by Dune, Kyra
“Calm down,” Derek screamed right at me and I could barely hear him over the alarm. “It’s only me.”
My knees turned to jelly and if Derek hadn’t been holding me I surely would have hit the floor again. He pulled me against his chest and rested a hand on the back of my head. His presence had a steadying affect on me and I soon found my breath evening out.
The klaxon shut off as suddenly as it had begun, leaving behind a silent ringing in my ears. I took an unsteady step back. Stephanie, Brandy, and Curtis were clustered close together behind Derek. They looked not quite as out of it as I felt. But then they were together when this started and I was alone.
“Where’s Hannah?” I winced at how loud my voice sounded.
Derek shook his head. “She wasn’t in the room when we woke up, I thought she might be with you.”
“No.” Had Hannah come looking for me? Was she at this moment wandering through the halls the same way I had been? The thought filled me with guilt. “What’s happening?”
“I don’t know, but it can’t be anything good,” Derek said. “We were headed for the cafeteria. I kind of thought that’s where everyone would go.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I was all tensed up expecting Derek, or even one of the others, to ask me where I’d been. But I guess they were too focused on the trouble at hand to care because none of them said a word about it.
The cafeteria was a sea of murmuring, anxious faces painted red. That nightmare feeling started creeping up inside of me again. Brandy, Stephanie, and I hung close to Derek, but Curtis had stepped away from us. He kept raising up on his toes, his gaze scanning the crowd. It didn’t take a genius to guess at what he was looking for.
“Curtis,” I spoke his name softly but with enough insistence to get his attention. “Don’t go. I know exactly what you’re thinking. But I need you to stay here. I need to know you’re safe. Please.”
His mouth set in a thin, unhappy line, but he nodded.
I reached out and took hold of his hand. “Thank you.”
“Everyone, listen up.” The attention of the room focused on the balcony, where Megara stood leaning against the railing. “We are under attack.”
Harsh gasps and startled cries filled the cafeteria. I drew Curtis closer to me, worried we were about to have a full on panic run for the door we were standing in front of. I prepared to pull up my air shield to keep us from being trampled if I had to.
“Stay calm,” Megara said with a hint of annoyance. “The bunker has only one entrance and it’s sealed off. They can’t get in. We all knew this day would come sooner or later, so no use in getting panicked over it now.
“I want this room divided between those with active powers and those without. Then I expect each and every one of you to stay right here until someone comes with your orders. Abigail, Jonah, if you’re out there, make your way to the front of the bunker and meet me there.” She turned and strode through the door.
I grabbed Derek’s arm. “I don’t care what she said. You stay with Brandy and Curtis no matter what. Keep them safe.”
“I will. Don’t worry.”
As if I could do anything else. I turned to Brandy. Her eyes were cloudy and her lip trembled. It was one of the few times I’d actually seen her on the verge of tears. I pulled her into a hug and whispered into her ear, “Take care of Curtis for me.” I felt her nod against my shoulder.
Then it was my cousin’s turn. He hugged me so tight. Like he never wanted to let go. I could understand the feeling. He sniffled but tried to act like he didn’t. “I wish I could go with you. This would be great for my movie.”
“They’ll be plenty of stuff in the future for your movie,” I said, holding back the urge to cry. Breaking down right then wasn’t going to help anybody. “Maybe I’ll even put on a Supergirl outfit and fly around for you.”
He laughed. “I’d like to see that.”
I kissed his cheek. “Be right back.”
“If this was a horror movie, you would have just doomed yourself.” He squeezed my hand. “Good luck.”
I backed away, grinning carelessly. An expression that in no way matched the way I actually felt. “Who needs luck when you’re a super powered dragon?”
Knowing I would have trouble making my way through the crowd, I gathered the air up under my feet and lifted myself above their heads. I floated myself to the staircase, where I caught the sound of someone calling my name.
Jonah was jumping up and down, waving his hands to get my attention. I guessed he was having the exact problem I had avoided. It was easy for me to wrap the air around him, pluck him out of the crowd, and bring him to the stairs.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
I nodded. I took one last look at my friend clustered together by the door, then followed Jonah to the room where we’d first entered the bunker.
Megara marched straight up to me. “Where is Zack? His troops are here,” she indicated Dee and the other dragons standing near the hall leading to the bunker’s hidden entrance, “but he isn’t.”
“I have no idea.” But it was a good question. Where could he have gone that he didn’t come back for me when things started to get crazy?
“How bad is it, really?” Jonah asked. “Are we in danger?”
“Of course we’re in danger,” Megara snapped. “As soon as they attacked, we dropped the blast door. But it won’t keep them out for long. Not when they’ve clearly got earth dragons among them. Get a few strong ones together and they could bore straight through the side of the mountain.”
“So we fight.” Jonah looked no happier about that then I felt.
“What about the kids?” I asked. “Where will they go?”
“The bunker has some lower levels we’ve never used,” Jonah said. “The plan in case of an attack was to send them down there to hide.”
“What?” Zack’s words about the bunker being a tomb flashed through my mind. “So the earth dragons can drop the mountain down on top of them? No way. Jonah.” I laid my hand on his arm. “You have to tell her.”
