The Hollows In Our Freedom | 'Hollows' Book Ⅲ

Chapter Seventy-Five

Toby Espan. Lying on the floor.

Covered in shrapnel wounds that bled out, and surrounded with both pieces of clothing that were supposed to be on his arm...and then–

"We need an ambulance!" My mum yelled to no one in particular. Suddenly I felt like a Guardian, in the worst way possible.

I felt the pull towards Lexi, my best friend who looked okay when I had seen her, and Toby, who was not okay.

I just didn't know what to do for either of them. What can I do?

The ambulance arrived soon, in the flurry of us trying to stop the blood pouring out of Toby.

I stared.

I felt as though this was all my fault. They hadn't directly targeted me yet; maybe they were going for everyone else first to scare me.

'You asked for it.'

That's what the message on the wall had said, but as Lexi, Toby and Colton were taken into the ambulance, I wasn't sure that any of us had ever asked for this.

My mum disappeared into the ambulance with Jace, Cassie and Colton, and I watched as it sped off into the distance.

When I saw Jameson, and he saw me, that's when I felt it. I broke down into sobs.

He pulled me close against his chest, winding his arms around my torso and holding onto me tightly.

"I feel guilty," I said, pulling back, "like this is all my fault—I mean, it is my freedom," I said, the sobs subsiding but the tears still running freely.

"No," Jameson said, reaching in and brushing away the tears quickly, as if he couldn't bear to see them, "no, nonsense," he said, cupping my face. "This is just as much their freedom as it is yours, as it is ours."

I shook my head, gulping, "But it isn't, is it? We're the ones that asked for help in the letter; they're fighting for our freedom."

"Yes, but they're here—we didn't force them," Jameson said, eyes full of all sorts of intense emotions, "and what's to say that they don't want this freedom too?" He asked.

His argument seemed completely sensible, but I still shook my head again. "When my dad wrote that letter, he told them that the freedom would be hollowed and flawed, but I don't think we meant this much! Now look—he's dead, he wrote the letter and he's dead. Doesn't that ring alarm bells for you?"

Jameson just watched me. And I knew what he was watching. He was watching what I couldn't see, but could only feel. My heart breaking. Over, and over, and over again.

"Listen to me, Sky," Jameson said, stepping forward and clasping onto my hands, "we fought for this freedom, I helped us all to get it, you helped us all to get it, we can't give up yet. There's a fall before there's a climb. And there's a climb before we actually make it. We will make it eventually."

I listened to him; he was only trying to comfort me, to assert me. But what he said started a fire in me instead.

"We need to go to war," I said abruptly.

"Wa–"

"–we need an army, and then we need to go to war to eliminate all of these monsters so they never hurt us again. We need to kill them. We need to kill them all."

Jameson stared at me. He was not angry, he was not happy. He was worried.

As he stared at me, he watched Sky Forest, or Sky Beaufort, disintegrate in front of his eyes and take the form of something else.

"We said we needed a revolution, no revolution comes without a war. And look what they're doing to our team! We need to do something!" I was attracting attention, but I no longer cared.

Jameson shook his head. "We kill to protect—I've never heard of 'going to war' or killing just to...attack, with no previous knowledge about whom we're killing and if they're even involved. It's just...savage."

"Well let it be savage—I am taking my weapons, I am taking my army, and I am going to war. For the sake of us all, our future and our freedom, I am going to war. Feel free to stand here like an idiot and get left behind."

With that, I turned on my heel, dust whirling around me, and strode off.

We are going to war.

_______________________________

finally an update

ffs

what even happened to me

oh well I had a good Easter break and that's all that matters

ANYWAY YO WW3 COMING

-Hitler junior

FABULOUS SONGS

Songs that played when I was writing this chapter (in order):
Painted - MS MR
Now Or Never - Halsey
The Man Who Can't Be Moved - The Script
Soldier - Fleurie
Recover - Ruelle
Shaking Heads - Foxes
Set Fire to the Rain - Adele
Fool of Me - Say Lou Lou
Vincent - Ellie Goulding
Make Up Your Mind - Florence + The Machine

END OF FABULOUS SONGS

Date written:
06/06/18 (THIS CAME OUT TODAY AHH—bet y'all are so unimpressed now you've got to this stage lmao)
07/06/18 [ten days until my birthday ;)]
09/06/18

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Next update: Friday
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CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX SPOILER:

What happens to Toby?

What happens to Lexi?

And...what's up with Sky?