I ran and ran as fast as I could without tripping over rocks. Demons descended from the floating rocks towards my base camp. None of them spotted me yet. I hoped that there was just so many of them that they would assume I was just another demon.

Screams made me stop in my tracks. That sounded like a human but there couldn't be other humans here. I ducked behind a boulder and listened for it again. I waited and waited but then I heard it again. It sounded like shouting not screaming. That had to be other humans. No demon would imitate that.

I stood up and looked around. It sounded like it was coming from the direction I'd ran in. I ran back that way until I found a boulder to hide behind. I'd hide behind it and wait then do it again. Making my way in the direction of the humanlike sound. I wished Edgar was here to protect me, I was vulnerable so far away from camp. All I had was a backpack and a spear. If my weapon broke, I stood no chance without Edgar.

I continued dashing between boulders until something flew overhead of me and spotted me. I'd managed until tonight to stay out of shadow demon territory but I must've crossed over into it while I was running. A shadow demon screamed at me and descended. It grabbed me and lifted me off the ground, throwing me down into the rocks. The air got knocked out of me but I scrambled to my feet and managed to stab at it with my spear. It screamed viciously and again slammed me down into the rocks. Something pierced through my thigh and I screamed. I stabbed at it with my spear again but it was so hard to see the shadow demon at night. It crashed into me sending me flying. I heard screaming as my head connected with a rock and everything went black.

Something touched my forehead and I jumped.

"Whoa whoa calm down."

I stared at the figure kneeling over me.

"James?" I said not believing my eyes. "Is that really you?"

"Yeah."

James scooped me up in a tight hug.

"This is real?" I asked again.

He nodded, "Hi Chloe."

Footsteps approached.

"Is she okay?"

I looked up to see Matt approaching. "Matt?"

"Hey there," there was relief in his smile. He extended a hand to help me stand up. As soon as I was standing he wrapped me in a hug. "Don't ever disappear like that again."

I couldn't fight off the tears. My friends were here to save me. This was real. They were really standing here in front of me. I knew that everything was going to be okay. My injured cheek stung from the tears but I didn't even care. Matt held me in the hug until the screech of a shadow demon got our attention. Matt swore under his breath.

"I'll hold them off. James, take her and run that way. Don't stop," Matt let go of me and pointed in a direction to our left.

"But-" I started.

"Do not argue with me," he ordered. "Go. I'll catch up."

Shadow demons were closing in. James grabbed my hand and started running. Matt took off in the opposite direction and made noise. He was trying to draw the attention off us. I tried my best to keep up but my thigh was searing with pain. We ran and ran even when we couldn't see or hear Matt anymore.

I slipped on something and fell. James helped me back to my feet.

"Let me carry you," he said. "No offense but you're beat to hell. You can't keep running."

I reluctantly agreed, James tried to pick me up but I slipped from his grip from the amount of blood on my leg.

"Your legs bleeding really bad," he said. "We need to find cover and get you patched up."

He picked me up and carried me until he found cover along the bottom side of a cliff. He set me down and looked me over.

"Oh Chloe," he sighed. "What happened to you?"

"I've had worse," I tried to make a joke. James rolled his eyes at me.

He dug around his backpack and pulled gauze and tape and antiseptic wipes.

"Try not to make too much noise," he said. "This is going to hurt."

He opened up the wipes and began wiping down my cheek and thigh wounds. I bit my tongue hard to not scream. Once they were cleaned up to his satisfaction he wrapping my leg with gauze and taped gauze to my cheek.

"It's not perfect but it should help. Your cheek looks infected. How long ago did that happen?"

"A few weeks ago," I sighed as he helped me stand. I wrapped my arms around him again. "I still can't believe you're here. How did you guys find me?"

"Pure chance," James admitted. "We've been searching for ever but we were staying the night in a cave not far from here when we heard the screaming. If you hadn't screamed we wouldn't have found you so quick."

"Is it just you two?" I asked. I hoped it wasn't an insensitive question.

He nodded, "Your friends were still searching the woods for you in case you were still out there."

