Chapter 3 - Morals and Justice

Ish tells us about his encounter with Brandon and how he got into a dragon island.

CHAPTER 3 �" MORALS AND JUSTICE

October 13, 2019 The Bridge has not fallen yet. I still sit here and watching the city covering more and more in grey and black. The most valuable resource in my life ended and it made me do my first step from the bridge. By the end of chapter two, I wrote on all the paper that I had, so now, I need to get some more.

The cars mostly are just pieces of dark metal, burned by dragons, that used to be my friends. Most of the shops are ruined down and the food became the most precious source for the humans. Nobody was on the streets, of if was, they would better stay in cover. The war stepped into the town.

 I was walking down the main street from the bridge and two teens ran across the drive, hoping that I won’t see them. From the distance he looked as a kid, 14 years of age, and a girl, probably five years younger. I started sprinting towards them and they thought that I wanted to kill them both. There was no choice to run away, so the boy kissed his girl in her cheek and shouted “Kill me, but let her go!” I stopped right in front of him “Run, Lucy, run!” he continued

“I am not going to harm you.” I said “I need help. You help me, I’ll save you.”

“Who do you think are you talking to, dragon?” He shouted “We do not trust you! Who are you?”

“I am IsStrait Aevarson; I am the leader of the dragons.” He looked at me with anger and definitely loathed me at the moment “Please, I understand that you apparently struggle for your life because of me, but I can help you. I can get you food and build you a shelter. Please, only you can help right now!”

“What do you want?” He asked me waving to Lucy to come back.

“Paper, as much as you have.” I told him

“Why do you need paper?” He laughed “Who anyway needs it right now?”

“I cannot tell you, you won’t understand it.”

“No explanation - no paper” The boy responded firmly.

“What is your name, I want to know who I am talking to.” I sat down on a burned car and the flames were heating me up.

“Brandon Caver, the only survivor from my family. The drakes killed my younger sister, my brother, mom and dad. I saw them dying…”

“Sorry, Brandon, I am so sorry for that.” I looked down on the concrete ground

“YOU ARE SORRY?” He screamed in despair “He is sorry, Lucy. Are you retarded or what? You killed all my family, the entire family that I was living for. And now you are sorry?”

“I understand how you feel, Brandon, but you cannot return the past. It is out of my power.”

“It was all my fault,” He started “My parents had an arsenal of good firearms in the basement. My father was retired navy seal. Similarly, mom knew how to shoot guns and they were professionals in that field. They were shooting from our top window and obviously killed about a dozen of the dragons. Then I ran out from the house and expected to hide in our garage. My little sister joined me and as soon as we ran out of our brown house it was completely blown up and the ashes flew in the sky. All my family was dead with an exception for my sis. One dragon attacked Lillian, and I lost her. That drake kind of recognized her and did not kill me, he said something to her but I continued sprinting. I jumped into the garage and saw her being torn down into small pieces by the red dragon.”

“Lillian Caver,” I stopped him because this name reminded me of something. “You say he recognized her?”

“I does not freaking matter!!!” He shouted again. Then he calmed down and continued “Swear, swear that you will not leave us. I will get you some paper, as much as I can. But you will make sure that we stay alive. I am the last thing that Lucy has.”

“You have a word of a dragon. I swear.” I pulled my paw out to make a handshake. But he came closer and hugged me. He backed up a little bit and said “Never thought that I would say that, but you are a good dragon.”

“Well, if we made our friendship that rapidly, let’s go and do it right now.” I said “Where may we possibly get paper?”

“In the vault. The “Director” rules there and he is kind of a creepy guy. Nobody likes talking to him, but as I said, I will try.” Lucy went out of cover and asked “Boys, are you like flirting out there?”

“Lucy,” Brandon replied “Come on, get yourself there and help us.”

She came closer and closer and closer to me and tried to touch my limb. Brandon decided to continue “Well, that guy holds an army out there and getting this thing might be hard.”