“Tell me what?” Megara’s eyes narrowed.
Jonah sighed. “I was looking through some of the bunker’s back rooms, trying to see if anything was worth salvaging like you told me to, when I found a room with a loose ceiling tile and a ladder hanging down. I followed it up and came out into the woods. I’ve been using it to sneak out of the bunker.”
Megara stared hard at him “How could you keep such a thing from me?”
“I thought if I told you, you would have sealed it off.”
“Too right I would have. Do you have any idea how dangerous such a thing is?” Her hot glare was as much for me as it was for him. “Who else knows about it?”
“Only Abigail,” Jonah said. “I never told another soul.”
“And what about you?” Megara asked. “Did you tell anyone?”
I know what I should have said, but I was afraid if I told her about Zack, she wouldn’t listen to my idea. And I couldn’t bear the thought of Brandy and Curtis trapped under the earth. “Of course not. Jonah swore me to secrecy. It’s perfectly safe. We should send the kids out that way. You could even send a couple of dragons with powers to keep an eye on them.”
Megara pinched the bridge of her nose between two fingers. “Where does this thing come out at?”
“On the far side of the bunker,” Jonah said. “If the attacks have been focused on the entrance, then Abby’s right. Sending the kids out through the back makes the most sense. I could get them to safety that way.”
Megara pressed her hand to her mouth. I could almost see the wheels of her mind turning behind her eyes. “All right. Into the woods it is. You can take two dragons with powers along, but only two. We need the rest of them for the fight.”
“I’ll go,” I said. “In case there’s any trouble.” Am I coward? Maybe. But I’d killed two people in my life already and that was enough for me. Besides, I wanted to be with my friends.
“No.�
�� Megara said. “I need you with me to go up against the enemy. No discussion. I give the orders and you take them.” She turned to Tim, who was sitting behind his desk. “Go with Jonah, bring the powered dragons along. I’ll take Abigail and the battle trained dragons out first. You follow us.”
Tim nodded, and then tapped out something on the computer. “The door will open in three minutes.” He got up and started for the hall leading back to the cafeteria.
Megara went to talk to the battle trained dragons and as Jonah started to follow Tim, I grabbed his arm. “Take my brother with you? I’d feel better if I knew my friends were together.”
“Of course.” He squeezed my hand. “I hope we see each other again on the other side of this thing.”
I considered saying something about Zack and the secret entrance, but there wasn’t time. I told myself firmly that it didn’t matter anyway. “Me too.”
I hope you never have to know how it feels to walk straight toward your own death. That’s what I felt I was doing as I joined Megara and the others. “Still no Zack?” I asked.
Megara shook her head. “We’ll have to go on without him. Trust a tracker to let you down when you need him most.”
But that wasn’t like Zack. It wasn’t like him at all. Where was he?
The main entrance to the bunker opened as we approached, letting in a blast of chill air. The woods beyond were still and silent. I could see no evidence we’d been attacked, but then I really didn’t know what to look for, did I?
“Dee, Frank, you go on out ahead and see what’s to see,” Megara said.
The two of them exchanged a look, but did as they were told. I tensed as they stepped out of the shelter of the bunker. I was sure they would be shot or fried or something. But no, that didn’t happen. Nothing happened. Frank looked over his shoulder at us and shrugged. Even with no danger in sight, following Megara out after them was still the most terrifying thing I’d ever done.
I stared into the trees, still expecting to be attacked. Almost hoping for it, in a weird kind of way. I think I would have felt better if we’d stepped out right in the middle of a fight. Does that sound crazy? Maybe it is, but I’ve come to believe that waiting for something bad to happen is a lot worse than having it actually go ahead and happen.
It’s like being laid out with a blade strung up over your head. You know it’s going to fall but you don’t know when. That’s a terrible kind of torture, let me tell you right now.
“Where are they?” Frank whispered.
“They’re trying to draw us out,” Megara said. “Trying to get us to fight on their terms. But we aren’t taking the bait. We’re going to stay right here and make them bring the fight to us.”
So we waited. A light breeze shook the tree leaves. And we waited. A bird sang somewhere off in the distance. And we waited. I tried not to think about Zack. And we waited. I worried about my friends. And we waited.
I know it couldn’t have been as long as it felt like it was, or else Tim and the other dragons would have reached us. But I swear it felt like time dragged to a stop as we stood there. And then a subtle shift in the wind set off warning bells in my head.
A dome like shield of air covered us. I don’t know if it was Megara, or Frank, or one of the others, but I was obviously not the only one who recognized the feel of a coming attack.
Megara eyed me. “Are you ready for this?”
“No.” Not what she wanted to hear, I’m sure, but I couldn’t see how putting on a brave face was going to help anything. That little panicky flutter had started up in my chest and I was having to work really hard not to let it take control.
“You best get ready,” she said. “Or else die. Your choice.” Real good motivator, huh?
Leaves slapped the side of the dome. Twigs too. That might not sound scary, but they were flying straight at us like sharp little missiles. Each only bounced harmlessly away, but that didn’t stop me from wincing. I had to wonder what they thought they were doing. Any air dragon had to know they couldn’t penetrate our shield with some twigs, no matter how fast they were flying.
