CYOA Chapter 11: Luke

Driving back home was surreal. I hadn’t been in Hearthway Hollow for years, and not for an extended amount of time. Ever since I met you, I thought life was going to turn out pretty good for me. But I know I have a way of making messes, so it was only a matter of time before this happened anyways.

I wanted to protect you from all of this, from all the things you didn’t know about yourself. There are people out there who would use you and take advantage of all the amazing gifts you have. I thought it was best you never knew, even when Ebal told me differently.

I sat there at the red light, watching it go green and my stomach churned. I left my home because I knew I had fucked up. I knew I had screwed over people I cared about. Ebal was just one of the many messes I made.

A car behind me blared their horn and I quickly pulled away from the street lights. I pulled over later, going into the parking lot of a strip mall just on the outskirts of Hearthway Hollow ‘s downtown hub.

I sat there, frowning as I tried to get rid of the nerves in my stomach. This was all my fault, I knew that. You’re in trouble because of me. I put Ebal in danger. Who knows who else I hurt because of my own selfish logic.

I rubbed my hands over my face and tried to build up the courage to drive to my old house. But this gnawing feeling won’t go away.

A loud clatter made me look up, and I saw something big and black on the hood of my car. I felt cold all over. It prickled along my skin as a cold sweat started to rise up. My gut dropped down and then I realized it was a goat.

I got out of my car, looking Remi in his terrifying eyes.

“What are you doing?” I looked around the parking lot. Remi was known to show up randomly and do his own thing, but this was a first for him. Hyacinth Farms was in the rural area of Hearthway Hollow, a long way to walk for a goat.

I rubbed the back of my neck as I sighed with relief. This would be a small distraction before I had to go home and see you. “You’ve really gone far from home this time. Come on, hop down, I'll take you home.”

Remi tilted his head. “Oh, suddenly you're gallant?”

I blink and Remi has changed. Sitting on the hood of my truck is this massive black creature with horns that glimmer like gold. Piercing blue eyes focus upon me so that I freeze in place. The world around me turns dark and shrouded, and I begin to believe I’m not in Hearthway Hollow at all.

The creature I thought was Remi slides off the hood of my car and approaches me. Dark tendrils flow off his arms, fading into smoke which then rises towards the top of his head where there is a glowing crown of thorny dark flames.

My throat went dry and I tried to back away. I stumbled, falling backwards and landing into a slimy puddle. The creature stood above me, eyes judging me as their arms crossed.

“Look at you,” he sighed. “You think you’re the hero, but really you’re just a little boy.”

“Who are you?”

The creature lunged at me threateningly then stuck out their tongue at me. “I’ve been guarding Hearthway Hollow since you were knee high to a urinal, buddy! This place is my sanctuary, my own slice of heaven, and people like you who want to fiddle about piss me right the fuck off!” The creature pushed against my head, forcing me down into the gross puddle.

“She’s a good kid! Confused, lost, and searching for purpose, and you just…what? What was the point?”

My guts wriggled inside me. “How do you know-”

“You don’t get to talk!” The creature pushed me again. “Did you know Pan? Well I did! And stories can only do that phenomenal fuckwad so much. I saw things in my time with him.” The creature pointed at themselves with long, knobby fingers. “I watched him ruin and destroy souls left and right without a care. He left desolation. Heartbreak. Depression. Fear. That girl is a ray of sunshine from an otherwise murky cloud, and I fail to see how as anything but another fucking cloud!”

“I don’t want her hurt either!” I cried out. The creature shoved me again.

“No talking! You say one more word and I’m trampling you.” The creature squatted down, glaring at me with those frightening blue eyes. “That girl you supposedly love is a strong one. She can handle the truth, and she deserves it. I’ll watch over her, I’ll help her as much as I can. But the power of Pan will always be sought out. She needs more protection than I can supply. As much as I hate she needs you and the others she’s cultivated around her.”

I remained silent as he paused watching me.

“Good boy, you can be taught new tricks!” He pushed me anyway. “The Cult of Pan is after her. They’ll use her. And hiding the truth from her won’t protect her like you think it will.”

I looked down, knowing he was right.

“I hate it’s you she has the strongest connection with. Evander would be much better built for this,” the creature scoffed. He stood up and sighed. “Get up.”

I tried to stand up from the puddle, but I slipped and fell deeper. I was sucked under, pulled into the thick, vicious waters. I struggled at first, trying to claw myself back up to the top, but there was no surface to reach.

I sank further, going down until I saw a light ahead of me. I saw you, sitting with Ebal. I watched as Ebal comforted you, stroking your hair then pulling you into an embrace. You looked nervous, almost scared.

“He wants to see me,” you said.

Ebal sighed. “I know.”

“What do I even say to him?” You said this and ever hair on my body stood on end.

