dragons breath 01 - stalked by flames (16 page)

I shifted on my feet, not knowing what to say. Despite everything, this wasn’t a topic of conversation I’d expected to ever have. It was two days too late for our fallen guards, but I had a feeling the church might be useful in the future—assuming the woman’s story checked out.

“How do I find it?” I asked.

“They got flyers posted along the way. Just look for them on stop signs and telephone poles.”

I’d have to let Justin know and hopefully never have to deal with it myself.

I nodded. “Okay.”

They waited until I’d gotten halfway up the street before returning to their porch. I knew because I looked back once to check. Walking away from people with guns made me nervous.

As soon as I reached Earl’s place, I pounded on the door. It cracked open a few inches and the barrel of a shotgun came through the opening. For crying out loud, this was getting old.

“It’s just me, Earl.”

“Why didn’t you say so?” He withdrew the gun and opened the door wide. “Come on in. I was just fixin’ some breakfast.”

“Good. I’m starving.” That honey bun had been sweet, but not all that filling.

He grunted. “Of course you are.”

The radio was on in the living room, playing a Beach Boys song.

“How do you think Hank keeps broadcasting?” I asked.

Hank was the guy who operated the only radio station that had stayed up and running. He reported news three times a day and the rest of the time played music. Most of it was oldies songs, which didn’t surprise me since he sounded like he was in his fifties or sixties.

“He’s got some sort of setup in his van. Keeps moving ‘round, pickin’ up whatever news he can and reporting it to the rest of us,” Earl replied, lumbering into the kitchen. “Some of us have been communicatin’ with him on our CB radios.”

“Huh, I hadn’t thought of that. Are those eggs?”

Earl had a camp stove on the table with a pan of scrambled eggs on it.

“There’s a lady down the block who’s got chickens. I traded her some toilet paper for ‘em,” he replied.

He dished the eggs onto a plate and added some sliced apples and toast. It had been a while since I’d had a hot meal. My mouth watered just smelling it. A part of me felt guilty for taking half of his eggs, but the practical part of me didn’t care. My body needed every bit of food it could get.

“Thanks,” I said, taking the plate and sitting down.

“What took you so long to visit again?” Earl dished up his own plate.

“Between the dragons and looters everywhere, do you have to ask?”

He shook his head. “It ain’t gettin’ no better, either. Next street over folks were out in their yard a couple days back. They didn’t see a dragon flyin’ overhead until too late. Burned ‘em and their whole place down.”

My gut twisted. If I’d been there, could I have stopped it? Would every death caused by dragons be my fault if I continued to ignore my strange abilities? The idea of meeting Aidan had seemed too crazy to contemplate at first, but the longer I put it off, the guiltier I felt for not doing anything. People were going to keep dying unless we found a way to restore law and order. Getting rid of the pure dragons would be the first step.

“Did you know some dragons eat people?” I asked.

“Ain’t seen it for myself, but I ain’t surprised.” He bit into an apple slice. “They gotta eat, too.”

The eggs I’d finished sat like lead in my stomach. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought that up.

“Has anyone figured out a way to fight them yet?” Perhaps I could learn on my own without Aidan’s help.

“Afraid not. According to Hank, plenty of police and National Guard have died tryin’. They get lucky sometimes, but not enough to make much of a difference.”

He wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know. Oklahoma City had it worse than us. There was a lot more fighting up there—where Hank reported—than down here.

I finished the last bite and put my fork down. “There has to be something we can do to hurt them.”

“When you figure it out, be sure to share with the rest of us. At least then we might stand a fightin’ chance against them,” Earl said gruffly.

He curled his fingers where his fist rested on the table. I worried he might pound on it. It must have been hard for an ex-soldier to sit around feeling helpless while an enemy took over his territory.

“It’s too bad missiles usually don’t work.” My memory of the helicopter fight on the first day they arrived still kept me up at night.

He wiped his hand down his beard. “The damn creatures just burn ‘em up before they get close. I gotta wonder how hot those flames get to disintegrate everything they touch.”

