Page 168 of Wolf Dad Energy

I don't hesitate. I use the opening. Every ounce of strength I have left. I drive forward. Not to destroy. To release. The final impact sends the entity backward into the collapsing center of the Hollow. Its form breaks apart. Smoke. Shadow. Memory. Gone.

The forest goes silent. For several seconds, none of us move. I remain standing. Then my legs give out. The world tilts. And before I hit the ground…

Carys is there. Human hands. Warm hands. Real hands.

"You okay?"

I almost laugh.

"I'm supposed to ask you that."

She kneels beside me.

"Sayer?"

I look up. He stands a few feet away. Staring at the place where the entity disappeared. Alive. Safe. Free. He turns toward us. And smiles.

"It's gone."

I look around the Hollow. The pressure is gone. The cold is gone. The feeling of being watched…

Gone.

The forest feels like a forest. Not a trap. Not a battlefield. Just trees. Just earth. Just night.

I lower my head. The wolf retreats. Bones shift. Pain replaces power. But I don't care. Because when I open my eyes again, Carys is still there. Sayer is still there. The impossible thing we fought for…

Still there. Family.

I reach for Carys's hand. She takes mine. And together, we sit in the quiet remains of the Hollow.

The monster is gone. The fight is over. But the story…

Ours…

Is just beginning.

CARYS

OCTOBER 26 ~ 5 DAYS UNTIL HALLOWEEN

The first thing I notice is the silence. Not the absence of sound. The absence of pressure.

For days, Sleepy Hollow has felt like it was holding its breath. The trees. The air. The ground beneath our feet. Everything carried the weight of something waiting. Something watching. Something reaching. Now…

Nothing. The forest simply exists. The wind moves through the branches because wind does that. Leaves fall because leaves fall. The darkness between the trees is just darkness. Not a doorway. Not a threat. Not a living thing.

I sit on the forest floor beside Rhett, still holding his hand. His fingers are wrapped around mine tightly enough that I know he isn't ready to let go yet. Maybe neither of us is. Sayer stands a few feet away. Quiet. Watching the place where the entity disappeared.

I know that look. I've worn it myself. The look of someone trying to understand how something impossible can simply end.

"You okay?"

`He looks over. I almost smile. A few days ago, I would have asked if he was okay first. I would have analyzed his expression. His breathing. His body language. I would have searched for evidence before accepting an answer.

Now? I just ask.