Dragon Tales

Dragon Tales

'Trey'

“There weren’t always dragons in the land.” As always he began his blog. The thousands of people that flocked to his platform looked for that one line that began his tale of flying mythical beasts. Not many people were as brave enough-or as his father would put it-stupid enough to go looking for them. Others ran or peaked out from darkened windows when the dragon arrived. But not him, not Trey. He was fascinated as well as all the others but his fascination bordered on obsession. Besides, what kind of blogger would he be if he didn’t give his audience what they craved, a glimpse of the dragon? That’s right Trey, blame it on the obsession of others.

From the building’s roof top, Trey watched as the ECU collected the remains of what the dragon left behind. Blood and bits of body parts was all that was left of the ECU’s crew. It was their job to collect any specimen the dragon left behind. It was a dangerous job, many times the members of the unit came out unharmed but sometimes they didn’t. Trey lifted his head to the darkened sky, it’ll be a while before the beast returned. After having it’s full of the city it went back to whatever hell it came from. No one knew where. However, it always returned, preceded by the strange Aurora Borealis. Disturbances in the magnetosphere, Auroras are usually visible in the Arctic Circle sky. Months ago after a particularly bad thunderstorm the strange lights appeared, moments later so did the dragon. The whoosh of it huge wings in the skies above was an anticipated sound. Along with the brilliant lights in the sky, it provided warning to all those on the ground. Run. Hide. Never stand around. Large gatherings in the days before, were now a thing of the past. Fear of the beast kept people in their homes away from its preying eyes.

Odd for him Trey found the beast fascinating. He was taught to hate it. His mother Martha Moore a member of the ECU, Evidence Clean up Unit, was murdered by the beast. Slaughtered along with her unit. Her body, mingled with the parts of her team, was collected to be identified by his father. From that moment on, Shawn Moore, waged a war with the beast. Trey was two when his mother was killed. But for 16 year-old Trey the dragon was beauty masked in terror. It was forged in fire. In its predatory existence it welded its power over territory it now claimed. Trey admired to that. So did the various cults that sprang up in New York weeks after the Dragon arrived. Worshipped by the sects, the Dragon became a symbol of life and death. Trey, was no cultist but he understood its lure. Where he saw power, his father saw a predatory that needed to be stopped.

From the time Trey was 7 his father taught him how to handle a gun, hunt and survive. At any other time such teachings would be deadly skills to learn, especially for a young black man growing up in the inner city of New York. But these where not normal times, it was the times of dragons. Trey lifted his head to the sky, small twinkling lights shown through pollution filled clouds but not Northern Lights. A musical tune emerged out of Trey’s backpack. Lifting it off his back, Trey swung it around and placed it on the ground. Leaning down he reached in, grabbed his phone and glanced at the text.

“Get the hell off that roof!”

Trey rolled his eyes and muttered. “How the hell does he know?” Trey replied. “Evening to you too dad!” He texted back.

“Evening. Off that roof!”

“I need substance for my blog.”

“Your appeasing your obsession. That didn’t work so well for the cat.”

“I’m no cat.”

“Just food for an insatiable demon. I need you here, now!”

Click. Then silence. Trey stared at the phone, his father was right. The dragon saw them all as food and or threats, either way the humans were prey.

Gathering his stake-out bag and tossing it over back over his shoulder he headed for the door leading to the stairwell. The building not very tall was one of the perfect places, due to its center location, to get a glimpse of the dragon. When that happened the humans took cover. For they knew death and destruction followed in its wake. So far the beast had only murdered but not destroyed. However, many thought it was a matter of time before its fury would be released wholly on the human population. The human race stood in constant fear of the dragon and its potential for whatever hell it could unleash. For now it was content on destroying flesh and blood not concrete and steel. Although, it came close enough to do both. Trey remember a friend of his saying a cousin of a cousin saw the dragon once up close. The group sat in awed suspense as the young boy described the beast. Stone like spikes stood out over its massive head, chest face and back. Thick cord like muscles surrounded its arms which transitioned into long black wings. Rows and rows of the same spikes cropped out from its forehead down its back. Red-piercing eyes looked out menacing from a monstrous face. Trey wasn’t sure how much he could believe the young man. Known to be a liar, he conjured up lies about the smallest things. How in the hell would the dragon allow anyone to stand so close as to give a detailed description without devouring them in one swallow?

