Echo: Book III of the Hollowstone Chronicles

By Chris Van Dyk

Being a freshmen is hard enough. Jennifer has to do it while periodically fighting to save the world.

It's been roughly three years since the final battle for Hollowstone. There has been great pain - and loss - and now is the time of peace. Old wounds begin to heal and time marches on.

The past, unfortunately, is inescapable. It begins to seethe and corrupt the present, much to Jennifer's dismay. Civilians are drawn into the battle, terrible secrets are revealed, and new love is born. The greatest challenge is for Jennifer to conquer her past, her fears, and determine the differences between terror and reality.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chris Van Dyk
• Release date: Oct 27, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311396945

Chris Van Dyk

Salutations, dear readers! My name is Chris. I've been a writer for a number of years now. My first book, "Awaken: The Hollowstone Chronicles" was originally printed by Tate Publishing in 2009. I have since left Tate and am now publishing exclusively online. My favorite genres are horror, suspense, mystery, fantasy, and sci-fi. Please check back often as I'm getting pretty prolific as of late! The first three books of my Hollowstone Chronicles are now available and have the green light for Premium Catalog status! Book IV has been outlined and I just recently started on it. I'm hoping to release it sometime in 2016 (updated as I was originally planning for 2015... moving to a new state for a new job tends to throw a monkey wrench into writing projects)l. Book V is... well, it's in there somewhere. Stay tuned! I have also written a book about my experiences as an American teaching English in Korea. Trust me, the act of simply taking a shower is enough to write a book over there! Be sure to check out "A Life Less Ordinary!" I've taken up several smaller, but definitely significant writing projects. I took my first swing at including LGBT writing in my arsenal with "Both Sides of the Fence." In May 2016, I hope to release a series of mind-bending short stories in a collection entitled "An Unusual Anthology." Book IV of the Hollowstone Chronicles (should) be released in October. Lastly, my first children's book, another anthology called "The Heroes Chronicles" should be released on Black Friday 2016. Other than that, I'm an English teacher, a martial artist, a linguist, and a pretty darn good cook if I do say so myself. I'm originally from Dublin, VA, but I relocated to Carrboro, NC after living for three years in Baton Rouge. When I figure out what I want to be when I grow up, I'll let you know. Thank you for visiting my page and taking an interest in my books! If you'd like to know more, please feel free to connect with me via Facebook. Sadly, I'm hopelessly addicted to Facebook, but it's a good place to get updates for that reason. Happy reading!

Book preview

Echo: Book III of the Hollowstone Chronicles

Chris Van Dyk

Copyright 2013 Chris Van Dyk

Smashwords Edition

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Prologue

Along a lonely mountain road, the midnight silence is torn at the seams by a motorcycle’s thunderous roar. The partially hidden moon casts shadowy light on autumn leaves as they form a deciduous canopy above the black top. The nearby cliffs have been the backdrop for many unmentioned Civil War battles and overlooked one of the greatest skirmishes in human history.

But tonight, they are company to a single rider.

He follows the road home he knows so well. The whine of the engine blends with the crisp quiet of the night as he melts into the winding curves, becoming one with the road.

He’s almost home, a few miles away now. In a rural area such as this, even ten miles is but a stone’s throw away from your destination. The road is like an old friend, welcoming him back from his journey.

A single rain drop falls to Earth.

Speed becomes a necessity as a rainy night could prove to be a problem. The singular headlight cuts the night like a knife as he drives on with a sense of urgency.

It happens so quickly there’s hardly time to react. A deer, a dog, an unknown shape wrapped in a shadow… something… dashes across his path. He’s thrown from the bike as he desperately tries to stop. His body rolls across the ground as the bike skids away at an angle.

Somehow, through a strange trick of the light, his eyes are visible from behind his darkened visor. He stares up at the stars that peak through the clouds. His breathing slows, and his heart comes to a stop. There are no last words; he’d never even had a chance to scream.

His unblinking eyes, devoid of life, continue their upward gaze as the heavens weep with an oncoming rainstorm for this fallen rider. The stars go into hiding as the light of life is darkened from his eyes.

Jennifer sits up in bed so suddenly her neck hurts from whiplash. After a few moments of deep breathing, she lies back on her overstuffed pillows and tries to get hold of herself.

