The Hollow Root - Chapter 35
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 Chapter 34
The door opened revealing a standard mid-century modern entryway. A hook for keys and the dust-stained outline where a shoe rack had sat for years. The light was dim and only seemed to originate from windows throughout the first floor. The house had a thin film of dust and cobwebs on almost all of the furniture. The house itself was just a house lacking an owner.
Amy and Kavin paused in the entryway searching the room for anything that might signal something. Fasaani however, walked forward into what likely served as a living room. “Hey, this chair doesn’t have dust.” She said pointing to one chair that appeared to have a recent guest.
“What?” Kavin said.
“This chair doesn’t have dust. Someone sat in it recently.” Fasaani said walking up to the chair.
“Okay... does that matter?” Kavin said quizzically as he slowly moved into the living space looking along the walls.
“I don’t know it’s just odd right?” Faz responded.
“This... feels just like a house. I don’t see what that guy was talking about.” Amy said walking into the kitchen.
Amy walked past one wall and noticed there were several photos hanging. She leaned close to one and noticed a finger or something had made a swipe down the photo across the woman it depicted. She looked at the woman’s face. She was a normal human woman by looks but she clearly meant something to someone who had recently been in this house. Who was she, Amy thought. “Hey you two, do you know this woman?” Amy said pulling the photo from the wall holding it towards Faz and Kav.
Kavin and Faz walked closer to get a look. They peered into the face searching for clues of someone they had met in the past. Anything that would pull at a strand of memory.
“I mean if I met her we definitely didn’t do anything worth remembering.” Fasaani said.
“So not one of your playthings? I don’t think I’ve ever even seen this woman.” Kavin responded.
“Break it.” Faz said.
“What?” Amy said confused.
Faz grabbed the frame and threw it to the ground. The glass shattered.
“What the fuck Faz?” Amy said completely lost.
Faz bent down and picked up the now broken frame and used the wall to brush what was left of the glass out of the way. She then pulled the photo free and turned to the back, where there was a short message written in a delicate cursive ink scrawled across the back of the photo.
“People always write shit on photos like this Amy. It’s probably a clue.” Fasaani said while studying the message. “It says ‘Silas my love, I hope this photo keeps you company while I’m away on business. Can’t wait to get back. Love Molly.’ So... this woman is named Molly and Molly loves Silas... the plot thickens!” Fasaani said pointing a finger in the air before handing the photo to Amy and continuing her own search.
“This house must be Molly and Silas’s.” Amy said looking at the photo contemplatively.
“Wow a real detective. Did you work for any of those multi-letter government organizations that like to topple leaders they don’t agree with?” Fasaani said dismissively.
“Damn Faz you are fired up.” Kavin said.
“I’m just tired of this. I want it over. This house feels like a red herring.” Fasaani said.
“I think Molly is a key to something though. I just don’t know what. Let’s all just take a different room and see what we can find?” Amy said.
“You want to split up? What if this is a trap?” Kavin said.
“Fuck this... right? There’s some kind of basement I’ll take that. You two figure your own spots out.” Fasaani said dismissively as she walked towards a small door built into the back of the stairs leading up to the second floor.
As Fasaani opened the small almost hidden door she smirked at a quick passing thought that this could be the start of a horror film. In the distance she could hear Amy and Kavin discussing who would take the upstairs and who would look through the kitchen. Fasaani felt her ferocity was taking hold and driving her. She longed for conflict of some kind and was tired of all of this searching and discussion. She stepped down the dusty wooden stairs into a basement covered in spiderwebs but relatively sparse. There were the standard washer and dryer next to a long table for folding clothes or ironing. Hangers and a line to hang up anything needing a little extra time. There was a distinct smell of mist and dampness. She looked around the unfinished basement. There wasn’t much of anything to even note. She pressed her hand on the cold dusty cinderblocks that lined the walls. She always enjoyed the gravel and gritty feel of cinder.
“Fucking Molly and Silas. Boring couple with some utilitarian basement.” Fasaani muttered.
Then she felt something faint in her pocket. Just a tiny rumble. She jammed her hand in her pocket with excitement pulling out her knife. It vibrated meekly in her hand. To her delight Fasaani pulled it to her cheek to feel the vibration on her skin. It was mild but it was there. A tear formed in the corner of her eye as she felt the gentle vibration on her skin.
“You’re back, I thought you left me.” She whispered.
She turned slightly to the left thinking about heading back upstairs but she noticed the vibration intensified. Instinctually she knew she had to follow that. She held the knife out like a divining rod and slowly walked in accordance with what seemed to make the knife shake with excitement. It took her to a wooden wall at the far end of the room. Why did the knife want to be near this wall? Fasaani began brushing the dust off the wall looking for some hint of what the knife wanted her to know. Then nearly invisible she saw a cutout in one of the boards. It wasn’t a gap but a deliberate hand-sized hold. Without hesitation Fasaani put her hand into the cutout and pulled. It was sticky and creaked but after some resistance she was able to pull the door open.
The room that now sat in front of her was small, a perfect square with all black walls. There was no light fixture and it was dark other than the light from the ground level windows in the main basement level. Fasaani backed out and went to the cupboards above the long table for folding laundry. She opened them and furiously dug through half empty detergents and fabric softeners that time had forgotten. Then to her surprise and delight she found a set of candles and a small book of matches. They were the standard long candles that only really seemed to look good in a candelabra. Fasaani quickly grabbed one of the old paper matches and tried to strike it on the book.
Scratch.
Nothing.
Scratch.
Nothing.
She began feverishly scratching the match until the head rubbed clean off. She grabbed a new match to only do the same thing. She took a deep breath and then tried once more with a third match.
Scratch... crackle... flame. She pulled the match to the wick and watched as the candle came to life. Fasaani half jogged back to the room and peered into the space. It was pitch black, the floor even appeared to be painted in a thick black paint.
“What is this?” She said stepping into the room.
Her knife began vibrating so much it even started to put off some heat in her pocket. She grabbed the knife with her free hand and tried to follow the vibration but it had become too intense to decipher a level. She held the candle out and looked for anything... then... there was something that glinted. Just off to the corner on the floor. She stepped quickly over and kneeled down holding the flame out. There it was. A simple dagger with a dark blade, only the sharp edge caught the light from the candle. She held her knife out towards the dagger and it vibrated out of her hand hitting next to it.
Fasaani picked up the dagger and held it next to the flame. “What are you? You must have done something truly awful to make my knife buzz that way.” She said studying the object in her hand.
“AMY GET DOWN HERE NOW I need you to smell this!” Fasaani yelled.