Birth of the Dragon

Thoughts swirled and bounced in Sam’s mind without reason or rationale, unable to make sense of all that was going on around him. The witch woman had apparently cursed him as a child- Mel was a witch- she’d also kissed him- Bash’s head had been smashed open but the witches said that he’d be alright- vampires had kidnapped Dakota and they were going to try and rescue her- a dragon had literally hatched in front of him and now they were going to have to protect it during some supernatural war. But this was just background noise compared to the two blindingly, clear thoughts that Sam could neither shake nor begin to comprehend. He was a vampire, and his mother hadn’t texted him since they’d returned home to the house he hadn’t cleaned yet. He couldn’t bear to think too deeply about them, yet his mind continued to play horrific scenarios, each more gruesome, but Sam knew not necessarily untrue, than the last.

As they walked back to the witch’s homes Sam looked at Mel out of the corner of his eye, wondering how he’d never had an inkling of what she was. Sure, there was talk within the town that they were witches but that had seemed less likely than the rumour that they were a Satanic cult. Now as he looked at her he didn’t know what to think about someone he had known his whole life. But then it wasn’t like they were good friends or anything, he had never opened up to her about his home life or how trapped he felt by his friends, and she had never told him about her family. Because of this, he wasn’t sure if he could trust her. She could have known full well what Merry had been doing to him, not that he even knew what she meant, and was just lying for the sake of her family. He couldn’t be sure though so he told himself to remain guarded.

They stepped through the doors to Maureen’s place, and everyone grew quiet as they looked at them; he hated the fear and wariness in their eyes the most. That was, until Bash’s sister, Alex, said, “Jesus, what the hell happened to you?” Sam hoped that she’d either chill out or he’d grow more used to her bluntness. She was a strange woman and Sam wasn’t really sure if he liked or not yet, because although her tone of voice was harsh, there was genuine concern in her expression.

“Had a misunderstanding with a possum,” Mel said a little too quickly.

Alex nodded but clearly didn’t believe what she had said. Sam was surprised though when she responded, “I’d suggest not letting the possums get so close again,” because he’d have thought that she’d be the sort of person to press for more information. Even more surprising though was that Alex obviously hadn’t assumed that Sam had begun the fight, unlike some of the others, because she wasn’t giving Sam the look of suspicion they were. Instead she had a knowing expression which made Sam feel uneasy.

Mel gave a small, almost grateful smile, and glanced at Sam. “Are we going to do this then?”

Sam nodded. “Alana, are you still in?”

“The sooner the better,” she replied.

Sam opened his mouth to ask if anyone had changed their mind about coming. As they'd said earlier, the three of them wouldn't be able to hold their own against a group of vampires. But instead he closed it again without speaking, unwilling to lead and draw attention to himself.

Instead, Ryan asked, “Shouldn’t you, I don't know, bring stakes or something?” Now there was a good idea, probably wouldn't save them but they might be able to take out one or two of them.

Alana then questioned, “Where would we get those?”

Mel paled, and turned to Maureen, who watched the group with tight lips. “Uh, do we have any of those?”

Maureen sighed, Sam wasn't sure how much more help she would be willing to give. “I don't agree with this because I don't want to see anyone hurt.” She looked down. “But losing a friend is worse than nearly anything else. You'll find a few stakes underneath the sink in the kitchen.” Mel turned to leave but Maureen raised a finger. “They better be returned in one piece,” her voice low. Mel nodded and Sam suppressed a shudder at the thought of what Maureen could do to them if they didn't.

“Is there anything else we might need?” Alana asked, obviously anxious for them to stop wasting time, a sentiment Sam shared.

Ryan stood. “Me,” and Sam nearly laughed. He didn't know Ryan very well but he, like Sam, easily fit into the stereotype of their group. He was a little bit cocky but Ryan had still always been a pretty nice guy.

Mel frowned. “Okay calm down, we don't really need you, buddy.” Sam hid his smile with his hand.

