Freezing Wings

Chapter 5

A few weeks after I talked to Sarah and I had settled into my routine. Wake up, eat, contemplate life, talk to Sarah, stare off into space, sleep and repeat.

It was very monotonous and boring, making me want to crawl out of my skin and run. I had planned to break out at some point, but every time I was about to, Lucas would be there, giving me the worried mom look, and I always backed down. For some reason, the thought of pissing him off just to satisfy my boredom just didn't sit right with me, and I respected his opinion so I didn't do it.

However, one day, I just couldn't seem to take it anymore.

I had been fast asleep, dreaming of a forest filled with slow fat deer and an ample feast when the human tapped on the glass, rudely waking me up. Even before I'd been kidnapped I called other people 'humans' - I was used to it and did it in my everyday life. Now that I was a dragon, it fit perfectly into the aesthetic.

I opened one eye and looked at her, not moving from my position. I was seated about three feet above her head and had to look down to see her. Compared to my now ten-foot-tall body, a regular five-and-a-half-foot woman looked positively tiny.

She was wearing a stainless white lab coat with her hair in a bun, a clipboard in her hands. There was a guard standing right next to her, armed with an assault rifle and various knives. 'As if they could do anything...'

She took out a walkie-talkie and sighed, speaking low. "I'm going to need assistance in cage #913, the specimen is awake." She paused for a moment before she continued to speak, seeming to be writing a report at the same time on her clipboard at the same time, "Yes....No.....It seems healthy...The food is untouched...I don't know...It might not be hungry or something...Yes...It doesn't look like it...Send one of your lackeys for that, I don't get paid enough to be risking my life for some scales...."

She continued to prattle on to whoever was on the other line, studying the still unmoving me like an animal in a zoo. Lucas, who was right behind her, was completely ignored, though the guard kept a trained eye on both of us.

I closed my eye again and curled back up again, ignoring them both. If she didn't come closer I would be fine, but if she did, we would have big problems.

Unfortunately, she did.

I heard her hand once again tap on the glass, and I stood up, hauling my huge body up at a speed that was just a blur in the eyes of humans. My face appeared directly in front of hers and she stumbled back, a substance building up in the back of my throat and my claws unsheathed, primed, and ready to attack.

It wasn't bile, or puke. Instead, it was an overbearing coldness, threatening to erupt and freeze everything in the vicinity. My instincts told me that if I exhaled it would unleash, the pervasive feeling of having to cough itching at my throat. A pure white mist flowed around my snout, creating a terrifying sight as I sneered, snarling at her and giving her a full view of my fangs.

A part of me wanted to attack, ripping the glass separating us apart and doing things I would have never imagined doing when I was human. Over the past few weeks I had really mulled over myself and my situation, finding out a few things about myself.

The psyche I had as a human was really suppressed and dulled, to the point of some of my more human qualities completely disappearing. Like how I thought things were cute. When I was human, I thought bunnies were adorable and priceless angels. Now, when I thought of a rabbit, I got hungry. The thought of hunting and killing wasn't nearly as disgusting, and I not only wasn't repulsed at blood, I actually salivating...

It was a real surprise for me.

The guard next to her brought out his rifle and aimed it at me, already ready to fire. Considering the fact that there was about two feet of bulletproof glass in between us, I don't know what exactly he was planning to do with that, but then again I wasn't really paying attention to him.

The scientist scooted back and stumbled to her feet, her face pale. The walkie-talkie appeared in her hand and she started yelling into it, talking about how #913 was aggressive and needed to be 'dealt with'.

The moment she began talking I started growling, interrupting her with a snarl. I never really liked it when people talked about me, and with the tone she had, it was quickly pissing me off.

She stepped back even further and half-hid behind the guard, like he could do anything. Her voice got smaller and smaller until she was practically whispering into the radio, continuing to request backup. However, from what I could hear they weren't sending any, saying that there was a breach in wing #128 and they were already stretched thin.

She cursed, muttering about how she doesn't get paid enough to deal with 'bat**** crazy lizards'.

My fuse seemed to be up as I exhaled, sending a bolt of silver ice into the protective glass and clawed at the cage in front of me, my brain short-circuiting.

My temper had never been the most patient, and ever since I had been changed, it seemed to get even shorter. I had already had a bad impression of this woman because of her job and my fuse had been cut to about an inch. Like a little kid, I had no problem throwing a tantrum and scaring the **** out of her for calling me a 'crazy lizard'.

The ice pierced the glass completely, a large crack appearing down the center as the ice spread out, creating a snowflake design around it. My claws made sure that it went completely through to the other side and ripped an even bigger hole in it, big enough for me to slip out.

I clambered up and out, squeezing through the small hole and out into the hallway. Lucas was watching me, his face a mixture of worry and anger, as if infuriated at my stunt.

I ignored him, and the small person scrambling to get away from me. Instead, I followed what Sarah had told me and took off, running as fast as my underdeveloped limbs could carry me. Spending all of my time in a cage without getting any decent exercise did not help my body in terms of speed and agility, or stamina. However, I didn't let that deter me as I bolted down the corridor, looking for a way out.

As I passed Sarah's cage I heard, "Turn left on the second hall, the other is a dead end!"

I nodded and as I ran past the cages I could see dragons in them, scrunched up into balls and barely able to spread their wings. My eyes hardened and I concentrated on what I was doing, promising to get out.

I turned down the second hall and took off to the right, ignoring all of the doors. From what I could hear they all housed machinery, whirring away. I wasn't looking for machines, I was looking for life.