I interrupted him and said “You know what, just go there, and get this paper. I do not care how. As long as you stay alive and as long as I get paper.” Lucy hugged my scaled arm and kissed it. “What are you doing???” I asked, pulling my paw away from her.

“Uh…” She immediately went away from me like nothing happened.

“Lucy, I am not a plush toy.”

“I want to play with you!” She screamed and started crying.

“Where did you find her?” I asked Brandon

“She is a survivor, like me. An orphan of God and our Lord does not protect us from those who are bad.”

“Unfortunately, he does not.” I said and we started our way to the vault.

“So, do you have something like a God in your culture?”

“I bet nothing like that…” I answered “Perhaps, I am the only thing that they all live for. Sometimes, brainwashing does work very well on unintelligent species such as dragons. We still do not know what to do next.”

He went faster and admitted “My father always told me that if you do not know what to do, just do something.”

We walked inside the small streets, not to be seen by other bandits or by even more dangerous dragons. Brandon approached to a hardly noticeable door and knocked into it in a specific rhythm. Somebody came closer from the other side and whispered “Password.”

“Dragons love humans” Brandon told the stranger. The door opened and Brandon and Lucy entered the mysterious place. I sat in the dark, so nobody could see me. I turned around and saw an electronic unit inside the wall. I cut it out and pulled the cords outside. I had a clear view on the hall where a lot of people were eating and drinking. The next room, which I discovered soon, was for a boss, a major man, the general.

Brandon went inside the bar and asked the attendant “Jeff, do you have paper?”

“Boy, you need paper? Go kill yourself; there is more benefit from that.”

“No, really, get me some paper. I really need it.” He begged the bar attendant and almost started crying

“The only thing I may tell you” Jeff replied “Go to the boss, he may help you.” Brandon immediately jumped out of the high seat and sent to the second room. It was actually looking like a headquarters of an evil genius: weapons, scientific stuff and a stack of paper on the desk. I was looking at it in hope that he would ask the general to give him some papers.

Lucy followed Brandon and they both entered the room.

“What are you up to?” The boss asked. I did not see him, my field of view on the room was partially covered.

“We are very sorry, mister. But may we ask you of something?” He gently asked him

“Oh, Brandon! Long time no see.” The general shouted out loud “So what do you want, my friend?”

“Paper, may we lend some paper?”

“You know, Brandon, I am a money person, not an ethics person. I remember who does or does not do something. You, yes, you already lend fourteen dollars fifty last week, and you told me that you will have enough by today.”

“I am very sorry, I do not have enough. I will bring it by midnight today, I promise!” He cried

“Whatever, have all of the paper, I do not need it. I forgive you.”

“Thank you, thank you!” Brandon shouted in delight. He grabbed the stack of paper and then boss added “Bring today thirty dollars by midnight!”

Brandon ran out of the room and slowly walked to the exit door. I looked back in the boss office and I found out that the general is reloading his revolver with fine golden bullets, saying “I expected to spend this shot for a dragon, but I have no other choice.” On half way out, Brandon accelerated and reached the door, he tried to escape as soon as possible. He opened the door, stepped outside and then he heard the voice of the general “I don’t forgive you.” And the general shot them both.

Brandon and Lucy fell down together. The papers were caught by the wind and some of them were in the water.

“Dan!” The bar attender screamed while other soldiers were hiding behind the tables “Why the hell did you kill them?”

The director, who’s name was obviously Dan, turned aside, facing the bar and yelled back “Do not be blind! Have you ever tried to look in the window!” I got scared when he said that but I could not do anything about it. My curiosity made me stand still and continue staring at the people from my self-made window. “They are traitors.”

“Are you drunk or what? Do you even understand what are you talking about?” The same person at the bar yelled at him. “Look in the windows, traitors? What is it?”

