401. Storm, 6

(Myls)

We attempted to sail the flying ship quickly.

Far too rapidly Zeslinry said, but we don’t have time if we want to escape the coming storm.

Either we risk our lives using the flying ship, or risk our lives facing the storm we won’t outrun.

Zeslinry trusts me when I tell her something bad is going to happen if we stay here too long.

But using that vehicle is far from intuitive, and we could crash in a few minutes.

It’s a shit dilemma and I’m becoming very nervous.

It’s already too late anyway.

We took too long to decide, too long to train cautiously.

The rain already reaches us, soon followed by thunder.

The ship cannot fly out in such weather, it would be suicidal.

So we have to hide in a cave and pray it passes and calms down. I hate it. I hate myself for being a coward.

I make sure Zeslinry is safe and I go out there nonetheless.

I just can’t wait and hide anymore when scary things happen outside. I feel like shit.

Heavily dressed, under a downpour that quickly washed away all the snow around, I head outside for the usual inspection of the surrounding. I’ll try to see if there really is something ominous out there along the rain.

~

Across the fields now dark, the giant rose is collapsing even more under the weight of the rain. At least it may escape being struck by lightning like that.

I climb the hill beyond. I look around with my scope. My heartbeat rises.

My instinct slaps me violently.

I begin running back toward the city before it’s too late for me.

From the inside of a building I reached in a sprint, I have another look at the field washed by rain.

I’m waiting for the ghosts to appear from a less exposed spot.

I’m sure something is on the way.

Something I probably don’t want to face in open field.

Rose is exposed...

I just thought of that. Maybe I could cut the flower to hide the egg below?

Should I change my mind again?

It’s happening again!

My confusion is boiling up. I don’t know what to do and it hurts me badly.

I get angry at myself, a lot.

I end up deciding on a smarter idea, I hope.

I return home to ask Zeslinry for help.

~

She will cover me from the city with our heavy rifle. I’m going to cut the flower to hide where Rose really is.

Zeslinry agreed, without smiling.

She lies on her tummy on the ground, a jacket over her head, rifle and scope in her hands. She’s indoor, with clear view over the field showered by waves of rain. She has another rifle next to her as well.

I grab a saw and a hatchet. I’m going.

~

I run into the field of rocks, mud and water. I reach the giant rose. I chop the thing off at its base like a tree. It’s much softer and hollow than I feared. It may impair whatever weird biological process is done below, but it will give her a chance to escape predators better as well.

I hope I made the right call Rose.

The giant bulb falls into the mud. I knock down the tombstone into the mud as well. I cover everything so you can’t tell where it was. Then I begin to drag the giant flower back to the city.

Hopefully, all this I just did was only born from pointless paranoia.

Unfortunately for me, once more my intuitions were right.

I can hear it.

I can feel it like a shiver along and inside my very bones.

That goose bump, that vibration.

Death is here.

I drop the flower. I turn around.

There is something, like a dark spot in the sky, in the clouds.

A demon is coming.

I run to the city’s ruins, the closest ones to me.

I hide in a building as fast as I could.

Then, I, we, see it land.

A dragon. A real, in the flesh, dragon.

A body looking like a dinosaur, with scaly patterns over its very muscular legs and arms.

Very large wings, immense, with muscles strong enough to make this whole thing fly.

It’s big enough to fight a bear or two at least, and strong enough to fly with wings...

It landed, and folded its muscular wings along its back like we would stretch our arms and let them hang. Another pair of arms. That demon has a body with tremendous strength, and it shows.

Only its head is odd looking. Instead of a dinosaur kind of head, elongated and animal, it’s a very flat face, more human in a way.

It has no tail whatsoever also.

The flat faced dragon keeps turning its head on the left and right, to look around.

It’s looking for something, but mostly I realise its field of vision is very narrow.

It finally found the flower bud near its feet.

It immediately crushes it under its foot. It rips it apart, shreds it with its claws.

Okay, that thing definitely has something against Rose.

And I acted just in time.

The dragon keeps looking around, nervously.

I stay hidden, cautiously and worryingly, only peeking. Zeslinry too hasn’t taken a shot yet.

It would be better for us if it just left without ever noticing us, so we’re cautious.

But it’s not happy. That show of rage wasn’t enough to satisfy it.

Maybe it noticed the flower was cut?

I’m hiding behind the wall, my handgun in hand, trying to breathe silently.

I know from where she is, Zeslinry is doing the same, being very careful while keeping her aim steady on that thing.

The dragon under the rain doesn’t leave. It keeps looking around.

It knows something is off.

I’m scared.

It roars loudly.

I keep it together and resist the fear. I don’t uncover to try and run away.

It suddenly turns toward Zeslinry clearly. She might have gasped, and it heard it?

After it did one step toward her direction, I yell it to stop.

I didn’t think.

I only reacted by reflex, or panic.

Now maybe Zeslinry can escape, but I’m done for. Shit!

I’m about to ask it what does it wants, when a hand with claws pierces the wall and tries to grab me.

I leaped away while the wall and then building begin to collapse over it.

The dragon climbs out from the rubbles in a loud and scary roar.

I was already standing, and holding my other pistol as well. I don’t think I’ll have another chance.

I empty my two clips of bullets in its head in a deafening ruckus. I just shot everything I had in blind panic.

Blood splashes, flesh flies out. The bits of skull protrude and are blown away.

Blood drips everywhere once the fireworks of flesh and steel is over.

The beast collapses there, most of its head blown off.

I’m still stepping back without letting it out of my sight. It only looks dead.

I’m reloading my handguns, still trembling and keeping an eye on the beast. I’m still stepping back and away from it, terrified.

I whistle. A signal for Zeslinry.

We’re evacuating with or without the ship, but we’re leaving now.

Before this monstrous thing starts moving again.

~