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Myth. L.A. Mango
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Lexus Keats stood in front of the hydra in terror.
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The hydra raised its claws.
“Lexus!” I yelled, hoping she’d listen to my warning. Of course, Lexus turned her head, a little shocked to see me. I never should have yelled. The hydra swiped its large claw at Lexus as she fell back on the ground, motionless.
“NO!” I yelled.
I charged at the hydra with the sword in hand, ready to stab it for what it did to my friend. The hydra noticed and shoved me back with its claw. I fell hard on the ground; the sword fell with a clang and slid across the floor. Great, I thought. Lexus was still on the ground as the hydra raised its claws to slash her again.
Okay, now I’m angry. I stood up and rushed towards Lexus and jumped in front of her, arms outstretched. Something like hot iron slashed my thigh. I fell hard on my side. I grabbed my leg, gasping for breath. The pain was incredible, but I was still hoping that the hydra’s attention was diverted away from Lexus and onto me instead, but it was so determined to kill its main opponent. Lexus started to gain consciousness, squeezing her eyes repeatedly though her eyes were still closed. The monster turned away from me to Lexus. One of the heads opened its mouth, pointing at Lexus. I stared in horror as I saw the flames forming in its mouth. I stood up ignoring the stinging pain in my right thigh, and ran towards her, limping. Lexus sat up straight, rubbing blood from her neck; she was still trying to regain use of her senses.
I came to her in time. I grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the hydra, which was now blowing fire in our direction. I felt something hot touch my ankle. I let go of Lexus and grabbed my foot, trying to ease the pain. Lexus lost balance and fell on me. I fell on my face with Lexus right on top of me. I yelped when I felt the prick of the sharp thorns that were left behind from my battle with the flower, press into my back. At that moment, I noticed my sword on the ground near me.
I pushed Lexus off me. I crawled towards my sword only inches away and grabbed it. I stood up facing the creature.
“Hey!” I yelled, trying to get away from Lexus’s motionless body so that the hydra wouldn’t notice her. The monster charged at me and stepped in the spot where I had just stood; I spun around and dodged the incoming claw.
I tried to remember what we learned at school about the hydra’s weakest point. It was behind its ear. I tried to get behind the monster. After several attempts, I suddenly heard distant loud angry voices approaching from behind. It sounded like an angry mob was out to get revenge. At the end of the very long hallway, I could make out figures approaching us; the noise was getting louder and closer. I squinted to get a better view of all the figures: Goblins, and they seemed to be furious.
I had forgotten about the hydra but quickly noticed that one of the heads that bellowed fire was turned in my direction. I dodged to the left next to Lexus, who was still motionless on the ground. The mob was getting closer and closer. I looked down at Lexus then at the hydra, as it screeched at its new opponent. The hydra was my obstacle now and I couldn’t turn back. I felt a tinge of regret at what I knew I had to do.
“I’m sorry Lexus. I’m really, really sorry,” I said as close to her as possible. I stood up and ran into the hallway behind me. The hydra made a demonic, thunderous roar and came after me in a second. I kept running down the hallway, trying to get the hydra as far away from Lexus as possible. I just hoped that the goblins wouldn’t notice a motionless girl – maybe dead as far as I knew – lying on the ground in the middle of their way. If Lexus was really dead, then I was determined to go back there for her and take her body back to her mother. I couldn’t stand leaving her in this place, this nightmare.
I stopped and turned around to face the creature again. I stuck to my previous plan to run behind the hydra and try to get to its ear. I finally got the chance to stand near its tail. I did the craziest thing I could ever do. I jumped on the hydra’s back and climbed up. I used its scaly skin to support my hands and legs on my way up to its ear.
I was a foot away from the hydra’s ear when its middle head suddenly turned around to face me. Its mouth started to form what I expected to be fire, yet there was no fire leaving its mouth. It was smoke. The cloud of smoke rushed out of its mouth as it blew directly towards my face. Awful memories started to enter my mind. My eyes started to burn and I felt really dizzy from the large inhalation of that foul smell. I fell off the hydra’s back and landed onto the ground, feeling a sharp pain in my back. Poison, I thought, that was what the hydra’s middle head blew and that was also why it had such an awful smell.
I rolled over and tried to cough the poisonous smoke out of my system, but it stung my lungs when I did. I lay down on the Unknown’s floor, feeling very horrible. The school taught us that the hydra’s poisonous smoke was dangerous only if it was kept in the lungs for too long. The hydra approached me. This was it. This was the end of me.
I closed my eyes as the creature closed in at me. But instead of the sound of blowing fire, I heard a loud screech erupting from it. I opened my eyes and saw Lexus on its back stabbing it multiple times behind the ears.
The hydra melted into nothing, just as the plant did, and the ground absorbed it. I closed my eyes as soon as I saw Lexus hop off of what was left of the monster. She was alive and okay and that was what mattered most to me.
She ran to me, and knelt down beside me. She tried to open my eyelids with her finger.
“Iris?” she called to me in a whisper. I opened my eyes slowly as she helped me sit up. I placed my hand over my chest, the stinging pain still overwhelming my lungs.
I smiled at her. “Looks like you’re tougher than I thought you were,” I said.
Lexus shrugged.
“That was brave what you did back there,” she said with a small smile. I felt disbelief surging through my body. Lexus was actually talking about someone other than herself.
I shook my head.
“I thought it was just desperation…” I responded. Lexus looked at me.
“Well you thought wrong…” she said matter-of-factly. I smiled briefly when I remembered that our time in the Unknown was running out. I looked at my watch. Two minutes.
I stiffened. Lexus noticed my sudden response, “What’s wrong?” I showed her my watch, revealing that there were only a couple of minutes left.
“Shoot…” she said slowly. I quickly got up. We both ran off to the nearest entrance with Lexus hot on my heels.
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We ran as fast as we could. Right, left, left and straight ahead. We ran to where our gut took us. I looked at my watch as we ran.
One minute…
As we took the last turn, the hallway became brighter. There was no time to lose. Lexus and I ran towards the end of the hallway and turned towards the one that seemed to be brighter than the other.
Twenty seconds…
We turned to the entrance on the right; the source of light seemed to be coming from that entrance.
Ten seconds… We ran as fast as we could towards the entrance and out into the open.
The metal shutters were about to close. I managed to quickly run out of the Unknown but Lexus was still in there. The metal shutters were just a few feet away from closing. I crouched down on the floor.
“Lexus!” I yelled out. The metal shutters were only inches from closing. Lexus’s head popped out with her upper body, but the metal shutters were about to crush her back, leaving her lower body inside the Unknown. Lexus shrieked as she started to panic. I was pulling her out by the arms. She suddenly started to scream