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"Yeah."

He nods slowly.

"Yeah, I think I am."

Rhett pushes himself upright. The movement makes him wince. I immediately turn toward him.

"You're hurt."

"I'm fine."

I give him a look. The same one I've given strangers online when they insist something isn't a problem despite clearly being a problem. He sighs.

"Okay."

"Better."

"My shoulder hurts."

"Anything else?"

"My ribs."

"Anything else?"

"My pride."

I almost laugh. Almost. Then I do. The sound surprises me. Because I can't remember the last time I laughed after something terrifying.

Not nervous laughter. Not the kind people use to convince themselves they're okay. Real laughter. Rhett looks at me. And for a moment, everything stops. The forest. The fear. The impossible circumstances that brought us here. Just him. Just me. Just us.

Then Sayer clears his throat.

"Not to ruin the emotional moment..."

I look over.

"But are we supposed to leave before something else creepy happens?"

Rhett nods.

"Excellent point."

I stand. My legs feel shaky. My entire body feels like it has been through a war. Because it has. But the weight in my chest is gone. The invisible connection. The constant fear. The question I couldn't answer. Why him? Why Sayer? Why my child? I know now.

And the answer changes everything. We walk back through the Hollow slowly. This time, the forest doesn't fight us. The path stays where it should. The trees don't move. The mist clears.

By the time we reach the woods, I can hear Sleepy Hollow again. Music. Cars. Voices. Life.

The Halloween festival is still happening. Of course it is. The entire town has spent weeks preparing for costumes and ghost stories and manufactured fear.

Nobody knows that the real nightmare ended less than a mile away.

A family walks past carrying pumpkins. A little girl in a witch costume drags a plastic cauldron behind her. Her mother laughs. Normal. Ordinary. Beautiful.

I stop.

Rhett notices.