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

Eve's Hollow was not a place on Earth and it was composed almost entirely of tall and thick urban industrial-like towers, tailored to the people's liking. There were, however, places reserved for natural pleasure such as large parks and farms, though they were few.

Ransley was bringing Estelle to the penthouse of a hotel that he was inhabiting called the Queen Martha. As it turns out, he had gone out on a whim after a long period of remaining in his home. Instead of finding supplies or food, he found a girl.

The remainder of their trip was silent. Ransley had given her a small pouch of eight extra bullets, but they had nothing to talk about except for the Supernova Samurai. Estelle spent the time contemplating what this man must be like. So far what little kindness she had been shown only came after a mentally and physically exhausting gauntlet that drove her to her limits. A trait that carried over from her past life was that she never got her hopes up. For anything. Just because the goddess said he'd help her didn't mean that he actually would and she would not live her life as if he was going to. However, that did not stop her heart from wanting what it wanted. That was to be loved; not for a lie, not for who she pretended to be, for who she was, open and honest.

The walk was shorter than Estelle thought it would be. Her mind treated her cruelly, so she gave up thinking about the samurai. The sky bridge brought them to the middle level of the hotel tower that was their destination. Ransley assured her that they were safe for the time being. From the sky bridge, they entered a small, circular foyer with three elevators in a semi-circle. Ransley moved to the far left elevator on the right and pressed the button. It lit up with a ding. The gears squealed to life and the doors opened. They entered the car and Ransley pushed the button labeled “PH”.

“I'm surprised the electricity still works,” Estelle said as the elevator began to rise.

Ransley informed her that each block was built with a series of generators that connected to a grid that spread to almost every building in the city. Eve's Hollow was not a part of what was call “the real world”. As a result, the city relied on self sufficient generators in the city blocks. Many of them were down, damaged, or raided for parts, but Ransley had been able to keep the generator on his block running by doing a bit of raiding, himself. He told Estelle that he wasn't sure how much long her could keep it going. Just as they reached the penthouse, the elevator stalled and the lights flickered off. It resumed after a second or two, then they stepped out.

They came out in a long hallway with red walls, decorated with gold trim. A long decorated carpet led to a set of red and gold double doors. Various portraits of artwork lined the walls and dim hanging lights made the area look sad and lonely. The light at the end flickered on and off. Ransley approached the doors and removed a credit card-sized piece of plastic out of his pocket. The locking mechanism was automatic and needed to be opened with a card key that he held. He used it and the bolts inside of the door snapped open. Ransley pushed the door open and the two stepped inside.

Baron Ransley's penthouse was the first piece of Eve's Hollow Estelle had seen that had not fallen into disrepair. The living area was spacious with a couple of large, soft couches and a matching recliner. A glass table adorned with several guns and half-empty bottles lay in the center of the room with both couches positioned around it like an “L”. The kitchen was connected to the living room with only a small island to separate them. There was a long hallway on the other side of the living room.

“Have a seat,” Ransley said, motioning toward the couch.

Estelle sat on the couch as he removed his coat and several of his guns from his body. He went into the kitchen and emerged after a few moments with a glass in each hand. Ransley sat in the recliner and handed Estelle one of the glasses.

“Where do you get water in a place like this?” Estelle asked.

“Water was one of the precious commodities imported from the Earth Plain, so we have massive reserves of it. I know of a tank that has not been discovered yet. This place has a pretty good reserve too, but I use it to stay clean.”

“You seem to be very resourceful.”

Ransley took a couple of gulps of water and so did Estelle. The kind of silence between them was the sort that manifested when two people were trying to read each others thoughts simultaneously. Neither of them could though.

“May I use your bathroom?” Estelle asked.

“It's down the hall.”

Estelle rose to her feet and made her way down a dark, but surprisingly clean hallway. She found the bathroom, which was larger than any she had ever seen. She stood at the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. It had been a very long time since she had looked this young. The last time she saw herself, she was far older and the wear of a life on the run was apparent in the lines of her face. Now her skin was so smooth and soft again.

It threw her into strange space to think about her past life. She was still getting used to thinking of herself as a different person. She still wasn't sure who she was, exactly. She looked exactly the way she did in life at the same age with one exception. She had not noticed before because she had not seen herself in a mirror. A thin, jagged scar ran around her neck, making a complete circle around her throat. It was easy to miss at first, but impossible to ignore once realized. Estelle pressed her finger to it and at once her mind was flooded with the memory of her past life kneeling in despair as a swift, unflinching blade claimed her life.