I looked at my hand, feeling a trace of guilt rise up. They didn’t burn me.

“Oh, got some good news for you.” Earl grabbed our plates and carried them over to the counter. “I managed to reach Grady on the satellite phone last night. Him and your mother are doin’ fine, though the dragons are down there now, too.”

I knew from radio reports that just about everywhere had dragons. Oklahoma wasn’t the only place to have terrain changes, either. Texas had some new mountains near the border with Mexico, and Arkansas had gained a lake that took up a third of the state. Back at the library we’d speculated that there were more, considering the earthquakes had also spread across the region, but it was hard to get updates on places farther away.

“Are my brothers doing okay, too?” I asked.

Earl nodded. “Yeah. They’re doin’ alright and helping your stepfather prepare for the worst. He’s got enough supplies to last ‘em for a while. It was you they were worried about.”

“Do you think we could call them now?” I needed to hear their voices and confirm for myself that they were okay.

He shrugged. “We could try. Depends on if there’s a satellite nearby we can connect to or not.”

The satellites themselves had to be safe from dragons, but the companies who maintained them were another matter. How long could they keep them going before that avenue of communication was cut off as well? And would they bother to worry about people paying their bills for them until they went down?

Earl pulled the phone from a drawer and handed it over. “Ran the generator earlier, so it’s charged up, but you’ll need to step outside if you want to catch a signal.”

“Thanks.” I gave him a grateful look and followed him out the back door.

His backyard was full of trees. It provided great cover against the dragons but made it hard to get a line of sight to a satellite. I walked around until I managed to get a couple bars and dialed the number Earl gave me. There’d never been a reason to memorize Grady’s sat phone number before. It was too expensive to use often.

“…ello? Hello?” my stepfather answered after a few rings.

Relief filled me at hearing his familiar voice. “It’s me, Bailey.”

A pause. “Who?”

“It’s Bailey,” I almost shouted.

“My God, darlin’, how have you been?” Grady came through the line clearer. “We’ve been worried sick about you.”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. How is everything there?”

“We’re doin’ alright, but your mother’s been at her wit’s end since you didn’t make it home. Hold on a second. I’m puttin’ her on the phone for you.” The sound of muffled voices followed.

Earl moved away to give me some privacy, but he kept his eyes on the sky looking for any signs of dragons. I watched for them, too.

“Bailey, are you there?” my mother’s voice came over the line. Somehow, she managed to sound both relieved and worried at the same time.

A lump rose in my throat. “I’m here. How are you, mom?”

“You know Grady is taking care of us. I just wish you’d made it down.” Her voice was still beautiful, age notwithstanding. She could have been a singer if she’d wanted. Just listening to her reminded me of the times when she’d sung while doing the dishes.

I closed my eyes. “I know. If I can find a way, I’ll get down there, but it’s too dangerous right now. There’s a huge chasm in southern Oklahoma and I’m not sure how far I’d have to go to get around it.”

“We heard about that.” She sighed. “They’re saying it stretches from Arkansas to the Texas panhandle.”

I’d heard that from Hank on the radio as well. There was too much open ground to drive that far around, especially since I didn’t know where all the dragons were concentrated. Never mind finding gas to make the trip and dealing with any people along the way who might try to attack or rob me.

“Grady says you need to stay where you are,” my mother said. “He’ll work on finding a way for you to get here.”

“Okay,” I agreed, not really believing he’d find one anytime soon.

My mother gasped. “I have to let you go, honey, but please check in when you can.”

“What’s going on?”

The loud roar of a dragon came over the line, answering my question for me. I gripped the phone hard. Please don’t let it hurt my family.

“I love you!” my mother shouted, a catch in her voice.

“I love you, too…” I began, but the line cut off.

My hands shook as I pulled the phone from my ear. Earl walked over and gently took it from my numb fingers. I couldn’t seem to move or speak. No, that wasn’t right. What I was really doing was fighting the urge to run all the way to Texas, leap over the damn chasm if I had to, and save my family.

