Hollowland Read online

“You can get your things in the morning, if you still want them.” Nevaeh moved her hand to the small of my back and ushered me further in the room. “But I’m sure you’ll find our things to be much more comfortable.”

  “I would like some new clothes,” Harlow said, and I would’ve glared at her if everyone wasn’t watching us. She had just stolen tons of new clothes from that house, and they looked much better than the silly bag dresses they made here.

  “Lia, will you get them some things?” Nevaeh asked a girl with long, red hair.

  “Yes, of course.” Lia jumped off her bed and went to the back of the room, where all the matching outfits were kept neatly folded on several shelves.

  “I’m going to go upstairs to make sure everything is alright,” Nevaeh said, looking very seriously at both of us. “If you need anything, Lia will get it for you.”

  “Thank you,” Harlow smiled at her.

  “You are a very lovely girl.” Nevaeh touched her cheek gently. “You will fit in perfectly here.”

  With that, she smiled and headed up the stairs. I pretended that I didn’t notice how she hadn’t said anything about me fitting in.

  Lia brought clothes over to us, smiling like we were fancy new toys. I didn’t feel entirely comfortable showering with Harlow, since I still possessed some modesty, but I preferred it to waiting in the room with the other girls.

  They all smiled too widely at us, except for Vega, a girl with black hair in the back. I thought I saw something else in her expression. I actually would’ve liked to talk to her, but she was in the far corner. Besides that, even if she had anything to say, she wouldn’t be able to say it around everyone else.

  The water never really got warm and the pressure was almost non-existent, but it had to be the greatest shower I ever had. After spending a few minutes simply relishing the fact that we were getting clean, Harlow prattled on about how amazing this place was.

  Electricity, showers, and clean clothes managed to block out the fact that Korech and company were obviously a cult, but I couldn’t point it out because the bathroom didn’t have a door. Everyone got to listen and watch us shower.

  I left my hair down for the first time in months, the dark waves resting on my back. The nightgowns may have looked like bags, but they were soft cotton and comfortable. As much as this place freaked me out, I felt a little tempted to hang out here for a day or two.

  Then I saw Lia smiling at me like one of the kids from Village of the Damned, and I thought of my little brother, scared and alone somewhere far away. I knew I could not stay here for long.

  Lia had made up two empty beds for us right by hers. She sat on her bed with two other girls, waiting for us while we showered. Shiloh, a girl with freckles, couldn’t be much older than Harlow. The other girl had long, long black hair, a wicked smile, and I think her name was Ruth.

  “Are you two sisters?” Lia asked before we even had a chance to sit down.

  “No, I was an only child.” Harlow sat on the bed closer to them, which I was grateful for. She ran her fingers threw her hair, untangling it. “Now I’m an orphan.”

  “But you’re not alone,” I reminded her and climbed into my bed. It wasn’t as comfortable as a real bed, but it was better than a cot or the ground.

  “That’s a really pretty necklace,” Shiloh nodded to the gold cross around Harlow’s neck.

  I wondered if that’s why they thought she would fit here. Or if it was just because she looked so eager and hopeful. Or maybe it was because she really was beautiful, and that was all Korech was looking for.

  “Thanks.” Harlow touched her cross. “My mother gave it to me.”

  “Your mother brought you to us,” Ruth said confidently.

  I groaned inwardly. If they started convincing her that this was her destiny and what her beloved dead parents wanted, there would be no way I’d convince her to leave.

  “You really think so?” Harlow asked.

  “We know,” Ruth nodded.

  “Korech is a prophet for God, and God has a plan for everybody,” Shiloh agreed solemnly. “Korech is helping lead us back to Him and keeping us safe.”

  I must’ve groaned audibly that time because they all looked at me.

  “What about you?” Lia asked. “What brought you here?”

  “My little brother is missing, and I have to find him,” I said.

  Nobody said anything for a minute, probably thinking what I’d be thinking if I were anybody else. There are no “missing” people anymore. Once they’re gone, they’re dead or zombies.