“Damn liar.” Trey said as he opened the door to the roofs stairwell access. Before entering a familiar swooshing sound filled the air. Trey fearfully lifted his head and was met with a familiar display of dynamic patters of brilliant greens and purples. The Auroras! Dropping his bag, petrified to stillness, Trey found he was able to move, the beast had returned and so soon. Taking a deep breath Trey leaned against the open metal door and slid down. Drawing his bag towards him he backed further in the shadows of the buildings stairwell. Every fiber in his being was telling him to run but the curious cat in him forced him to stay. He needed to see what lying Johnny saw. Reaching in his bag Trey grabbed his digital camera. Turning it on, he adjusted the lens and took a deep breath. The swooshing sound was closer now, a heavy gust of wind rattled the metal shack.

“Damn, you close.” Trey whispered to the darkness of the stairwell. “Ok, Trey it’s now or never.”

Peeling himself from the metal door, Trey peeked around the corner of the roof tower doorway. The swooshing sound was not as close like before but it was present. Why had it come back so soon, usually it took weeks before it returned? The blood on the concrete was still fresh. Wasn’t this what you wanted? Slowly easing out Trey lifted his camera eye level just then the familiar sound of his phone chimes from his backpack. Reaching in his bag he pulls out his phone and reads the text.

“Where the hell are you….and please don’t tell me you’re still on that roof?”

Trey position his fingers over his phones keyboard to reply but was stopped short by a strong gust of wind, the flapping of wings and a loud thud. Trey’s heart beat rapidly against his chest. The sound of helicopters hovering nearby confirmed his fears, the dragon had landed on the same roof he was on. Sweat broke out from his face.

“Trey!”

Blood rushed to his head.

“Trey!”

The roof top quaked with the weight of the Dragon.

“Trey!”

Trey slowly backed away from the doors opening. His hand touched the rough edge of a stair.

“Trey, answer me!”

Silently, barely breathing Trey slowly edged backwards down the stairs. His right arm on the stair’s rail kept him balance, but barely. Reaching the third step Trey turns facing the downward staircase. Behind him he heard a loud inhaling. Now standing Trey slowly turns to face the doorway. His breath caught in his throat. Petrified he couldn’t move. A warm wetness filled his pants, the smell of urine filled the hallway. From the doorway a huge spike filled head with red eyes filled the entrance. One large nostril sniffed the air. As if moved by unseen hands, Trey walked backwards down the stairs.

Please, don’t let him see me. Trey sent up a silent prayer to God. Reaching the stairways platform, he reached in his bag and grabbed his gun. Having only used it on the gun range, Trey knew if he had to he’d fire. But what would his bullets do but piss the monster off? Then the dragon’s face lifted from the doorway. He needed to get the hell out of there! His father was right! Cat and mouse.

A loud melodic sound reverberated off the walls of the stairwell. His phone. Damn! Just then the building shock with the sound of the dragon’s roar. Hot air filled the space. From the entrance huge teeth emerged and gripped the roof tower. The beast jaws clamped down. Huge pieces of brick and mortar fell onto the stairs, barely missing Trey. Covering his head, he ran down the remaining of the stairs. A loud crunching metal sound was heard above. Trey refused to look back. The building shook with the force of the dragons attack. From the hallway Trey heard the yells and screams of the buildings tenants. There was no way he was going to step out into those hallways. No matter what was happening above him, the only way out of the building was down the stairs. The elevator was a death trap. Running as fast as his legs could carry him, he found himself caught up in wave of individuals that thought the same as he. Take the damn stairs.

The building quaked as the dragon continued its attack on the structure. Never before had it been known to attack a building, but after seeing all the people pouring from the doors into the stairwells he could guess as to what it was after. Food! A number unable to count now joined him on the stairs. A woman carrying a small child fell down in front of him. From fear of her and child being trampled to death Trey quickly helped the woman to her legs. The child buried her face in her mother’s neck. The woman thanked Trey and joined the rest down the stairs. A piece of concrete landed on the head of a man next to Trey. The man fell like a log, reaching down Trey felt for a pulse, there was none. Just then his cell phone chimed, it was his father. He tapped the phone icon.

“Where are you?”

“I’m in the stairwell of the building.”

Silence…then. “I’m on my way?” His father replied in a deceptively calm voice.

“Dad, what’s going on out there? Why is the Dragon attacking the building?

“The Devil acts in accordance to his nature and so does this monster. It’s all-out war.”

“But it doesn’t make any sense.”

Silence…then. “Just make your way to the sub level!”

“Love you dad.”

