'Jack of all trades', 'winner of the poorest lottery', 'genius of the stupid', 'the rock of stupidity – Petra'
They had all been names I've been called in the past. I couldn't master a single useful thing in my life so I decided to invest my time into learning party tricks. Somehow, I was incredible at all things useless. Was it a hidden talent? my life was so boring after leaving school due to financial reasons I resorted to learning a wild variety of party tricks, reading web novels, and trying to recreate any martial art technique described within them. I was quite good, I managed to learn the basics of capoeira and kick boxing through them, and using that method I kept fit.
It had been about a week since the meteors hit the earth. mosnters have decided to pop out of them and eat our species. I didn't really know why. Maybe they were hungry? Were humans delicious? That's not a good reason though, if you are hungry shouldn't you at least wash the food first? Or cook it even, it has bacteria that could hurt you. Well, some monsters could cook us. I couldn't see the details, but there were massive crab looking things that spat fire from their mouths and could swat down military helicopters with home sized pincers.
'Stuff like this comes out of a fantasy novel" I said, laughing, while looking at the wall from where I was lying down. It was familiar to me. The countless apocalyptic novels I read in my free time all described things like this. People like me who hung onto reality through the clutches of fiction and escapism would have some idea what to do in these situations. Find shelter, find food, stay alive.
During the week, my home was destroyed so I had to sleep on the streets and steal food from abandoned stores scattered around. and I was quite proud of myself for being able to pile up some rations from nearby stores under whatever soft material I was sleeping on. Currently im in a public gym so I can shower regularly and keep some sort of sanitation. Everything is pretty much chaotic and abandoned, and I don't have any companions near me to help me so I really don't want to go through the issue of getting more beef jerky and water. Unfortunately, in the area I was in, there was no signal so using my phone to communicate was out of the picture.
I couldn't stop thinking about the disasters that came down. Was only Beijing affected? Was there more? And if Crabs could spit fires from their mouths, wouldn't that be impossible from an evolutionary standard? I know deep sea gigantism is a real thing, but the fire shouldn't be available under water, maybe only in a cave but that reduces the need to have a hard shell. Moreover, they came from space so that only means that either physics of the other planet is different or they are apparently magic crabs with fire wielding power.
"Shit." I cursed. Maybe it was magic that crabs could use. If it was some super ability then we are all regally screwed for the next extinction… but if massive crabs could use magic after the meteorite came, then shouldn't we also be able to examine the meteorite and use magic as well? I really want to use magic.
I tried to make a plan: 'if I could go to the meteorite, I would be able to gain magical abilities was my hypothesis'. However, I would also need to go through dozens of crabs and who knows what else came crawling out of that ball of space rock. I need to know what to do to defend myself. Fortunately for me, due to my experience in advanced party tricks… maybe I could run?
Kkkrrrrtt!!
Maybe it was time to run. That was no human sound I heard there. That was something an animal would make. I realized that the temperature suddenly increased too. What if it breaths fire? What if it was the crab?
I turned my head to meat the leg of a massive being. Upward of 10 meters tall. Fortunately, it wasn't a crab leg. Instead, this leg looked like the trunk of an elephant, and it seemed to connect to the body at my height. It was a reptile.
Krraaaatt!!
It screamed and fire left its mouth. Not only was it a reptile, it also breathed fire. A dragon would fit a description. A small dragon, but a dragon nonetheless. I tried sneaking away until the dragon noticed me. A cold sweat ran down my back. I stood motionless as it stared into my eyes. The longest second in my life passed when the dragonling began to open its mouth and breath fire towards me.
Skreeeee!!!!
I avoided the fire by tumbling into the street in front of the dragonling. A dumb move I realized but I survived. The problem with my hiding location was that it was in the middle of an allyway. I chose this place because it would be harder for people and monsters to find me here, but it only had one exit. The monster blocked the only exit.
