by T. S. Hall
“You guys want to see the effects of fog glue?”
They all rushed out of the gym to watch as Mr. Ferris was rolling a large grayish orb about five feet in diameter from the front entryway and into the parking lot. Out of her periphery, Allora saw the black shadow of the cruisers blocking out the sun as they inched toward the town of Sandy. Mr. Ferris sparked the orb, causing it to explode upward in a steady stream of fog, like the explosion of a small volcano. Once the funnel of fog got up to about five hundred feet, it spread outward, covering the entire school and surrounding area with fog. It was thick, giving visibility of about twenty feet.
From the cruisers came a laser-light show as they tried to assess the ground beneath them, including the threats that awaited. Allora remembered the ominous dream that she’d had. A flash came into her head of all of the bodies littering the school parking lot. Her heart pounded in her chest in fearful anticipation of what would come through the fog. She felt the warmth of someone holding her right hand and turned to see Tanner.
Sheriff Newton came running up, carrying their weapons, and handed them out.
“Stopped by your house,” he said. “Figured you could use them.”
Allora slung the quiver of arrows around her back and held onto the familiar grip of her bow. Just as Principal Winters gave Tanner his sword, the sound of an explosion reverberated from the edge of the forest. It had begun.
Aunt May ushered everyone into the gym while Sheriff Newton and Principal Winters ran into the fog toward the battle that was commencing all around the school.
“Aunt May, we want to fight,” Allora protested as she pushed them in through the double doors of the gym and closed the door.
“Allora, I don’t think you understand what we’ve been trying to do here all of this time,” Aunt May explained, peering through the small windows on the double doors. “This entire community was set up to protect you and you alone. That is why your mother was so adamant about getting you out of here. That is why we separated ourselves from the rebellion and Shangri-La. And the only way to truly stop them is in here,” Aunt May said, pointing to Allora’s head, “And here.” She then pointed at Allora’s heart. “If you truly want to protect the ones you love, then you must continue the path that Ben set for you.”
With that, Aunt May went outside the gym to guard the entrance.
“What did she mean by that?” Tanner asked.
“She means that we need to go get the Eye,” Allora responded.
“Where is it?” Katie asked.
“It’s in the hidden spot I created in the back of my locker. I’ve got to go get it.”
“Fine, but we’re going with you,” Tanner demanded.
Allora then noticed Bell. She looked terrified, huddled in the corner. While the others debated how they’d get out of the gym without being noticed, Allora knelt down next to Bell. She gently placed her hands on the frightened girl’s knees. Bell looked up, tears running down her cheeks.
“We’re going to die, aren’t we?”
“No, that ain’t happening,” Allora said, staring into Bell’s blue eyes and holding firmly onto her shoulders. “Now I need you to be strong and make sure to stay here while we go grab something.”
“Please don’t leave me,” Bell said, getting up from the ground and running after her sister.
“We’ll be right back. Just stay put, and if anything comes through those doors, I want you to hide.”
Allora could hear the clash of swords and the sporadic explosions of hadron bursts hitting the trees and building outside. The fighting was getting closer. There wasn’t much time. Allora left her sister and went to the emergency exit, where Dax was deactivating the alarm that would notify the others of their escape. Allora took one last look at Bell, whose tear-filled eyes sparkled as she looked like she was silently saying good-bye. Allora felt the pit in her stomach grow. A part of her wanted to take Bell with them, but it was too dangerous.
Allora left the gym and ran after the others as they stepped into the fog. Visibility was minimal, which increased the fear of the unknown. Luckily, they knew the school grounds so well that they could navigate them blindfolded if they had to. Out of the fog came a low growl, like that of a large cat. A smell of rotten fish wafted through the mist, followed by two dim red eyes streaking toward them. Allora pushed the others forward as the teeth of a sphinx chomped down on their heads. The animal’s balance faltered, and it rolled along the concrete, flailing to get its feet underneath itself.
“Go!” Allora screamed as she slipped on some loose rock.