  “God will watch out for him,” Vega said from the far corner of the room. Everyone turned to look at her, surprised she spoke.

  Nevaeh opened the door to the stairs, informed us all we could talk in the morning, and turned out the lights. She never did come back downstairs, and I assumed that she shared a bed with Korech. I wondered if she was his wife, or if she was just a mistress. Or if they were all mistresses.

  Shiloh and Ruth went back to their beds, and I curled up deeper under the sheets. I needed a shower and a good’s night rest. These people had only been kind to me so far, so I decided to just go with it.

  In the morning, I would try to talk Harlow into leaving. But then again, if I didn’t, maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. I’m not sure what Korech’s deal was yet, but he had managed to keep all these people alive, and that was far more than anyone else. That had to count for something.

  – 8 –

  Harlow was up before I was, but then again, everyone was up before I was. Lia waited in the basement for me, saying that they thought I needed my rest after my travels, while all the other girls had gone upstairs for breakfast.

  Lia encouraged me to wear their clothes, but I slipped back into my jeans and t-shirt. It felt safer somehow.

  When I went upstairs, I found Harlow in the kitchen, mixing something in a bowl. She wore one of their ill-fitting garments, a pale yellow dress, and her hair had been pulled back in an intricate braid, matching several of the other girls’ styles.

  Harlow laughed and smiled brightly at me with flour on her nose, and I realized sourly that she thrived in this environment.

  Really, I should’ve known. She had done wonderfully in the quarantine. Harlow had been the girl that everyone liked. I kept to myself a lot, and that’s that probably what drew me to Vega. In the kitchen, several girls ran about to cook or do things, but Vega was nowhere in sight.

  Nevaeh forced me to eat some kind of weird tasting toast. I was about to ask where the boys were when Lazlo rushed in from the dining room. His skin had gone pale, and his wide smile managed to look relieved and terrified. Like me, he stuck with his street clothes, and he had a hand shoved in his back pocket.

  “Did you sleep okay?” Lazlo asked and ran a hand through his hair. His eyes darted around the room, trying to keep sight of all the girls flitting about, and he stepped closer to me.

  “Yeah. Slept great,” I gulped down the toast without really chewing. It tasted sour and flat, and I didn’t even want to know how they made it. “How about you?”

  “Yeah,” Lazlo said, staring intensely at Nevaeh as she left the room.

  Lia had been wiping a counter with a rag, but when Nevaeh left, she moved a bit closer to us. She stopped, twirling the rag in her hands, and smiled sheepishly.

  “Did you get enough breakfast?” Lia asked him.

  Lazlo was too preoccupied to read how she looked at him, all doe-eyed and dreamy. I don’t think she recognized him, but he was an attractive young guy, and she was a very sheltered young girl. He took her gazing offensively, though, and moved closer to me.

  “Yeah.” Lazlo nodded, refusing to even look at her.

  “Good morning!” Korech boomed and appeared in the kitchen doorway.

  Lia blushed and lowered her eyes. Korech walked over to us, and Lia mumbled an excuse and hurried away.

  “Morning,” I said, still trying to swallow the awful toast.

  Lazlo moved so he was almos
t behind me. He bowed his head, looking as if he wanted to disappear into the cupboards.

  Korech glanced at him diffidently before settling his gaze on me, and I forced a thin smile at him.

  “I trust you slept well,” Korech said, putting a strong hand on my arm.

  To onlookers, it probably appeared to be a comforting, warm gesture, but I only felt him trying to show his strength and dominance over me.

  “I was just telling Lazlo that I slept fantastic,” I smiled as wide as I could and leaned back against the counter, pulling my arm away from him. He was much stronger and bigger than me, but that didn’t mean I would let him dominate me.

  “That’s excellent news.” Korech crossed him arms over his chest. “We’re going to be having our morning worship shortly, and we would love it if you joined us.”

  “Yeah, I’ll be there,” I nodded. I wasn’t ready to rock the boat quite yet, not without talking to Harlow, and I didn’t even know where Blue was at. “I should just check on Ripley, the lion, first.”

