The Children of New Earth (15 page)

With a deep growl and one swift motion of its head, the Dragon took a dozen Hollows into its mouth, and made a sickening crunching sound as it swallowed its prey. We all quickly backed off, hoping to escape while the beast was distracted. We only ran about a block when suddenly the monster erupted out of the chasm, rising almost fifty feet in the air before reaching the apex of its leap. Then, fully stretching its black wings and blocking out the sun, it let out another roar, releasing a wave of hot air. As we struggled to regain composure, the Dragon landed with a crash in the middle of the street, and I stumbled trying to keep my balance. Seeing the Demon completely for the first time, we realized running was no longer an option

The beast puffed its chest and bared its teeth, still covered in torn clothing and body parts. I prepared to use my power, though my unimaginable fear was making harder to do so. Before I could react, the Dragon opened its mouth and released a wave of fire in our direction. In rapid response, Cora ran ahead and activated her shield. It expanded several meters, redirecting the fire to either side of the street. The shield began to crack, straining against the heat of the flames and the physical force of their assault. As soon as the flames dissipated, Rachel morphed her Orb into some kind of spear and sprinted towards the left side of the street. Aaron drew his weapon, and started for the other direction.

Lynn took cat form to navigate through the maze of fire that now lay over the street. Isaac had his gun drawn, but was wary about entering the fray, despite his newfound ability. I took out my Void Knife, holding it tight in my hands as it began to glow purple. Cora retracted her shield and backed off, still on her guard. The Dragon had stopped breathing fire, and was growling angrily at all targets rushing towards it.

In an unbelievably quick motion, it swung its tail at Rachel who jumped swiftly to dodge it. She retaliated by launching her spear at the Dragon’s head. The weapon bounced off the scales on the Dragon’s neck, and only managed to anger it even more. It roared and went for Aaron, jaw wide open. Aaron took this chance to get a few shots off into the Dragon’s mouth before diving out of the way. This attack seemed to injure it significantly, but victory was still out of our grasp. Lynn made its way to the Dragon’s head, and clawed furiously at its eyes. But with a cruel and swift shake of its head the Demon forced her off and she landed with a soft thud on the sidewalk, showing no further sign of movement.

Aaron was firing mercilessly at the creature, yet it seemed to have no effect on its impenetrable scales. Rachel’s Orb wasn’t useful either, no matter what shape it took. Whether she used a spear or a volley of projectiles, nothing would pierce the Dragon’s hide. She tried to mold the Orb around the Dragon’s mouth to stop it from biting or breathing fire. However, she was only able to hold it for a few seconds before the beast broke free. It let out a soft growl, almost as if it was laughing at the futility of our attacks.

That’s when I concentrated as hard as I could and commanded time to decelerate. It was difficult to hold this state as I approached the Dragon, shaking its head in slow-motion and raising its claws. I ran at it and sliced swiftly with my dagger. The knife cracked the scales but did not break through its hide. Though it happened slowly, I could feel the Dragon turn it’s head downward. I looked up and gradually made eye contact with the monster as it looked to see what had attacked it. With terror slowly taking over, I used my last ounce of concentration to get as far back as I could before releasing time.

Realizing all its targets were scattered, the Dragon suddenly launched itself high into the air, then came crashing down, causing the ground to tremble forcefully. We couldn’t keep our balance and I stumbled backward, falling and dropping my knife somewhere in the cloud of smoke, dust, and rocks resulting from the impact.

I quickly regained composure and stood up to see Cora on the road in front of me. I crawled up to her, checking her vitals. She had a pulse, but was unconscious. Isaac was on his knees, disoriented and petrified. We exchanged glances, and his eyes showed no hint of hope. The shadow of the Dragon could be seen in the smoke, slowly emerging. I quickly used my power so I could have some time to think, but was only able to maintain it for a few seconds before time broke free. Perhaps it was the fear, or my own inability to concentrate, but I was left helpless. I was only slightly relieved to see Rachel and Aaron regroup with us, carrying Lynn along with them.

“It’s…it’s no use,” Rachel said defeatedly. “Those scales are too strong.”

“I’m sorry, friends,” Aaron said. “But I think this is it.”

The Dragon stepped closer, taking its time.