They sprinted to the double doors that led to the school’s basement and barely got inside and slammed the doors shut. Dax grabbed a metal broom and stuck it through the two handles as the sphinx tried in vain to destroy the barricaded doors. They slowly backed up from the shaking door, moving deeper into the dark hallways. They picked up their pace, jogging through the school. They stopped after hearing something moving in the distance.
Backing into a recess near a classroom door, they peered around the corner, squinting in the darkness. A creature slowly revealed itself, crawling along on four feet and sniffing the air like a bloodhound on a scent. Its skin was scaly, dark, and brownish green; it had a body that stretched over eight feet and a thorny tail.
“Dragon,” Dax whispered as they backed into the wooden door.
“I thought that they were supposed to be the size of a large dog,” Allora whispered back.
“Only the ones that are bred to be pets,” Katie answered.
“That does not look like a very friendly pet,” Tanner said.
“What do we do?” Allora asked.
They kept looking at each other while Allora peered around the edge again.
“No,” Katie said, seeing the look in Allora’s eyes as she pulled out an arrow from her quiver. “Nope. No, not happening. Did you see the teeth on that thing?”
“We have no choice,” Allora said. “There’s no time to wait. We’ve got to take that thing out.”
Dax smiled, pulling out his staff.
“Allora, I like you, but you are crazy. You know that?” Katie said.
“And you’re best friends with me, so what does that say about you?” Allora said with a smirk. She turned the corner with the arrow pulled back.
“That I’m even crazier,” Katie said, pulling out her throwing knifes.
The dragon noticed the movement and produced a deep, malicious growl that sent shivers of fear through all four of them. The arrowhead turned purple, and Allora let it loose. It streaked through the dark, trailing a purple glow. From the dragon’s mouth came a stream of fire that completely engulfed the purple missile. The heat was so intense that it disintegrated the arrow, turning it to ash as it hit the nose of the dragon. The creature bellowed an even louder growl as it scurried along the carpet toward the four.
“New plan,” Allora said, backpedaling. “Run!”
The four sprinted through the hallway, turning the corner toward the other side of the school, as the dragon gained on them, hissing at its prey. Ahead of them was a drow elf who was stalking the area for targets. It barely noticed as the four teenagers zipped past it. It smiled but turned blue as it saw the sharp edges of the dragon’s teeth chomp down on it. This gave the four teens enough time to get into a classroom and shut the door. Allora locked it and fell down.
“We’re dead,” Katie announced, still shocked after seeing what had happened to the elf.
“So who wants to be the bait?” Allora asked sternly.
“Nose goes,” Katie said, touching the tip of her nose.
Everyone mimicked, except for Tanner.
“Oh, come on.”
“Tough break, buddy,” Dax said, patting his friend on the shoulder.
Tanner sneered and got to his feet.
“Look, we only need enough time to get to the locker and retrieve the Eye,” Katie said, getting to her feet.
Allora faced him and placed her hand on his
chest. “Hey, don’t do anything stupid.”
“Never do,” he answered, grabbing her hand, and winking.
Allora rolled her eyes as Tanner opened the door and walked out to face the creature.
“Hey, you big, dumb lizard,” Tanner yelled, his heart beating rapidly. “Come and get me!”
The dark-green eyes stared down its next victim, and then it launched itself toward Tanner. He took off, sprinting around the corner with the dragon in hot pursuit. The other three quickly ran in the other direction. As they turned down the hallway, three drow elves were ascending the stairway.
Allora paused. “Go!” Dax yelled, giving Katie a nod and pulling out his sword. Dax and Katie stared down their opponents. “We’ve got this.”
