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The sand rained down into an empty space in the middle of the Earth, dragging Jay, Lorcan, Ciaran, and the creature with it. People, creatures, and unrecognizable objects tumbled one into another, rolling down a slope and eventually settling in the middle of the mud. All men jumped to their feet, taking a stance in preparation for whatever came at them. The creature rolled into a far corner. It rose up to a life-sized flickering image. Jay still had the knife in his hand and charged at the creature. The creature’s image flickered and turned into the kid just before Jay’s knife pierced its chest.
Jay’s hand shook as he stopped the knife an inch before its pierced what use to be the creature’s chest.
“No! No, it’s an illusion!” Ciaran yelled at Jay as he hesitated to kill the image of