There was a rush of noise of something flying above the cliff above us. James and I flattened ourselves against the cliff. Hoping we wouldn't be spotted. Something let out a scream that was cut short, followed by a ground rattling thud of the demon hitting the ground. We heard wings flapping above us as a creature descended onto the cliff. Dirt fell down in front of us as they landed. There was silence for a second before the creature stepped off the cliff and landed in front of us. I brandished by spear at the winged creature as it turned towards us.

"I told you two to keep running."

It was Matt. I stared at him speechless in shock. Matt with huge black wings walking up to us.

"She was bleeding really badly she couldn't keep running," James said as he reached over and made me lower my spear.

He walked up closer and ignored my staring. He looked over the bandage that was already soaked with blood.

"We need to get her home now," James insisted.

Matt shook his head, "I can't do that to her in this state. I-"

"Then heal her first," James cut him off.

Matt snapped at him, "I don't have the magic to do both. I can't heal her and bring us all back. I know someone that can help us though." He looked at me. "You're going to have to leave that spear here though. We cannot show up with weapons, it'll be seen as an attack."

I dropped the spear. I hated leaving it behind and being defenseless but if it meant getting out of here, I'll do it. Matt smiled at me and whispered something under his breath. A bright circle appeared in the air like Simon used to do.

"Go, quick before something sees," he pushed us.

I stepped through it and hit the cold stone floor of a cavern. My broken arm and injured leg seared with pain and I cried out.

"Chloe!" James scrambled over to me.

"Take care of her," Matt said. "I'll be back."

He stepped back through the circle and it disappeared. I bit my tongue to stop myself from making noise. James fumbled through his backpack until he found a flashlight and turned it on.

"Breathe just breathe," he said. "It'll be alright. We just need to put pressure on your leg."

He grabbed out his first aide supplies and got the gauze. He put it on my wound and pressed down.

"What's wrong with your arm?" He asked.

I took deep breaths before I could answer. "I broke it back at the car months ago. I didn't have a way to fix it here so I just put it in a sling."

He sighed, "You survived all this time with a broken arm? Oh Chloe. I'm so sorry."

He adjusted so his leg was putting pressure on my wound instead of his arms so he could dig around the backpack more. He pulled out a can of food, opened it, and handed it to me.

"Eat slow, its probably been a long time since you've eaten but you really need it."

I took it from him, it was mixed vegetables, and started eating. Every so often a wave of pain would hit me and I would almost throw up the food.

I don't know how much time passed before the circle reappeared and Matt stepped into the cavern.

"How are you doing?" He asked me.

I gave a weak chuckle as a reply. "So great."

"I have a friend that can help fix you up enough so you can get home," he knelt down in front of me. "But as you just saw, traveling through those portals are no picnic for the injured. Are you sure you can handle it again?"

I nodded.

"Okay. Hold still, I'm going to spell you two to be able to understand them as if they were speaking English."

He touched our foreheads and whispered something. My ears felt hot when he finished the spell.

"Alright let's go."

James helped me to my feet and then picked me up. Matt stepped through and James followed with me. The agonizing pain returned as we came out the other side and I screamed. James quietly shushed me trying to get me to quiet down.

"Rex! What is that!" A deep voice boomed. We were standing on the floating rocks in the sky that I'd seen before. Except these rocks were so close together they almost seemed like solid ground.

"I don't have time to explain," Matt responded to the demon. He had black wings like Matt and scaly dark purple skin. "Just fix it."

The purple demon gestured to a stone that was higher than the others like a table. "Put it there."

James walked me to the stone and set me down. He held onto my hand as the demon approached.

"How long has this creature been down on the surface?" He asked Matt. Matt shrugged. "It is lucky to be alive with such extensive injuries."

"Hold still Chloe," Matt said to me.

The purple demon waved a hand of claws over me and a blue light appeared. The pain lessened more and more until it was eventually gone. I looked down at my arm in the sling and flexed my fingers. They all moved perfectly fine. I sat up and pulled the bandage off my cheek and thigh. The wounds were gone, replaced by scars.

"Thank you," Matt said to the demon. "I owe you. I couldn't have taken them home in that condition."

He nodded, "Anytime Rex. You better get moving before someone realizes you're back."

Matt nodded in agreement. He gestured for me to get off the stone table so I did. Once I was standing, he made a new portal circle.

"Ready to go home Chloe?" He asked me.

I smiled as we stepped through.