Prologue
“Building a reservoir is a process that is as delicate as it is profound. Like our living counterparts, our minds are defined by whatever experiences fill them… For better or for worse.”
–Mother, “Notes on HBRS-15.21”. 3 Years After.
* * *
God, damn it.
The words ran through his mind as Russ and the last of his crew were marched to their deaths through knee-deep mud. Hunks of moss larger than him draped down from trees nearby, the water was a dulled green that bordered brown, and with the way the sun tore through the branches here, a layer of sickly yellow coated the land beneath. Flies buzzed about in swarms, only parting when they drew near. A “bayou,” their black-cloaked captors called this mess, but the way Russ figured it, this was just a shittier swamp. Man, did he regret coming all the way down here.
The air hung rough too. Russ was no amateur. He knew how to handle a long haul in the woods. But between the humidity and the heat, his flesh would dampen up and soften out before finally slithering off in these slick, grey blobs. He’d definitely need a good skinjob if he ever got out of this.
He watched as it happened to Rummy in front, with a chunk of his neck sloshing off when he jerked his head an inch. No sooner was the sinew below exposed than a mosquito the size of a peanut landed on the spot. It fluttered once before dropping too, the mosquito’s bloated sac dead the moment it absorbed rezzer blood.
That’s the Hollowing for you. When it wasn’t slowly leeching the life from them, it was taking it from everything else.
Water splashed louder as Jamal took a few steps closer, his dark braids caked in grime.
“Get ready,” he whispered. “It’s almost time.” The weight of cold metal pressed against his hands. Russ knew the feeling at once. A knife.
Russ shot a glance to either side. “Are you out of your mind, Jamal?”
He snickered. “What? Afraid of pissing this Enclave off? And you call yourself a Hunter.”
“Last I checked, you surrendered when Milo got purged too.”
“Well, that was then, and this is now.” He grunted. “We don’t have time to argue. We’ll have to make our move soon, or we’re not getting out.”
Russ grit his teeth. He and Jamal had been rolling together since Xander. If it hadn’t been for Jamal convincing the boss to let them handle the rear, they’d have marched straight to their deaths like everyone else. Russ knew better than anyone to trust Jamal’s instincts.
“What about Rummy?” Russ asked. Other than them, he was the last survivor from their starting crew of four.
“Forget about him. Just roll with it when it’s time.”
Russ winced. He’d been starting to like Rummy, even though he was just a loner they picked up on the road a few months back, barely keeping it together. Certainly not Hunter material. He didn’t even have a name until Milo gave it to him for carrying a bunch of blood around in an old bottle of rum. It had been his idea to not Hunt Rummy on the spot. You never know when you need a meat shield, Milo said at the time. Figured now would be the moment to pull that thread.
“I’m in,” Russ said. “What are we waiting for?”
“It’s already begun,” Jamal said. “Notice the bugs?”
Russ looked around, only to find that the bayou was abandoned here. The mosquitoes had vanished, and there were no spiders in the trees or moths buzzing about. Come to think of it, they hadn’t heard so much as a cricket for some time now.
He stared at his partner sideways. “What bugs?”
Jamal grinned. “Exactly.”
Ripples began to form at a dozen places nearby. A hand clawed through the surface, its rotted flesh fused with algae. More exploded out elsewhere in the clearing. It wasn’t long before the hisses and moans came as the rest of their ambushers broke from hibernation. They all sprung up, with teeth clattering and those empty, white eyes that every rezzer knew to fear. The Hollowing in its purest form.
“Shit,” Rummy cursed. “Hollows!”
“Sinners!” one of their captors shouted, using their own term for them.
The hollows advanced, and their captors scrambled to face this new threat.
“Quick, Rummy!” Jamal shouted. “Make for the left.”
He gaped. “There’s no room.”
“Don’t worry. We’ve got your back.”
“Yeah,” Russ echoed. We’re right behind you. Just get moving, Hunter!”
Rummy blinked once before floundering for safety. The advantage became apparent in an instant. Their captors redirected to head Rummy off, thinning them out as they fought the hollows too.
…And leaving the other side exposed.
Wordless, Russ and Jamal made their own escape. One of the hollows blocked their path, but Russ had killed more of them than he could count and was quick to smash the fucker’s softened skull through the nearest log.
Only a single of their captors remained in the way. He raised his crossbow in a futile attempt to stop what was coming. Jamal pivoted the bolt away before the shot could land, and Russ used the chance to finish him off. One well-aimed slash from his knife was all it took to sever his attacker’s head from his shoulder.
That felt good. These guys must’ve been pretty proud of themselves for getting the jump on his crew, but nobody fucked with the Hunters of Pandemonium and got away with it.
A few more bolts whizzed by, but now that Russ and Jamal were gaining distance, nothing could stop them. Just a little further, and they’d disappear into the trees for good.
Until the boss of this outfit dashed in front.
