Page 4 of Ensnared (The Dragon Captured #1)

I t’s an awful thing to think, but all the idiots who stopped to get in their cars might have been what saved us. They kept the beast busy while we escaped.

I make the kids keep their eyes trained ahead of us, but I turn back around and watch as the creature fries car after car full of people. It doesn’t even stop to eat them or anything. It just keeps on flying, attacking, and killing.

In cartoons, dragons look regal. They look majestic.

They look inspirationally beautiful. The cartoons have it all wrong.

As we’re racing for our lives, I can’t help thinking about this fluffy grey stuffed animal I got as a kid.

It made hippos look adorable, like they’d be your pal.

The first time I saw one up close at a zoo, I realized that real hippos weren’t cute or fluffy, and they would destroy me for fun.

Hippos are horrifying, and by comparison to this nightmare, a hippo’s a frothy beachside drink.

The dragon looks almost maniacal as it massacres every man, woman, and child who took the time to unlock and climb into their car.

I wish I had a spear. I’d head back there right now and try to stop it.

Or maybe not.

I do have three siblings to protect.

The second we’ve put some space between us and the beast, I whip out my phone and start tapping as we move.

I type in dragon attack, and then I hit search.

We’re still moving, but I’m exhausted, and I’m sure Coral and Jade are even worse off.

It’s a miracle they aren’t crying or complaining.

I guess fear’s an exceptional motivator.

I wait, but my phone just spins and spins.

I try dialing my dad next. He’s out of town—business trip to New York City this time, I think—but the call won’t connect. I’m assuming that means the cell towers are down.

That probably means there’s more than one dragon.

Our house is about two miles from the school, and I think we’ve gone at least a half mile, so I’m hoping we can make it there without being discovered.

It’s not like it’s super safe or anything, but at least we might have access to the internet.

There should be some kind of directions from the government about what to do in situations like this.

We have a generator, so we should have power if we have a connection, and if there’s any information out there, I’m going to get it.

That’s when I see something so bone-numbingly horrifying that it stops me dead in my tracks.

An enormous red dragon, much, much larger than the silver creature from the school, is flying through the clouds overhead.

He roars, and the sound makes me want to curl up into a fetal position and cry.

His wings beat steadily as he sweeps past, and then he swoops downward, toward the massive neighborhood right behind the school.

A river of fire pours from his mouth and engulfs the tiny, cookie-cutter homes in an ocean of flames.

Jade shrieks.

I clap a hand over her face and push them to move faster.

Heading for our house still doesn’t feel like much of a plan, but I’m not sure what else to do.

We need to get out of Houston and quick, and our home must be the best place to get provisions.

I start making plans in my head for what to pack.

The girls can’t carry much, and Sammy won’t be able to carry anything at all.

Socks. Shoes. A blanket. Maybe some photos.

I think about Mom then, and I want to sit down and cry.

What’s happening? In my wildest nightmares, dragons never played a part. My breathing picks up as I think of all the people burning. All the people who were electrocuted. My mother who was taken.

There’s no way to know what the next five minutes hold, let alone tomorrow, and no matter how tough a fighter I am, I can’t fight something that size that creates torrents of lava. I glance upward again, but I don’t see him. The massive red beast is gone for now, at least.

Although, I suppose that means he could be anywhere at all.

Fear grips me, slowing my steps and freezing my limbs. Jade starts to whimper. Sammy’s crying, and even Coral has tears streaming silently down her cheeks.

I mentally slap myself.

They can’t afford for me to fall apart. I have to hold it together, because I’m all they have.

A strange sort of peace steals over me then.

I’ll either navigate a way through this, or we’ll all perish.

But by golly, it won’t be because I didn’t try my hardest. If any human on earth is going to survive this, it should be me.

I may look fluffy, but I pack a punch.

“We’ll get home soon, guys,” I say. “We’ll pack bags, and we’ll get somewhere safe.”

“Where are we going?” Coral asks.

“Why can’t we just stay at home?” Jade whimpers. “We can lock the doors, and I think that’s where Mom will come. Right?”

I can’t think about Mom. Not right now.

“Did you see that dragon?” Coral says. “It burned all those houses up.”