Then it hit it me. They were scared. Of course they were. Megara and I were the bogeymen. Those dragons out there had no idea what we could really do. All they had were stories. They were testing us, trying to see what we would come back with. Trying to see if we were as dangerous as they had been taught we were.
“They’re scared.” I surprised myself as much as everyone else by saying the words aloud.
“Of what?” Dee asked. “They’re bound to have us outnumbered.”
“Of me.” I looked over at Megara. “Of us. We should push ahead. Let them see us.”
Megara snorted. “Suddenly so eager for the fight, are you?”
I shook my head. “Why does there even need to be a fight? If you and I put on a little show, they’ll run. I guarantee it. Nobody has to die today.”
“You overestimate the power of a legend,” Megara said. “But even if you were right, it wouldn’t matter. Scare them away today and they’ll come back tomorrow twice as strong. I told you, it never ends. Not until every last one of them is dead.”
“Why are you so bound and determined to kill people?” I asked. “Are you really that bloodthirsty? Maybe it was dragons like you who started this whole us versus them thing. Did you ever think of that?”
“They came here to kill us,” Megara said.
“They came here to do exactly what you were planning on doing to them,” I countered. “They just got to it first. This doesn’t have to happen your way.”
Megara’s expression went neutral. “Fine. You think this can be handled without killing, try it. Go one over there and see what happens. But don’t expect me or any of these others to come to your aid when your foolishness is revealed to you.”
I looked around at the others and saw no support for a peaceful solution on any of their faces. What could I do? By myself I wasn’t enough to convince the other side to stand down. I couldn’t even convince my own side to see things in a different way.
My shoulders slumped. “All right. You win. But this is wrong. It’s not going to fix anything.”
“There now,” Megara said with a self satisfied smirk. “I knew you weren’t a fool. Let’s move forward. The cowards are taking too long for my liking.”
We moved into the woods. At first the light stayed pretty much the same, but then it started to dim in a way that seemed strange to me. I looked up through the canopy of the trees to see dark clouds forming directly above us.
“Uh, that doesn't look so good,” I said, drawing Megara’s attention skyward.
“It’s nothing,” she said. “A little air dragon trick meant to intimidate us. That’s all.”
“Yeah, well, it’s working,” I muttered. And judging by the looks the others were giving the sky, I wasn’t the only one concerned.
Megara smiled coldly. “If it’s a storm they want, it’s a storm they’ll get.” The dome shield dissipated. “Abigail, you’re in charge.”
I had my mouth open to protest this crazy idea, but before I could say a word, Megara spun the air around herself and lifted off in a mini tornado. One thing you could say for her, she sure knew how to make an exit.
The other dragons were looking at me expectantly, waiting for their orders, and had no idea what to say to them.
Cold air pressed down on us from above. I looked up again, a stirring in my gut warning me this was something more than intimidation. I knew exactly what Zack would say if he were there. Never underestimate your enemies.
I pulled a shield over us less than three seconds before a hailstone the size of a basketball fell from the sky. It hit the shield, causing the air to indent before rebounding and sending the hailstone crashing into a tree.
I turned around in a circle, frantically searching for our attackers. I saw no one. How was I supposed to fight back if I didn’t have a target? More hail fell, making the shield ring like struck glass. It wasn’t going to hold
forever.
“What do we do?” Dee asked.
Everybody was staring at me again, fear and panic in their eyes. It was the first time it occurred to me that, even though they were all older than I was, they had no more experience with this sort of thing than I did. In fact, they probably had less. Had any one of them ever had to fight for their lives before? Probably not.
That left me responsible for them and I had no idea how to handle that. “I--” The ground erupted, flinging me into the air.
I hit the ground and rolled into the brush. All around me, the crack and boom of snapping trees was loud as thunder. I lifted myself up just in time to watch a hailstone blown slantwise by a gust of wind dash out Dee’s brains.
I dropped my face into the crook of my elbow to muffle a scream. My stomach rolled and I gagged up a stream of bile laced water. Closing my eyes, I took several deep breaths. Which didn’t help too much considering I was smelling my own vomit.
I rolled over onto my back. Wind tossed leaves danced across my field of vision, but I no longer heard the sounds of falling hailstones. I took a risk and sat up, steeling myself against whatever I was about to see.
Eight bodies were scattered along the path of destruction made by the torn up earth and the hailstones. That left four dragons either alive or dead somewhere out of my sight. Tim and the other dragons were surely coming, but I couldn’t see how they would be able to help. We were all going to die.
I don’t know how long I sat there, stunned and frozen in place. If any of the enemy had come across me, they could have killed me easy. It was my good luck it was Frank who found me instead.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, looking down at me.
It took me several seconds of staring stupidly into his face before my sluggish brain wrapped itself around the question. “I... I don’t know.” I was a little sore from my tumble. My stomach, throat, and eyes were burning. I felt a little light headed. But aside from that I thought I was okay. I rose to my feet, holding my arms out to the side to keep my balance, a little afraid I was going to throw up again.