“Dragons?” he asked.

I nodded.

He gave me a reassuring look. “They’ve got their tornado shelter. There have been reports that going underground can protect you from the flames. Grady’ll make sure everyone gets to safety.”

I knew he was just saying that to make me feel better, but he had a point. For some reason, dragon fire didn’t burn dirt like it did everything else. It was the only other thing I knew of aside from myself that seemed immune.

“I hope so,” I replied in a dubious voice.

The shelter at the ranch was only about twenty feet from the house. They could have made it there in time, but even if they did the dragon could wait for them outside. Supplies would only last for so long down there and my mother wouldn’t be able to get to her blood pressure medication.

More than anything in the world I wanted to go home right then. I hated that I was stuck in Oklahoma where I felt helpless to protect my family. Sure, people needed to be defended here, too, but my mother and brothers came first. I paced the ground, kicking up dirt in frustration.

“There has to be a way back.”

Earl’s hand gripped my shoulder, stopping me. “If there is, we’ll find it. For now, you need to sit tight and stay safe. It’s what your family would want.”

He was right, whether I liked it or not. But feelings of helplessness led me to other thoughts. Maybe there was a way for me to work it out so I could get home safely. A deal I could strike with a certain dragon shape-shifter.

“I gotta go,” I said, pulling away from Earl.

He gave me a disapproving look. “You’re not gonna do somethin’ stupid like tryin’ to head down there, are you?”

“No.” I shook my head. “But I need to get back to campus.”

Earl stared at me as if he debated whether to let me go or not. “Well, I ain’t gonna stop you, but you better be careful. It’s dangerous out there. I don’t want to be the one to tell your parents if somethin’ happens to you.”

“You can find me at the library on campus,” I said, giving him a reassuring look. “If you hear from my parents, let me know.”

He relaxed a little. “Yeah, I’ll do that, but you better check in with me again soon.”

“I will.” I rushed off.

Chapter 16

Bailey

I had about a quarter tank of gas left in my truck. Enough to make the trip there and back with a little left over, but I’d have to think of ways to get more fuel soon. It was frustrating passing gas stations, knowing they were useless to me. That wasn’t the worst part, though.

All along Lindsey Street I saw crashed vehicles, the remains of charred houses, and the occasional dog or cat roaming around. Sometimes I caught people moving between buildings. They took one look at my truck and ran. Whatever was going on in this part of Norman didn’t look to be any good.

Tires squealed and gunshots rang out, coming from a cross street up ahead. I turned on the next road and parked in front of an empty house. Sometimes hiding in plain sight was the only thing you could do, and there were plenty of other cars around the neighborhood to help me blend in. Hunkering down low in my seat, I only kept my head up high enough to see out the window.

A minute later a car full of men sped down Lindsey Street. Two guys hung out the back passenger windows shooting pistols into the air. They were carrying on and laughing like they’d just robbed a liquor store. Who knows? Maybe they had.

A few minutes later I started my truck and got back on the road. Staying alert for any potential danger, I drove as fast as I could. Eventually, the road led me out of town and into the countryside. Small and large houses dotted the landscape. I caught sight of the occasional cow or horse, but no people or dragons. It was a relief to be away from town for a little while.

After a couple of miles, a house up the road caught my attention. It was a single story brick home with a small front yard, a fence running along one side, and an outbuilding on the other end. None of that was what interested me, though.

It was the middle-aged woman tending a garden out front. She didn’t appear to have a care in the world. I couldn’t help but slow down to get a better look at her. She wore khaki shorts, a white sleeveless blouse, and a straw hat on top of her head. It covered straight brown hair that reached just past her shoulders.

She didn’t turn or acknowledge my truck coming her way. Her hands worked to pull weeds from the dirt where a beautiful rose bush grew. I couldn’t remember seeing more vibrant red buds in my life. Without even realizing it, I pulled into her driveway. It wasn’t until I put the truck into park and pulled the keys from the ignition that I realized what I’d done. Why had I stopped? I didn’t even know this woman.