The Hollowing (COYWOLF Series Book 2)

by Abby Tyson

  Savi snuggles into her. "For two girls," she corrects.

  "For two girls," her mom repeats, and starts humming again.

  The boundary between sleep and wakefulness blurred as Savi smiled at the sunshine on her face, breathing in the lingering fragrance of lemongrass soap. A small voice told her to remain where she was, to stay asleep. But she wanted to tell her mom about the dream, to see if she remembered Savi ever asking such a question.

  Rolling over, she gasped at the sudden, biting pains in her shoulder and side. The whitewashed clapboard walls reminded her that she was in Florida. Though she tried to fight it, reality pricked and ripped at the sweet memory of her dream until she was left with only the image of the ambulance, and a body under a sheet.

  Suddenly she felt that same sheet tight on her -- invisible, suffocating -- squeezing the air out of her. Frantically Savi scrambled out of bed, the stabbing pain from her injuries forcing her to her knees while at the same time somehow poking holes in what felt like a plastic bag over her face. She breathed in, sobbing silently from the pain that seemed to originate nowhere, yet branded her everywhere.

  Grabbing her trash can, she heaved violently, the noise bringing someone into the room with her. She was vaguely aware of someone rubbing her back, but only after she recognized the quiet, comforting voice as Hettie did her stomach cease its vain efforts to purge her of her memories.

  Hettie handed her a box of tissues and helped her stand, guiding her past Glenn, Baxter, and Dave, all of whom stood pale and glued to her doorway.

  "Thanks," Savi croaked as Hettie helped her sit on the edge of the tub and closed the bathroom door behind them. "I can take it from here."

  "Do you want me to stay, help you get cleaned up?"

  "I'm fine, thanks."

  "You are nowhere near fine, Savannah Claudie," chided Hettie, turning the shower on. She was wearing one of Savi's sun dresses, and for some reason the sight of Hettie pulling the loose strap back up onto her bony shoulder made Savi's eyes burn.

  Staring at the fake tile linoleum floor, she said, "I can shower by myself, at least."

  "Let me help you get this off," said Hettie, pointing at the oversized t-shirt that Savi was wearing. "You were right: the bullet only grazed you, but I'm sure it doesn't feel great." After a painful attempt at lifting her arm, Savi acquiesced to Hettie's assistance.

  "How do we even have running water?" she asked. "Didn't they blow up that water line?"

  Delicately lifting the shirt over Savi's head, Hettie said, "I guess that was only for the prison and not the whole Den. The hurricane knocked out the power for a few hours last night, but otherwise there were no problems with the utilities here."

  Holding the shirt in front of her with her good arm, Savi said, "I'll take care of the rest. Thanks."

  Hettie tested the water again, becoming lost in thought as she watched it bounce off her hand. Steam swirled around her, and beads of water formed on her fiery hair. "Your mom was the strongest, most beautiful woman I know," she said. Turning back to her, Hettie put her wet hands on Savi's face and added, "Except you. You're my hero."

  Hot tears mingled with the water dripping down Savi's cheeks. Knowing that only more sobs would escape if she tried to speak, she simply nodded.

  After Hettie left, Savi studied herself in the slowly fogging mirror. Her face had escaped mostly unscathed from the night's proceedings, though it still bore a faint reminder of Amber's handiwork from over a week ago. The real damage had been her shoulder, with a deep gash that someone had cleaned and bandaged, and her ribcage, which was a nasty patchwork of purple and green bruises.

  Testing the shower, she flinched at the piping hot water on her skin, fighting back visions of last night's inferno. Setting it to lukewarm, she gingerly stepped in and began slowly ridding her skin of the scent of smoke and death.

  Back in Alligator River, Savi's stone wall had fallen, only to be raised again when she discovered her roller coaster of emotions was too much to handle. Now, in the vast desolation that was her soul, Savi searched for the battered remnants of her barricade that she could use to rebuild. She would gather the weathered, crumbling rocks and heave them back onto one another, sculpting her smooth, insurmountable fortress.

  But there was nothing. The dark void within her yielded not even a single speck of dust.

