The Labyrinth *editing*

Chapter 10

The initial panic was horrible. The Cretans noticed the evil island eventually, shortly before we bumped ashore, and were so worried that they didn't bother to tell us to get back in our prison room. We all ran round crazy like chickens with their head recently cut off. I saw the Cretans trying desperately to get the boat to go back, but the surging water would not allow that. The ground of the island was covered in sharp-looking black rocks. None of us wanted to get off the ship. When a great rumbled sounded from the volcano in the center of the isle, we all screamed in terror. The earth shook with a great force, so much that the sea sloshed back and forth, and we were all thrown to the deck. I managed to block my fall with my arms so that I didn't fall on my face again. Then I saw something horrible. Theseus was wobbling, ready to topple over the side of the ship. I screamed his name and tried to get up, but I could not. His head was sailing over the side, into the sea below, when out of nowhere, Alexander leapt out and grabbed hold of his leg, and held on with all his strength. Theseus was hanging on literally by a single limb. Alexander could not hold him. For much longer I knew, so I jolted back and forth, but managed to stumble to Alexander's aid. Together we pulled the terrified-looking Theseus back onto the deck. He looked dazed for a second, then relieved. He opened his mouth to say thanks, when and ear-splitting scream came from a teenage girl called Alethea as she pointed to the horrid creature approaching us. It was truly a nightmare. It was a giant dog-like creature, of about fifteen feet tall, with bronze armored skin, and three eyes. It bounded to us, snarling, and its bronze coat glowing like a piece of metal straight out of the forges. It lives in the volcano. I thought wildly. It leapt on the deck, which made the ship tilt to one side because it was so heavy, being made of solid bronze. It considered all of us with its three large eyes, and then seemed to settle on something. Without further ado, he jumped toward me. I froze in horror. Me? Was it going for me? But it wasn't. It bounded right past me and picked up in its jaws... Alexander!

     "Nooooooo!" I could hear myself screaming as I ran toward it, and banged uselessly on its metal body screaming for it to put him down. Alexander flailed helplessly in the mutt's jaws. Paris aimed a punch at one of its eyes. He hit one- hard. The dog paused in confusion and kept its injured eye clenched closed in pain.

     "Ha!" Paris laughed. But his victory was short-lived. The mutt lunged at him and pinned him down with its huge paws. I heard a distinct cracking sound coming from what I could imagine were Paris' ribs. He screeched aloud and went limp. The mutt let go, and Paris crawled off behind the barrels of water, crying, clutching his ribs, face ashen. My heart fell to pieces as I watched helplessly as the mutt shook Alexander violently. I fished a hard piece of tack out of my pocket, and threw it with all my might at the dog, and it was stunned for a second as the tack bounced off its bronze body with a clang, and then threw him to the deck with a sickening thud. Maya rushed over to him and dragged him behind the barrels too, and didn't reappear. We all made a mad bolt for it. That's when I felt tight, slobbery jaws clamp hopelessly tight around my waist and lift me high in the air. I felt my mouth opened wide, uttering a scream that I never heard. Theseus tried to grab me out of the thing's mouth, but he could not reach high enough. I could not remember much for the next few moments. I felt a pinching pain around myself, and I screeched as loud as I could but I could not hear it. I willed the thing's bronze, rock hard jaws to drop me, but gently. This, of course, was too much to ask. It would be minutes of agony before the mutt lost interest and flung me to the deck, with blinding pain. Somebody rushed to me and knelt over me, yelling my name, shaking me as hard as they could. I wasn't sure if I was dead or alive, or in-between. I was on my way to death for sure. Then, the person dragged me by my hands to somewhere quieter and cooler, but filled with moaning from someone nearby. A great clatter sounded from where the fight was. Somebody slapped my face repeatedly. My eyes fluttered open, then came into focus on a face. Maya and Theseus were both leaning over me concernedly, eyes wide. I sat up, and groaned in pain. My back was absolutely sore from the recent events but I held up anyway.