However, rather than be subtle, Alex very obviously stifled a laugh but then paused and gave Bash an irritated look. As if a semi-conscious person had said something she didn't like… Sam really didn't know what to think of her. “I’d best come too. Bash is in safe hands.” Yet despite these words of praise she still gave Maureen a look that wasn't entirely trusting, not that he blamed her for that.

“So we're going now then?” Alana asked as she looked towards the door.

“Selina, was it?” Maureen asked.

The cheerleader was sitting cross-legged on a chair, staring at her phone. She looked up at Maureen, startled. “Yes?”

“Seeing as it looks like you'll be the only one staying with Bash, would you mind helping me make some more ointment?” She held up the green stuff she had used on Bash’s wound earlier.

Selina tried and failed to hide her revulsion. “Actually I'm feeling much better now. I'll be going with them.” She quickly stood and made for the door outside. When no-one followed, she turned around. “Guys?”

Everyone held their laughter as they all walked into the moonlight. Sam felt the animal flicker at the sight and anticipation of what they were going to do but he forced it down. Mel handed out the few stakes and Sam was disappointed to see they only had three. She handed one to him but before she could offer anyone another, Selina snatched it from her hands. Sam rolled his eyes but held his tongue, neither impressed nor surprised by her selfishness. Mel was more obvious and glared at her, holding onto the last one.

“I hope you guys know how to use those…” Alana seemed to be looking at Selina in particular.

Sam guffawed, falling back on the persona he portrayed at school. “Should be easy.” Whilst Mel held hers in front of her, as though a vampire might jump out at her at any second. And Selina seemed oblivious to Alana’s pointed stare, instead twirling the stake like a baton. Definitely not the most formidable opponents, Sam noted.

“We seem to be in safe hands,” Alana said, though Sam wasn't sure if she was being sarcastic or not.

Alex then piped up again. “Now this may seem like a stupid question to people who've lived here forever but where are these Red Rock Mountains?”

“A little ways from this part of town.” Mel said whilst waving her hand in the general direction they were heading. “I've never been, but I was taught to stay away at a young age, so I always knew where it was.”

Alex began muttering to herself and Sam knew he shouldn't have been able to hear her but it was as if she were speaking right next to him. “Of all the fucking places out in the middle of nowhere that we had to move it had to be some fucking weird place with vampires and forbidden mountains and whatever else.”

“I hate to remind you all that we don't have all that much time.” Alana said.

Everyone nodded, they couldn't wait around anymore and further risk Dakota's life. Sam waited for someone else to lead the way before falling into line behind them. He had heard stories about the mountains as well, but unlike Mel he'd never had any reason to believe them. Stories of children being kidnapped, red eyes in the night and inhuman screams. Sam shuddered at the thought of what he could become.

As they walked they formed three pairs; Alex and Ryan at the front, Sam and Mel in the middle and Alana and Selina bringing up the rear. With his new-found enhanced hearing Sam could easily overhear their conversations; Alana was trying to convince Selina to give her the stake, and Alex and Ryan were talking about Bash and why they'd all been chosen for this. Something that Sam would also have loved to know.

Mel walked silently by Sam, peering into the darkness with the torch from her phone. Sam didn't need any assistance to see in the dark though and he could see that she had pulled her hair into a tight ponytail. Wisps had started to fall out though, framing her pale face. “I wish I knew more about vampires,” she said quietly.

“Yeah, we probably should have asked Maureen before we left.”

She shook her head. “She wouldn't have said anything useful.”

Sam was taken aback by this. “Do they not tell you much?” He couldn't think of anything more terrifying than knowing all of the monsters of the world were real but having no more information than that.

“They're starting to, now that I've got my powers.” She started to say something, but hesitated before speaking again. “I- I’m sorry I didn't tell you about all of this.”

Sam paused, wondering whether she was sincere. He knew he should be wary but the look in her eyes said he could trust her. “Everyone has secrets, Mel.”

“How do you think you became a vampire?” she asked suddenly. “If you are one.” He almost smiled at her attempt to soften her blunt question.

