The Monarch Effect

Chapter 3: Cold Pursuit

Chapter 3

Maybe today was a good day to wear brown pants....

I've watched enough movies and played enough games to recognize that the creature currently flying above me is a wyvern.

Its claws dangle above me as its fierce face and eyes focus on the city with all the chaos taking place. But, by the grace of God, it hasn't noticed me.

Yet.

I don't even gulp as a single sound that isn't coming from the wyvern may attract its attention, but that doesn't stop my legs from trembling and my breathing from being jagged. Does it intend to land on my car?

I look back and forth between my car and the wyvern. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what'll happen if I try to sneak off and it senses me. With the wyvern and car this close, I may be able to sneak into my vehicle. But even if I can pull that off... There's the matter of starting the car. It isn't exactly quiet....

But there is one thing I can do... Even though it's a total hail mary.

With my heart pounding and sweat pouring, I slowly enter my car and quietly crawl over the passenger's seat into the driver's seat, trying my best not to slip with all the sweat on my hands. I quietly close the door and softly put my foot on the brakes.

So far, so good. I can still hear the heavy flapping from the wyvern above me, even causing the car to shake slightly with each flap.

I quickly but quietly put on my seat belt and move my finger toward my means of escape, stopping just short and hovering over the start button.

The hail mary. Once I start this engine, there's no way that wyvern won't notice. If it's like any other apex animal, my driving away will trigger a predator v prey response, and it won't be hard to figure out whose role is whose.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

My phone decides to ignore the situation at hand and go absolutely crazy with emergency notifications, likely from the government. So much for the "do not disturb" feature.

My heart drops when I hear a nasty snarl come from the top of my car. There's no way the wyvern didn't hear that.

I slam my finger on the start button as the car roars to life, pumping on the gas a couple of times, causing the exhaust to pop before slamming the gear into drive. Thanks to Dad and Prim, this car has an 0 to 60mph of about 3 seconds.

The wheels spin for a bit before my head slams back and I desperately try to prevent the mechanical beast from slamming into the railings as I navigate the curve.

I check my mirrors with sweat dripping from my face. The Wyvern has backed off briefly and is looking at me from a distance, likely scared of the engine noise.

However, it releases a loud, high-pitched roar before arching back and darting toward me. Just as I thought, it's now in pursuit. I keep looking between the road and the giant lizard behind me.

Speeding through the forest, I have no particular direction in mind. Right now, I need somewhere that is either straight to outspeed the wyvern or a busy place to distract it. With all the turns here, it's hard to even get above 60mph...

I peer into the rearview mirror once again. Something is up with the wyvern. Its lower body has started to glow an icy blue. Chills begin to pop up all over my body as it rears its head back with a bright azure glow coming from its mouth. The sounds of a long sharp inhale manage to penetrate my car. Instinct tells me what's coming next.

I obey and shift over to the wrong lane at the last second while screaming my lungs out.

The sound of sharp wind and ringing sweep by me as an icy blue beam of light strafes the lane I was just in, leaving behind a trail of blue icicles taller than my car.