by Jerod Lollar
I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to let my brother know I was ok. But I didn’t want to put him in danger. I wandered into the parking lot trying to stay out of the overhead lights. I saw a silver flash up on the roof. It could be the dragon. I moved back toward the front of the store, waving my arm and staring up at the roof, when my brother walked out of the store. He was pushing a cart right toward me. He didn’t seemed concerned or in a hurry. I guessed he hadn’t heard about the earlier excitement and probably thought I was home. I had to talk to him and warn him. I didn’t know what trouble it might cause, but he is my brother. I couldn’t just disappear without telling him something. I decided to get a ride home from him. I could say goodbye and get some different clothes before meeting the wizard.
He wheeled the cart over to his car, totally distracted by the music he was listening to. He had the music turned up so loud on his iPod I could hear it myself. He didn’t notice me until I walked up next to him.
“Hey Paul,” I said trying to sound as normal as possible, “I need a ride home. It’s been a strange day.”
Paul’s eyes drifted up to the red stocking cap on my head with an odd look on his face. I had to look crazy. I decided that the direct approach would be the best. I had to tell him as much as I could. Make him understand somehow. If I could show my brother the dragon, he would have to believe me. Looked like I was out of luck. I glanced up, trying to spot the dragon when my brother held his hand out toward me. He had a dollar in it.
“Do I know you friend?" he said. “Can I help you?”
Did I really look so different? He seemed not to know who I was. I stepped more into the light, being careful that the store manager didn’t spot me and call the police.
“Paul, it’s me!” I said, “It’s Jack.”
Now that I was standing in the light he had to recognize me.
“I’m sorry; I don’t think I know you,” Paul said taking a small step backwards.
“Very funny Paul. It’s me, Jack, your brother,” I said trying not to panic.
This was really scaring me. After everything that had happened to me today, the last thing I needed was my own brother not recognizing me.
“Look,” He said, “You obviously know who I am but I don’t know you. I don’t have a brother. If you are trying some kind of scam, I really don’t appreciate it. “
I felt like I’d been slapped. I backed away from the car as my brother got in. I kept on backing away and bumped into a parked car behind me. The car's alarm started beeping as I watched my brother drive away. He really didn’t recognize me. He had no idea that I was his brother. Trying to take all of this in, I didn’t notice the store manager coming up behind me until I heard his voice.
“Is everything ok?” he asked me.
That seemed to be the question of the evening. I turned around to face him and saw that he was the man I had knocked down earlier that day. He seemed unhurt, which surprised me. I had knocked him down hard. He also acted like he didn’t know me.
The car alarm had stopped blaring as the manager asked me again, “Is everything ok? You seemed confused. “
I was sure this guy would recognize me. I had torn through a table, knocked him down making a public nuisance, and I was sure I remembered him shouting out to call 911 when I ran out of the store. This thought gave me some hope. I could find a kind of acceptance at my brother not knowing who I was if I looked completely different. But if that was it, then why did he say that he didn’t have a brother at all? I cursed the dragon I was so willing to apologize to just moments before. This was its fault. I needed to get to a mirror. I needed to see what I really looked like. I found myself wanting the dragon back. No such luck, I was alone.
“Do you know me?” I asked.
The manager smiled and stuck out his hand to shake mine. I shook his hand wanting him to recognize me.
“My name is Jack. I was here earlier today.”
He smiled and said, “That’s nice Jack. I’m afraid I am going to have to ask you to not ask people for money in the parking lot. We have a strict policy against panhandling on our property. I could give you information for a shelter if you need a place to stay for the night.”
He thought I was a homeless person. And if my brother didn’t recognize me I guess I was.
“I’m not homeless and I didn’t ask anyone for money.” I reached into the duffle bag and pulled out some money.
“I am going to shop now,” I said, “Did you get that mess cleaned up from earlier today?”
He gave me a blank look. He had no idea what I was talking about.