Estelle felt a panic rise up inside of her and she reached into her pocket and felt the snowflake. She felt reassured by this. She remembered why she was there and what she had to do. Ransley was waiting in the other room to give her the information she needed. Upon the sink was a bandage roll. Estelle took just a bit and fixed it around her neck to hide her scar. She straightened up, then returned to the living room. She and Ransley sat in silence for a moment.

“So,” Ransley said. “You're looking for the Supernova Samurai.”

Estelle nodded.

“Why?”

“He's supposed to help me,” Estelle said. “Or, that's what I was told.”

“I don't know a whole lot, but I'll give you what information I have.”

He adjusted himself in his seat and took a sip of water.

“I can tell you three things,” he started. “The first is that he is very strong. He commands lightning and his voice is said to be like thunder. Next I can tell you is that he kills the Punished like they're nothing. When he fights, when he kills, he is ruthless. The third is that he survives out in the storms.”

“The storms?” Estelle asked.

Ransley looked her up and down. “You really are new in town, aren't you?”

She shrugged.

“Here, in Eve's Hollow, at random times the city is plagued by a storm of vengeful ghosts. The sky darkens three times and on the third time, the sky remains black. An evil four-faced head descends from the cloudy sky. Angry spirits then manifest from it and will brutally slay any living creature they come across. Us poor souls can survive by painting a series of symbols over the thresholds of our homes. The Supernova Samurai is able to survive in this storm. Even with his power, the ghosts should overtake him. I'd take this to mean that he is one of them or something of the like.”

Estelle looked down at her feet. She felt nervous.

“Have you ever spoken to him?” she asked.

“I have not.”

“Have you ever met him?”

“No.”

“So these are just... observations?”

“Well. Yes.”

This was helpful to Estelle and she was grateful for for this information, but it was not enough. She didn't just need to know about him, she needed to find him.

“That's all you know?” she asked him. “There's nothing else you can tell me?”

Ransley took a moment to think, then said “there is one more bit and now that I think of it, it's probably the most important.”

He finished his glass of water.

“He hasn't been seen in a very long time,” Ransley said. “The last time he was seen, he was in a fierce fight with someone who was just as strong if not stronger than he was. Their battle left a scar on the city. Their lightning destroyed everything that it struck. I'm sure that much of the city felt the shock waves. But that battle was a while ago and he hasn't been seen since.”

“How do you know all that you know about him?”

“While out on scavenging runs, I've had to lie low while the Punished wandered around me. They spoke of him and a woman named the Pale Lady who was his nemesis. I'd assume that she was the one he was doing battle with when he was last seen. All I know is that I wouldn't want my child near him.”

“I'm not-”

“What?” It appeared as though Ransley had been distracted by a thought.

“I said I'm not a child,” Estelle said firmly, determined to assert her identity.

“Well I certainly admit that you are very mature, but-”

“I am the reincarnation of a thirty year old woman and I remember every single detail of her life. I remember her birthdays, I remember her fears, I know her secrets, I was her.”

Ransley looked at the floor again, then into his empty glass. It was strange; he did not really have a reaction.

“If that's the case,” he said after a minute, still looking at the floor, “then I have one question. How did you get here?”

“You wouldn't believe me.”

“You're the one in my home, young lady. It would be rude not to answer my question. I'll judge for myself whether or not I believe you.”

After a deep breath, she said “When my past life- passed away, I was placed here for a chance at a new life.”

“Your past life?” the man cocked his head to the side.

“Yes.”

“A reincarnation?”

“I guess you could say that. My former self was a wicked person who did awful things to innocent people.”

Ransley's expression softened. “So you're a Seeker.”

“I'm a what?”

“I don't know why it took me so long to figure that out. You're a seeker, Estelle. Here, special people are brought to the city for the specific purpose of mending their broken souls when any conventional means would not work. Now, from what I've seen, you don't seem like your soul needs mending, but this past life of yours landed you in a place worse than Hell.”

Estelle looked down and struggled to find words. She thought about her past life, something that she had tried very hard not to do since she came to Eve's Hollow. Without the immediate