The dream. She’s been having it every night since… since it happened. She hadn’t been there to witness it herself, obviously. But for some reason it was clear as day in her mind.

A glance at the clock told her it was ten minutes until five. Her alarm would go off soon, heralding the beginning of her upcoming journey. She laboriously reached over and reset the annoying device, not wanting to deal with its obnoxious blaring.

The steaming hot water of the shower did little to comfort her from the unsettling vision. Once dried, she went through the preparations of the day… and then packed her belongings into a bag. For a moment she stared at the blank, empty counter. Shaking it off, she left that feeling behind and went back downstairs to finish getting ready.

She was surprised to see her father had already taken her suitcase out to the car for her. All that was left were the personal touches: the pillow, favorite comforter, cell phone, charger, and toiletry bag.

The ride to the bus station was taken in total silence… except for the sounds only she could hear. Every now and then she could make out the sound of an engine echoing through the brisk night. Its haunting tone was endless. The trek of the biker couldn’t have taken more than half an hour from start to finish, but it rang in her ears everyday since.

It only stopped with the screech of the tires and the sound of a body being crushed by the pavement.

As the sky lightened and the sun peaked over the horizon, Jennifer and her parents stepped out of the family van and onto the sidewalk. The bus stop wasn’t especially busy, though a small handful of passengers embarked on the trail that led north.

Jennifer hugged her mother and father tightly. She always knew she’d get out of Hollowstone, but she had no idea it’d be this soon. Her full-ride scholarship to a university in Chicago helped to guarantee that.

After everyone was on board and seated, Jennifer stared through the window with misty eyes. The ride would take eleven hours in all. As the bus lurched forward, she waved farewell to her parents, to the life she knew, and to the town of Hollowstone. She left behind her friends, family, joys, and sorrows. Her new life was now underway. The only battles she’d face were in textbooks, exams, research projects, and essays.

And yet… even as she tried to settle in for the long ride northward, she could only barely hear the bus over the sound of the motorcycle in her nightmares.

Chapter 1

Before it even had a chance to beep, Jennifer calmly reached and reset her alarm.

It was early Monday morning, and she’d already gone through the various stages every college freshmen in the nation experiences at some point. Her first night in the dorms had found her quite the insomniac in the strange new environment. As would be expected, she hadn’t slept at all the night before and had become quite manic as a result for her first day. Days two and three were similar, but with the intensity of the insomnia steadily wearing off. By that Friday, she was sleeping soundly again and feeling quite at home so far from her comfort zone.

Jennifer’s newfound sense of peace quickly brought her to the next phase of college existence: chronic oversleeping. No longer dreading the day ahead or fearing the night, she slept soundly and often decimated her hapless alarm clock before rolling over, waking up fifteen minutes later due to some supernatural spur that reminded her of her duty, and then the rest of the day was spent in a full-tilt sprint to the omnipresent tune of Flight of the Bumblebee.

Graciously, mercifully, Jennifer at last found herself in the highest evolution of college freshmen life: routine. Finally, Jennifer’s body was adjusted to the change in environment, temperature, surroundings, and new sleep schedule. Not only did she wake up with enough time to shower, get dressed, locate her class materials, and even eat breakfast, but she could also leave later than she had been because she was discovering little shortcuts across campus that were only recognized with experience. Waking up a few minutes early was irrefutable evidence that she was finally in the swing of things.

Her nightmares could be ruled out as the reason she woke up every morning in a cold sweat since she’d gotten adjusted.

As she munched an apple, Jennifer calmly scanned through her notes to be sure she’d read the right chapter. She didn’t even jump when Zoë came through the door and called, Rise and shine, my lovely!

Jennifer looked up from the paper and smiled, Good morning, sunshine. Did you have a good night?

Zoë laughed. "Girl, it was sick. You’d have died if you saw the crowd at The Cave last night. How about you? Did you sleep ok?"

Jennifer gave a hesitant smile and nodded, Yeah, I slept pretty well.

For a moment, Zoë eyed her with a look that reminded Jennifer of her mother. While doing so, Zoë proceeded to put away a carton of orange juice and excavate a loaf of bread from some plastic bags she’d been carrying. Ok. You know I’ve been worried about you since the morning I came in and you were screaming.

