What Was Missing

Seventeen: -Max's Dream: Part Two-

Tugging on the rope to alert Olivia that I'm moving forward, I wait for her to climb down, tapping my foot impatiently. When her bare toes drop onto floor almost soundlessly, I cup my hand to my ear and hold a finger to my lips. She cocks her head, confused, but after a moment, understands and nods. Silence might be a virtue in here.

Another echoing BOOM shoots through the cage, causing me to stumble, tripping on the cage. The grass bristles, and regaining my posture, I widen my eyes. It has to be far off, and very, very powerful. But what is it?

Glancing almost wistfully at the rope to above, I frown and look forward once more. Can't go back now. Motioning to Olivia to follow, I start off into the mist towards the general direction of the noise. But before I can get there, two things happen. No, three. All at once.

One: I hear my dad yelling at me from my left. Martin. A faint whisper reminds me that he died in a car accident, but in here, anything makes sense. He figured us out...

Two: As the fog parts, a pale-green dragon fades into view, laying in front of me, probably the one who had roared before. She's dozed off, and a small, bristled nest lays to her left. Her snorts and snores almost overpower my father's shouts.

Three: One of the eggs in the nest cracks open, and out stretches a slimy claw, covered in yellow, translucent yolk. Wavering, the baby stumbles out of the shell, trips onto its face, and crying out, looks up and stares me warily in the eye. And then, the mother stands up.

I'm so doomed.

Grabbing Olivia by her bland, grey shirtsleeve, I run towards the rope, and whisper-yell at her to go. She hesitates for a second, not wanting to leave me behind, but then plants her feet on the wall and starts to heave herself up. I follow behind, but halfway up the wall, glance back down and swear venomously.

The green dragon's chasing after my biological parents, roaring at the top of its lungs, and sliding down the rope while wincing at the burn, I jump off and sprint after them. They're the only parents you have here, an odd voice whispers in my head, but I ignore it. I already have enough motivation. Lily-Olivia- my memories are merging together, but I shake them all away- The girl's shouting at me to come back, but I only run faster. Gotta save my parents...

As that determination forms in my mind, the world swirls, dream shifting, and I collapse to my knees. I feel nauseous... Holding back vomit, I fall over onto my side, groaning and holding my stomach. I feel so sick... Utter blackness fills in the gap, and after a moment, a new scene fades into existence. I'm shifted up to a standing position, and slowly, I start to move.

I'm running through the crimson hallways again, with the small dragon from the egg by my side. Yoraline, I remember with a start. In the gap between dreams, I remember with a flash that I named her, my mom and dad tranquilized the green dragon, and another, darker one had slowly started to lumber over. I left through the way I came, sent to go get help. Now, I'm rushing back to get them. I brandish a glowing dagger in my left hand, and glancing at it, I widen my eyes. The one from the nest...

I approach the silver gate, and pulling out a newly acquired key, struggle with the lock and fling open the doorway. No vents this time. A small group of children, at recess from their evening classes, glance at me in awe as I fling through the entranceway. One of them whispers to another, and I catch a "what's he doing," but then I'm through, hearing no more, leaving their lives behind. No life other than that of my parents matters right now. Not Olivia's. Not even mine. Oh, it's all my fault...

I dash into the room and skid to a stop, ripping a population of grass and sending dirt spraying into the air. Olivia follows close behind, breathing heavy as she too slows down beside me, and I glance at her in relief. She quickly raises her head, sweat visible on her brow, and gasps incredulously at the scene ahead.

The green dragon's asleep again, but that's not my main concern anymore. My worry now is the new, black dragon. Well, what I can see of it. A large, ebony limb slams down against the now frail-looking cage bottom, sending out a resounding BOOM, and I stumble back a step. It moves unhurriedly, each purple-clawed foot slowly rising, scales faintly glinting in the fog, and then descending down with another shockwave. BOOM. When a foot goes still, I can only see up to about each knee, the rest obscured by the mist. Small, black tendrils of darkness wrap loosely around each leg, and as the dragon comes closer, the ends swivel to face me.

This thing looks like bad news. I'm about to step forward, but I hear a hushed whisper from behind and whip around to face the two muffled voices. Martin. Alfrun. They're in a makeshift shelter, silken cloaks draped over them to hide from the beast, and as Alfrun raises the covering, I immediately view two extra pairs of eyes, frightened and reptilian. Dragon eyes. They each have one... I hear the stomping increase furiously behind me, but I don't really take it in. Mom... Dad... They're alive... The stomping increases further, in an all-out run, and I hear Olivia scream at me from far away, but I ignore it all. Mom... Dad...

I sprint over to hug them, but before I can, piercing pain shoots from my back to my chest, and gurgling, I'm lifted into the air. Head draping down, I feel my face whiten as their expressions turn from relieved to horrified. The dragons scamper out from under the sheet, and I'm slowly turned, gasping, lungs not taking in breath, spine pierced by an iron tendril of black, and nearest to death I've ever been. My vision goes blurry as I feel a wet stain spread out from my chest, and the black tentacle I'm impaled upon wiggles through my stomach. No...

I try to yell at my parents to run, trying to drop my dagger and key down to the faraway floor, but all that'll come out is a whisper. The blade drops, but to my horror, my hand remains clenched around the key. No...

I'm raised into the air, parents fading out of view, and carefully brought to eye level with an enormous, reptilian head. I'm brought closer and closer, the face turning as I do, and the last thing I see before the dream shifts is the color of its narrowing eye.

No iris. No white.

All black.