“Sorry dude,” I said, “Look I just need to pick up a few things in the store. I won’t be any trouble.”
I stuck the money back into the duffle bag, slung it over my shoulder, and with one quick look around in the sky walked quickly into the store as the manager stared at me. I got the shock of my life. Everything was normal. The table I had ripped off of its base was fixed. What was going on? My hand shot up to the top of my head rubbing the hat back and forth. I could hear the store music playing gently in the background. I swayed back and forth trying to piece it all together.
“What if I don’t look the same? What if the dragon hatching on my leg and his dragon fire that he used to clean me and heal me changed how I looked?”
I needed a mirror so I could get a good look at myself. Making my way to the back of the store to the restroom I kept my head down. I knew I needed to buy something in the store before I left. I knew that the manager had to still be watching me. But I had to see if there was any change to me other than the fact I had no hair. I decided to go to the bathroom to see what I looked like. I was having a hard time finding the courage to walk in the bathroom.
“What if I was some hideously deformed person now. What if all that had happened to me today had changed me into some kind of monster?”
I resolved to find out the truth, no matter how gruesome. I pushed open the bathroom door. My heart was pounding and at first I kept my head down not wanting to look in the mirror. Then I looked up. Yes, I was bald with no eyebrows. I looked tired. But it was the same face as always staring back at me. My face was filthy with black dust and soot. I took off the stocking cap and rubbed my smooth hairless head. I mourned my hair. But it was the same brown eyes that I had always had looking back at me in the mirror. I washed my face in the sink and took another look at myself. I could see my belly button. Stupid shirt was too short.
“Why didn’t Paul recognize me?” I asked my reflection.
My brother had no idea who I was. I had to go home. I had to make him recognize me in some way. If I didn’t, I would be alone. The wizard can wait. My brother was more important. After splashing more water on my face I walked out of the restroom. The store manager was still keeping an eye on me so I decided to do a little shopping. After grabbing some 'Top Ramen', an energy drink and some turkey jerky, I headed for the cashier. As she rang up the items, she gave me an awkward look.
“Not nice to stare," I said to her through gritted teeth.
She stammered an apology. I gave her some money and left the store. I felt a little guilty at my reaction to the cashier, then a thought hit me. I turned around and walked back into the store, straight to the table I destroyed earlier. It was fine. It was not a new table but the same one. There was the letter "H" that some kid had put there in an attempt to write his name. I had thrown down that table so hard that it had broken into a million pieces. Weird. I turned and walked out the front doors again.
I paused outside of the store, not sure what to do next or where to go. I had the invitation from the wizard and I knew I had to eventually go see him. His sense of urgency all but forgotten, I wasn’t sure I was ready to do that yet. Looking around in the sky for the missing dragon once again, I finally spotted the glowing silver scales in the sky. It was back. It hovered over the parking lot. It must have been camouflaged in some way. All I could see was the silver from its scales. It floated down, resting a
bout four feet off the ground.
Chapter 10
I headed toward the dragon, but the light didn’t seem right. It was blue. As I got closer, the blue light washed over me. It wasn’t the dragon. The light was about the size of a baseball and pulsed brighter as I walked closer. I stopped dead in my tracks. Could this be from the fairy? I took another step toward the ball and it grew a little bigger. I stopped again, trying to figure out what I was looking at. It began to pulse and seemed to be getting bigger. I took a step back and the ball seemed to move toward me. I tried to walk around it and it followed me. It was not going to let me pass.
“Maybe I’ll go back to the store.”
I turned around and saw just how many people were there. A growing group of shoppers and the store manager were standing there staring at the blue orb. Some of them had camera phones and were taking videos of what was going on. It was probably already on "YouTube" and going viral. Every eye was fixed on the floating ball of light. I took a step toward the crowd and the blue orb shot through the air and stopped at eye level directly in front of me. The crowd gasped and someone actually screamed.
