This chapter is really, really, really short, I know. But it's the climax, so it's allowed to be that way. Plus, in my opinion it is a good chapter. So lose-win-win. Yay!

The boy of course couldn't see me, but something (possibly my odor) alerted him to my presence. Once he noticed the shadow, everything went downhill.

First his eyes widened. Then he spread his arms for some reason. To shield the girl? As if he could stop me.

But I wasn't here to hurt them. I advanced, all the while asking the girl, How are you in my head?

"I don't know!" she cried, frightened. I noticed for the first time that when she spoke, her mouth didn't move. I also realized she was unconscious.

"I'm what?" she shouted, making me wince.

Unconscious, I repeated aloud. I glanced at her crumpled form from behind the boy.

"Is that me?"

I guessed she could see what I could, since she was in my head and all.

Another thought struck me: we were communicating.

But there was no time to pursue that realization. The boy needed my full attention.

"Don't come any closer!" he warned, not even close to threateningly.

I lashed my tongues at him purely out of habit.

But I quickly regretted it. He zapped me with a white bolt of electricity, and I snapped back.

Syndrigasti have powers. This one can control energy.

"I can levitate stuff," the girl remarked inside my head. "But I have no idea what's going on now."

"Stop!" shouted the boy in front of me, but the smell of fear was increasing.

I held out on my instincts to take him apart and focused on the girl's voice. She was saying something about what he was probably thinking.

"He thinks he's going to die."

Other POV

Evan was going to die.

He had no time to worry about Tamara, no time to wonder what on earth happened to her. All he knew was that, without him between her and the Hollow, she would definitely die, if she hadn't already.

Don't think like that. He faced the monstrous shadow in front of him, calculating whether he could stab it in the eyes or not.

But he didn't even know where its eyes were.

Evan stared at the shadow. It was hopeless. There was absolutely no way he could survive without Tamara being awake to help.

It would take a miracle to save even one of them now.

His POV

I couldn't promise her that he wouldn't die. He did look appetizing.

Stop it.

"You're not eating my friend," the girl deadpanned.

Okay. I faced the boy. He was charging his powers, lightning crackling behind his eyes.

Speaking of his eyes, I didn't like the look in them. The girl seemed to have reached the same conclusion.

"He looks like he's about to do something stupid."

I wouldn't have put it like that, but she was right. He had the expression that said, "If I go down, you're coming with me."

I backed away a bit.

But not far enough.

"EAAAGGHHH!"

Other POV

Evan let loose the most powerful electric charge he'd ever created.