Halloween night
The dynamic Duo had been putting on their show for about two hours by now, "Man door hand hook car door," "Who was phone?", "ben drowned", "Russian sleep experiments", the whole 9 yards, sprinkling in some completely genuine paid sponsor ads. While the viewers enjoyed it, reading The hollow man was inevitable and Paul dreaded it.
"Haha... so this next one is kind of weird, it's called 'The Hollow Man' but it's not a story more like a game," Lorcan said, preparing the text.
"uh yeah, I don't know how creepy it is, though, so don't get your expectations too high" Paul chuckled trying to downplay the story when in reality the menacing vagueness combined with just the right details made it almost horrific. Paul read it while Lorcan jeered and made fun of Paul for being scared. really, though, his obsession scared him more than the details of the reading. they made it through the story and the audience loved it.
The Livestream ended a success in their eyes and they celebrated with a
post podcast pint before going to sleep. Lorcan slept quickly, oblivious to the restless night Paul was having. late into the night, a low voice woke Lorcan, it was mumbling something familiar, but foreign. Lorcan perked up at a sound, his eyes drawn toward a dim light by the door, there Paul had the candle in the middle of his prop pentagram, half way through the script of the spell, an awful smile plastered onto his face, bent over the light so it's the only thing illuminated.
"Paul... what are..." Lorcan had no words for this situation the spell wasn't real, why would he be doing this alone? But paul never stopped reading aloud. "come on, mate." Lorcan climbed out of his sleeping bag and over to the candle, which seemed to be burning brighter than the second before, unnoticeably just a feeling. He looked into Pauls' eyes but he didn't seem to notice. The last verse of the spell left his lips and the room seemed to darken or was that just Pauls phone turning off?
The silence was deafening in the moments that passed before Paul said in a lower voice than normal "I guess it has begun..." the comment was overshadowed by the candle lifting off the ground on its own.
"Paul what the fuck? is this a prank? you got me!" Lorcan sputtered through his clattering teeth as Paul stood to stare at the candle, silently. his face was the same but his expression was nothing Lorcan associated with paul in an indescribable way.
Suddenly the candle dropped to the ground rolling toward Lorcan and paul fell back as if shoved. "Oof! L-lorlo fucking... don't get close to that candle!"
"Paul?" Lorcan questioned the validity of the man's identity, but followed instructions, scrambling over to him. "What in the hell is going on?"
Lorcan stood up and rushed to the door, swinging it open "I don't know but we have to get out of here, th-the hollow man!" Paul wasted no time standing and crawled out the door, having it slammed behind him.
"Okay so... I needed to know if it was real, and it was! I...I picked up the candle and saw myself say that thing. I wasn't me! and it's in there now!" Pauls explanation went over Lorcan's head completely, the fear jumbling his words before they could reach his brain. Then, suddenly the door handle twisted, making the two jump back against the far wall as it creaked open, the candle floating on the other side.
"Fuck this!" Lorcan shouted and scrambled to his feet rushing to the left. the candle moving into the hall cutting of Paul from following him. He backed up slowly as the candle moved closer to him.
Lorcan was in his room, panting. It wasn't a hard run but the panic made his breath run out quickly. He felt he was safe from whatever it was in the hall but felt guilty for abandoning Paul there. It's his fault for bringing that thing in here anyways. The Silence crept in as he caught his breath, not even any footsteps were heard in the house, had the candle bearer caught Lorcan again?
What felt like hours passed, but the sun never rose, the minute's hand on the clock hardly moved, and Lorcan knew something had to be done. He stood up and steeled himself, preparing to open the door and investigate.
SLAM!
The Door flew open hard, making Lorcan shout and jump backward into his bed. Paul rushed in and closed the door "Lorlo, I got away from it! get up" He went to help him up.
"What the fuck man? don't do that shit!" Lorcan said but was shushed by Paul
"Not so loud, it's slow but it can hear really well." Paul crouched back to the wall "When it comes in we have to lure it in and go around it to run off." The other man nodded, taking in the information. the tension hardly had time to build before the hall lit up from the candle, a whisper from a draft blew into the room as the candle came into view. Lorcan gulped and refused the urge to panic and run, letting it come into the room and dodging around it with Paul, running out. They made it to the kitchen and stopped to gather their senses.
"Okay Lorlo, we just have to do this back and forth until the sun rises," he said, but Lorcan just looked at him, his eyebrows furrowed "Lorlo? is something wrong?"
"What's my name?"
"What?
"Say my fucking name."
"Lorlo! come on mate don't be weird" The candle shone at them again from outside the room "Get ready we have to do this again" Paul said and got ready to run, but when he took his first step he was held in place by Lorcan "What are you doing?!"
"My name is not Lorcan!" he shouted and wrestled him, Paul shook him free but just stumbled into the candle, knocking it back onto the floor.
"Lorcan!" paul said overjoyed hurrying over into the corner with him "You knew?"
"Of course, you wouldn't call me Lorlo in such a serious situation" He nodded, watching the candle lift up again "What now?"
"Well if we leave the house completely maybe we'll be home free." They nodded, knowing how to avoid The Hollow Man now, they dodged around him and made for the front door. Trying the knob they found it locked, "Shit, the key" Paul said going through his jacket hanging on the wall, Lorcan looked and saw the candle appear around a corner and start toward them.
"Hurry up..."