Brother Ezekiel, they called him. Dressed in the same black cloak as their other captors and carrying only a staff, the bastard stood a head taller than the rest of them. Like the others, his skin was hairless and smoothed out, exposing a tattoo that ran around his scalp shaped like a crown of thorns. His maroon eyes locked with theirs, empty of all emotion save for judgment.
Russ instinctively slashed his knife, but Ezekiel deflected the blow without batting an eye. As Jamal lunged forth, Ezekiel danced to the side, using some judo shit to throw him into the closest tree. Jamal grunted as the bones in his arm snapped in two.
Before Russ could make another move, Ezekiel knocked the knife from his hand and swept his staff down low. Russ gasped once before his body hit the murky water.
Brother Ezekiel towered above, unmoved. Just like that, it was over. Two experienced Hunters… Beaten like they were nothing.
* * *
They’d really fucked up this time.
Russ had made the mistake of thinking it was just Brother Ezekiel and his men before they reached their camp. The closer they came, the more clear how wrong he’d been. This was no ordinary Enclave, sprung up on the ass end of the world. There were tents everywhere.
We’re not fighting our way out of this, Russ realized. Only he and Jamal were left. A hollow had taken Rummy out while he was trying to escape, and Ezekiel moved on from there. All that free grey matter just left to rot in the swamp…
They got inside the camp, and the moment became unreal. Hoes tilled the land, cattle were being raised. Horses drew carriages. There were fresh linens on lines, shoemakers working leather, blacksmiths casting tools.
And rezzers. A crowd of white-cloaked fuckers had formed to watch them get hauled into camp, each staring back with this frenzied look behind their red-tinted eyes, somewhere between excited and terrified. There were more rezzers here than Russ had ever seen outside Pandemonium. More than should have been possible. How the hell could anyone have built this much out here!?
The crowd parted, and another stepped forth.
This one wasn’t all that intimidating at first glance. He must have been half a head shorter than Russ, with brown hair thinned over gaunt cheeks and soft magenta eyes. Where the rest of the Enclave were dressed in cloaks, he wore a black dress shirt and matching trousers. Closer still, Russ could make out a white collar running along his neck.
He smiled. “Brother Ezekiel, who are these folks you’ve brought into our home?”
Ezekiel fell to one knee. “Caught them on the road looting a store, Father Abraham.” He furrowed his brow. “They killed Brother Jonah.”
He looked Russ and Jamal in the eye. “Is this accusation true? Did you murder one of my congregation?”
So this guy’s their leader, huh? Maybe they weren’t dead yet.
“This is all a big misunderstanding,” Russ explained with a tilt of his head. “Our crew was just passing through. Had no idea this territory is yours.”
His eyes were unblinking. “And yet, you do not answer my question.”
“We were only defending ourselves, same as you.” He chuckled. “Really, our leader Milo is the one to blame. He stirred the pot by threatening your pal, Brother Ezekiel. If it wasn’t for him, we could’ve all been on our merry way.”
Ezekiel gave Russ a shove. “He killed Jonah.”
Russ grinned nervously. “Okay, okay. So that was a mistake. But like I said, we were just defending ourselves. You can’t expect us to march off into a swamp with a bunch of strangers, right?”
Abraham stared in silence, his face revealing nothing.
Come on, you’re losing him. “Tell you what… Father Abraham, was it? My name is Russ, and I’ve got a deal for you. We found a pack of dregs a couple days back. Er… You’d think of them as ‘half-sinners,’ maybe? You know, those of us whose minds are almost empty. Anyway, we found about six of them holed up in a town not far from here. We were too short on ammo to take them on ourselves, but you’d roll right through with the muscle you’re packing.”
Russ beamed. “I’m sure with a big congregation like yours, you’ve got trouble keeping all your minds together. So consider this as our gift to you. We’ll tell you exactly where to find them, if you let us go first. You can even take what’s left of our guys for yourself. Then we can move past this whole ordeal like it never happened.”
Abraham’s smile bent inward. “You’d offer us the flesh of your brethren?”
“Of course, Father! Anything for you. Isn’t that right, Jamal?”
But when Russ turned over, Jamal only shook his head. Back me up, you stupid fuck, or they’ll kill us both! Russ glared hard, as if to force the thought directly into his Rez.
Abraham sighed. “So it is.” He turned to face his people. “You have all heard the same words as I. Make no mistake, my children, we cannot allow such flagrant sin to pass. Bring them to judgment! Through the grace and wisdom of our lord, we will purge these heretics!”
Russ’s eyes widened. “Wait… Wh–!?” But before he could finish the thought, Ezekiel had already hoisted him to his feet.
It all moved so fast from there. Within moments, Russ and Jamal had been shoved to another clearing, this one with a long stone slab in the middle, stained black with undead blood. Their heads were forced against the slab, and their limbs were tied behind. Ezekiel marched over soon after, carrying an axe large enough to cleave their torsos in two.