  Fear, thick and frigid, encased her, and the frail, brittle shell she had become cracked under its leaden weight. Savi turned off the water and climbed out as quickly as she could. Wrapping herself in a towel, she opened the door.

  Dave sat at the dinner table, while Glenn, Baxter, and Hettie were in the living room, watching TV. Everyone looked up at her, their eyes switching from relief to sorrow in a heart beat.

  Still dripping, she wordlessly slipped back into her bedroom and lay down, staring at the ceiling. The sheets stunk of smoke, but she couldn't bring herself to endure the pain required to move and strip the bed.

  Minutes later, or perhaps hours, someone knocked on the door. When Savi didn't answer, it cracked open, and Glenn whispered, "Savi? Are you awake?"

  "Course she's awake," came Baxter's gruff voice. "See? Her eyes are wide open."

  The two men came to stand by her bed. "We brought you a sandwich," said Glenn, setting a plate on the bedside table. They both stared down at her expectantly, but Savi could think of nothing to say.

  "Karis made it out," said Glenn, filling the silence. "The plan had been for Baxter to take them to a hotel last night, but because of the weather we all stayed here. She and Nissa are in Dave's room right now."

  Dave's room. Not Dave and Chloe's room.

  "The living room floor's a lot comfier than it looks," said Baxter. "But that Hettie's sure got a big snore for such a teeny kid, eh?"

  His forehead went blotchy when Savi didn't speak, or even return his smile. Glenn put a hand on his shoulder and continued. "Ren's okay too. He flew back to Massachusetts this morning."

  "Couldn't get outta this hell hole fast enough," said Baxter with a nod. "Can't blame him."

  A question was forming in Savi's empty mind, but well before her lips could ask, Glenn answered it for her.

  "We're pretty certain Marley got out. Hettie said she saw someone emerge from the same stairwell where she found you, and later Ren told us that it must have been Marley."

  "I knew that Steroids was no good," growled Baxter, "leavin' you high and dry. If I ever see him again, he'll be the one with a dent."

  "Ren also told us how Marley went into shock after learning about Warren's passing," explained Glenn, doing a poor job at sounding sympathetic. Savi kept quiet, unwilling and uninterested in revealing the truth about Marley's real reason for leaving.

  "No one's heard from Lila either," said Glenn. "Last anyone saw, she was chasing after Berto, who has also been conspicuously absent since last night."

  Savi stared at Glenn, unable to respond. She knew she should be glad to hear that most of their party was accounted for, and that the plan had apparently succeeded in disrupting Berto's altering program, but the idea of feeling good about anything right now seemed profane, an unforgivable sin.

  "Between everyone's different perspectives," he went on, "we've been able to piece together a timeline of what happened, including with Second and Jameson."

  There was no prick of fear at Jameson's name, no flash of his malicious face in her mind. Nothing.

  She watched Glenn and Baxter as they talked to her, hearing their words but never voicing her own, feeling almost as if she weren't there, like she was across the room observing two strangers discussing their days. They told her about the cover story they'd used when the EMTs called the police, deciding on a story as close to the truth as possible, but reworded to fit a less supernatural vocabulary. Berto was now being investigated regarding a global human trafficking network, and the Zuun had been registered as a new rival organized crime syndicate.

  Baxter and Glenn also outlined everyone's travel plans. Hettie was flyin
g out that night, while Dave, Savi, Karis, and Nissa would leave Monday, giving Savi some time both to heal a little and give her statement to the police.

  "We hope you'll be okay with the two of us driving the van back up the coast," said Glenn.

  "My sister's still living with my Ma," said Baxter, "so she's okay with pickin' us up after we drop the car at your place."

  A loud, firm knock on the front cottage door caught their attention, and Baxter got up to open the bedroom door and see who it was. Although she didn't lift her head to see, Savi recognized Veronica's voice as she greeted Hettie.

  "Good afternoon," she said. "I'm a resident here like you, and-- Oh, hi Dr. Khan!" When Dave didn't answer right away, she asked, "Dr. Khan?"

  "Uh, yes, hi... uh..."

  "Veronica." She sounded disappointed that he didn't remember her name.