“Thran,” Rachel turned to me. “Slow time, save yourself.”

“I-I can’t,” I admitted. “I can’t hold it for more than a few seconds.”

The Dragon appeared through the smoke, its face twisted into a kind of grin. Those bright green eyes pierced my very soul, and we all looked up at it in defeat. The beast looked to the sky, and let out a deafening, triumphant roar. Suddenly, Aaron stood up.

“Wait, I see something,” he said. “It’s this red glow, just beneath the left horn.”

“Could it be a vulnerability?” I asked hopefully..

“I think that’s exactly what it is, friend,” he said. “And honestly, it’s our only hope right now.”

The Dragon seemed to be savoring this moment, allowing us a few seconds of hopeless fear before making its move. This was a common flaw for the more evil things in this world. Driven by mindless hate rather than any deep conviction, dirty work is part of the fun for them.

“But how do we get to it without getting roasted?” Rachel asked skeptically.

Isaac stepped forward. “Leave that to me,” his voice quivered, but his words were firm.

Rachel stood, spear at the ready. She nodded to Isaac, who stepped forward and approached the Dragon. The beast smashed its claws into the ground. Isaac wavered but only slightly, refusing to break his stride. Somehow, I could tell his eyes were shut tight. Then, just as we’d hoped, the Dragon lowered its head down towards the Earth until its eyes were level with its prey. Isaac was close enough now that he could reach out and touch the Dragon’s teeth. Rachel was approaching slowly behind him, moving towards the right. The Dragon remained focused on the prey in front of it. It was confident in its victory, so it widened its eyes and snarled softly.

Suddenly, Isaac darted to his left. The Dragon allowed the escape for a few brief moments before swiftly moving its head towards Isaac, grabbing him in his jaws. We had just begun to hear the sickening crunching sounds when Rachel made her move. She sprinted with insane speed towards the Dragon, whose head was turned away, devouring Isaac. She then jumped high into the air, and I swear I could’ve seen the ground beneath her feet crack slightly with the force of her leap. Her body flew above the Dragon’s head, and with a strong, downward pushing motion, she telekinetically drove her spear into the Dragon’s head, just below the left horn.

The creature let out a high-pitched cry, almost a whimper, and released Isaac, bloodied and unconscious. Rachel landed on the other side of the Dragon’s neck with a tumble. She then pulled the spear clean through the Demon’s head and grabbed Isaac’s broken body, dragging him away. The Dragon was now thrashing around violently its claws dug into the pavement and its tail crashed into the nearby building, sending glass and rubble flying all around it. Suddenly, it took flight, shooting straight up towards the sky. It disappeared in the blanket of gray clouds, but we could still hear the furious roaring. After a few moments, we heard a distant crash, and silence fell all around us.

We hurried to Isaac’s side. His clothes were torn, and he was completely covered in blood. However, we were relieved to see him open his eyes, and sit up as if nothing had happened. He lifted his shredded shirt to reveal no wounds; he looked good as new.

“Well, that was uncomfortable,” he said with a smile.

Relieved, we looked to Cora, who was starting to sir. She then stood up with a start and looked around frantically.

“WHY?!” she yelled. “Why is there a Dragon in the middle of Philadelphia?! Where are they spawning from?!”

“Whoa now, didn’t realize we were suicidal hang on lemme rest my voice a minute then we can be loud together,” Rachel said. “I’m sure there’s a Swarm around here somewhere.”

“She’s right to be concerned,” I said. “We don’t have experience fighting Demons at this scale.”

“Neither did our parents, and yet they made it,” Aaron reminded us..

“I am sorry,” Mark said. “I’m afraid that I have been of little use to you lately.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I received no readings for the Dragon, nor am I able to scan for any infected humans. My sensors are growing weaker.”

“Or possibly, the Demon’s could be growing stronger.”

“Hey, don’t worry friend,” Aaron reassured him. “None of us expected this.”

“Lynn are you alright?” I asked. “You’ve been rather quiet.”

“I’m fine,” she said, actually managing a smile. “I was just thinking that Aelia would’ve loved to see a Dragon; she’d appreciate the resemblance.”

