keyboard. Yes, Mom, I’m fine. I’m going to spend the night at Katie’s house.

There are no witnesses then. I smiled. That works for me.

We danced through the woods, her with pistols and I with my rifle. I traced the smoke plumes from her gun, the flashes in the bushes. I followed her to the cliffside. She stood on the crumbling edge, and she stared at me.

Her cheeks were soaked.

A mirror existed between us; the backdrop was the only difference between the two reflections. Lulu stood atop a tall building, leaning against the concrete railing.

The vixen spread her arms and leaned back.

You’re the only thing keeping us alive. If you die…

I ran to the cliffside and leaped after her.

Into darkness, we plunged. She screamed as the earth rushed to greet us.

If you die, Hope…

I streamlined my body and snatched hers. I rotated to ensure my body would hit the ground first.

She kicked me, she punched me. I held tighter.

After fifteen long years, our final fight had arrived. Whatever the outcome here, to live or to die, the decision would be concrete.

Hope versus Despair, one final time.

We hit the ground, and nothingness stole through me.

Lulu stared at the concrete below, her feet approaching the edge. She took her shoes off and climbed over the safety railing. For five horrifying seconds, she felt nothing.

Lulu let go of the railing and tipped forward.

But those five seconds passed. In a panic, Lulu snatched the railing again; she clutched it with white knuckles.

I opened my eyes. I searched for Hope; she was the one thing keeping Lulu alive.

There, Hope lay unbreathing. She didn’t survive the fall… but somehow, I did.

I sobbed over her body; Lulu’s tears fell like rain to the concrete far below. Terror, fear, and despair flooded through her. The future that was built by hope shattered into a world of desperation. There was no tomorrow, no next week, no next year.

All that remained was the hopeless present.

Footsteps approached. I looked over my shoulder, protecting Hope’s body.

She came in like an icy storm, a smile on her face that didn’t reach her eyes. She pulled out photos from her pocket and handed them to me. One by one, the people in the pictures stepped from their paper prisons into existence.

There was our mom and Katie. They took Hope’s hands with big smiles and kissed her hands. And here was Dad’s letter, his final apology before he passed. He rested a hand on my shoulder. Aunt Theresa, who died of cancer three years ago, came forth.

Lulu climbed to the safe side of the railing. She was sobbing and trembling.

Ray, who was hit by a car on a walk, bounded from his photo and licked Hope’s face, and Bo, who abandoned us when a new fling came his way, stood to the side rubbing his arm.

Next came Garth and Val, who broke up with each other after Garth and Lulu’s forbidden romance. And following was Nate, whose love Lulu could never return. They sat across from me and smiled.

These were my allies, whom I’d used to push Lulu deeper into despair. Even with them here, Lulu’s tears stopped falling; she stared at the stars and rubbed her eyes.

I looked at this newcomer with confusion.

She smiled that deadened smile at me, and in the dirt, she wrote her name:

I am Acceptance.