Hollonent: The Gathering

Chapter 4

Getting up early and tired, we drove to the airport. Traffic jams boosting my drowsy state. To make things worse now, airport announcements echo through the entrance hall, disturbing my nerves even more. Announcements with a somewhat concerned-sounding voice telling people to make haste to catch their flight. Do they care or is it the standard hypocrisy of the surface people? It's probably the same in the Hollonents. Despite never having contact with each other, it's not hard to believe that the surface and the Hollonents share this rotting mentality.

Groaning at the one-hundredth, ear-piercing announcement, my fingers slide in my pocket, feeling the fabricated plastic of my phone. I take out my phone and check the time. It's half-past seven in the morning. We are waiting for Gina and her parents. They got another thirty minutes before our flight leaves.

My eyes dart through the glimmering airport entrance hall. I've never visited an airport before, so my knowledge is limited to what is shown in tv-shows and movies. On-screen, it's all so much fancier and happier. Romance, glimmer, and professionalism. But now, people radiate boredom and stress, supported with sluggish movements. The many businessmen and women are hasting to their flight, dressed formally yet rushed are a sight to behold. It reminds me of those comedy movies where such people experience the craziest situations. I spent the last couple of minutes categorizing all these businesspeople into groups respectably called 'DiCaprio', 'Hill', and other characters from the famous movie.

It's twenty-five to eight and Gina's family wander elegantly through the airport entrance. Abel and Freya beam optimism. Their smiles betray their excitement and they act like it's a vacation. Gina, on the other hand, is fed up with it. Her dark hair is in a ponytail, and she wears skinny jeans and a black T-shirt. Everything about her yells basic. Except for her eyes. Her eyes display murder and villainy. Seeing me, her glare sharpens. Yet a witty or mean response never escapes her lips.

"No baggage?" I ask, teasingly. Teasing Gina would mean certain death, but I couldn't help myself. An audible grunt is all she manages.

"Honestly, I always had doubts about this. You know, it was so uncertain if we would ever attempt any step in this mission..." I continue, deserving nothing but a piercing glare from Gina.

" ... And I never thought you would be willing to come with us, knowing how you-."

"I know. Can you stop." Gina snapped, silencing me. No more words are uttered between us.  Did I cross a line? Guilt bubbles up inside me. A line that has been crossed by Gina uncountable times.

Boarding the flying machine and taking off went smoothly. The rumbling and shaking made my muscles tense up a bit in the beginning, but I managed to calm myself down. A middle-aged man behind me starts hyperventilating as we're taking off, reassuring me that I'm not the only one distressed. Chatting and laughing surround me as the plane gains altitude. Our airplane is packed with people. Scanning the plane's seats, heads with different hair colors fill my view.

Our seats could be better though. Only Dad, Freya, and Abel sit next to each other, but I can't find them among the horde of bobbleheads. Gina and I are distanced from each other. Not that I mind though. I wouldn't survive a ten-hour flight with her at my side. Although, my seat was also an unlucky draw, as it is next to the wing. With no view to spectate, I let my mind drift off and fall asleep in no time.

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Whatever it might be, lacking sleep, the surrounding sound of the machinery, or something else, but it affects the dream I have.

At first glance, I just woke up, my eyes meeting the same machine I had fallen asleep in. Except everyone is traceless and it's dark. Strangely dark. The inside of the airplane is enlightened but the light is consumed by the eternal darkness from outside, making it hard to see. Looking outside, my eyes spectate a lifeless void. Even the wing of the airplane is consumed by the cloudy darkness. Moving isn't an option either as I'm glued to my chair, my clothes being sewed to the chair. Despite knowing it's a dream, fear still crawls through me, making breathing difficult. The outside void seeps deeper into the plane. Seats next to me are devoured by the fearsome obscurity, which is slithering closer to me. When it almost embraces me, it stops. All existence but me and my chair are wiped from my view. A moment goes by when sparks of lightning are ignited, yet faraway. Lightning bolts so weak that they're barely visible. Jumping weakly in the void. After a while, the void itself burns up like it's a sheet of paper, set on fire. Strange flames that don't warm up my skin or illuminate the darkness. The faraway lightning bolts are eaten away by the flames. Only when one tiny bolt remains, it explodes in a flash that illuminates the void, getting rid of the darkness. The hellish flames fight back but are doused by the brightness. My chair, as well, is incinerated leaving me standing alone in this lightened up space of nothingness. Brighter and brighter it gets until it's too much to stare at. Being blinded by my own dream, I wake up. Just in time, it seems. Passengers are taking their hand baggage and stream out of the plane. My eyes skim through the people, searching for my dad and the others. Gina is the first I see. An evil grin on her face. A grin that tells me: "I have blackmail material now."