Yeah, but we don’t talk about that, dear. Jennifer closed her folder, unable to concentrate on the notes anymore. She stuffed it into her backpack and grabbed her tennis shoes.

Zoë sighed. Ok, love. I’m going to bed. See you for dinner after class tonight, or are you meeting Gene?

I honestly don’t know, Jennifer said, looking somewhat perturbed. He hasn’t returned my calls from over the weekend. I’ll text and let you know.

Actually, could you call about four this afternoon and make sure I’m up? I have to go print some stuff off before class.

Sure thing, babe, Jennifer said as she headed for the door.

Oh, and don’t forget there’s bread now so we can finally make sandwiches. I’m worried you’re not eating while I’m sleeping, girly.

I’m eating, I swear, Jennifer said with a laugh. See you tonight, hon.

With that, she was out the door. As she took the elevator down to the ground floor, she shook her head at the thought of Zoë’s concern. Jennifer was a smaller, athletic young woman. She’d been raised as a martial artist (with a rather impressive fighting history…), but had turned to sports like softball and volleyball in junior and senior high school. Though she was anything but the stereotypical airhead type, guys tended to think her cute with her slight frame, hazel eyes, and chestnut hair pulled back into a perfect shoulder length ponytail.

Zoë was a horse of a different color. She was a slightly larger woman, though all who saw her would tell you that she carried herself well and was nothing short of beautiful. Her jet black hair was cut short and curled, which again showcased her round face perfectly. She had a nose ring that looked strangely appropriate, forever wore dark attire, and had a pale complexion because she—quite literally—slept during the day, took classes in the early evening, and then functioned at night the way most people do from nine to five. This had taken Jennifer the better part of their first week as roommates to get used to, but now this mismatched pair adored each other and all was right in the world.

The elevator was taking longer than normal, which was probably a sign that it was already being worn out by the demand of the year and would invariably break down at some point, trapping Jennifer inside. She hated elevators, but it’s just not worth taking fourteen flights of stairs when you know you have to walk across a campus that’s literally as large as the town you’re from.

After a three minute eternity, the elevator arrived at the ground level where Jennifer practically launched herself into the lobby. It wasn’t until she stepped outside into the crisp morning air that she took a deep breath. Today just felt… right. And yet, she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite as it should be. She made a quick mental checklist of all she had to accomplish: go to class, pass surprise quizzes that were now a Monday ritual, grab lunch, go to next class, call and wake up Zoë, and then go to last class. Somewhere in there she needed to find Gene and beat him senseless for ignoring her over the weekend.

Briefly, she thought about Miles and how she should probably call him… she’d been meaning to since arriving in Chicago. But for some inexplicable reason, she simply hadn’t been able to.

All at once she noticed that people were staring at her—she’d been standing on the front steps of the massive dorm just staring for several minutes. Typical freshmen… shaking off the feeling of uncertainty, she stepped into a moderately paced gait and made her way to class.

The trip took only a few minutes thanks to Jennifer’s research of the campus. Her first day she’d been so late it was anything but fashionable. This wasn’t so much due to the fact that she had a rough start as it was that all the buildings looked exactly alike. Her main goal, Introduction to Contemporary Art, was utterly lost as she wandered dazed and confused through the Math, Music (which she thought would at least be close to art…), and English departments. The trek through the Physics department was especially interesting on account of the fact that they housed an unbelievably huge electromagnet in there. Jennifer made this discovery as she unwittingly barged in on an experiment being conducted by grad students who’d been researching over the summer. Apparently the giant door leading in from the hallway was designed to keep the magnetic fields from affecting the rest of the building.

Naturally, Jennifer’s presence resulted in an involuntary reset and memory wipe of virtually every hard drive in that particular wing.

But all that was in the past as she glided effortlessly through the hordes of bodies traveling in mass to their various destinations. Five minutes before the art class was scheduled to start, she slid into her seat and began pulling out her notes from the night before. Her instincts told her there was treachery afoot: their professor intended to give them a pop quiz on modern Italian art, the monster!

Hey, a familiar southern drawl called to her.

Jennifer turned to see exactly who she expected to see, snorted dismissively, and then turned back to her notes.