  "Of course," he said, "Veronica. Sorry."

  "Savi lives with you, right?" she asked.

  "Yes, she's here. She's sleeping."

  Glenn looked down at Savi, but she closed her eyes, not wanting to have to talk to her.

  "Oh good. I saw her... down there... and was worried she didn't make it out in time."

  Dave didn't reply, so Hettie spoke instead. "Do you need something?"

  "Yes," came Veronica's determined answer. "We're getting signatures from everyone who wants to stay here. Sign to save the Den."

  "Stay?" Dave asked in shock.

  "Most of the residents don't have anywhere else to go," she said. "If we're going to get money to rebuild, we have to prove there's a need, and that we're willing to work for it. I know there was nasty stuff happening here, but most of the people who worked here didn't know about it. They want to keep the true mission of the Den alive too. We can keep doing the good stuff without the bad. Will you sign?"

  For the first time that morning, Savi felt a spark of light in the emptiness. A flame of anger burned inside her and she welcomed it. The idea of anyone staying in this evil, condemned, haunted place made her wish the Zuun bombs had been planted everywhere, razing every building and erasing any trace that it had ever existed. A quick glance at Baxter and Glenn revealed she wasn't the only one struggling with the concept.

  "We'll all be returning to Massachusetts within the next few days," said Dave.

  "How about some cash then?" asked Veronica with a grin in her voice.

  The silence seemed to make the room expand. The air went tight, as if they were all inside a balloon that was about to pop. Savi waited for Dave to lose it, give voice to the rage that he surely must have felt. The Den was a lie, a word with no meaning, a dead dream that could never be saved. If he, as a renowned mental health professional, spoke out against rebuilding, it was certain to derail their efforts.

  "I can't get to my wallet right now," he said quietly, "but I'll be sure to find you before I leave to make a donation. I wish you and the residents here the best of luck. You have my card -- don't hesitate to contact me if you need a reference."

  What!?! Savi hardly heard Veronica's response over the blood rushing through her ears.

  How could he do this? How could he feed the delusion that this place was anything but a graveyard?

  She was about to get out of bed and tell them both as much when she heard Veronica say her name.

  "...tried to tell me that something was going on, and I thought she was just some rich kid who didn't get what it was like to live on the street, eating from garbage cans and having to remember which alley belongs to what gang. But when I saw on the news what happened, and thought that I could have been sold off too... I can't believe I defended that guy. Can you tell Savi I'm sorry for yelling at her?"

  The rage that had stuffed Savi full shrank back in on itself, leaving her feeling misshapen, and even smaller than before. Veronica was right. Was Savi going to condemn the hundreds of Den residents to a life of homelessness? The violence and pain they felt living on the streets was surely no less harrowing than they would have faced if they'd fallen victim to Berto's plans. At least now that threat was gone, and with a roof over their heads and a network of support, they could begin their road to recovery in earnest.

  "Of course," said Dave. They exchanged a pleasant goodbye, and Veronica went on to the next cottage.

  After Baxter and Glenn left, Savi spent the rest of the day in bed. Hettie came in before she left for the airport and packed most of Savi's things for her. Hearing her best friend prattle on about Colby was helpful in that it kept Savi's mind occupied, but it was also exhausting. More than once she found herself snapping awake to hear Hettie in the middle of a sentence, but she caught the major points of conversation.

  "...disappointed that I'm not a werewolf anymore. I explained what happened, but it'll be better when we see each other in person..."

  "...went with him to the lodge. They met the other werewolves and seem to be taking everything relatively well -- especially Eric. Apparently he and Colby had a grand old time racing through the woods and using trees as baseball bats..."

  The thought of people like Tara and Eric having super powers made Savi nauseous, and the noose of guilt around her neck tightened for having been the one to give them that power. She hoped Colby didn't fall into his old dumb jock ways without Hettie there to keep him in check.

  "I might even try to meet them up there and get some more blood samples." Hettie made a sound of disgust. "It's so annoying the Zuun took yours. It would be fascinating to compare the effect of your blood to multiple specimens."

