Page 62 of (Mostly) Human Resources

“Yes, but keep it short, Professor. I don’t need every historical reference dating back through the last three centuries, thank you.”

“Your loss.” Nic settled forward with his arms braced on his knees. Alexys was momentarily struck by the way the firelight caught his gray eyes and seemed to dance in the curls of his hair. “I’ll spare you the details this time, since there are scarcely any to begin with.”

She frowned and pointed an accusatory finger at him. “Is this like that godforsaken Gopher cryptid you sent Jennifer after last year?”

“Look, I genuinely thought there was a possibility of that one being real.”

“That was the world’s dumbest wild goose chase. You wasted at least three weeks of her time.”

Nic shrugged. “Not all research is fruitful. Sometimes you chase a dead end, there’s no harm in it.” The sentiment hit a little too close to home for Alexys. She chose to ignore it.

“One of these days, someone’s going to strangle you, and I won’t blame them for doing it.”

He raised a single eyebrow at her, and the corner of his mouth twitched. “You seem rather keen to get your hands on my neck.” He leaned forward. “Something you want to say?”

“You have a very … strangle-able neck.”

“Strangle-able, huh?” His eyes flashed with something that almost looked like heat. “Do you spend a lot of time thinking about getting your hands on me?” She felt her pulse quicken.

Nope.

She certainly wouldn’t be answering that question. Instead, she snapped her fingers at him. “The Hollow Walker. Yeah? Focus.”

“Patience is a virtue, Keane,” Nic tsked. “You should’ve read the file I wrote for this evaluation if you’re so curious.”

“It’s not my fault you take forever to get to the point. Your files are just as long-winded as your lectures.”

“You have very little respect for the sacred art of sharing valuable information. You should work on that.” Noting the stubborn set of her jaw, Nic relented, “Very well, I’ll humor you.” He took a deep breath. “The Hollow Walker has very few confirmed sightings. Most are explained away or chalked up to other creature encounters.”

“Like the Silver Giants.”

“Don’t interrupt.”

Alexys threw a small rock at him which missed by mere inches.

“Most creatures we encounter are part of a larger population, making up entire species that have populated regions of the country and inserted themselves into the ecosystems we are accustomed to seeing every day. The Hollow Walker is a singularity, an individual creature that, as far as we can tell, is the only one of its kind.”

On any other day, Alexys wouldn’t have the patience for Nic’s abundance of information on creatures. Everyone at Entity knew he was prone to tangents, and his tendency to delve into the history of things was a bit excessive. Maybe it was the ambiance of the campfire or the exhaustion from a long day of walking, but his voice developed a pleasant tone that was almost hypnotic, and everything else seemed to fall away.

“The origins of the Hollow Walker vary depending on who you ask, but everyone agrees that it resides exclusively in the Appalachian Mountain range. Some believe it to be a protector, others an apex predator.” He looked off into the distant trees beyond the cave. The firelight cut the sharp angles of his features into something otherworldly. “I believe it’s as old as the mountains themselves.”

“It’s been around that long?”

Nic’s eyes slid to hers, and Alexys was surprised to find genuine disapproval lingering in their depths. “How can you know so little about the area you govern?”

She scoffed, immediately offended, the spell of his story broken. “It’s not like I’m the Queen of Appalachia or anything. The Appalachian Mountain range ishuge. Plus, I’m in charge of making sure my Wardens have the resources they need to do their jobs. I’m not supposed to actuallycomehere.”

“But you should know what your team is dealing with,” he argued. His tone was sharp, scolding. As if he were personally offended by her ignorance. “There’s more in these mountains than Black Dogs and Haints, Keane. Creatures and beings far older than our records and histories even begin to hint at.”

A tense silence fell between them as Alexys weighed his words. She wasn’t sure how much belief she put into the idea of old gods wandering the mountains around them, but she’d seen enough during her few short days in West Virginia to be wary. Whatever they were, Alexys hoped they stayed far away from their search for Elliot.

“That whistling we heard. That was the Hollow Walker, wasn’t it?”

Nic considered her question before slowly nodding. “Whistling, screaming, mimicking voices. There are plenty of creatures with tricks up their sleeves.” A shiver snaked its ways down Alexys’s spine. “They use it to lure people to them. According to locals, the whistling from the Hollow Walker is more of a warning. Lets people know to stay inside and hide.”

She mustered up a weak smile. “Strange intimidation tactic. I’m not really going to run scared when I hear some monster whistling a tune in the woods.”

“Which ispreciselywhy I’m here.”