We made our way to the shore, reaching it within the hour. Rachel made a boat like before with Mark’s help, and we began our journey down the river. Night had fallen, and I told the others to get some sleep while I took watch at the head of our ship. There was no need to steer, the current carried us south towards the open water. It was a cool night, and the white light of the moon created a milky reflection on the water. As the river widened, I saw silhouettes of the landscape on either side. I imagined what it would be like if they were lit up like the pre-war days. There would be millions of tiny lights painted across the sky, each representing a little hearth. Maybe one day there would be again.

“Enjoying the view, are we?” a voice said softly.

I looked behind me to see Rachel waking up from a light sleep.

“More like contemplating what it once was,” I replied. “Can’t sleep?”

“Nah, I’m just not tired.”

“That’s amazing.”

“What?”

“How can you do all this telekinetic stuff like the bridge and the boat and not be exhausted all the time?”

“Oh, I make it look easy.” She smiled.

“Were you scared when…” I paused a moment.

“When?”

“When you saw the Queen? In my vision, I wasn’t being attacked or anything but still, I was terrified.”

“I was startled, I’ll admit. She certainly doesn’t look like the most friendly person.”

“She looks like evil,” I said.

“Well, I wasn’t scared. Just curious.”

“I can only hope we find out what it means someday. I wish there was someone we could go to, someone who’s been through this before.”

“Well there is someone…”

I gave her an uncertain look. “You mean…
her
?”

“Well yeah, I do mean the Queen. From a logical standpoint it makes sense doesn’t it? She seemed welcoming enough in our visions.”

“You’re not wrong,” I agreed hesitantly. “But from what our parents have told us, none of this feels natural.”

“These are natural abilities, aren’t they?” she argued. “We didn’t all take some drug or serum to make us like this. We were born this way.”

“Playing with time, manipulating solid matter with the mind, completely altering one’s genetic structure at will? If these are natural powers, they are not from this world.”

“It’s true, we don’t understand where they come from,” she said. “But I gotta keep hoping that someday we will.”

“Hey, I’m as curious as you are,” I said. “And I’m sure that we will.”

We sat in silence for a few moments, staring at the horizon, trying to figure out where the ocean ended and the night sky began. After a while, my eyelids got heavier, and I began to doze off. Rachel noticed and gently nudged me to lie down. She took watch, and I allowed myself a few hours’ sleep before dawn.

Chapter 11

In my dream, I was at a university, the very same one we had just visited. I stood with a bag slung over my shoulder and a book in my hand, the same book Dr. Hovian had given me not so long ago. I looked around at the happy faces of young men and women chatting amongst themselves as they strolled across the campus. Some lay in the grass just enjoying the breeze. Others were sitting at tables buried in their textbooks.

To my left, I noticed a relatively large crowd entering a brown, brick building. The students weaved through the pillars in front of the doors as they rushed inside, excited about some new lecture. I decided to follow them, and eventually found myself in a massive room with hundreds of chairs, fully prepared for an audience. All around me were unfamiliar faces, eager to learn. I had never been in a room like this before, but it wasn’t hard to guess what it was. Knowing the speaker would be at the stage in front, I quickly found a seat as close as I could.

Moments after I sat down, the boy in front of me turned and asked, “Hey, I’m John,” he said politely. “Have you had this professor before?”

“I haven’t, this is my first time. Have you?”

“A friend recommended him and I think his automata theory is pretty cool, so I thought I try it out.” he answered before smiling to himself. “It’s only the first lecture, not too late to drop the class if he’s a weirdo.”

“Automata theory?” I was both confused and excited.

“Y’know, finite-state machines? Mathematical processing? It’s like the basis for artificial intelligence. Undergrad was a while ago, huh?”

“I, uh, yeah I guess it was.”

“Meh, don’t worry I’m sure he’ll start with a review.”

The students started quieting down, and John and I looked up at the stage to see an old man with messy gray hair and square glasses. He had a cane, but he stood up straight, his shoulders square and proud. He surveyed the room, waiting for the noise to die down.

“Hello, students. I am professor Lawson. Now, I could start by boring you with the specifics of the syllabus, but I’m confident that you all know how to read. Instead, let’s dive right into it, but first, some background. We all know that in 2031, the brightest computer scientists in the world created the first instance of true artificial intelligence. A digital mind capable of both processing and learning information in a manner very similar to humans.”