“You are so dumb! Yes, you are! I am talking to you my scaled friend!” The director turned 180 degrees and shot in the window where my face was located. The bullet went through and did not, thankfully, hit me.

 I boosted into the air, grabbed, I do not know how, all the dry paper and flew far away with a speed of light. These two kids died together, hopefully they are happy in the paradise. I took them both and buried these couple in the same place, on the peak of the hill. I cried for a long time, because I am not even able to apologize. Our agreement was broken. But now, I got my paper.

Sometimes, the sacrifice can benefit. But was it a benefit for Brandon? I do not know what he thinks of me now, probably, his suffering has ended and he joined his family. All of them are gone. Too many people died because of me. I am special, the chosen one? Was this paper worth his life? I guess no, but I ask him to forgive me again. I am sorry that I did not save you, Brandon and Lucy. My dragon-human agreement was broken, and now I lost any sense of life. What do I live for? To make others die?

* * *

The Wilton castle was burning down and the only way outside was by jumping of the balcony and diving into a pool. Extreme stuff, right? Lokkie decided to jump first, next was my muscular father who dived in a cannonball manner. They both successfully landed in the pool and hid in the artificial cave nearby. It was my turn, Miley turned to me and kissed me again. “Miley, go first,” I said “Go!”

She jumped and expected me to follow her, but I had an unfinished business to do. I wanted to deal with the dragons. Stallion found me right away and said “Here we go, Ish, our new king.”

“Back off, you dirty murderer!” I shouted and hit his face with my dull knife

“I will not kill you, boy, I will make you suffer, and then, after you will lose any wish to stay alive, I will finish you!” He waved to another dragon, which was covered in black scales, and definitely was eager to make me taste some pain. He had sharp blades by the center of his head, long ears and big wings, which were designed to boost in the air and reach the top speed in no time. As a matter of fact, he obviously was a lightning dragon. When I was about twelve, I had a pretty scary nightmare, where that same dragon killed me by biting me in my neck. Yes, that was a nice experience. All these random connections made me feel that I was sleeping and nothing happened for real. Unfortunately, our life is real and we cannot escape from our reality. Even if you are mentally sick, it still does not change our world, because the way you see the world applies to no one but to you.

All this happened on the seventh floor of the castle. No way to run, go left - fire, go right - free fall.

He attacked me but each time I was able to predict his motions. He was more than an animal, he was able to think and think brightly. He opened his mouth and a shot was going to come out and the blue shine was exiting his throat. If I asked “What would you do?”, what would you do in this scenario? Fight?! No way. Run?! That would be an A+ answer. Frankly, there was nothing I could do. I could not move.

 Another dragon was holding me tight from my back, the red one, with polished teeth, but not Stallion. He already went somewhere else to get his appetizer. That black drake was preparing to shoot, it was not a flame shot, but a solid explosive sphere. And he hit me right in my belly.

I flew 30 meters from the place where I stood, fell on the ground and passed away. I have no idea how I survived the blast. It was that powerful, that the remaining glass broke in the hundred meter distance from that explosion. With that much power I would have been blown up instantaneously, but what saved me that second? Was that his fault? Or he did not want to kill me? Or was that the God who protects good people? The executers were approaching me in a desire to make some more shots and finish me. The ceiling fell down right in front of them and they had a big pile of debris to clear up. I do not know how, but Renny found me in that particular moment.

“Ish,” He said in my ear “You saved me and I save you now.” He pulled me to the staircase, which was not in smoke, and dragged me down all seven floors. He pulled me in the garden, and flew away. I was still unconscious, but our hideout was close enough to me. Lokkie was standing behind a wall five meters from me. He stood being very afraid to run out and did not do anything.

The top floor of the castle crashed and soon all the space was covered in a dark fog. Entire castle was down. That black dragon again found me and, on purpose, brutally crashed on me and started cutting me with his sharp talons until he finally bit my arm and a big piece of red meat separated from my already injured upper hand. I woke up and screamed as loud as I possibly could and the whole Kingdom heard my voice.. That pain cannot be compared to anything. I screamed as loud as I could Lokkie was still standing behind cover when I was astonishingly crying and calling him to help me. I cried but he did nothing. He could have easily gotten behind and killed that dragon but he did not.

