Never wake a Dragon (on hold)

7. part IV - melted flesh

The pungent smell of burnt flesh met them as soon as they stepped out of the car onto the chaotic street. Red fire trucks blocked the road, adding swirls of blue light to the scene. A flimsy tape kept onlookers away, and an ambulance stood abandoned in front of three police cars. Men and women in dark overalls and white helmets wiped their faces of soot, patting each other's backs. They seemed to have done their job of putting out the fire, leaving room for others to enter. Adeem wanted nothing else than to turn away, remembering the strange sensation of Astrid's flames licking his skin. He'd had enough fires for one night.

A policeman waved toward his colleagues. "Let's move in."

Kyung stepped forward, straightening his coat. "Shall we?" he asked, as if he intended to follow the police's command together with those who actually were allowed inside.

"You tell me," Adeem replied. He'd seen one cop abide by Kyung's wishes at the morgue, but he had no idea how far the dragon's powers extended. He hoped to see their limits soon. He almost hoped that someone would stop them from entering.

Kyung's smile said it all. "Come on, can't have these guys have all the fun."

"I don't consider this fun."

"You're right." It almost sounded like an apology. "How are you holding up?"

Curling his fingers, he hoped that frustration would fuel his powers. "Stop fussing." He would be fine. Eventually.

Another barely there smile. "Well then."

Kyung's playful side unnerved him. It meshed badly with absolutely everything. Pineapple on pizza came to mind.

The police at the entrance posed no obstacle whatsoever. She simply smiled at Kyung and stepped aside, adding a soft 'welcome'. Things were getting creepier by the second. Not only because of the smells, but also the tension of entering a building filled with cops together with a dragon that seemed sure he could control each and everyone inside.

The stairwell reeked and he instantly imagined a room full of charred bodies. It was not a pleasant thought, and he instinctively moved his hand to his nose.

Three flights of stairs later, they encountered two more cops who appeared distressed, if not nauseous. He contemplated stealing a memory from the woman on the right as sustenance, but he didn't want to see what was inside that apartment more than once.

"How many victims?" Kyung asked them.

The man's pupils widened for a second only to return to normal. "Just one." The cop proceeded to open the apartment door, allowing more of the stench from inside to escape.

Several voices mingled, barking orders back and forth. Someone was pissed. "Don't move the fucking body."

Kyung paused for a second in the tiny hallway, giving Adeem a moment to study the soot-stained ceiling. The fire must have been contained somehow, otherwise the apartment would have looked far worse. The bedroom on the left-hand side was deceivingly pristine, painted in green hues and littered with enough potted plants to compete with a florist's shop. Something tickled his memory, but he couldn't put a finger on what it was.

"Get your gloves on, moron!" That angry voice again.

Kyung eyed him once over his shoulder. "You ready?"

"Ready for what?"

The dragon ignored the question and slipped around the corner to join the fray. He had no other choice but to follow, entering a living room ruined by flames. The walls that must have been light green at one point were painted in shades of black and gray. There was nothing left of the sofa but springs and charred pieces of wood, and the parquet crunched beneath their feet.