Page 15 of Hollow

Dimitri eagerly stepped inside the dream chateau, ready to learn all about the world according to Jack Whoa Lantern.

CHAPTER FIVE

Jack stayed vigilant when heading into town. While he didn’t anticipate the hunters being so bold as to attack him in a crowded place, he also didn’t want to dismiss the idea after Dimitri’s warnings. After everything Dimitri had experienced, he still carried the weight of his fears everywhere he went, and Jack hoped to offer his new houseguest a little happy distraction.

Making his way through the grocery store proved difficult. It turned out that all Jack had to worry about was the extra-crowded streets thanks to tourism. With Halloween less than two weeks away, Sleepy Hollow had a massive influx of tourists.

“It’s the Headless Horseman,” a guy pulled Jack into a half-hug, snapping a quick selfie with him over the grocery cart.

“You should probably ask before touching people.” Jack glowered, his shadowy expression twisting into something menacing.

“Chill, it’s just a picture.”

“Yes, but you obviously don’t understand the lore surrounding my legend as the Horseless Headsman, not the Headless Horseman.”

“Oooh, gonna take my head?” the guy mocked.

“No,” Jack huffed. “Sadly, I don’t have the time.”

Jack gripped his cart and pushed ahead through the aisle.

The guy laughed until he went to his phone.

“What the hell?” he shouted. “Hold the fuck on.”

Jack turned the corner, smiling at the enraged confusion. In the past, Jack would get worked up when people touched him, took selfies without asking, and treated him like a prop for their amusement. Now, whenever someone did that, he just fried their phone with his shadows. A quick, simple, and quite expensive lesson on personal boundaries.

Despite the distraction, it didn’t deter Jack from his mission. Jack needed to stock his fridge. Heck, even his pantry started getting low on snack goodies. Dimitri hadn’t complained, though, seeming to enjoy whatever food Jack offered. Still, he thought it’d be nice to cook a real meal instead of nuking leftovers or ordering takeout.

The only thing was that Jack didn’t really know Dimitri’s food preferences, so he bought extra supplies to prepare for any possible substitutions. Tonight, he’d make lasagna. It was classic, delicious, and always better when made at home.

After finishing his shopping, Jack carried his groceries to his truck, which he rarely brought into town. Driving annoyed him. Then again, maybe the narrow streets with too many vehicles annoyed him.

As Jack drove home, he found himself eager to surprise Dimitri with a home-cooked meal. Jack had never had a roommate. Well, not counting the unwanted demon lord from Hell bent on world domination. Astaroth was mostly an unwanted guest whom Jack occupied because an apocalypse sounded like too much work.

But living with Dimitri excited Jack. The Leshy had missed out on so much of the world, but it didn’t detract from his interest in learning more. Every day, Jack hoped to introduce Dimitri to a piece he’d lost, to show him hunters weren’t the embodiment of humanity, that most people were actually decent.

“Except for this son of a bitch riding my ass,” Jack growled, glaring into the rearview mirror at the car flashing their lights in broad daylight.

Jack contemplated casting a shadow over their windshield, considered lunging from his truck and unleashing fiendish carnage, but ultimately, Jack settled for leaving them petrified.

“You want me out of the way,” Jack said aloud. “Fine, I’ll just end it all.”

He whipped the steering wheel, driving off the road and into a ditch. The screech of the car was all he needed to hear as Jack chuckled before the fog enveloped him and he vanished between the trees. They’d have a heck of a time trying to make sense out of what they’d witnessed. Once he got home, Jack spotted Dimitri at the edge of the forest, sharpening his claws along the bark of a tree.

“Hope you’re hungry,” Jack said, carrying in two paper bags full of groceries.

“Need assistance?” Dimitri asked, wandering from a thicket of trees.

He drifted out of the fog effortlessly, almost with a skip as he approached the truck.

“Sure.”

Dimitri helped bring everything inside and put away the haul while Jack prepped for cooking. Jack asked Dimitri his preferences for the dish, making sure only to add ingredients the Leshy would like, but it seemed nothing was off the menu. The entire time he worked, Dimitri hovered on the sidelines, silently observing Jack work.

“Okay, you gotta go, big guy.”

Dimitri blinked in response, saying nothing.