Chapter 83: Confronting Evil

Erica flung herself in front of us.

"Get back!" I felt what was left of her power gather. "I'll distract it. When it's away from the exit, you run!"

"We're not leaving you," Quaid and I said together.

"That's another order," she shot at us. "I mean it." But I could tell she didn't. Not really. She shook so much I wondered if she would be able to bring her magic under control enough to fight the thing and not hurt herself in the process.

I gripped her shoulder on one side and Quaid did the same on the other. We pulled her back until she stood between us.

"You can't face it alone," I said. "And Mom is coming. We just have to hang on."

The agony in her face was horrible and I wished I could help more than I did.

"All right," she said. "But if we get a chance to run-"

"We run." Quaid shot me a look over her head contradicting what he just said and I agreed. No more running. Either this thing killed us or we killed it.

And then there was no time for talking or thinking, only reacti