Electricity ran through her body as she tried to hold on to them, to drag them closer even though their grip on her was so tight, she could hardly take a full breath.

Wendy’s hands scrambled for a tighter hold. They were alive. Her fingers caught the back of Michael’s thick hoodie—

She froze.

His … hoodie?

Wendy looked down, squinting against the battering wind.

A blue hoodie that nearly swallowed him whole.

She realized there were more than two of them. Wendy stood surrounded by quaking bodies, encircled by desperate hands and arms. Benjamin, Ashley, and Matthew huddled against Wendy, their backs to the howling shadows.

Joel, not John, braced himself against her back.

It wasn’t Michael hugging her, but Alex, terrified and trembling.

The cage had weakened, and they had broken out. They’d escaped, and, instead of running away, they’d run to Wendy. They were trying to protect her.

They were trying to keep her safe.

Before her, the shadow contorted and howled. It swelled and grew.

Wendy was afraid, but she wasn’t giving up. Peter had said that in order to stop the shadow, she needed to reattach it to him.

The tree shook as the cruel version of Peter morphed into a mass of twisting shadows and claws.

She’d done it before, she’d do it again.

The shadow sprang forward. A gaping mouth formed at its center, revealing sharp white teeth as long as fingers, protruding in jagged angles.

Arms splintered and lashed out at Wendy, ensnaring her arms and grabbing at the children. But Wendy grabbed back.

She snatched the sticky tendrils, wrenching them from the children and gathering them in her fists. Gritting her teeth, Wendy tugged hard.

The shadow flickered, its distorted face almost looking surprised.

“I’m putting you back where you belong!” Wendy shouted.

The shadow’s cavernous mouth opened wide and let out a roar that shook Wendy’s bones, but she didn’t back down. Quickly, she coiled the ends of the shadow in her hands, reaching and pulling.

Everything shifted. The shadows that had ensnared Wendy were now trying to wrench free of her hold. They jerked Wendy forward, but she refused to let go.

Suddenly, there were more hands. Joel, Matthew, Benjamin, Ashley, even little Alex—they gathered fistfuls of the shadow, trying to help her reel it in.

The wretched creature collapsed on the ground.

“Don’t let go!” Wendy shouted. The children scrambled, tugging and pulling as the shadow stretched.

But it was growing weak. It began to shrink and turn sinewy in her hands.

Tendrils reached out for the base of the tree. Claws dragged at the earth, trying to slip between gnarled roots. It was trying to run away.