Eve's Hollow by Charles Bedlam (best free e reader .txt) 📕

“Thank you for showing me this technique, Supernova,” the Pale Lady said in a monotone.

“You stole it from me,” he replied. “Not that I mind I guess. That's how you're supposed to train.”

Estelle's eyes were locked on the blade that the Pale Lady just materialized. She created a sword out of light and held it in her hand as sure as Estelle held Supernova's blade.

“Stealing techniques is your own method of training, if I remember? You didn't break to the power of lightning. Perhaps you will yield to steel. Do you still not have your sword? If you did, maybe I'd let you fight for your freedom.”

The sword. Estelle clutched the sword in her hand. She thought of bringing it to him. If he had his weapon, could he defeat the Pale Lady?

“We don't have to fight though,” she continued. “We could get the keys together and leave Eve's Hollow.”

After a moment of silence, the Pale Lady turned around. Estelle had realized that she had been staring at the Pale Lady the entire time. While Lady's eyes looked away, somewhere between stealing techniques and leaving Eve's Hollow, the Supernova Samurai had vanished.

“NO!” the Pale Lady screeched.

She ran over to the empty chair and with a frustrated stomp, incinerated it. She looked all around the room and Ransley and Estelle ducked behind their mound. She paced before the judge's bench, temper flaring. The anger and anxiety radiated from her like she was on fire. The room violently shook and the Pale Lady looked up just as the ceiling above her collapsed. Concrete and steel beams rained down creating a mountain in the center of the room. As the dust cleared, Ransley and Estelle tried to make something out. All they could see was the shadow of the Supernova Samurai out from the hole that he just created. He then vanished.

“We have to go,” Ransley whispered to Estelle, grabbing her arm.

Fearing what was behind them, Estelle and Ransley fled the room and back down the hallway. Once outside they searched in all directions for the samurai. Ransley grabbed Estelle's arm and pulled her behind one of the tall pillars. The alley that they had come from was now infested with the Punished. They sneaked off to the right side of the building and made it to the final pillar on that side just at the Pale Lady rushed out of the courthouse.

“NOVA!” she roared. “GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!”

The Pale Lady threw her hands up in the air.

“Tsu! Ten! RAH!”

A burst of white light, then the Pale Lady was enclosed in a cylinder of dazzling royal blue light. White streaks denoted the energy flowing upward. Two white bolts of lighting flailed around her, its origin at Lady's heart. The Pale Lady balled her fists and screamed at the top of her lungs. The ground around them shook as the force of her light grew.

“COME! BACK!!!”

She opened her palm and aimed it straight ahead. A beam of royal blue light shot forward like a cannon. The force of the blast pushed Estelle and Ransley over. The beam hit a building across the street and continued to relentlessly charge through four more before finally dispersing. The ground quaked as all five buildings fell in anguish to the Pale Lady's attack. Dust and smoke shot up in the air, temporarily obscuring vision across the street. Estelle looked at the Pale Lady, who was now silent.

The Pale Lady held her head down, fists still clenched. The energetic force that surrounded her died down and the lightning from her heart disappeared. Estelle could see that she was breathing heavily and this was the first time she was able to get a good look at her. She was dressed in a long black coat and her wavy, dark brown hair hung down to the small of her back. Her flesh was pale like the light of the moon. Like Supernova, her hair covered her face. The Pale Lady, head held down descended the steps of the courthouse and disappeared into the dust of the wreck that she created.

“Let's not wait to see if she comes back,” Ransley said.

He followed the building around the side and Estelle stayed close behind him. In the back of the courthouse there was another set of stone steps that fell to the street level. They used it and made their way back to the alleys. Using the closed spaces for cover would be a good idea. They stopped after moving passed a few buildings to rest.

“Are you alright?” Ransley asked Estelle.

“I'm fine. You?”

“I'm a bit too old for this,” he jested, out of breath. “At least we know he's alive.”

“Barely,” Estelle said. “After what that woman did to him, who knows if he'll last out here.”

No sooner had she said that did they hear a burst followed by a shock-wave.

“She's back!” Ransley said.

“No,” Estelle said, “it wasn't her. This way!”

Estelle ran through the alley and turned a corner. She ran the length of this alley until she came to an intersection. She looked forward, then down the left. It was when she looked to her right that she saw the aftermath of the explosion. Blood and body parts of the Punished were scattered about. A clean path on the ground stretched through the alley, but organs and gray skin was seared into the brick walls.

“Bloody hell...,” Ransley said once he had caught up to Estelle.

“Come on,” she whispered.

She walked slowly down the alley, staring at all of the disgusting carnage that lay around her. Apparently the rumors of Supernova's strength were accurate. It was very difficult to count, but Estelle estimated that there were no less than two dozen Punished in this alley. From what she could tell, the Supernova Samurai killed them all in a single attack. After seeing the Pale Lady level five buildings, Estelle did not doubt either of their powers. She felt compelled to get to him.