I didn’t know what to do. This ball of light seemed to be interested in me. It hadn’t tried to hurt me. But that didn’t mean that it wouldn’t. The wizard’s words came back to me. “Man I wish I hadn’t made that dragon mad. We should have flown straight to the wizard." I wondered if the dragon was strong enough to carry me and the duffle bag all the way to Reid Park. I guessed that I would never know now.
The blue ball stayed in front of me. I had no idea what it was. I moved to the left and there it was. I moved to the right and it was still there. I started to sink to my knees hoping I could crawl underneath it. It slowly sank down to the ground always staying in front of me. The fairy must have sent it to finish me off. Johnathen had left me the image that fey were not good.
“What if it was some sort of bomb? All these people could get hurt.”
I looked back to the crowd and saw phones pointed in my direction. I needed to lead the orb out of the parking lot and away from people. If it was a bomb, it could hurt not just me, but all these people. All of a sudden the ball started to hum. At first it was a low thrumming that I could feel in my chest. It quickly got higher in pitch and started to intensify in brightness. I took a step back away from it. I looked back at the gathering of people.
“RUN!” I yelled.
The ball started to grow to about the size of a small car. I could hear more gasps from my audience. I couldn’t tell if anyone had run. The humming stopped abruptly and before I could move, a big, hairy, green arm shot out of it and grabbed me by the throat. I grabbed at it trying to pull it off me as I gasped for air. It had a slimy feel to it and was very strong. I raised my hands, and with all the strength I could muster, sent my hands crashing down on this monstrous arm. My blocking, smashing hit was enough to break the hold the arm had on me. But before I could get away, another arm shot out of the ball and hit me in the face. I could feel the crunch as the pain shot through my broken nose. The wind was knocked out of me as the thing shot out of the orb, tackling me to the ground. It pounded on me, stomping me into the asphalt. I could hear a strange growling voice chanting over and over again.
“Smash! Smash! Smash! Smash!”
As I was being pummeled, I could hear the crowd screaming and the sound of running feet. Finally they started to take my advice. Squeaks and grunts were coming from the smelly green monster as it hit me. I continued to try and fight this strange, green, hairy, slimy thing. It was now on top of me, jumping up and down on my chest, laughing as it clobbered me. I was afraid I would lose consciousness and then I would be dead. A burning sensation started in my chest as blood poured out of my nose. A strange pressure was building up in my stomach. I waved my arms wildly trying to hit this thing and knock it off of me. I got lucky with a hit and with a squeal this thing jumped from my chest.
I scrambled to a sitting position getting my first good look at my attacker. It was green and hairy all over its body. Its short squatty body couldn’t be more than a foot long, but its massively muscled arms were at least twice as long as its body. It stood on them like they were legs. The creature's hand dug into the asphalt of the parking lot, tearing it up. Its whole body had a slimy glow to it. This thing was lethal. His head was almost a perfect round ball with black beady eyes, a smashed nose and twisted mouth. I couldn’t help but think of this thing as a demon from a nightmare come to life. There was a scurrying commotion behind him and I realized there was more than one of these things.
My attacker smiled at me, showing rows and rows of sharp, crooked teeth. He reached behind his back and pulled out a cigar. Lighting it with a match struck off of its forehead, it took in a deep drag of smoke, smiled another twisted hideous smile and spoke.
“Hey ya freak. We’re here to destroy you. You should have died today. We’re here to make sure you do,” he said with a twisted grin.
He took another drag from his cigar then tossed the rest to the side. He charged me, knocking me to the ground again. The pressure in my stomach was growing as I lashed out, trying to knock this thing off of me. It laughed at my week attempt to hit it again. The pressure in my stomach popped and my body was filled with power. Reaching up I grabbed this creature by the throat. A squeak and wheeze came from his mouth. Its beady black eyes grew wide with surprise at my speed and strength. I stood up holding this thing by the throat.
“I’m not going to die at the hands of a giant booger like you,” I yelled as I shook it.
The creature hit me with a right hook causing me to let it go. He jumped up to its hands and looked at me, his face twisting in rage.