  Savi couldn't help but give a weak, painful laugh at her best friend's sideways glance. From Hettie's concerned expression, it must have sounded more like an agonized groan.

  "I know that look, Henrietta," she said, trying to make her voice sound light. "No one's ever sticking a needle in me again."

  Hettie's eyes went soft and watery, but she smirked and continued pulling out clothes from Savi's messy drawers and folding them neatly into the suitcase. "Now that you're talking again, you have to tell me what the heck has been going on for the past few weeks. You gave me the gist when we were in the prison, but I still don't get exactly how we all got here. Glenn and Baxter told me everything they know, but Ren barely said anything, giving me some line about it being up to you to decide what to tell me."

  Although she would have preferred to continue listening to Hettie, she found that telling her best friend about what had happened was unexpectedly cathartic. Starting with Baxter's surprise visit to her house, Savi told her everything, from Marley's notebook, Amber and Pearl, the Zuun, all the way to why Marley had really left them in the prison.

  Savi didn't mention what she had learned about her Grandma Claudie. After two weeks of being with her mom, Savi was shocked to realize she'd never even told her. She'd thought about it -- many times -- but Chloe wasn't around, or the moment didn't feel right, or Dave was within earshot, or a million other excuses.

  Telling Hettie about Monty and the reason he had left was out of the question too. Savi told herself it was because Chloe had been a second mother to Hettie, and she didn't want to sully Hettie's memory of her. But the truth was that if she gave voice to the memory of her mom -- the blinding, crushing, oppressive weight that swaddled her like an iron blanket -- she would assuredly cave in, flattening paper thin right before her best friend's eyes.

  Hettie had several choice words for Marley -- words that she usually reserved for truly terrible things like massive oil spills or the state of Savi's sock drawer. Savi shared her anger, still unable to believe he had acted so selfishly. But her self-righteous indignation was marred by regret. The dream of their relationship was over, tattered and broken by their fears and insecurities. She didn't hate Marley -- far from it. Beneath that crazed and jealous guy in the prison, hid the boy from the shed, the boy who had spoken poetry to her when she was afraid, and made her feel like she was the most beautiful girl on the planet.

  A soft knock halted their conversation. "It's time to get you to the airport, Hett
ie," said Dave from the other side of the door.

  "I laid out three outfits for you," said Hettie, pointing to the only hangers with clothes left on them, "plus sweats for the flight back. Promise you'll get dressed, and that you'll eat." She gave a pointed look at the untouched sandwich still sitting on the nightstand.

  "Promise," said Savi, holding back tears. The two best friends shared a gentle embrace, promising to continue their weekly phone calls to stay in touch.

  The room felt too empty and silent after Hettie left, so Savi followed through on her promise and carefully slipped on the dress Hettie had selected. Bringing her plate out to the dining room, she found Nissa and Karis in the kitchen, searching for food. Neither took any notice of her, but when she saw them struggling to reach the cabinet, she asked, "Want me to get that?"

  Karis whipped around, and at the sight of someone else in the room started screaming, throwing herself on the floor.

  "Is she okay?" asked Savi, staying back.

  "Obviously not," snapped Nissa. She put her hand on Karis's arm and spoke quietly to her, but Karis put her hands over her ears and shouted, "I can't hear you! You're not Nissa! I can't hear you!"

  Karis rolled over to face away from Nissa, but her cries halted abruptly as she jumped up and stared out the window at the sunset.

  "The sky," she said, turning around and pointing back at it. Despite the tears dripping from her chin, she smiled brightly, but there was an absence in her blue eyes that reminded Savi of the silver wolf in Berto's office.

  Once they had managed to make a dinner for themselves, Nissa started back to the bedroom. Karis, however, joined Savi at the table, and Nissa grudgingly did the same. Savi worried about another outburst but Karis remained calm, and was actually quite sweet at times, touching Nissa's face lovingly and humming between bites. The more shocking of the two octogenarian children was actually Nissa, who for once appeared genuinely happy -- grinning, and even giggling. Only at one point did Karis make Savi uneasy, when she tore off a small piece of her bread and, with an innocent, childish smile, held it out to Savi saying, "Hey you, beg. Good puppy."