  “I’m sure she’s doing alright. Shiloh fed all the cats this morning when she went hunting,” Korech said. I must’ve looked confused, because he continued, “The women hunt every day, usually killing small game like rabbits or coyotes for us to eat. They also find the occasional zombie or other food not meant for human consumption, and they bring that back to feed the tigers.”

  Other food made me swallow hard, because I’m sure that meant bodies of the uninfected human variety.

  “I’d still like to check on her,” I insisted with a plastic smile.

  “As you wish.” Korech made no attempt to hide the displeasure in his voice.

  The kitchen had several girls in it, but as the tension thickened, the room fell silent. Harlow watched me as she helped make more of the sour bread, but I couldn’t read her expression.

  Korech stood directly in front of me, and he took a small step back so I could get by. I nodded and slid past him. Lazlo said he’d go with me, following directly on my heels, and I half-expected Korech to stop him, but he didn’t.

  In the front room, Nevaeh straightened the pillows and couches, and Blue helped her move the furniture. He smiled at us but didn’t come with.

  As soon I stepped outside, feeling the warm breeze, I took a deep breath.

  “Ripley! Kitty kitty!” I shouted, stepping off the porch into the sunlight. Lazlo stayed right with me, glancing back at the house. “Ripley!”

  “We should just get in the SUV and go,” Lazlo whispered. He leaned in close to me, his dark eyes intense and worried. “Do you have the keys?”

  “Of course I do.” I had taken them with me and locked the SUV behind me. I didn’t trust Korech, so I made sure to keep the keys on me.

  “Let’s just go.”

  “We’re not leaving Blue and Harlow here,” I brushed him off and looked around for Ripley. I saw a tiger a few meters away, eating what I hoped was a zombie arm, but that was all. “What happened that has so you freaked?”

  “I don’t know.” Lazlo kicked at the ground. “You know the other ‘boys’ who live here? There are only three of them, and they’re twelve, nine, and five.” He looked at me, waiting for it to sink in. “Korech is the only adult male here.”

  “I get it,” I said in a hushed tone and stepped further from the house. “But Harlow likes it here.”

  “Then leave her here,” Lazlo said without missing a beat.

  “No,” I scoffed.

  “She is safe,” he pointed out. “They want her. They love her. And as much as this place creeps me out, it’s the safest place I’ve been to since this whole zombie thing happened. She’s not gonna get killed or infected here. She might even be happy.”

  “Being indoctrinated into a cult?” I shook my head, and pushed away any of the points he made.

  “Maybe it’s not a cult,” Lazlo shrugged, but I don’t think he even believed that. “It doesn’t matter. The world is a different now, Remy. Food, electricity, water, safety, those things might all be worth staying here for.”

  “If you really believe that, then why are you telling me to leave?” I asked. “If it’s worth it to stay, then why shouldn’t I?”

  He met my gaze but didn’t answer right away.

  “You wouldn’t survive,” he said finally. “Even if you weren’t trying to find your little brother. Korech can’t break you.”

  “Let me talk to Harlow. I can’t leave here without her.” I squinted up at the bright sunlight. “Until then, stop acting like such a spaz. He’s not gonna kill you right in front of everyone.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I won’t let him,” I promised, and that actually seemed to calm him down. “We better go back inside before the worship thing starts. I’ll look for Ripley later.”

  “So you really just found that lion on the side of the road?” Lazlo asked as we walked back to the ranch.

  “Yeah. Why? Did you just think that I had a pet lion?”

  “Kinda,” he shrugged.

  “You’re an idiot,” I sighed.

  The worship wasn’t quite as disturbing as I had expected it to be. They sang a few songs, and it all sounded like basic evangelical music. The sermon, however, got a bit weird.

  Korech read from the Bible, but he related all the passages about the second coming of Christ to himself. While he didn’t exactly say it, he clearly insinuated that he was the Messiah.

  I sat on the couch next to Lazlo, since he refused to leave my side, and Harlow and Lia sat on the floor in front of us on pillows. I tried to see how Harlow took all of this, and she seemed to be going along with whatever everybody else did.