“No one calls me Booger!” it screamed, “You stupid flap! I’m gonna kill you!”
Throughout the parking lot you could hear the other green things running around. They all started chanting “Booger! Booger! Booger!” Over and over again. My attacker looked around the parking lot and shouted for them to shut up. He turned back to me, screaming in rage and charged again. This time I was ready for him. With a speed that surprised me, I grabbed Booger’s arm. I swung him around my head as he squealed like a pig. Another one came after me. It charged and I swung Booger like a club, knocking the new one over a car. It landed crashing through the windshield of a nice looking convertible. The alarm started blaring around the parking lot.
To my amazement I could still see a crowd of people gathered around with camera phones clicking. They were watching this battle like it was a movie or something. Only a few had run away. The others had either stood there in shock and disbelief, or run around trying to get a better angle with their camera phones. I wanted to yell at them to run, but another attacker charged from behind and almost grabbed me. I swung Booger around just in time, smacking it upside of the head and sending it into the back of a truck. Booger hung limply in my hand.
“Stop it freak," he said, “I’m gonna to be sick."
A retching sound came from his throat. This made me want to puke too. I threw him as far as I could. He skidded and smashed into a light pole about ten feet away from me. Standing up slowly, he shook his head. He looked at me and to my surprise looked unharmed. It was as if I hadn’t touched him at all. He reached behind his back again pulling out another cigar. Chomping down on this one he made a strange grunting sound. All of the other creatures began to come out of their hiding places. There were dozens of them. Behind them the crowd finally started to back up. Booger looked over his shoulder at the store and the crowd of people. With a wicked smile on his face he said to his companions.
“Half of you stay with me, the rest start raiding the store.”
They all smiled crooked twisted smiles. Now the crowd was really in danger. All of them moved as one, taking off toward the store and the rapidly retreating crowd. Booger forgot to tell which half was supposed to stay with him. He turned and yelled at them.
“Not all of you, you stupid flaps! Come back!”
That w
as the distraction I needed. I knew I had to get to those people. Someone was going to get hurt. Booger turned around just in time to get my foot planted right in his ugly face. He grunted and fell to the ground and I ran past him. I headed for the hooting, squealing mass of the snot brigade that was heading for the front of the store and the people who were scrambling to get out of there. I was half way there when Booger recovered from my kick and grabbed me by the foot, tripping me. I landed hard on my newly broken nose and pain exploded in a fresh wave.
Booger started climbing up my back as I kicked and tried to fight him off. That strange pulling sensation started in my stomach again, as I reached out toward the running creatures. I realized that, even if I could get Booger off my back, I wouldn’t reach the others in time.
I yelled out at the top of my lungs, “Run you idiots, run!"
Booger was now whispering in my ear “I’m gonna spit right in your face freak," he said.
I had begun to lose hope that I would get out of this. That was when the dragon returned.
Chapter 11
It came crashing out of the sky with a roar. No longer camouflaged, it wanted these creatures to see it. Booger stopped clawing his way to my face and sat on my back in stunned silence. I took this opportunity to roll over, knocking him off, but he jumped on top of me again. The other creatures ran squealing and screaming as the dragon dived after them. It grabbed three of them with its back claws, as it swooped down and knocked two more tumbling with its tail. Booger had begun beating on me again. I lay there trying to figure out how to get this thing off of me. I saw a strange red glowing thing next to my head. I realized it was one of Booger's cigars. I grabbed it and twisted around to face him as I plunged the lit cigar into the side of his face. A bloodcurdling howl came from Booger's mouth. He fell off of me, writhing in pain, and holding the quarter shaped burn he now had on his face. I took off towards the front of the store, dodging people right and left. There was blind panic. Some of the creatures must have made it into the store. One was running on its stubby little feet, holding a case of beer over its head. Another had a bottle of soda in its mouth. It had bitten through the bottle and was sucking it dry. Then it began to eat the plastic bottle.