Hey now, don’t be like that, Gene said as he slid into the seat next to her. Jennifer, unimpressed, made herself as small as humanly possible in order to not even touch the armrest their seats shared.

"So is there a reason you didn’t call me back and I had to do all the research for the homework packet in History by myself, Gene?" Jennifer asked shrewdly, not even looking up.

First it was Zoë, but now it was Jennifer’s turn to be her mother.

Gene sighed. Look, I’m sorry, ok? I had to go back home for the weekend.

Jennifer stopped and at last looked at him. His dark brown eyes looked genuinely sad. They also had deep circles beneath them, like he hadn’t slept since she last saw him on Friday. What? Why?

He took a deep breath. We had a death in the family.

Oh, sweetheart! she exclaimed as she raised herself up to hug his shoulders, all trace of attitude gone. I’m so sorry! But why didn’t you call me? I’d have ridden back with you. It’s an eight hour drive back to your home, right? You shouldn’t have done that by yourself when you’re going to be upset.

I know, he said. Mom called me Friday afternoon and told me the funeral was Saturday morning. So I had to get back that night. Then I had to drive back first thing on Sunday. I didn’t think to call anyone, honestly.

Jennifer took his hand in both of hers, which was slightly comical as his hand could drape over and hide both of hers with ease. She squeezed his hand tightly and then rubbed it between hers. Well, don’t worry: I got the study packet done. We can Xerox a copy of it for you to use to study by and put your name on mine so we’ll both get credit.

He looked so tired, but he smiled for her and said, Thank you, Jen.

Other than Zoë, Gene was Jennifer’s first friend since she’d come to Chicago. They had all but one class together, and since he was six foot three, he was easily recognized. He was a little lanky for his height, but he certainly didn’t look unhealthy. If anything, Jennifer thought he was adorable with his cheesy grin and deep, innocent brown eyes. Plus, he was originally from West Virginia, only a few hours away from Hollowstone.

Jennifer’s only problem with Gene was the fact that his boyish charm made him deceptively harmless… that’s not to say he was the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing, but rather one had to remember that no man is truly innocent. To worsen the matter, Jennifer was almost certain he had a crush on her. That wouldn’t be so bad, except she hadn’t fallen for a guy since… well, since something very bad happened during her freshmen year in High School. The only guy she might even have an interest in was, at this time, beyond her reach.

And poor guys like Gene always seemed to be the ones who got themselves hurt over girls like Jennifer.

What are you doing? Gene asked as Jennifer moved farther down one seat and pulled out a sheet of paper while putting her books away.

I’m getting ready for the pop quiz.

What? What pop quiz? And if it’s a pop quiz, how’d you know about it?

Just a hunch.

Gene rolled his eyes and sighed deeply. Jennifer was very much set in her ways and if she thought she was right, nothing short of a cataclysmic event would change her mind.

The professor with the name no native English speaking student could hope to pronounce walked into the small auditorium. He wasted no time making a beeline for the lectern and as he fired up the projector announced, Good morning, class. Please put away all materials and get out a sheet of paper and a writing instrument. We have a pop quiz on Friday’s lesson.

There was a low murmur of whining as the groggy students complied. Jennifer waited patiently while Gene looked at her with wide eyes.

Dang, girl. Would you happen to have a hunch on tonight’s lottery numbers?

Several hours later, Jennifer found herself wandering around campus in the crisp, late summer twilight. Turns out she hadn’t been quite as prepared for that quiz as she’d thought, so studying the guide for the tenth time at the library became an immediate priority following class. Once she’d successfully fried her brain, she called Zoë and met her for dinner. Now that Zoë was in class and Jennifer was caught up on her homework, she felt… bored.

It was strange, really. Jennifer was from a tiny rural town with (quite literally) a single traffic light. And yet, in a thriving new city on a free evening, she could think of absolutely nothing to do. There were no movies out she wanted to see, the club just wasn’t her scene, and aside from Gene and Zoë she hadn’t made any real friends.

So with nothing on the agenda for the evening, Jennifer decided to sight-see the campus once more. She had on a pink and black windbreaker and jogging pants, thinking maybe she’d hit the gym before long. For the moment, she drifted through campus like a leaf on the wind, alone with her thoughts, her memories, her dreams…

She absolutely detested days like this.

