Can vocal chords bleed? Kaya had never before screamed so loud for so long.

Savannah and Abby were screaming, filling the small parking lot with long sustained screams driven by terror.

There was a swirling mass of silver and purple interdimensional energy on the surface of the parking lot like a bubbling cauldron. Beneath the surface of the portal something was moving. Something big, getting closer to the surface.

And then—

An arm bigger than Jordan’s entire body emerged from the portal. It was made of shadows, more like smoke than anything solid. The fist at the end of the shadow arm slammed down into the ground with a thunderous jolt. The arm did not have joints but instead moved like a tentacle.

Kaya didn’t move.

Another shadow arm rose up from the purple and silver portal. And then the shadow lifted the rest of its body from the portal. It was human-like in appearance, only because it had two arms and two legs... with a torso and a head. All made of shadow. Its head was an oval, and within the oval was a fire of black flames. That was the shadow monster’s eyes. It had no mouth, no ears. Its body did not appear solid. Instead, the shadow body seemed to shift and bend like the surface of calm water being caressed by a breeze. The body stretched, and shrank, as it moved.

It was at least six feet taller than Jordan, the tallest girl on the basketball team, and its arms were nearly as long as its body.

Suddenly—

—over the sound of the girls screaming, gunshots rang out.

Kaya couldn’t tell what was happening to the bullets, but none of the bullets were hitting the shadow creature.

More gunshots.

Kaya blinked.

Snap out of it, Kaya scolded herself.

More gunshots in Avalon Springs in one day. It wasn’t even night yet! The sleepy town which had rarely experienced the crime violence of the big cities was now under siege.

Kaya, still in a fog of panic, vaguely comprehended that police officers had come out of the police station into the parking lot. They were not shooting at her. They were shooting at the other side of the parking lot. Shooting the shadow monster first and asking questions later. Kaya didn’t question their logic.

Kaya was hit by a wave of cold air like a winter breeze. Terror filtered through every part of her body, so strong that she couldn't move.

Savannah grabbed Kaya's arm, began to pull her away from the shadow monster.

"COME ON!" Savannah yelled.

Kaya was dragged stumbling away from the monster. Abby, Kaya, and Savannah ran from the monster as the paralyzing panic subsided. Kaya’s senses came back to her with a jolt.

Kaya glanced over her shoulder. Jordan walked calmly toward the monster. Kaya stopped running.

Jordan moved with the same steely calm that had guided her to victories on the basketball court. Kaya could not imagine anything or anyone intimidating Jordan. Kaya wished she could be brave. Kaya had tried to be brave that morning, but after everything that had happened, at this point breathing seemed like an accomplishment.

Kaya was not made of the same mental fortitude as Jordan. Kaya was not someone who went toward the danger.

And none of this was Jordan's fault. Even if they weren't really friends Kaya was not going to abandon Jordan.

Something strained in Kaya’s stomach. Maybe she was going to throw up from the stress. Maybe she was feeling guilty about not being as brave as Jordan Spencer.

Savannah tried to pull Kaya away, but Kaya resisted, wrenching her arm free. Kaya couldn’t make herself run toward the danger. But she also couldn’t leave Jordan behind.

Jordan floated up into the air, her eyes flashed with green lightning. Jordan hit the shadow monster with green-white lightning from her fingertips. The lightning scorched the parking lot, melted the tires of the police vehicles, and even shattered windows which sent shards of glass raining to the ground.

But the shadow monster was uninjured. Then the shadow monster swatted Jordan from the air like a bug. Jordan crashed to the ground. The parking lot asphalt cracked from the impact of her body. Jordan did not move.

“NO!” Kaya cried.

Kaya ran toward Jordan. Abby and Savannah ran behind her. Abby shrieked as she ran. There may have been words, but Abby’s panic distorted her words as she screamed.

Kaya was overwhelmed too, could not focus. Everything seemed to be moving impossibly slow even though she knew everything was happening very fast. Kaya knelt by Jordan, held her hand. Jordan's eyes didn't open. But at least Jordan was breathing.

Something splashed into Kaya's leg. There was some red on Kaya’s leg, and pale whitish rock fragments. And red mush. Then burning started happening in Kaya’s leg. The pale rock fragments were in Kaya’s skin like thorns.

Wait. Abby wasn’t screaming. Neither was Savannah.

Kaya had a startling realization. She glanced to her left.

The shadow monster was lifting its giant arm, which had come down on Kaya’s two friends like a hammer. Abby was on the ground, face turned from Kaya, not moving. Blood covered Abby’s body.

Savannah's legs and hips had been shattered instantly, like grapes that had been stepped on. The top half of Savannah’s body had been driven down from the hit. Savannah was on the ground, her mouth open, but clearly dead. Bone and blood from Savannah’s destroyed body had hit Kaya. And hit Abby.

Abby had taken the blunt of the destruction, with several bone shards in her body. She had been between Savannah and Kaya when they were running. Abby’s back still rose and lowered, indicating she was still faintly breathing. Bone and blood from Savannah’s body had hit Abby with such force that it knocked her out.

Kaya quickly did the math in her head. She couldn’t fight the shadow monster. She couldn’t carry Jordan. She couldn’t carry Abby.

And then Kaya realized, as the shadow monster towered over her, with its black inky flame eye glaring down at her ... that this was the end.

She was going to die.