“And what are you going to do now?” He touched my red belly with his sharp talon “Who will save you?”

“Lokkie, help me!!!” I screamed out loud, crying at the same time.

“Get ready to die, human” The dragon roared and was preparing to shoot

 “Not today, dragon, not today.” I pulled out my knife with my left hand and hit him right in his heart. He did not say anything; he just died silently, took a breath for the last time and died lying on me. The two rivals and both on the edge of survival. His life ended sooner than mine, I was still barely alive and losing control over my body and my mind.

The same red dragon flew aside and saw the bloody scene and my family, who rushed to the cliff to save my life. It fired at them and watched me being pressed by the dead black drake. The red dragon pulled the dead body out of the way, accurately grabbed me and disappeared in the heavy fog.

   Lokkie was standing still, watching the massacre. Miley came to the garden and she fell down on her knees, then completely on the ground and cried out loud. All the dragons regrouped and flew away from the land. Lokkie was shocked by the consequence of his fear to help me. Aevar stood silent with his mouth opened and started crying too, for the first time in his life. He lost his only son that was his hope for the future. His whole sense of life crashed that day. That special day.

   All the survivors were standing behind Father when the spotted Lokkie hiding behind wall.

“What just happened?” Marina asked my father.

“They killed Ish!” He answered through tears.

“But how? Who? Somebody should have saved him?” Marina exclaimed and at the same moment Lokkie publicly showed up.

“You, again you! You did not help him! Lokkie, I hate you!!!” Miley screamed even louder. Then she stood up, picked her axe and was heading to Lokkie. He started running away from her being scared to death but the big stone did not let him go anywhere.

“Why, Lokkie? Why did not you save him?” �" Marina appeared from the crowd.

“Tell us, Lokkie.” Father said with an angry face.

“Please, Miley, don’t kill me!” My brother cried looking at her approaching him.

“Son,” Aevar said quietly “Go away and never come back. You are a traitor, you betrayed us all. You are not an honorable human any more. Miley,” - He pointed at her - “Leave this immaturity alone.”

“Do you understand what just happened, Lokkie?” My first girlfriend raged in front of him “I loved him, I wanted to be with him! But you ruined everything!”

“But I like you too” -He smiled to her and begged for mercy.

“You, you are nothing!” - And she through the axe and it perfectly hit to stone in the space between his legs. He took a deep breath.

Everybody started to split up and go to the houses back in hope to restore the property burned by drakes. Aevar went home too and ordered not to leave homes that day and pray to god to bless his son’s soul, not Lokkie’s, but mine. Miley picked some flowers, put them in the vase and placed it in the garden where the massacre happened.

“I told him that he will not die today. I sweared to him. Imagine, Lokkie, what your brother thinks about you now?” She said through tears.

“Please, Miley, I didn’t know what to do. Forgive me, please!”

“Tell that to Ish. But I will never forgive you. Nobody forgives for death. You father told you to pack your things and leave us. Go anywhere you want, I do not want to see you anymore.”

“I am sorry, Miley.” - He moaned and went away

“Shut up. Just leave.” - She responded

Miley was still sitting on the cliff. Lokkie sat on the cliff and looked at the sky on night, his stuff was already packed and Aevar told him to stay this night and to leave the next day. That night the whole village was silent except Miley who was crying all night long.

Time is always unpredictable. Sometimes it flies like a bullet, in other occasions it slows down completely. Even thinking of time may affect your time capturing ability. What then reading do? You are off time right now. You have no idea what time is it. Of course, if you own a wristwatch, it does not take you anything to look at it and count the exact hour and minute you are at right now. However, if you do not have one, but you already knew the time when you started reading, this task of knowing the time will give you a hard time. I say time too often. It is my book, anyway.

