Into the Fire

There weren’t always dragons in the valley. There was a time when everything was normal. A time where magic and mythical creatures were just that, mythical. Although, it’s difficult to recall a time before all that was known was despair and devastation. There used to be towns in the valley, filled with people and resources. Now it’s just ash and destruction, home to the most fierce and monstrous creatures, outside the wildest imagination. The legends couldn’t have prepared us for what was to come when the winged beasts invaded. So many people were lost in those first days. How could we be prepared for something we didn’t know was coming? What defense did humans have against these enormous, fire wielding opponents?

The decades that followed were full of terror and desperation. The dragons destroyed more than just the valley, demolishing and burning most of the mountains as well. What little of the human population was left dwindled even more from lack of food and shelter. Those that were lucky enough to make it to The Bunker, survived that first winter. Naïve at first, sending out search teams to try and aid any survivors. Those that made it back were severely injured. It was quickly realized that treating them would burn through medical supplies. Unable to sacrifice any more men or resources on foolish rescue missions, the doors were sealed and prayers for humanity were said.

In the first decade after The Invasion, The Council was formed of eleven elected officials that became the leaders of our community. They dictated how life would proceed in The Bunker and were responsible for creating the new laws. Determining what jobs everyone would have, each playing a part in our new society. Anticipating that we would eventually run out of resources they selected the best hunters and scavengers to develop task forces. Trained in stealth and strategy, they were taught to work in sync to ensure every team member made it home. Everyone else was assigned to other areas of survival, such as farmers, mechanics, healers, enforcement and more working together to rebuild society within The Bunker over the next forty years.

After spending five years leading the most elite task force and running numerous missions recovering resources, Nikos Knight decided he wanted to do more than just survive. He believed that the way of life we had acclimated to was no longer suitable, that we should stand up and fight back against the beasts that almost slaughtered our entire race and take back our lands. He wanted to give the next generation the gift of freedom. The Council was unhappy with Nikos' declarations calling for war and demanded Nikos step down as task leader and retract his statements that had caused an uproar within The Bunker. They believed everyone should appreciate the life they had created. After The Council’s constant refusal to even discuss the possibility of changing the way of life, Nikos and his team dismantled The Council and took over The Bunker. Nikos Knight has reminded our fearless leader since. For the past twenty years, men, women and youth have been training for battle. Sending out teams to observe and develop attack strategies. Designing and building weapons that can be used against our feral enemies. In the past ten years, multiple task forces have been assembled to battle the dragons. While no match against many vigorous dragons, if a smaller lone dragon can be surrounded their weaknesses can be determined and the task forces have been successful with defeating them. The task forces are led by the most vigorous and courageous warriors. Hand picked and trained by Nikos Knight himself, one of which is his son Rhory Knight. Rhory is strikingly similar to his father in looks, both standing over six feet, with dark hair and piercing green eyes. Both men have a muscular build, but Rhory is slender to his father’s thinker frame from decades worth of missions and trainings. Looks aren’t where their similarities end. They are both good men and natural leaders who would protect their people at all costs.

I’ve been in love with Rhory for as long as I can remember. Even before I knew what love was. Growing up, Rhory was not just our leader’s son, he was also mine and my brother’s best friend. Born within the same month, the three of us were thick as thieves. Anywhere Rhory went, Alois and I were not far behind. As children you could find us running around and getting into all kinds of mischief. As we came into adolescence, we began training side by side to become the next generation of great warriors. Our days were filled with chores, lessons, and trainings, while our evenings consisted of playfulness and stolen kisses. This all began to shift once Rhory and Alois were assigned to a task force. Women were not yet permitted to be on any tasks force. Nikos believed men and women should be trained equally but was still reluctant to put women directly in danger.

Alois and Rhory were required to train within their task force so they could learn to work parallel with the team. Once their task force began shipping out on missions, they lost a lot of their playfulness as they were hardened by the outside world. Early on they stopped discussing their missions with me stating they were classified and didn’t want to bring work home. While Rhory and I still spent as much time together as we could once we stopped talking about anything real things between us became a little strained.

Everything took a dramatic turn a year ago when both Rhory and Alois were appointed as head of their own task force teams, at the young age of twenty-five. While still best friends, they no longer view each other as teammates. They were now leaders with their own teams to look after and protect. Our worlds would be rocked multiple times over the course of that year, the worst happening three months ago when Rhory and I stopped speaking.

Nine months ago, Alois’ task force was sent out on a mission, I later learned, to attack and kill a dragon whose nest had been discovered a few weeks prior. It was a smaller dragon that was believed to be of the weaker breeds, so the task force was sent out alone. Alois has been dispatched many times before, however this time was different. This time he didn’t return. Six months ago, the team was officially declared missing. Three months ago, declared dead. Everyone has since given up on the hope that they might still be out there. Noone has ever survived on the outside this long, and no leader is willing to risk sacrificing their team to continue searching. Not even Rhory. Rhory who until now, I believed loved my brother as much as I did. They last time we spoke we both said things we wished we didn’t, things we could never take back. But I am not willing to give up on my brother. Alois is still alive out there. I can feel it. Noone else may be willing to risk their lives to save my twin, but I will. I’ve spent the last three months doing what they’ve trained me to do. I spent my time in the shadows, calculating their every move. Planning and executing my plan of escape. If I hadn’t been in love with the son our leader my whole life, I never would have even known that there was another exit to The Bunker besides the main doors. We were all told the main exit, was the one and only way in or out of The Bunker. When Rhory first found out about the hatch leading to the outside, he confided in me. Much like myself, Rhory was thrown by not only the existence of the hatch, but also the secrecy. Even though I had plans to leave by way of the hatch, there was still a few other obstacles I needed to figure out first. Knowing there was security guarding it, I wouldn’t be able to get through on my own. I enlisted the help of my good friend Ambry. She was born the same year as Rhory, Alois, and I, and we often had lessons and played together as much as her mother allowed. Ambry didn’t know about the hatch, or my plans to escape. I was able to convince her that Rhory and I were over for good and that I had started seeing someone in secret. That I was not yet ready to hurt Rhory and go public. I needed her help seeing my undisclosed lover. I convinced her to distract the two guards that were on duty the night of my planned departure, so that I could sneak by them unknown. When Ambry found out that I not only lied but used her in my planned break, she would never forgive me. I could live with Ambry hating me if it meant finding my brother. He needed me and was the only living relative I had left. What I wasn’t sure I’d be able to live with was when Rhory found out. I knew once I fled, I’d have limited time before I was discovered missing. They’d send a team out after me. I also knew, if it was Rhory’s team, I’d never stand a chance in making it far before he found me. Which is why I executed my escape plan while Rhory’s team was already sent out on a mission. I knew that once Rhory returned from mission and found out what all I had done, he’d never forgive me. Not just because I broke into his office and stole the documents with all the details of Alois’ last mission, but that I took every measure to make sure he wouldn’t be able to find me. If the task force that was sent out to capture and rescue me failed. I would have already been on the outside for a week before he even knew I was gone. While I was angry at Rhory, I still loved him. I always would. He was my childhood sweetheart and the man of my dreams. Leaving him behind, was something that up until three months ago I never thought I’d be able to do. Turns out, our love couldn’t conquer all. I knew what leaving The Bunker would mean, what all I’d lose. I knew that it meant for the first time in my life I would be completely on my own, outside the only home I’d ever known. I knew that I would be up against dragons. I had known it my whole life. I was prepared for it. I had studied and trained for years for it. What wasn’t I prepared for? That on the outside, dragons were just the beginning.