Enjoying the view from between two buildings of an open park-like area (there were very, very few of these on this side of the city), Jennifer decided to take a break from her day on a small metal bench. It felt cold and uninviting to her, but she huddled up and watched a group of boys play football nonetheless.

Jennifer may have been the small town farm girl on campus, but she fought daily to hide who she really was. It wasn’t that she couldn’t kick it with a group of Sorority girls and hit the town, or that they didn’t have parties where she was from. On the contrary: a bonfire in Hollowstone could put anything Chicago had to offer to shame. But she hadn’t really felt at home there either. She could never quite put her finger on the reason why—chiefly because she didn’t want to.

Doing so would require embracing the killer within.

And while she worked to shove that shocking thought aside, she heard the whine of a lone motorcycle as it wound its way through a mountain rode in the night.

Caught off guard by her own thoughts, Jennifer finally broke down. She put her head down to her knees and cried. She didn’t wail or draw attention to herself, but she was still embarrassed that after several minutes her sobbing hadn’t quieted.

Jennifer had no idea how much time had elapsed, though it couldn’t have been more than a couple of minutes. Eventually, she was able to shake off the disturbing images of her nightmares and look up in shock at the man who stood over her.

Oh! she cried as she jerked in alarm. I’m sorry, you scared me—

Do you do this often?

Excuse me?

The first shock had been having some guy standing over her. The second came from making eye contact with him. He was tall, dark, with long black hair and wore a brown trench coat over his black jeans, boots, and grey shirt. His piercing brown eyes stared down at her with an ominous intensity.

In short: he was cute.

This. Sit on a bench in public and cry for no apparent reason. You look absurd.

And being cute simply wasn’t enough of a redeeming quality.

No, today just isn’t my day. Do you normally give your opinion where it isn’t welcome, or do city girls find it charming?

And you don’t?

I think you’re repulsive.

Coming from a girl wearing a black and pink windbreaker.

The knot forming in Jennifer’s stomach threatened to make her sick. She stood up to meet him at eye level. For the moment, she had forgotten she was essentially alone, on a large campus in unfamiliar territory, smack in the center of a large city, and confronting an unknown guy who may or may not be armed.

Thankfully, she was so aggravated that she didn’t care, and thus was not scared at the moment.

She was, however, getting an overwhelming sense of familiarity. Though she’d never spoken with this man before, she felt as if she knew him. And as that feeling grew stronger, the sicker she felt.

I know you, she managed, her dry mouth barely cooperating. You’re in my art class.

Jennifer, was it?

She nearly fell over. How had he learned her name? Her art class was huge, taking place in an auditorium where it was nearly impossible to make eye contact with anyone. To worsen matters, she was sure she’d seen him sitting on the opposite side of the room from her.

A stalker, maybe?

The warrior within Jennifer began to resurface. The attitude was slowly replaced by weary caution. She dropped one foot back and turned so her shoulders were perpendicular to his chest. This not only made her a smaller target for him to aim for, but it also kept one of her hands away from him at all times in case he tried to lunge or grab for her. Her keys were in her left hand. She tightened her grip on them as they poked through the spaces between her fingers to create artificial claws.

In less than a moment she was ready to fight.

Who are you?

My name’s Tobias. And no, I’m not stalking you. I heard you and that tall guy talking after class today. We walked out the same door.

She didn’t move.

Please stop judging the distance between us so you can gouge my eyes with your keys.

Jennifer stood with her mouth hanging open, her combat posture evaporated.

And then, for no apparent reason, Tobias turned and walked away.

Hey! Wait a minute!

But it was no use. He was already off in his own world, another mission in mind, another task at hand…

Another soul to crush.

In frustration, Jennifer turned and kicked over a trashcan. The boys who’d been playing football were now walking in her general direction. They laughed at the spectacle and had just begun to jeer when she shot them a death glare. Immediately they quieted and walked on, tails tucked firmly between their legs.

Without even thinking, Jennifer had bee-lined for her dorm. She was literally storming into her room before she was completely conscious of her surroundings. Walking in an aggravated trance apparently speeds up time.

After a few moments she became aware of herself once more and felt utterly ashamed. How had she let that guy get to her? She knew that she was a highly intelligent human being. During The War as she and her friends called it, her street smarts and calculative mind had saved them on numerous occasions.

