The Hollow Root - Chapter 34
First time? Here’s the table of contents:
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8
Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29
Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33
Silas turned and huddled behind the building. He felt his chest rise and fall in short breaths that acted like bellows raising the flames of his rage. “THOSE FUCKING ASSHOLES DON’T EVEN REMEMBER ME” he exclaimed in a hushed scream.
Silas slammed his fist into the concrete sidewalk, again and again. He slumped down and tried to take control of his breath. One long breath in and then... no he slammed his fist into the concrete again. How could they not remember him. They made his life hell. Silas felt his chest tense as the breaths shortened again. His face flushed red with anger. This was an outrage.
Silas again tried to take control of his emotions. He forced another long deep breath in. Focusing on the chill of the air as it entered his lungs. The scent of the world around him and the stories that wafted in. Old Mrs. Jenkins was making another batch of muffins on the false hope that her granddaughter would finally make good on her promise to visit tomorrow. He could taste the disappointment she felt in the moment. How making the muffins had become a ritual of hope for her and how she felt that if she stopped then she would have to come to terms that her daughter had no intent of actually showing up. Silas let his breath out slowly letting all the scents and stories out with it. He felt the start of focus returning to him.
“I can’t believe they don’t even remember me.” Silas muttered while looking at the damage he had done to his own knuckles.
He slowly felt his way around the ground until he found the appropriate piece of ground to push himself up to his feet again.
“How could I have been so stupid to think they would recognize me? I... I just thought... FUCK. Okay, think Silas... we need to regroup. This is just a stupid oversight on my part. I thought I had made more of an impression on them. I was wrong. I won’t be wrong again. They are in my old house, I can toy with them there. This is okay.” Silas muttered quietly while pacing back and forth.
Silas stopped and looked out at the landscape for a second of silence still methodically choosing his breath. He thought about how he had thought this would go. How he thought he would reveal himself and they would beg him for their powers back. He would lord over them and force them to work for him or kill them if they resisted. Admittedly he thought, his plan was really lacking in conclusion department. Silas sat for a moment... did he now want to kill them more than to treat them as he had been? Force them into some menial labor with the promise of earning their connection back. The slight of not even being remembered had pushed him to think that maybe death was a better outcome for them. After all would they even appreciate the effort and sacrifice it took to take their connection? No... they probably didn’t. Silas took a deep breath and lingered on the scent searching for clues. He could smell Kavin felt off. He wasn’t the arrogant trickster he once knew so well. Something was broken in the scent of this version. It lacked confidence. Silas smiled at his limited success of breaking Kavin this way. The next scent was of Fasaani, it was also different. Fasaani smelled wild and untamed. Her scent was similar to a wolverine... musky and feral. Silas felt a tinge of fear as he took in the smell. And then there was Amy. Her scent was strange. It wasn’t fear or rage or even calm. Amy was blank. It was the smell of nothing that surprised him.
Meanwhile, Amy was sitting in the cramped back bench seat of the Aerocoupe looking out towards the house the man had pointed at earlier. It was a two story house with green siding and looked like its best years were long gone unless someone took charge of renovations. Fasaani and Kavin were having a semi-heated discussion about Kavin calling her an intern and Amy had mostly successfully tuned them out. She tried with little success to take in a deep breath and connect with the world around her again... but she only received the smell of the car and a hint of body odor from the 3 people in it. Then as she pushed back into the bench seat she got a hint of rose hip. Just the faintest smell on the air. It was rose hip and a touch of lavender... She sniffed feverishly like a rabbit sensing a predator in a field. Just on the edge of the lavender there it was... a connection. The smell whispered gently and only a few bits of information about the rose hip being in a tea bag in some house nearby and the lavender was from an overgrown garden nearby.
“Hey, I smelled something.” Amy said with a confused force.
“What?” Kavin said.
“I smelled something.” Amy repeated firmly.
“Is this a shower joke? Amy I know you are trying this humor thing, but your set up is awful.” Fasaani chirped.
“No... like we used to. I smelled something. It was only faint but it was there. I mean it wasn’t even useful or interesting but it was there.” Amy said in a moment of stunned disbelief.
“Wait, the scent told you something?” Kavin said turning around to face Amy.
“Yeah. It was someone making tea and a garden no one cared for.” Amy said.
“That is fucking useless. Sniff again.” Fasaani said.
“I am but there’s nothing. It was just that flicker and gone.” Amy said forlorn.
“Do you think it’s the house?” Kavin said turning to look forward again.
“I guess. Do you two smell anything?” Amy said.
“No only Kavin and I’d prefer anything else.” Fasaani said.
“Yeah I’ve got nothing. What do you think it means?” Kavin said.
“I don’t... I don’t know. It was just so faint and familiar and then it was gone. I don’t know if it means anything other than maybe we can reverse this.” Amy said.
“Amy... I think you need some encouragement. Remember ‘Fuck This’? Now isn’t the time for contemplating, its the time for action. Let’s go in this house and see if you get a sniff of something. Hell maybe we find a clue. Sure, you will say ‘maybe it’s a trap... we need a plan’, but Amy... think of it this way... FUCK THIS... you said it best. Let’s go.” Fasaani said opening her door and sliding the seat forward with her hand extended to help Amy out.
“Yeah you’re right, Fuck this.” Amy said grabbing her hand and pulling herself out of the car.
“Wait we are just listening to Faz now? Fuck this doesn’t even make sense.” Kavin said half jokingly and half concerned there was seemingly no plan for what came next.
“Kav... listen to me when I say this... cause I mean it... FUCK THIS and also fuck you too buddy.” Fasaani said while gesturing finger guns and winking.
“Well when you put it that way, let’s just barge in.” Kavin said with the hint of a laugh.
The three of them marched up to the door and took a deep breath and looked at each other briefly before Fasaani grabbed the door knob and twisted finding no resistance as the door creaked open.