Sam cast his mind back. “I honestly have no idea,” he paused and scratched his head, looking down at the leaves crunching under his feet. “I think it might have something to do with the egg though.”

“That was a weird night. And I never thought of that, but perhaps the egg could be what caused both of us to, you know, turn at the same time.” Her voice trailed off. “Do you get hungry for blood?” At the very thought of blood the animal sprang to life and his stomach tightened, but he did his best to push this aside.

“I-uh-it's more than that. I recognised the egg, I’d had this weird dream the night before.” Trying to avoid her question.

“You had a dream about it?” she sounded sceptical.

“Yeah, I was chained down and when the egg appeared they melted off. Then when I woke up I felt really strange.”

Mel took a moment to process what he said. “And then the next day you wanted blood. I'd understand if the dragon had thought it was helping you somehow, but how is turning someone into a vampire helping them?” She sounded bewildered, but Sam wasn't so sure anyone was concerned about this whole endeavour being good for them. “We're missing something,” Mel continued.

Sam sighed. “Maybe we are and maybe we just don't want to accept it. If all this stuff about the Cull is true then the best person to talk to the vampires will be a vampire.”

Mel didn't say anything for a while. Then, she sighed, as though she was giving in to something. “I just want you to know that it wouldn't matter if you were one. You're still you.”

Sam couldn't help smiling, for the first time he was truly grateful to have her with him. “And so are you.”

She smiled back. “Thanks, Sam.”

His face fell at the thought of the others though and his voice gained a hard edge he hadn't intended. “Not everyone sees it that way though. Maureen called the vampires who attacked us ‘monsters’, and you must have noticed the way the others keep looking at me.”

“Maybe the vampires who kidnapped Dakota are different somehow. I have no idea how vampirism works. Do you… do you feel like a monster?” With the animal inside him ever present, Sam felt he could easily become one. He couldn't let anyone know that though.

“Maybe, maybe. And I don't really know how to answer that. Do you feel like a monster just because you're a witch? Of course not. I just feel weird is all.

Mel glanced at him. “Fair enough. You scared?”

Surprisingly, he wasn't. Whether that was stupid or not was another question. “I'm not scared, but I'm nervous,” he paused before continuing. “I'm about to meet,” he had to clear his throat to get the words out, “other vampires and I don't know what that'll be like.”

“Just focus on saving Dakota,” Mel said as they emerged from the tree line to an abrupt change in scenery.

They certainly weren't called the Red Rock Mountains for nothing, Sam thought. Everywhere he looked was bright red. However, the strong scent of blood in the air, particularly old blood, made him wonder how organic the colour was. The mountain itself stretched high into the clouds but thankfully they didn't need to climb to reach, what they assumed to be, the vampire’s cave.

Someone groaned loudly. “My head hurts,” Selina said, holding her forehead. “I've had headaches before but not like this.”

“I know what you mean,” Alex said with her hands covering her ears. “If I go any further I'm going to end up a screaming mess again.”

“So are you okay to go in?” Alana questioned Selina.

Selina took a step forward and let out a gasp of pain. “I'll be no help in there.”

“Okay, will you both wait out here then?” Alana asked, obviously desperate to head inside and find her friend.

“I don't think I have a choice,” Selina said, obviously not realising the underlying question was whether she'd run off, and then glanced at Alex. “You?”

“We’ll stand watch out here and call out if we see anyone going in,” Alex said, nodding at Selina. Not that Sam thought they could be much help if they couldn't come closer than the tree line.

“Everyone else good to go?” Everyone nodded apprehensively, no one really sure of what they were agreeing to or if they would come out.

As they entered the mouth of the cave, Sam's eyes adjusted instantly and what he saw surprised him. He had expected a dark, dingy cavern. Instead they were in a man-made tunnel, Sam’s eyesight was so good he could see the slight unevenness. The walls were large stone bricks and periodically along were solid wooden doors which looked to be older than Sam. There was a slight breeze but with it brought the worst stench Sam had ever smelt, rotting flesh. And from the quiet moans he could hear from behind some of the doors, not all of it belonged to the dead.