“Like Evander said, you just have to talk to him. But I get it. If I saw him right now I’d want to tear him a new one.”

You smiled softly. “I feel like you deserve to do that more than I do.”

Ebal laughed. “Do you want me there with you?”

My gut dropped. I was more afraid to be faced with Ebal than I was to be faced with you. Having you both before me felt like the final nail in my coffin.

“I don’t want to scare him,” you replied. “I mean, I want him to be afraid, but I want him to tell me these things because he wants to, not because he feels trapped.”

Ebal looked surprised. “You’re a better person than I am. Thank goodness you never knew you father.”

You looked distant. “You have?”

Ebal sighed heavily. “Unfortunately. I spent too much time with him. I felt trapped for so long. But I cried when I heard he died. I missed him. But I hated him.”

“I think that’s what the most horrible people do. They make you need them.” You looked up, meeting my eyes. It felt like you were staring right at me, but then you turned back to Ebal. “I’m sorry you went through that.”

“Don’t be,” Ebal scoffed. “I stayed because of my own greed and bullshit.” he scratched the back of his neck then up along his scalp and through his hair. “I fucked myself over, and now I literally can’t live without him.”

You placed a kiss upon his shoulder and rubbed his arm gently, just like how you used to do to me. Jealousy bubbled up inside me with anger tagging along close behind it.

“I don’t know why you’re even giving me the time of day,” Ebal grumbled.

“It’s because of Luke,” you answered.

Those feelings inside me dissipated.

“I know he fucked you over because of me, and I don’t know why he did that if he cared about you. But he did care.” You smiled at Ebal. “So you must not be completely awful.”

Ebal chuckled, smiling at you tenderly. “Yeah, well, I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”

You kissed his shoulder again, looking up as someone else came into the room. I fell backwards, hitting my head upon concrete then staring up at the big sign towering above me. Remi walked up, looking down at me with those frightening eyes of his.

“You’re not a goat, are you?”

Remi bleated in my face and I sat up as he walked back towards my car. I sighed heavily, rubbing my head as I stood up from the ground.

“Was there a reason you showed me that?” I asked remi.

He bleated again and smashed his horns into my car, leaving a pretty noticeable dent. I frowned down at him and shook my head, there was no point in arguing with a goat. I got him into the back of my car, which he did willingly, and then I got back in myself.

“You know, the guilt trip wasn’t necessary,” I said. I then wondered if I was talking to myself, or if by chance Remi had been the terrifying creature I had seen. “I stopped here because I was already beating myself up.”

Remi, like a goat should, said nothing.

“Is she really helping Ebal?” I then asked. “Do you know who else she’s-” i stopped myself, realizing asking those questions and digging my feet in was only going to cause more issues. “I told her it was fine. But I still love her, you know? Are they at least…are they good to her?”

Remi bit my ponytail and pulled it hard.

“Ow! Not funny!” I yelled at him. “You’re almost home, stay out of my hair!” I rugged myself free, and looking back at the road I saw there was this black car parked in the middle. A chill ran down my spine and I braked in time to miss it.

“What the fuck?”

The car doors opened, and two men stepped out. They were dressed in dark colors and both had face masks on.

“Drive, you idiot,” Remi whispered from the back.

I didn’t have time to think much about any of this. I just did what Remi said. I put the car in reverse and punched it. The two men charged at me, running just as fast as I could back up. I began to turn around and one of the men jumped onto my car. Their hand came through the window, turning to smoke then grabbing hold of me. Remi leapt into the front set, biting the man’s hand until he began to bleed. I turned, slinging the man off and his hand fell into my lap.

“Drive! Drive Drive!” Remi yelled.

I did, spinning the car around as fast I could and punching the gas as if I was trying to kick through to the engine. I was panting hard, mildly panicking. The man’s hand evaporated in my lap and I let out a terrified yelled.

“Not bad, kid.” Remi climbed into the front seat and sat beside me, stretching his arms out along the back of the seat. “Thought they almost had you there.”

“What the fuck?” I yelled.

Remi clicked his tongue then pushed his curly hair from his face. “Cult of Pan, I tried to warn you. You fucked with them, now they’re going to fuck with all of us.” He turned in his seat to face me. “Hearthway Hollow is my baby, if anything happens here, I am personally blaming you.”

I was too focused on the road to look at him. Cold sweat poured down my face and the back of my neck. “I get it!” I snapped.

“Good.” Remi leaned back. “Don’t go home yet.” he reached into my back pocket, pulling out my phone.

“Who are you calling?”

“Someone better than you,” Remi sniffed. “Don’t go home either, we an’t give them a trail back to her.”

Oh god! They’re after you! They knew I’d lead them right to your door! “They don’t know where she is?”

“I’ve got her hidden.” Remi glanced at me. “So just do what I say, and she will remain safe. I promise.”

Who should Remi call?