  Blue sat on the other side of the room, and the only person who would sit by him was that Vega girl. She and Blue kept similar expressions throughout the worship – as neutral and blank as possible. Whatever was happening here, she stopped buying it.

  Lia kept looking back at Lazlo. She tried to be inconspicuous, but Korech caught on. He called her into the middle of the circle and preached about temptation and casting the demons out. He laid a hand on her forehead and talked in tongues.

  At that point, she sobbed and all the other girls chanted.

  Lazlo took my hand and squeezed it. I couldn’t remember the last time I held hands with anyone, and I tried to concentrate on that instead of the scared, sick feeling growing in my belly.

  After it was over, Korech took Lia back to his room for “private prayer,” and while that didn’t sit well with me, I didn’t know what I could do about it. I tried to sneak in a moment alone with Harlow, but Nevaeh followed her around like a hawk.

  With Korech out of sight, Lazlo distracted Nevaeh by “accidentally” lighting a kitchen curtain on fire. It wasn’t a serious blaze, so I only had a few minutes with Harlow. I got her outside by convincing her to go with me to look through our clothes in the SUV.

  “Nevaeh is going to show me how to make a dress today,” Harlow told me as I hurried out to the car. I kept glancing back over my shoulder as if someone would come drag me off.

  “That’s great.”

  “And you have to try the bread I made,” Harlow said as I unlocked the back of the vehicle. I had to look like I was doing what I said I would do, in case somebody came out.

  “Don’t you wanna get out of here?” I asked.

  “Why would I wanna do that?” She unzipped one of her bags and sifted through it, oblivious to my ulterior motives. “They have everything I need here.”

  “Maybe. But doesn’t it seem weird here to you?”

  “No weirder than most places I’ve been lately,” Harlow shrugged. She pulled out her panties, most of which consisted of lace and satin.

  “They won’t let you wear panties like that.” I tried to appeal to her keen sense of fashion and her rebellious nature since logic seemed to be failing.

  “Yeah, they will,” Harlow sneered at me. “Didn’t you see the underwear they had there? Nevaeh said that our body is our temple, so we need
to cover it and protect it. But our bodies are beautiful, so under the humble clothing we need to dress it up.”

  “Wait. What?” I gaped at how cavalier and unfazed Harlow sounded. “They’re encouraging you to wear sexy lingerie? That doesn’t seem weird to you?”

  “Yeah. It does,” Harlow said. “I’m not an idiot. I get that they’re probably crazy, but they’re nice, and I can shower. I can have friends and a life here. Nevaeh said that we can be a family.”

  “We?” I asked.

  “I know that you’ll leave to find Max, but we don’t have to.”

  “Lazlo and Blue won’t stay here. Korech won’t let them,” I told her firmly.

  “That’s not true,” she said but refused to look at me.

  “Lazlo is scared to death of him. There’s no way he’ll stay here even if Korech doesn’t make him leave.”

  “No. Lazlo is just scared because you are. He trusts you.” She kept trying to sound casual, but her voice had gotten small and tight. “Just leave Lazlo here. You don’t need him to find your brother. He’ll only slow you down.” She paused before quietly adding, “We’re all slowing you down.”

  I couldn’t argue the merits of that. It would be easier for me to simply leave, letting Korech take care of them.

  The only people who had been prepared for an epic disaster had been the zealots living off the grid, leaving the rest of the straggling survivors to barter with them. The cost of everything was so much different now.

  I didn’t want to leave Harlow here, but it wasn’t my decision to make, especially not when Korech could offer more protection than I could.

  “I won’t force anybody to leave,” I said finally.

  “Good.”

  “But I won’t force anyone to stay either,” I said.

  She stopped going through her clothes and just stared down at them for a minute.

  I heard the front door slam shut, and my whole body tensed. I leaned back, peering around the SUV, expecting Nevaeh and afraid of Korech. But it was only Blue, his hand shoved in the pockets of his jeans as he walked towards us.

  “Hey, what’s going on?” Blue asked when he reached us.