The group walked in silence and the animal could smell their fear and agitation, but rather than attack like last time, it remained still but ready. Sam realised there was no way for them to know where Dakota was, she could behind any one of these wooden doors or not even here at all. And that was without even questioning whether she was alive or not. Mel's hand brushed his and before he knew it she had her hand wrapped around his. She didn't say anything, or even look at him but he could feel her slight shaking. Rather than push her away he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

He caught a familiar scent and he felt the animal stir in agreeance. Sam held up his hand as they came to a particular large door. “Call me a freak but I swear Dakota is in here,” he whispered.

“Yeah,” Ryan agreed eagerly, then stuttered, “uh- her perfume… it's strong.” But Sam couldn't smell a hint of that.

Alana cocked her head to the side. “She rarely wears perfume.”

Sam gave Ryan a pointed look, something similar to what was happening to him was happening to Ryan. But they didn't have time. He tried the door handle but it was locked. A growl passed his lips and in his periphery he saw the others all take a step back. He twisted the handle harder, breaking the knob from the door. Sam hadn't realised just how strong he was, he gulped and pushed the door open without looking at what he knew would be fearful looks from the others.

Mel entered closely behind Sam, stake at the ready whilst the others hung back. The room was empty except for a stone tomb without a lid. Without looking inside, Sam was sure she was dead, she didn't smell like the others. Yet, the animal remained alert, and Sam realised that she didn't smell quite right. They needed to get out of there.

He looked inside the tomb and winced, she definitely looked dead too. There was a bloodied gash on her neck and blood on her lips, stark red against her grey skin. Alana pushed her way into the room and although Sam began to tell her not to, she looked inside at her friend.

“Careful,” Mel said to Alana. “This could be a trap. Oh who am I kidding, this is definitely a trap.”

“But she might be in there.” Sam wasn't quite sure what she meant but she looked more desperate than ever. “Someone help me.”

Sam hesitated but stepped around to Dakota's head. Whilst Ryan sighed and joined them, standing at her feet.

“Oh god, is she okay?” Alana asked, tearing up. Sam wanted to tell her that the animal didn't think she was truly dead and that she smelled strange, but didn't.

Instead he said, “Ryan give me a hand with lifting her out of this, we need to get out of here.”
Ryan nodded and took her legs. “She's cold.” He glanced at Alana almost guiltily, and then began lifting Dakota.

Alana tried to take Dakota's shoulders but struggled with the weight. Sam lightly touched Alana’s shoulder, giving a slight smile and gently took the weight from her. He nodded to Ryan.

“Woah,” Ryan fell forward, trying to keep Dakota from falling, as he and Sam struggled to keep her up. Once Ryan had steadied himself, he grinned sheepishly. “My bad.”

Had they been in any other situation Sam would have laughed but then he heard footsteps.

“Graverobbing, are we?” A mysterious woman asked from the door and Sam kicked himself for not having heard her earlier.

“We're just getting our friend,” Mel said shakily. “She's dead, you don't need her anymore.”

“Ah, I'm not so sure that is for you to decide.” The woman had an unearthly feel to her, with black eyes and sharp fangs, skin pale as a corpse. This was what he was, Sam thought with horror, a vampire. He noticed that she smelt similar to Dakota but he pushed this thought aside.

Mel glanced around at the others, her face coming to rest on Sam. She looked terrified. He heard howling in the far distance and with it he felt a surge of confidence and strength. He set his jaw in a scowl and growled at the woman. “We're not leaving without her.”

“Then you won't leave,” the vampire woman lunged at him faster than even Sam could comprehend. The animal within Sam roared and leapt to meet her. It took note that several more vampires had entered the fray, every detail and risk instantly analysed and coordinated for.

One of them struck Sam’s face cutting him with sharp, strong nails, he roared again and swung wildly at the creature. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Alana grab Dakota’s body and pull it away. The animal adjusted accordingly to protect her.