Kguguguggugu—
The dragonling spewed fire in my direction. I couldn't dodge. The fire burnt my chest, deep into my body. I instantly keeled forward in such a debilitating pain, I coughed and inhaled the scent of the charred skin. it smelt like nothing I ever had before. It was different to cooked meat, no, it was closer to something I can't describe. If ammonia could be set on fire to poison you it would be an understatement. The feeling slowly numbed itself as it damaged the exposed nerves in my body. I looked down and saw a crater in my chest, I puked in fright. The dragonling stared at me, almost mockingly. I was scared. Horrified. Understanding what the state of the world will become now.
The dragon opened its mouth to prepare another blow.
I knew thar if I stayed still I would die a horrible death. Something I was never going to be ready for. I rolled to the side as fire once again rained down the concrete. The world was dizzy. Was I breathing too fast? For an instant. I looked away to the sky, wondering why this was happening to me. In that instant the claws of the dragonling tore open the skin of my back. This pain was cold. Unbearable.
I was going to die here. I lay flat on the ground watching the reptile approach. Its footsteps vibrated into my ears.
Paghhch!!
As if it had a sadistic personality, the dragon threw me into a building, crushing my sides. I felt my ribs dislodge themselves and puncture the muscle tissue around them. I truly understood that I couldn't live in the next few minutes.
Pant- pant- pant…
I looked in horror as a child stood wide-eyed on the street. The child, no more than 8 years old stood blankly staring at the dragon. They wet themselves at the sight.
I tried screaming 'run!' but only noises came out. I couldn't summon the air in my lungs to do so. The dragonling ignored me and approached the child. They didn't move. Instead the dragonling opened its mouth do charge another fire attack.
I watched in horror as the child melted before my eyes. The dragon didn't stop the attack until the child collapsed onto the ground. The child didn't scream. No, they couldn't scream. All of the oxygen within a few meters of the child burnt up in the fire. The corpse of the kid remained upright on its knees. The upper half a black, charred skeleton, and the lower half, a red and beige mix of contemporary art. The legs and back fused together in accordance with how the kid stood. The scent had only reached me. It was far worse than my own scent. It was bitter. Very bitter, it smelt like salt if salt was mixed with a wet rat corpse and thrown into the atmosphere only to explode once hitting the ground again. I have barely been hit by the fire and it already charred my chest black. The pain the child went through sent chills down my spine. I was trembling. 'yes', I thought 'this is the world now'
I realized I was staring at the dragon. I was trembling in anger at my own weakness. I was trembling in the fear of my own death. The anger I couldn't help the child. Slowly my heart rate increased. Slowly the pain subsided. Slowly, I stood up. the senses of my body shut down to only see the dragon Infront of me. It was dark. It hurt. but I needed to live on. I need to live to protect the people that can't protect themselves. The kids shouldn't die in this world when they've only lived so little.
I grabbed the metal rod next to me and ran towards the dragonling. It swung its front legs at me, but I managed to dodge them. while it was powerful, the mechanisms behind its limbs are similar to a dog, a quadrupedal animal. It could only swing and pounce at me. The wings haven't yet moved since it arrived Infront of me and it would only open its mouth to breath fire. These were the facts.
I felt a tingle on my wrist, but I couldn't stop my concentration. I tried reasoning with myself into how to defeat a dragonling. If it was a quadrupedal animal, shouldn't the stomach be weak to attacks? Animals often show their stomachs in trust of others, I should aim for the stomach of the great red beast.
A sudden surge of power came within me. Nothing hurt anymore. I stood facing the dragon, trying to find the path which I should run.
'Understanding of the situation awakened!'
'Dodge left' two sudden thoughts emerged from me.
The dragonling swiped its claws to hit me. I dodged left to see my wrist. A circular tattoo appeared on me somehow. I couldn't ask questions. Filled with power, perhaps of endorphins, I could now run away.
'run forward'
I sprinted under the dragon as it tried pouncing on me.
'don't run, you will die.'
I stood confused at the thought. Wont I die if I stay here? No. not time for unnecessary thoughts. If I couldn't run then I had to kill it.
I leapt upward, jumping from the dragon's hind leg to hit the stomach of the dragonling with an iron rod. It seemed I was correct.
Krwweeaaa!!!
It screamed in pain. Or should I say he? There was a massive red flesh rod staring straight at me from above his hind legs.
'Grab onto that and hit the dragonling from there'