The drow elves ran forward, attacking with daggers. Steel clashed as Allora kept running and ducked into the supply room. The cuffs that had secured Marcus to the drainage pipe were dangling, and he was nowhere to be found. She left the room and made it to her locker. She then sparked the back wall, and turned her hands in the specific pattern that she had remembered by heart. Placing her hand through the liquid material, she pulled out the obsidian orb. It felt warm, like it was alive. Dax and Katie were fighting back the short elves. Dax shot a hadron burst at one, and it took a tumble off the stair balcony and was knocked out cold as it crashed down onto the ground. Allora placed the orb inside her pants pocket just as she saw a body fly through the air, crash into the lockers, and fall onto the ground. The dragon sprang forward with its teeth bared. Tanner placed his sword in both hands, stopping the jaw from clamping down on his head. Allora quickly pulled out an arrow as Tanner screamed. The dragon clawed at the metal lockers, causing an earsplitting sound. Allora let the arrow go. It streaked through the air and pierced the dragon’s scales, causing it to howl. Smoke escaped the dragon’s nostrils as it targeted a new prey. Allora stood defiant with wide legs, readying for a face-off. She took off the quiver and dropped the bow, feeling the animalistic power within herself.
The dragon moved forward, blowing a sheet of fire toward Allora. She remained steady with arms outstretched, feeling the warmth of the heat become pure energy as the molecular structure of the fire changed. As if she were supercharged, Allora sent a salvo of fireballs that burst into the creature. Knocked off its footing, it flailed against the lockers, thrashing violently. Allora ran toward its vulnerable belly.
“Throw me the sword,” Allora yelled as Tanner got to his feet. He grabbed the hilt and threw the sword underhand toward Allora as she leapt on top of the writhing creature. She timed the grab, swinging the sword around with the tip pointing down. With two hands, she thrust down, piercing the heart of the malevolent creature. An earsplitting screech caused Allora to turn and cup her ears. The legs of the dragon snapped, knocking Allora into the air, flying into Tanner. They watched as the dragon’s movements slowed to a stop. A red liquid escaped the wound, dropping onto the carpet and engulfing it in flames.
“Whoa,” Tanner said, clutching onto Allora as they lay on the ground, panting.
“Yeah, my thoughts exactly,” Allora said, looking at the oddity of having a dead dragon lying in the middle of their school.
Having defeated the drow elves, Katie and Dax peered over the body of the dragon, looking on in disbelief.
“You are one bad-ass chick. You know that?” Katie said, causing Allora to smile and roll her eyes as she got up off the ground.
“It’s not over yet,” Dax said, hearing the rumbles from the battle outside. “You get it?”
Allora pulled the orb from her pants pocket and then put it back.
“Ready to go again?” Tanner asked as they ran down the hall toward the front entryway.
“Do we really have a choice?” Allora said with a smirk.
Twenty-Seven
WAR
Dax swung the double doors of the school wide open and ran out into the foggy parking lot. Allora saw her first target: a man in a battle suit who was swinging a sword down at Principal Winters. She pulled in the hadrons, focused them forward, and shot two strong glowing purple orbs of energy that knocked the agent of the royal guard and rocketed him into a red minivan. Principal Winters got up from one knee. She was completely disheveled and exhausted. Dax and Katie ran off to fight, while Allora and Tanner helped their principal to her feet.
“Thank you, children,” she said, her voice hoarse and pained. “I guess I’m not as fit as I used to be.”
“We need to get her back to the school,” Tanner said, surveying her wounds.
Suddenly a hadron burst exploded next to them, sending everyone to the hard concrete. Allora shook her head, focusing on three men running toward them. Allora grabbed her sword, pulled Tanner up, and the two of them met the swords of the advancing attackers. Steel clashed in the foggy mist. Tanner skillfully took on two of the men, having perfected the art of sword fighting. Allora swung underneath the slicing steel, pulled out a hadron burst, and sent her enemy flying into a car windshield. Tanner cut down the two other opponents and met back up with Allora and Principal Winters.
“We’ve got to get you two out of here. We are outnumbered five to one,” Principal Winters said.
“Where is the rally point?” Tanner asked, searching in vain through the fog for anyone familiar.
“It was supposed to be here,” Principal Winters replied.
“Let’s go this way,” Allora said, pointing west toward where Katie and Dax had gone.
They moved slowly through the dense fog, grasping their weapons firmly as they awaited anything that should leap from the mist. A sudden burst of orange showed in the distance, followed by the boom of an explosion. Then Allora heard the scream of her best friend. Quickly moving through the fog, she came upon a man with a blade above his head. Anger filled her petite frame and burst out in a ball of flames that sent the man shooting through the fog, engulfed in fire. Another man came out of nowhere and almost clipped Allora on the neck, but Dax caught the attack and shot a green hadron burst into the attacker.
