So here's the eleventh chapter, and the chapter after this one will wrap up her second summer. The thirteenth chapter will be partly during Elizabeth's school year and then the rest will be during the summer. Elizabeth's fourth summer (I think) will be the most exciting! Well, at least to me it will be. So, enjoy!

Chapter 12: The Rescue

Luke, Fi, and I crept along the hallways, careful not to make any noise. I was glad that all of us had worn some black because it helped us blend in more easily with our surroundings. The three of us were trying to find a stairwell that looked like it would lead to a basement. Fi found it. Luke and I came running over quietly. I was the first to take a step down into the dank air. It smelled like rotten eggs down here, meaning that a Cyclopes had been here recently. I readjusted my grip on my sword and I could see Fi gripping her bow tighter.

I stepped down and the stair groaned from my weight. All of us cringed at the sound and for a few moments we stood in a breathless silence. Nothing sounded like it was coming to kill us (yet) so we moved on. After what seemed like an eternity, we reached the end of the stairs, all of us sweating from all the emotions going on inside us.

The hall was a one way hall. There was one way out and one way in. We couldn't get stuck down here; that much was clear. I motioned for Fi and Luke to follow. I cracked the first door open and peeked inside the room… nothing. Fi and Luke had gone to the second and third doors. They turned their heads to me and shook their heads. Elizabeth wasn't there either. We moved down the hall, checking every door. I was losing hope. Luke had better not be wrong about this place. I sighed quietly, opening the tenth door, and stared. A boy was hunched in the corner, his blonde hair matted down and filthy. I crept in and knelt down beside him.

"Are you alive?" I whispered. I didn't know what to say. The boy didn't reply. I shook him and he still didn't respond. I couldn't hear him breathing or even see the rise and fall of his chest to see if he was breathing. I hung my head, whispered a prayer for him and left the room, a hollow feeling inside my chest. I came to the end door and opened it. I was expecting another cell but this was a room. There were chains and weapons and even a refrigerator in there. That wasn't what caught my eye though. A long chain hung down from the ceiling. Again, not what caught my eye; it was what was at the end of the chain. A pair of hands was held up by the chains, and a head rested against the left arm. Blonde hair spilled over the person's shoulders and the person's red shirt and denim jeans were torn… Elizabeth.

I bolted over to her and gently lifted her chin with my knuckle.

"Elizabeth? Please be alive." I murmured. Elizabeth's eyes slowly fluttered open and her hazel eyes stared into mine.

"Luke?"

"No, Will. Hey, beautiful," I smiled.

"You came for me… you came for me!" She whispered, her eyes tearing up.

"Of course I came for you." I said, hugging her. She gasped and I pulled back. Her face was twisted with pain. I put my hand on her shoulder and she flinched violently. Her breaths were becoming quick and she was biting her lip. I looked at her and then back at her shoulder. Slowly, I slid part of her shirt off her shoulder and was horrified at the bruise. It was purple, green, and yellow.

"I need to get you out of here." I told her.

"What about Andrew? There's a boy named Andrew that we need to rescue too." She said.

"Did-did he have blonde hair?" I queried, hoping she would say no.

"Yeah, he's about ten years old."

Damn.

"Elizabeth, um, he's not here."

"You mean he escaped?"

"No."

"You mean he's… no… he can't be!" Elizabeth cried silently. I found the key to the chains that bound her hands together. I unlocked them and she fell towards the floor crying in quiet hysterics.

"Elizabeth, we need to get out of here." I urged her silently. I was about to say something else when the sound of metal clashing together made me look up. I ran to the door and saw Luke and Fi fighting four Cyclopes.

"Will! We need your help!" Fi yelled as she shot five arrows at once towards the Cyclopes. They all dodged them. I ran back, grabbed my sword which I had thrown on the ground when I saw Elizabeth and ran to aid Luke and Fi. The hall was narrow and there wasn't much space to move around. Little by little, we were pushed back. Luke delivered an experienced blow to a Cyclopes and destroyed him. Fi shot volley after volley of arrows at them and was able to destroy another Cyclopes. The other two were smart enough to dodge the arrows. Fi cursed because she had run out of arrows. She pulled out her sword, her least favorite weapon and fought with Luke and me. The last two Cyclopes were the biggest. Fiona's sword was knocked out of her hand and she pulled out her dagger. I thrust my sword at the Cyclopes vulnerable chest and he disappeared by exploding into a yellow dust like substance. The remaining Cyclopes struck Fi with his club, sending her backwards. She was too dazed to get up. Luke attempted to slice the monster in half but the Cyclopes intercepted the blow and the impact knocked Luke's sword out of his hand. Luke backed away and went to Fi. I was left with the monster and the raged on between the two of us. The Cyclopes cornered me and I couldn't do anything. I was done. I had failed Elizabeth, Luke, and Fi. The Cyclopes lifted his club, I heard Fi and Luke yelling for me, and I saw the Cyclopes start bringing the club down…