Carmen's POV-

I scream as the monster slashes its hooves at me. I slice my dagger through the air but it doesn't hit it. One of its hooves steps on my leg and I hear a loud snap. A burning pain shoots through my left leg as Hunter yells and slashes his sword at the monster. I cry out in pain as I feel someone dragging me behind a desk. I look up and see Raphael. He runs back to Hunter and they fight side by side. Raphael finally catches the monster off guard and tries to stab it. Tries is the key word. The blade slips out of his hand and he falls down. "Are you OK?" Amelia asks.

I guess she crawled over here while I was watching the scene. "No, I'm not," I say, fighting back the tears.

"Here, before I left, Chiron gave me some necter," she says and hands it to me.

I drink some and the burning sensation goes away. Pain still throbs through it but not as bad. "Thanks," I say and lean my head against the wall.

She nods. I look back at the guys and see that they haven't got very far. What is this creature? "Hunter, Raphael! I think I know what this monster is!" Amelia says.

"What is it?" Hunter grunts.

"Its the Crocotta! It cannot be killed by steel!" she says.

"Great," Raphael mutters.

"Use your hands or something," I say.

They nod. Amelia crawls closer to me and starts to make something. "What are you making?" I ask her.

"A splint," she says. "I learned how to make one with my mom because she was a nurse."

She starts to put it on my leg but I cry out in pain. "It will hurt, I know," she says soothingly.

I grind my lopsided teeth (I really need braces) until she is done. I look at the guys once more and see Hunter strangling the monster to death. Raphael is laying on the floor with a huge gash on his head. "Raphael!" I yell and start to slide over to him but pain erupts in my leg.

The monster then whips his head up and Hunter goes flying but catches himself up in the air. "Think I would go flying and land somewhere? Well get your facts straight!" he yells at it and dives back down.

He lands on its back and starts to strangle it again. The monster finally stops moving, bursts into something that looks like sand, and Hunter gets up off of it. He looks exhausted. He runs over to Raphael and picks him up. Hunter brings Raphael over here and Amelia hands him something. He stuffs some of it down Raphael's throat and I can see Raphael breathe normally again. "What happened?" I ask, gesturing to Raphael.

"The monster kicked up and hit him in the head," he says.

I nod, unable to talk. I don't know how long it will take for him to wake up or my leg to heal. Hunter moves Raphael over a bit and lays in between us. I glance at him laying next to me and blush. Amelia lays on the other side of me. We're like one big family.
*****
I wake up to sunshine shining through the windows. Crud. "We have to get out of here before the owners come!" I say to them.

"Oh my God!" I hear someone yell.

I hear Hunter curse under his breath. "What happened to this place?" The same persons shrieks.

The person appears in the room we are in and screams. "What are you guys doing in here?" she asks.

"We had to get in here because my friend and I got badly hurt," I say quickly.

She looks at each of us and then finally notices Raphael. "Oh my God! What happened to him?" she asks. "And what happened to you?"

"We got hit by a car. We were going on a double date," I say.

"And how did those two not get hurt?" The woman asks suspiciously.

"I pulled Amelia away but I couldn't pull my girlfriend or my best friend away," Hunter says and fakes a sob.

"I'm guessing you're Amelia," the woman points to her.

"Yep," she says.

"And you guys decided to crash inside my store?" she asks.

"Yes because we don't have phones and we couldn't carry both of them," Amelia says.

"OK," the woman says, her brown eyes soften. "Let me get you some food and take you two to the hospital."

"No, no. Its fine, we don't need go to a hospital," I say.

"Uh yes you do," she says.

"No," I say.

"What are you going to do then?" she asks, brushing back her red hair.

"We are going to walk to my house," I say. "Its just down the road."

"I will drive if you want me too," she says.

"No it will be fine as long as you have crutches," Hunter says.

"I do," she says and leaves.

"Great thinking, Carmen," Hunter whispers.

"Thanks," I whisper as the woman comes back with crutches.

"Thanks ma'am," I say.

"Your welcome," she says.

Amelia helps me stand up and I put the crutches under my arms. Ugh they hurt bad, but at least the pressure is off my leg. "What are we going to do for Raphael?" I ask them.

"We can make a stretcher," Amelia says.

"Great idea," Hunter says.

The woman gets a few blankets and some broomstick handles. "Thank you," Hunter says.

The woman nods. I hobble over there and grab some string to tie around it. I hand it to Hunter and he starts to make it. Soon he is done. Amelia and him place Raphael on it and they both pick it up. "Good thinking," I tell Amelia. "That way it would be easier to carry him."

We wrap some bandages around his head to stop the bleeding and go outside. "Here, let me give you my address if you want to come to my house," the woman says and hands me a piece of paper.

"Thank you so much," I tell her.

"Your welcome," she says.

The three of us start walking toward the forest. "Let's go back to our campsite and then think of a way to get Raphael on the pegasi," I say.

They nod. We walk silently all the way there. We walk to our campsite and I start looking around for the pegasi. I find the place where they were last night, but they aren't there. I swing back to the Amelia and Raphael and say,"Where is Hunter?"

"He went looking for the pegasi near here," she says with a pained expression.

"What's the matter?" I ask her, slightly concerned.

"Nothing. I'm OK," she says and turns away. I shrug and turn around myself. I spot Hunter's blonde head. I head his way.

"Hunter, I can't find the pegasi!" I say.

"Me either. I already flew up into the air and didn't see them," Hunter explained with a troubled look on his face.

"Please tell me they didn't run away!" I say.

"I think something startled them and they flew away," Hunter says softly.

"No. No, no, no! They can't have left!" I say sitting down. I don't care about the pain in my leg. I hope they are OK.

"Let's go tell Amelia," Hunter says.

"You go ahead. I'll just stay here," I say and look at him.

"OK. Be careful," he says.

"I will."
*****
So we decided not to do the five chapter thing for this story because this is our most popular story. Sorry we keep confusing you guys with this.
-Ash and Liz