“Thanks, Dax,” Allora said, helping Katie from the ground.
“This doesn’t look good,” he replied, looking worried. “They are coming from every direction.”
They were now on the edge of the parking lot, near the old wishing well. From the depths of the forest came a billowing sound, followed by crashing trees. Through the fog, a large shadow appeared. It was twelve feet tall, fat, and grunting emphatically. Another shadow took form behind it as they moved closer.
“Oh, crap,” Dax said. “We’ve got trolls.”
The mutated giants were wearing torn, brown-and-green clothes, large leather boots, and baggy fur pants. Their heads were cone-shaped with matted brown hair, crossed eyes, and large, crooked teeth. They smelled of rotten eggs, rancid meat, and dirt.
Everyone backed up slowly, trying to stay hidden from the advancing trolls. Katie accidentally backed into a car that had an alarm. The wailing siren caused both gargantuan beasts to growl and look down. The troll in front swung around his club, bringing it down on the car windshield and shattering glass in every direction. Katie was able to roll out of the way at the last minute, but now the trolls were aware of them. Allora ran back into the parking lot with Tanner, Katie, and Dax right behind. They headed east toward the football field. The troll again swung his club, splintering the large oak tree in the middle of the parking lot and crashing it down on a row of cars. The swinging clubs smashed the concrete ground. Allora rolled between the troll’s feet, causing the creature to look between its legs. The troll behind saw the girl and swung toward her. She rolled back and forth, trying to dodge the constant club swings and smashing feet. Tanner tried to take a chop with his sword on the troll’s arm, but got a fist to the chest, which sent him flying through the air into a car. Dax and Katie took turns with throwing knifes and hadron bursts, but the attacks were futile. The fog was slowly dissipating, allowing the trolls better visibility to squash them.
One of the trolls pul
led up its club, ready to strike down on Allora, when a large shadow emerged, launching itself at the troll’s abdomen. It was Bod. The two large creatures wrestled into the cars, crushing metal and glass underneath their massive weight. Mod came up behind Tanner and took out the other troll, swinging fists into its fat belly. Allora was covered in gravel and small cuts. Tanner was holding his back, in obvious pain.
As the fog continued to dissipate, they looked out onto the damage and destruction of the battle. Bodies littered the parking lot, streets, and grass all around them. Allora felt her heart sink when she saw a few familiar faces of Sheriff Newton and Nurse Campbell lying facedown on the ground. At that moment, the reality of war became far too apparent. Above, the shadows of the enemy cruisers were staring down on them. Then Allora saw a light coming from the guns on the bottom of the ship.
“Run!”
A flurry of hadron bursts rained down from above. Dirt, wood, glass, and concrete flew from all directions as the four sprinted toward the football field. Allora pushed Katie out of the way of a hadron burst that exploded between the two of them. Allora flew into a tree and fell to the ground. She remained on all fours, her hearing muffled from the impact of the burst. All around her chaos ensued. Katie helped Allora to her feet, and they stumbled through the fog. Screams and explosions kept their constant song as Milly ran up with Bell, Brandon, and Jenny in tow. The pained, fearful expressions dug into Allora, who knew that this whole incident was her fault. They leaned against a concrete wall lining the exterior of the football field, hiding themselves from exposure to the overhead fire.
“Allora….” Milly’s voice was drowned out by the exploding bursts that littered the school gym. The fog was starting to dissipate, revealing bodies, fire, and debris. “Allora, you need to take your sister and these two and get out of here now!” Milly shoved a metal rod at her and gave Tanner, Dax, and Katie skipper rods as well. “Stay below the trees on the highway as long as possible, and push the throttle to full. Those cruisers will be after you as soon as they figure out that you’ve left the area. When they get closer and launch those skimmers, get into the trees, and keep it on autopilot. The skipper will fly itself.”
