Gorgon and the Great Beasts: A Tale of Dragons and Danger

Gorgon saw the dragon and ran. He didn't know where he would run but he ran. It was the first time in his life that he had run from his terror. Normally he froze, unable to think about anything but the terror. He ran and hoped that the dragon would not see him.

He didn't feel when the ground shook the first time, he couldn't feel it. He was running for his life. It was when he finally stopped to catch his breath, that he felt the quake. He lost his balance and fell on his face. The earth jarred and the quake seemed to last for hours.

In reality, the quake lasted less than ten seconds. Gorgon stood up and tried to place where he was. He was next to the large oak tree in the center of the city. He had run half-way across the city already before he stopped to rest. It was the bravest thing he had ever done. Across the city center, he saw a legion of soldiers armed with the weapons of war.

Swords, lances, maces, Gorgon felt fear for their lives. He knew they had no way to beat the dragon. Its head was four times the size of the largest man in the state. Gorgon could see the fear on the faces of the soldiers even from this distance.

He leaned on the tree, which was roughly the same size of the dragon, and probably around the same age. In his sixteen years, Gorgon had never been this far from his home. He rarely left his house, let alone his neighborhood. The thought of what may be on the tree suddenly sprung to the forefront of his consciousness, and he jumped off the tree.

The dragon roared and the ground began to shake again. Gorgon went sprawling on the ground once again, this time cutting his hand on a rock. He cursed and the ground continued to shake. The tremors stopped after another ten seconds and Gorgon pushed himself up. His hand stung, but for once he didn't think about it.

He broke into a run again, hoping he could outrun a dragon. He doubted he could but something told him he had to at least try.

For the first time since he first spotted the dragon flying high over the city, he thought of his parents. The two worked for the city, his father was one of the mayor's advisors and his mother was an assistant to the courts. He felt the need to find them and get them to safety.

His mother was the one he worried most about. She was most like him, afraid of many things, and would freeze in times of stress. His father was a different story. Before he worked for the mayor, he was a warrior. He had killed before and he could take care of himself, well maybe not against a dragon. But Gorgon knew he would know what to do.

Gorgon had already passed the courthouse while he was running initially. Though it still wasn't far, he knew he had to be quick.

The dragon roared again, and the sound reverberated off the buildings. No earthquake followed though Gorgon knew it wouldn't be long.

The courthouse lay ahead, at the end of a long street. Gorgon could see the white pillars and dome. The steps leading up to it were also white. Several trees lined the street he ran down. He had never been to the courthouse in his life, but he had memorized the street maps. He knew where everything was.

He never fully understood just how large the courthouse was. It peaked at nearly one hundred feet at the top of the dome. It was nearly twice as wide and made Lamrock seem small in comparison. If the dragon stood on its hind legs it still wouldn't match the height of the building. The only building in the city that was bigger, was the library.

Gorgon sprinted up the stairs, skipping three at a time. The doors to the building were just as ornate and expensive as the building itself. Gorgon grabbed the handles and pulled. They creaked open and revealed a dark chamber, in which dust hung around in the air. Gorgon took a step in and heard the scuffle of small feet and a slight whimper. He walked in hesitantly.

"Mother," he whispered, horsely. There was a low light cast through a window high on a wall behind him. He stepped in the center of the light and looked around him.

"Mother," he said, louder this time. He spun around as he heard the ruffle of paper falling to the floor. Nothing moved in the shadows. There was an eerie silence in the building, one that sent chills up Gorgon's spine. Gorgon turned and scanned the darkness. He could make out a shape in the corner that was pressed up against the wall next to a desk.

The dust stirred and the shape moved. It was suddenly gone and Gorgon tried to back up towards the door. His feet wouldn't move even though his brain screamed.

"M- m- mother?" He stammered.

Out of the shadows came a small figure, only a few feet tall.

"Who are you?" the figure asked, hunched over, shielding its face.

Gorgon could barely speak, he had finally let a breath out.

"Gor- Gorgon." He choked out.

"What are you doing here?" The figure's voice was light, almost like a young child. Gorgon was several feet taller than it.

"I'm looking for my mother," Gorgon had become so used to freezing that he could feel when his body was beginning to calm down. He gained the use of his limbs slowly, his legs came back and his breathing returned to him. He felt that, whatever the creature was, it was not a threat to him.

The figure slowly came into the light and revealed itself to be a young boy.

Gorgon caught his breath in his throat.

"Have you seen anybody? Anybody at all in this building?"

"I haven't seen a soul since the beast landed." The boy had caramel skin and dark, nappy hair. Gorgon had never seen a person with such hair.

"And how long has that been?"

"Roughly an hour," the boy held up his hands, which had abnormally long fingers on them. He seemed to count the fingers on them, though Gorgon couldn't figure out how that helped him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I live here. Mostly in the upper rooms, I have, for as long as I can remember. I can remember my mother. She used to be here with me." The boy put his head down and closed his eyes. Gorgon eyed him, he was a strange child. Very well spoken though his accent told of different origins. He held his r's in his mouth and rolled them.

"I'm looking for my mother. Where did everyone go?"

"Into the bunker below the building. I would have followed but I couldn't let them know I was living here."

"Where is the bunker?"

"Oh it's sealed shut. Nothing can open it now. Only the switch from the inside can get the door to roll back. The steel door is too heavy to move except by steam power." Gorgon let out an exasperated breath. His mother was in a bunker underneath the building and he had no way of opening it.

"Show me the bunker." He said. He had to at least see it. He had to make sure it was truly sealed and wasn't just a figment of this kid's imagination. The boy stood and headed down a hallway to Gorgon's left. It was long, dark, and sent chills down his back. The boy seemed not to be phased by the darkness.

"Why are you breathing so hard?" He asked Gorgon.

Gorgon stopped. He didn't notice his breathing. Terror hadn't frozen him. For the second time today his first thought had been of fleeing if anything happened.

"That's not your worry. You're supposed to lead me to this bunker."

The boy shrugged and began walking again.

The hallway twisted and descended. The darkness became darker, if that's possible. Gorgon shook off the chills and kept walking.

He didn't know how long he had been walking before he came to the large steel door in what seemed to be a cavern-like room.

"This is it."

The boy turned to Gorgon, his amber eyes shining in the faint light.

"I don't know if they will answer a knock. I cannot believe that they will knock for such a timid person."

"My mother is in there, she will force the door open to get to me." Gorgon faced away from the boy.

"Don't be so sure." The boy melted into the shadows, his footsteps silent.

Gorgon looked at the steel door that lay ahead of him. It was nearly ten feet tall and had a large circular handle. The steel was cold to the touch. Gorgon put his fist up to the door and pounded three hard knocks.

The sound echoed throughout the cavernous room. Gorgon closed his eyes until he could no longer hear it. He took a breath and opened them to a still shut door. His demeanor shrunk even farther as he realized what the lack of an answer meant.

He was alone during the apocalypse.