"I am!" Paul put the key into the hole and attempted to twist it, "It's jammed?!" He kept at the lock until they were cornered, backs against the wall, Paul closed his eyes "I'll make it back, be safe" he said, walking forward between Lorcan and the evil entity, grasping the candle for a moment before dropping in and feinting. Lorcan knew this meant that paul wasn't himself anymore and dashed over the body to hide, leaving the scene behind him.
He made it to the bathroom, trying to lock the door when he heard footsteps rushing at him. The lock clicking shut was followed by a slam as Pauls body was thrown against the door, followed by another one. Lorcan backed up against the tub, horrified.
"Let... Me... IN!" The possessed body shouted between thumps, finally, the screws holding the deadbolt in place came flying off and let Lorcan into the room, panting and furious he jumped on Lorcan. Laughing he closed his hands around his neck, tightly, shutting down his arteries and airflow "You... fucking... wildcard! I won't let you stop me!" Lorcan kicked and punched, battering Pauls body wildly. coughing as he felt his vision fading, through murky eyes he saw the room lit up, and he chuckled as Paul reclaimed his own body, and released his friend.
"Thank god!" Lorcan coughed and felt his neck, it was going to bruise if we were to make it out of this, The two rushed out through the broken door.
"Holy fuck man, you kicked the shit out of me!" paul chuckled and smirked, bruises growing on his face and body as his eye started to swell. "It's not easy switching bodies, don't try it. shit hurts."
Lorcan chuckled "just remind me not to piss you off." This moment of victory was cut short by the candle going on by, but it kept going past them, into the recording room.
"come on, I have something that could help in the living room," Paul said sneaking through the house to his luggage
"I thought your stuff was in the recording room?" Lorcan whispered and followed.
"eh... yeah that was way too creepy, I've been sleeping in here but kept sleepwalking in there before I wake up" He explained and made it to his bags, opening it and pulling out a pair of socks.
"What's that for man?" Lorcan asked as Paul dropped spare batteries in the sock and went looking for anything else heavy to put in.
"If that thing gets me again, just fucking club me, a headache is better than being a ghost" Paul explained handing the sock club to his friend.
They sat for a minute in suspense, ready for the hollow man to come back, after long enough where he didn't turn the corner they suspected something. paul mentioned something about the smell and when Lorcan checked the air, he could smell it too, something burning...
"Holy shit he's trying to smoke us out, or burn us out I don't know!" Paul said panicking, rushing to the source of the smell, Lorcan followed closely behind and noticed the recording room was bright and smokey. As they approached the door they noticed every candle in the room was lit and burning bright, the original candle they used in the ritual was nowhere to be seen. "shit we have to put this out!" Paul shouted and rushed into the room, but before Lorcan could follow the door slammed closed, the doorknob jammed making it impossible for him to go in and save him.
Shouting and struggling ensued within the room, Lorcan could hear furniture being knocked over and voices cursing as he threw himself against the door, if the bathroom could be broken into surely this could as well.
Thump... Thump... Crack!
The door swung open and he saw the state of the room, random fires were burning on curtains and carpets, Lorcan saw paul glance at him for a split moment before noticing the candle in front of his face, next thing he knew he was thrust out of the room and hit the back wall, his eyes closed shut in pain, but he could still see. In fact, he could see himself, clear as day, standing in the doorway, leaning against the door frame. He lifted himself painfully off the ground as his body shut the door and closed the distance to Paul.
Lorcan somehow knew that the candle was his only hope of getting his body back, anybody back. he swung the door open seeing Paul and himself wrestling on the ground, battering each other as he picked up the candle, glancing at the window to see the cloudy sky getting brighter when he realized; if the sun is up before he's in a body. that body will belong to the hollow man.
"Lorcan help me!" Said Paul, but when he glanced back it was His own body asking for help.
"Fuck that! he's trying to trick you" said the voice from pauls own body. Lorcan's stomach twisted in knots as he realized that he couldn't tell which was the real one. would Paul possess Lorcan's body just to save his own life? The sky was getting brighter and he knew he would be better off just picking someone and making sure later. he lunged into the two squabbling men and found himself with a physical form
"Fuck this room lets get out of here!" he shouted, pulling his partner by the arm through the door and back into the living room, panting.
"You believed me..." Paul said, and as Lorcan looked up he stared himself in the eyes as if he were looking through a mirror. and gulped
"That is you, right paul?" he asked desperately as the candle floated around the corner and they both had to back themselves up against a wall, "should we try and get out bodies back?" paul looked out the window and they both realized if they were going to do this it would have to be a quick game. suddenly paul rushed forward, grabbing the candle and trying to free it
"Lorcan thank god you're alright!" The new inhabitant of his body said it was short lived though when the candle went for Lorcan. he flinched but knew the plan and took it out of the air, finding himself bodiless once again. "Wait... what are you doing?" Lorcan's body said backing up to the far wall, Lorcan almost felt guilty doing this but he rushed forward, slamming himself into the wall and into his own body.
"Haha yes!" Paul said, kicking the candle down the hall, "any second now and we'll be home free!" But Lorcan still felt wrong, if this wasn't the real paul talking, he was dooming his best friend to... he couldn't say what would happen to him.
But the moment was too late, the sun peaked up over the horizon and every open flame in the house was snuffed out immediately.
Nothing was ever really the same, people complained that paul acted weirdly, but they said the same about Lorcan. And they both went to therapy, careful not to say anything damning, no one wants to be seen as crazy. They kept in touch but not as much as before. Lorcan still wonders if he made the right choice.