“Don’t say that! Don’t say that as if this’ll be the last time we’ll talk.”

“See you soon, dad.”

“See you soon, son”

The phone went silent. “Damn! I didn’t get to finish my blog.” He muttered as the world fell apart around him.



The speed limit was ignored and so was the people screaming as they ran away from the building that stood at the center of the city. He had to get to his son, he was not going to lose him like he lost his mother. Shawn Moore admired the bravery of his son but his stupidity—he blamed it all on his youth. What the hell was he thinking going to that building? Up ahead, police and military vehicles blocked off the street leading to the building as ECU trucks lined up along the outer perimeter, they sat ready to collect the remains of beast or human. Shawn made a sharp right angle turn. The building had a tunnel connected that lead to a sub-level, that was where Trey was headed. Shawn glanced up from his car window as the dragon’s roar pierced the sky. After committing to a full circle the dragon landed on the roof top of the building. He slammed on the accelerator. Approaching the building Shawn wasted no time exiting the black squad truck. A down slanted ramp lead to a building next to the building his son was in. Adjusting his NYPD officer cap Shawn approached a group of officers outside the adjacent building. Due to the terror in the sky the officers barely noticed him. At the top of the ramp Shawn glanced back at them before walking down the ramp. The NYPD uniform was stolen so was the squad car. In these times of dragons a stolen squad car and uniform was the least of the NYPD’s worries. Coming to a metal door, he forced the locked door open, immediately the muffled sounds of screaming and yelling filled the dark space. Shawn grabbed his phone and dialed his son’s number. After three rings his son’s voice mail picked up, Shawn’s heart beat rapidly in his chest. Crossing the empty space to another door, he turned the knob, hearing a click he leaned against the door and entered a room of horror.

He was in hell and four demons from its pit snapped, clawed and chewed at the humans that found themselves in their clutches. Shawn felt his heart plummet to his stomach. A red and black jacket that was the last thing Trey was wearing when he stepped out the house. Shawn frantically scanned the row of bodies praying his eyes would not fall on that jacket. He should be used to it by now the sight of blood mingled with body parts but he wasn’t especially if his child was amongst the dead and dying. The room bathe in an eerie light, thanks to the flashing warning lights from the hallway, allowed Shawn enough vision to see the bodies covering the ground and the little baby dragons feasting on the them. Shawn inhaled softly, one sound and he’d find himself amongst the dead and dying. The muffled screams from the corridor distracted the dragons enough not to notice him. The little demons sniffed under the cracks of the doorway, they seemed to be trying to find a way out. Where did they come from and how long had they been here? From the looks of it long enough to have filled their belly’s with the residents of the building.

“But not my boy.” Shawn muttered to the dark room. Any minute Trey was going to come through that door and straight into the mouths of those dragons. Shawn needed to do something. Slowly pulling out his phone he put it on silent mode and texted Trey.

“DANGER ON LOWER LEVEL…WAIT FOR MY CUE!”

A thumbs up emoji appeared on his screen. Good kid, thought Shawn, he knew enough not to ask questions. Glancing back at the distracted baby dragons, Shawn realized the only thing that would tear them away from their anticipated feast in the hallway was one close by. Himself! Reaching in the small of his back Shawn retrieved his gun. “One or more of you will die tonight.” Shawn muttered. “Whoever that beast is flying around to you will not be happy, but it’s either you or my boy. I choose the latter.”

A text came through his phone. “Ready!”

Shawn lifted his gun and fired hitting one of the dragons in the head. A high pitched scream came from its mouth before it fell down dead. Instantly the others turned and charged towards Shawn.

Trey shot through the door gun in hand. Two dragons remained on course towards Shawn while one splintered off towards Trey. He aimed and fired. A bullet pierced its wings. Trey fired again hitting it in the chest. The dragon fell down dead.

“Get to the door! Get the hell out of here!” Shawn yelled as he fired at the remaining two dragons killing one.

“Where did they come from?” Trey replied.

“I didn’t ask son.”

Outside, the men heard a high pitched scream coming from the dragon. So they do belong to you? Shawn thought.

“Sounds like its pissed.” Trey replied as he flew through the open door behind his father.

Shawn continued to shoot at the last dragon. The lights from the hallway had gone out bringing complete darkness to the room. Did he hit it? Shawn wasn’t sure, but he wasn’t going to go find out. Before scanning the dark room one last time, Shawn quickly followed his soon out the door. From the darkened room one red eye stared angrily at the closed door.