Of course, the few times she’d miscalculated had led to devastating results.

Tears threatened to fall once more, her initial cry having been interrupted. But she was tired of these moments. The moments she couldn’t escape when everything came rushing back. But now she’d had enough. Tobias had been the last straw. Away from home, out of her element, she realized she couldn’t escape the past. Rather than obsess over it or ignore it, she needed to deal with it.

It was almost ironic that it took an encounter with a jerk like Tobias to realize this.

Wasting no more time, she stripped down to her tank top and headed downstairs. She knocked on the door of the dorm room immediately beneath her and asked if they minded if her music was up for a while. They consented. The people above her and immediately beside her did so also. The two girls in the room that shared a bathroom with her and Zoë were actually concerned, their intuition telling them that she had cried at some point in the last 24 hours. Not wanting to delay, she assured them she’d be alright and that she just needed some time to work through things.

Once back in her room, she immediately pushed the couch from the wall near the door to the corner. She scooted hers and Zoë’s beds as far away from each other as possible, eliminating the space between the beds and the walls. She did the same with the twin desks. Zoë was in class for the evening and would be hitting the town tonight, embracing her nocturnal lifestyle as she did every night. Jennifer had the dorm to herself.

Finally, she booted up her computer and loaded her playlist. She selected Within Temptation; her favorite band of all time. She selected several favorite songs and cranked up the volume.

After some light stretching, she looked at herself in the mirror. She vowed to herself that tonight would be the night she’d reclaim her dreams.

With that, she dropped to the floor and began a callisthenic workout that would have made a Marine Corps drill sergeant sick.

A long, lonely stretch of mountainous road winds through the trees and foothills. The pale moonlight illuminates the evening with a mystical glow. The crisp air echoes with the sound of an engine as a single motorcycle becomes a blur of white and red light, leaves bursting away in its wake.

The rider leans and swerves expertly with each curve, knowing each one by heart. He picks up his pace, faster and faster… he urgently needs to get home before the gathering clouds choke out the lunar luminescence and drench the landscape.

Jennifer knows what happens next. She yells, cries, begs, screams, but her voice doesn’t exist in this world. All she can do is watch as the horrible events unfurl before her pleading eyes.

The shadow of a something suddenly darts across the road. The silhouette of unknown origin startles the rider enough that he loses control of the bike.

He’s thrown.

The crack of his helmet splits the night.

Once more, he stares up at the night sky; his forever open eyes gaze upward in a startled, yet somber expression.

Jennifer’s screams echo without end. Her voice is lost as she falls into the void of his lifeless eyes and…

Jennifer is yanked from sleep, sitting bolt upright in her bed. Her gasping breath does nothing to stave off her cold sweat. For a moment she feels as though she might vomit as her eyes adjust to the darkness of the room.

But it was not the familiar nightmare that awoke Jennifer. No, it was a noise… it must have been Zoë coming home. But after a few moments with no further sounds, Jennifer decided she must have been hearing things, or perhaps a disoriented student mistook her door for theirs. She lies back on the clammy sheets, rolls over and hugs the comforter tightly to her chest.

A scratching at the door was barely audible in the darkness.

Again, Jennifer sat up and peered through the gloom, she could see the light coming through beneath the door from the hallway. She squinted, trying to make out what she wasn’t quite seeing.

A shadow.

Instantly the scratching at the door became more aggressive. Whatever was on the other side was tearing at the wood, rattling the door against the frame. Jennifer wasn’t sure if she was still dreaming or not, but the whole thing felt surreal. A glance at the clock told her Zoë wouldn’t be home for several hours… she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. On the one hand, it was good because if something dangerous was in the hallway, she didn’t want poor Zoë walking up on it unexpectedly. On the other… Jennifer was definitely feeling afraid in her disorientation.

The scratching abruptly stopped and the shadow beneath the door disappeared. Just as Jennifer thought the attack had ceased, she heard a bone chilling howl come from the hallway. The piercing sound punched every button in her fight-or-flight responses. Defiantly, the creature outside pawed heavily at her door a few more times, growled loudly, and could then be heard sprinting down the hall. The door to the stairwell banged like a shotgun blast.

Jennifer was momentarily disgusted in herself. Here she was, a born and bred