The cold air burned in Lukas's lungs as he ran.
Felix was ahead of him, moving with practiced precision, leading them deeper into the twisting alleyways behind the abandoned church. The fog pressed in around them, thicker than before, curling in heavy tendrils along the ground.
The Hollow had stepped into the church like it belonged there.
Lukas's fingers tightened around the coin in his pocket, his heart hammering against his ribs.
This wasn't just about running.
It was about not being erased.
---
They took a sharp turn into a narrow passage, barely wide enough for two people. Felix threw a glance over his shoulder, his jaw tight.
"It's still following."
Lukas gritted his teeth. "I figured."
Felix didn't slow. "Good. Then don't stop."
Lukas didn't plan to.
But the alley shifted around them.
Lukas's chest tightened as the space ahead of them warped—not physically, but in a way that made his mind hesitate to process it. The buildings stretched, blurred, shifted out of alignment, as if reality itself was misremembering this part of town.
His breath caught. "Felix—"
"I see it."
Felix changed direction immediately, turning into an even tighter side street. Lukas followed, forcing himself not to look back.
He could hear it now.
Not footsteps. Not breathing.
Just… a presence.
Something behind them, something tugging at the edges of their existence, something that would replace them with nothing if they let it.
---
Felix vaulted over a low fence, landing smoothly on the other side. Lukas gritted his teeth and followed, his movements less graceful but just as desperate. His boots slammed onto the uneven cobblestone street, his pulse pounding against his skull.
The world was narrowing, every step tightening the invisible weight around him.
His name had been written in Felix's notes. Over and over again.
Had he already been this close to disappearing before? Had Felix pulled him back without him even knowing?
How much of him was already gone?
The thought made his head spin.
And then—
The air behind them collapsed.
A sharp, twisting silence swallowed the space where they had just been.
Lukas barely had time to react before Felix grabbed his wrist and yanked him sideways.
The street they had just run through no longer existed.
Lukas's breath hitched.
There was no sound. No destruction. No sign of collapse.
It was just… gone.
The buildings, the street, the alley.
As if it had never been there to begin with.
---
Felix dragged him into a shadowed alcove, shoving him against the stone wall. Lukas's pulse hammered in his throat.
Felix held up a hand, signaling for silence.
Lukas swallowed hard, forcing himself to breathe through his nose.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
The fog churned outside their hiding place, thick and unmoving.
Then, barely audible—
A whisper.
Lukas's fingers twitched.
The Hollow was close.
Felix's posture was tense, his sharp eyes flicking between the fog-covered street and Lukas. His expression was unreadable, but Lukas could see the way his muscles were coiled, waiting.
Then—
Something passed by.
Lukas didn't see it. Not fully.
But he felt it.
The air around them twisted, bending inward, as if the world itself was shifting to accommodate something that shouldn't exist.
His breath turned shallow.
Felix remained still.
Lukas counted his heartbeats. One. Two. Three.
Then, just as suddenly—
The weight lifted.
Felix exhaled quietly, stepping back. "It's gone."
Lukas let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. His hands were clammy, his body still tensed for impact.
Felix turned to him, voice quiet but sharp. "It won't be gone for long."
Lukas forced himself to focus. "What just happened?"
Felix ran a hand through his hair, his usual smirk nowhere in sight. "It's… adapting."
Lukas narrowed his eyes. "Adapting?"
Felix nodded. "It didn't just chase us. It rewrote the damn streets."
Lukas swallowed. "It changed reality?"
Felix let out a dry laugh. "You sound surprised."
Lukas exhaled. "I don't like the idea of the town deciding I don't exist."
Felix gave him a knowing look. "Now you're getting it."
Lukas clenched his jaw.
This wasn't just about running anymore.
This thing wasn't hunting them in a way that made sense.
It was breaking the rules of reality itself.
---
They took the long way back to Felix's house, keeping to the less open streets.
Lukas's thoughts churned as they walked.
The Hollow had been in the church.
Not hunting. Not searching.
Waiting.
Felix's voice cut through his thoughts. "We need a plan."
Lukas exhaled sharply. "Yeah. No shit."
Felix smirked slightly. "Finally speaking my language."
Lukas shook his head. "Tell me, genius—how do we stop something that rewrites the town around us?"
Felix tapped a finger against his temple. "Simple."
Lukas gave him a flat look. "Oh, yeah?"
Felix grinned. "We rewrite it first."
Lukas stared at him. "That's not simple."
Felix shrugged. "Simple doesn't work on things like this."
Lukas sighed. "Alright. What do we do?"
Felix's expression shifted—just slightly.
Something darker settled behind his eyes. "You won't like it."
Lukas scoffed. "I already don't like it."
Felix smirked. Then, voice calm as ever, he said,
"We need to go somewhere even the town doesn't remember."
Lukas's stomach dropped.
He didn't like the sound of that.
Not one bit.