The animal felt such a fierce loyalty to the people around him that it immediately jumped to protect Mel when it saw her on the floor struggling in the grip of a vampire, its fangs dangerously close to her throat. The creature squealed with surprise as it was lifted completely off the ground and flung against the wall with a satisfying crunch.

The animal saw that Ryan was attempting to avoid the grips of the vampire who had spoken. He was managing to keep his feet but he was obviously no match for her. It didn’t know what to do though, whether to save Ryan or abandon its protective position of Alana, who sat huddled in the corner with only a stake to protect her.

In his confusion the animal didn’t see another vampire hurtling towards him. It tackled him and Sam landed heavily on his back, his head cracking hard against the stone. The world spun but he had to stay focused. It snapped at his neck and it took all of his strength to just keep the creature from tearing out his throat.

Everyone froze as wolf howls reverberated through the cave system and Sam felt a rush of energy. He pushed the vampire from him and growled, though his head spun too much to stand. The female vampire who had attacked Ryan backed off and crouched in a defensive position facing the door. Before the animal could attack she gave a sharp hiss before twisting back to look at the other vampires. They looked almost confused, but followed her out of the door anyway. They had survived.

Mel quickly scrambled to her feet and grabbed her stake off the floor, the animal had completely disregarded the one in Sam’s pocket. Ryan ran over to Sam, who still lay on the ground, with blood dripping from his arm. “You okay, mate?”

The animal in Sam retreated to its dark corner with the danger seemingly passed, leaving Sam breathless. “Y-yeah.” He managed to stammer. He paused and breathed deeply, an unfamiliar scent flooded his nose. “I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet though.”

He heard Mel mutter to herself, “what the fuck were we thinking.”

A short moment later, Sam could hear the voice of the female vampire but knew it would be too soft for the others to hear. “Well, it seems someone has overstepped a line somewhere. I do hope no one has forgotten the rules of the agreement now.”

Claws scratched on the stone and the unfamiliar, yet strangely familiar, scent grew stronger as something growled in response and the door slammed open. Standing in front them were eight… creatures. Some were wolves that stood at nearly chest height, others were humans with their faces contorted into harsh snarls. And the rest were a grotesque combination of the two, standing on their hind legs but covered in fur with the claws and muzzles of wolves.

Alana gasped. “Oh, I didn’t see them,” she muttered to herself.

The wolves parted and Sam gasped at the black wolf that trotted forward, it was the one he’d seen in the woods and his dream. Sam took a step towards the familiar creature and the other wolves lunged forward, their snarls forcing him back.

One of the humanoid wolves spoke and although it was barely more than a growl he didn’t seem to have any difficulty. “Outside now, all of you.”

Alana shook her head, obviously panicking. “No, I would have seen you; I would have seen all this.”

Now was not the time for this, Sam thought, but Mel quietly asked whilst eyeing the wolves, “What did you see?”

Alana started to cry. “She was alive. She was alive, I’m sure of it.”

Ryan, closest to Alana, put a hand on her shoulder and then took Dakota’s legs. “Come on.”

Shaking, she stood and once again tried her best to take Dakota’s body weight. Sam felt the wolves eye him as he took Dakota’s shoulders from Alana and carry her out of her door, the others following silently.

Near the entrance of the cave the black wolf growled and the wolves stopped, the humanoid speaking again. “The pup is coming with us,” grabbing a very confused Sam by the arm. What did they mean pup?

“No!” Mel cried, putting herself in front of Sam. “What do you want with him?” Although Sam tried his best to silently tell her to shut up.

The wolves looked to their leader, not a trace of doubt or concern in their eyes. The black wolf’s ears twitched. It and Mel were the same height and each glared into the other’s eyes. It made a sound almost like a laugh and the others echoed the sound.

“Well,” the humanoid said, “it seems like you’re coming too.” Sam opened his mouth to refuse but before he could speak he and Mel were flung over the humanoid’s shoulders and off faster than a bullet.