“Ellie lives there.” Jade’s bawling again, loudly.

“Who’s making that noise?” It’s a man’s voice. It doesn’t sound friendly.

We’re nearly to the intersection with the Shell gas station—the halfway point on our route home.

I think about all the times I picked up milk here when we ran out.

Or bread. There’s not a soul in sight now, though.

Two abandoned cars, but no drivers. One glance at the station itself tells me the attendant has already fled. I don’t blame him one bit.

But who’s shouting at us?

“You kids, get out of here before I feel threatened.” This time, I can tell it’s coming from inside the store. Only, it’s not the attendant. This man has a gun, and he’s looting the register.

I hold up my hands. “We’re not looking for trouble.”

The man scowls, but he motions with his gun for us to keep going. Normally something like this would be horrifying, but today? It doesn’t even rate.

Jade grips my hand tighter, and Sammy tucks his face against the juncture of my shoulder and my neck. He’s shivering, and it fills me with even more rage-fueled resolve.

I remember how it felt to be terrified and helpless at his age. I’m not going to let them face it alone. Not ever.

I start jogging again, but as we move farther from the elementary school, I see more and more signs of life. People are packing up cars. They’re arguing in the front yard. They’re hiding behind closed blinds. We pass all the different people doing all the things.

None of us know what’s the right move.

“Where can we even go?” Jade’s voice is small, but it’s a good question. It’s the same thing Coral asked earlier, but I still haven’t answered.

I make up my mind. Even if we can’t get there, it’s good to have a goal in mind. “We’re heading up north, to Grandma’s.”

“In a car?” Coral asks.

I don’t mention that my car and Mom’s are both at the Boo Bash. I’m not above stealing a neighbor’s, if I have the chance. “I’m not sure yet,” I say. “Maybe.”

“Mom dropped Dad off at the airport,” Coral says. “We could take his car, and it’s fast.”

Brilliant. I start reworking my plan. “We’ll need to be able to hop out of the car and run at a moment’s notice.

We need bags that are packed and handy to grab if that happens, with essentials in them.

” And I don’t want to delay our departure.

I have no idea how Dallas is doing right now, but Houston’s clearly not safe.

If we have gas cans, I should put them in the trunk. Ours won’t be the only gas station left unattended.

“What about Mom?” Jade asks, in the softest, saddest tone ever. “Are we just leaving her?”

A knot forms in my throat. I can’t think about Mom. I can’t talk about her, either.

“She’s fighting too,” Coral says. “Just like us. Once she wins, we’ll see her again.”

Now I’m spending way too much energy fighting back tears. My little warrior sister’s stronger than I am. “Yes,” I finally say. “She’s fighting too. I’m sure of it.”

I can’t stop seeing Mom’s silver hair. I hope I didn’t just lie, because I can’t think why a dragon would want Mom, and I can’t bring myself to think about what it means that I could hear the dragon just like she could.

“Alright, we’ve been jogging, but I think we should run for a bit,” I say. “We’ve had a break, and I don’t see any sign of more dragons right here, but our tree cover’s about to end.” We have half a mile to go, and it’s all wide open.

It’s the worst part of our two-mile route home.

Jade nods. Coral inhales slowly. Sammy wriggles. “You can put me down. I’m wearing my fast shoes.”

My heart contracts. “It’s alright, buddy. I’ve got you.” What else did I train for? Suddenly, my upcoming fight seems stupid. Trivial. Like another life.

Even in my crop top and lycra UFC shorts, I’m sweating like a pig by the time we reach the edge of our neighborhood.

At least my heart rate has been steadier, since we haven’t seen any dragons in almost ten minutes.

In fact, our neighborhood looks practically normal.

The people out here must have made their decisions and either locked down or packed up and moved out already.

Part of me wonders whether I could have had a complete mental break.

Did I imagine every insane thing that I remember happening?

But I look at the still-wide-eyed Coral and Jade, and I hear Sammy’s heaving breathing in my ear, and I know it’s more than a dream.

We’re jogging through the neighborhood park when a group of three men comes into view.

They’re jostling one another, and they’re arguing in a language I’ve never heard.

“Let’s go around the back,” I mouthe.

“Why?” Sammy asks. “Our house is right over there.”