“Oh, Lord in heaven,” Father Abraham began, deep and booming, “these demons sought to lead us astray…” He blasted off their “crimes” from there, with cannibalism and murder at the top of the list. All while an army of those white-cloaked fuckers stared on with that same frenzied look.
Jamal scoffed. “Learn to read the room, Russ. We’re both dead now, thanks to your stunt.”
Russ blinked in disbelief. How had he let this happen? How had he gotten himself into this mess?
He knew, all too well. It had been that one fucking job. Started off as no more than capturing a single man. Hades himself had put out the contract. Who could refuse? The pay was bigger than anyone had seen before.
Of course, he hadn’t told them was protected their target. The best of the best: Leah.
Next thing they knew, half their crew was dead, most of the other Hunters had turned tail and gone home, and they found out the real identity of their target. He was human. Still somehow alive, twelve years after the Hollowing began. Hades wanted him more than anything.
They’d gone all the way to a bunker surrounded by a sea of hollows. But even though Hades had entered with enough firepower to level a city block, he never came out, nor did anyone else. Only her. Leah was the last one standing in the end.
Russ had rushed home after that. He figured that he could just lay low, and for a while, it worked. But then Leah came back one day, marching into Pandemonium with that burgundy scarf of hers. They’d had no choice after that. She was quick to take out anyone who’d been on that job, so Milo gathered everyone left from Xander’s crew and fucked off into the hinterlands before she could wipe them all out.
Russ dug his nails into his palms. If it hadn’t been for that one fucking job.
“…And so, Lord in heaven,” Father Abraham continued, “do we continue your good work.” He faced his people and raised a fist. “Behold, my children! For in this hour of revelations, we must never forget that it is only through God’s righteousness that we shall see His return, walking back on this earth again, untouched by sin.” He laughed. “Oh yes, my children, how God will free us all of this curse. But only if we continue punishing anyone who would dare stray from the Holy Word. Can I get an Amen!?”
“Amen!” the crowd roared.
“I said, ‘can I get an Amen!?’”
“Amen!” they screamed, louder than before.
“Fuck this,” Jamal muttered.
Abraham nodded to Ezekiel. Russ watched powerlessly as the axe flew down. Jamal’s head rolled a few feet before stopping, with eyes now empty.
The body was shoved aside, and Russ was thrust in place. The taste and wetness of blood clung to his lips as he pressed against the slab.
Think, for fuck’s sake! Russ couldn’t let it end like this! He couldn’t die in the hands of these cult freaks. He had to do something. Say something. Anything!
The axe hung above, dripping with Jamal’s blood.
“Wait!” Russ shouted, a thought snapping in place. “You’re looking for your messiah? A man who is untouched by sin? What if I told you that I know where he is?”
The axe paused as Abraham marched over.
“Does the Devil still command your tongue, heretic?” he asked. “Would you dare lie about such matters?”
He chewed his lips. “Never! I could take you to him right now. Just please, let me live!”
“The words of a heretic are not to be trusted, but perhaps there is another way to ascertain the truth.” Abraham’s words grew soft again. “Perhaps the Lord has use for you yet.”
Russ looked up into his captor’s eyes. It was amazing how much taller he became from this low to the ground. The sun fell from above, surrounding his head in a halo of light.
Father Abraham held out his hands. “Are you willing to be baptized in the name of the Lord, my son?”
Russ teared up despite himself. “Yes! Please, yes!”
He smiled. “Then His will be done.”
Russ was seized again by the others. Hands ripped at his leathers as they dragged him to the nearest river, and the crowd started ululating prayers.
Just get through this, and you’re home-free. Russ had seen this ritual before on film. A little dip in the water. That was it. Then he’d be “one of them,” and they’d leave him alone.
But as he got dragged closer, he caught sight of those besides. They all had that same look in their eyes. That same zeal they’d had the whole time. As if they couldn’t think for themselves.
This wasn’t right. Russ saw the river ahead and the glee in his captors’ faces. His legs instinctively fought back, but there were too fucking many. All were calling for him to become like them. To believe as they did.
Then Russ was thrown into the river, and the mob closed in.
* * *
Father Abraham closed his book with a sigh. God had gifted him with an abundance of knowledge over the years, but still so much of His message remained obscured. Was this the just and proper path?
It had to be. Abraham’s congregation had been withering under Sin lately, but now the Lord was rewarding them for their perseverance. So long as they trusted in the Holy Word, Abraham would lead his people to salvation.
The newest member of Abraham’s community entered his tent. Gone were the vile leathers he’d worn before joining and that corrupted skin he had allowed to rot. Thank the Lord for His intervention. This man was now no different than any other Beholder.
Abraham stood. “Welcome, my son.”
He knelt low. “Praise be, Father.”
“Are you ready?”
He nodded, his countenance clear and eyes awash with faith. This was a most successful baptism indeed.
“Then, before we begin our pilgrimage, I must ask. What is the name of this unsullied man whom you will lead us to?”
“Liam,” Brother Russell said. “Liam Fenix.”
LISN
Well done! It’s a wonderful beginning…