She hurried through the slop, stepping on burnt body parts and kicking bones. Ransley kept up with her and they came to an intersection in the alley. They heard what sounded like shuffling and a rush of wind. On solid ground, free of dismembered beasts she moved forward and into a dead end. A single fire escape was fixed on the far wall. It was immensely dark here. Estelle knew that she heard something, but she didn't see anything.

“Nothing,” Ransley said, pulling his flashlight out.

He shone his light around the alley, revealing a few dumpsters and an abandoned car. On the left wall of the dead end was an iron door that stood opened. A square window had been cut out and replaced by thick bars. Ransley shone his light in and found an empty hallway. As he searched the dead end, the light flickered, then died.

“Great,” he sighed. “Now what?”

“Ransley,” Estelle said. “Look.”

Casting their gaze heavenward, they saw that the slaughter of crows had returned. Still and silent, they gazed down at Estelle and Ransley with beady, glowing eyes. They were bright, like stars and for a moment, Estelle thought that the crows resembled the night sky from her home world.

“Oh...” Ransley's mouth hung open.

Something heavy dropped on the fire escape. The sudden sound of metal ringing out scared Estelle and made her jump. Her eyes were met with a pair staring right back at her. These eyes were angry and violet, like the aura of the sword. Like everything else in Eve's Hollow, his eyes glowed. His eyes were different. They had a soul in them, unlike the Punished. Although faint, Estelle was able to hear the steady, but heavy rhythm of his breathing.

“Supernova,” Estelle called out.

Silence.

“Supernova Samurai,” she said. “I'm-”

“I know who you are,” his dark, husky voice vibrated across the air. “My Seeker.”

The sword resonated in her hands and produced a dim violet aura.

“I brought your weapon to you,” Estelle said, hopeful to gain ground.

“You should have stayed away,” he said coldly. “It's dangerous.”

“But I can help you,” Estelle pressed.

“I don't need any help,” Supernova said. His words were followed by coughing.

“Then what do you call what just happened in the courthouse? I take it you were humoring the Pale Lady?”

“I managed to get out, didn't I?”

Estelle was getting frustrated. Why was he being difficult? Didn't he see how much of a good thing this was?

“And she is a very good reason why you should stay away from me.”

“But I came a long way to find you...”

“You've wasted your time, effort, and pointlessly risked your lives.”

His discouraging words wore here down like a jackhammer into solid concrete. She gripped the sword, desperate to hold on to a bit of hope.

“We're supposed to find the keys...”

“I am in the process of finding the keys.” Supernova's voice was louder now. “It is dangerous work for a child. If you know what's best for you, you'll stay with him and wait for me to find you.”

“But, Supernova! Baba said-”

Just as the Goddess's name passed Estelle's lips a harsh wind swept through the alley and with a woosh, the glowing eyes; the Supernova Samurai, disappeared.

“Some Guardian,” Ransley chuckled.

Ransley's joke fell on deaf ears. Estelle felt a fresh wave of grief come over her. She held the sword tighter, needing to hold onto something as the hole in her heart threatened to devour her. Baba assured her that Supernova would help her, not pass her off. Ever since learning of her origin, Estelle only wanted to earn her new life. Truly earn it. She wanted to help him. Did he expect her to sit patiently at Ransley's penthouse while he earned her life for her? She hated that idea. But he didn't even give her a chance.

In some twisted way, Estelle felt that this was more karma for crimes committed in her previous life. Estelle wanted a chance, but in her past, she stole the chance of a full life away from many people. They didn't have that chance. Estelle didn't get hers either. Her head fell, the negativity winning. She looked up and saw that the crows were gone as well. The aura around the sword dispersed. The alley was quiet. That was the only reason they were able to hear the men on the street, not far from where they were. Estelle knew that they were Grigori's men, still looking for her, even after the Pale Lady shook the city.

“We should get going,” Ransley said. “Estelle?”

It didn't seem as though she was listening. She picked her head up and looked at him. He couldn't see her expression in the darkness nor could she see his.

“There,” she said, quietly. “That hallway.”

Estelle pointed at the open metal door on the side of the Alley. Perhaps there was a staircase that led to the roof. They could get back to the penthouse that way. Ransley didn't waste any time and immediately entered the hallway. Estelle followed closely behind him and as soon as he was through the threshold of the building, Estelle swung the door shut behind him. At her feet was a heavy iron pipe. She stuck it through the handle of the door and the metal loop that was meant to chain the door shut, trapping Ransley inside.

“What are you doing, girl?!” he exclaimed. “What's this about?”

“You don't owe me anything,” Estelle said. She held her head down again. The despair she felt, in her perception was larger than the city and twice as deep.

“Oh, come now!”

“You've done more than enough for me and I can't ask you to risk your life for me anymore. Now that the Pale Lady knows I'm here and knowing what she wants to do to me... I can't let you be involved in this anymore. You're a good man and the only person