What we do matters, not what we think of. Everything needs to be done on purpose, it is the axiom. If something was done, it was on purpose. What will I get by writing this thing down? Relief. Relief from everything that I have done in my sad and long life.

* * *

I was holding the paws of the red scaled dragon, but actually, he was holding me. All of the drakes were flying the same direction. I looked around myself, the couple of other dragons were carrying the corpse of my dead duelist. I recalled all my boring life which got colorful after this threat to die. I recalled all my family, my only friend Elliot, Mr. Durham who made me be expelled from my school, my favorite grand piano and my home. All the things above got a value, and a very big one. I was counting the minutes till my death call comes.

   The paws of my carrier were very nice to touch; the scales were a bit too soft so the flame may exit from inside of the body. That was his specific feature and, for instance, every dragon has one. I touched it with my cheek and I felt very warm. My lips got so cold that the skin was going to tear so I put my lips together and my front face completely touched the paw. The dragon immediately looked at me, roared something, took a short breath and continued flying.

   The journey lasted for a half an hour, however I started feeling worse. My hand turned into a blue color and I attempted to put the bandage in my pocket, but it fell down in the sea. I was falling asleep but I was trying as hard as possible to stay awake. That type of sleep was death.

   Soon, we started approaching to an island with an Ash-colored ground. The dragons flew inside a cave and guess what I see next? A huge stadium shaped place and the enormously big red dragon in front of it. Stallion, I met him again. The drakes put me on the ground and the dead lightning dragon was beside me.

   Behind me dozens of dragons of different types and colors, in front �" the worst nightmare who is about to eat me.

“What isssh your name? - A big fifteen feet blue dragon, standing right hand side of me asked a question, looking in my eyes. I opened my mouth and I couldn’t say anything because my sane mind was completely blown away when I heard a dragon speaking clearly in English to me.

“Wait!” I yelled “So you all can talk, right?”

Everybody laughed and the same dragon responded “You have a very broad and fluent draconic. It is a rare occasion to see…” he stopped and continued after a while “Oh, honestly, I have never seen a human talking like that.”

“Ish, Ish is my name!” I calmly responded still being shocked.

“Tell us, Isssh. Why did you murder our honorable dragon Dash?”

“Who is this Dash? Whom are you talking about?”

“The black lightning dragon that lies beside you, human child.” - He pushed his white talon in my chest and looked closely in my brown eyes. - “Are you afraid of me?” he added.

“Not at all.” I responded firmly

“So why did you kill Dash?”

“What do you mean why? He tried to kill me!!!” I shouted

“Enough!” Stallion roared so the blue dragon stpped aside “Nobody wanted to kill you!”

“Are you all playing games here? You know what! The king…” I shouted louder

“The king is down” Stallion yelled back “His son is dead! The whole kingdom will be ours in about two weeks! So WE ask you questions, not you!”

“Ish is dead???” I moaned, realizing that they think that I am not the king’s son. “I swear. It was by mistake. We were all involved in a fight but Dash found me after and wanted to drink my blood!”

 “Enough of your lies!” Stallion interrupted me “You have a choice: join or die. What will you choose, boy?”

“What do you mean join? Become a dragon?” - My smile came out.

“Exactly. Pledge your loyalty to Dragons right now and we will decide.” The blue drake added

“You know what?” - I turned to the audience - “Yes, I want to join you. So do what you want to do.”

“Ish, swear, swear…” The blue dragon said

“Yes, I swear.” I whispered

“Fair enough” Stallion as always roared and exited the hall.

The blue dragon took some saliva from the dead Dash’s mouth and put is on my wound. After a while a stone door opened and the same blue dragon gave me a stone cup made of pure gold filled with a liquid.

“Drink it.” he said “This is our kind of ceremony. I always wanted to make someone drink this thing. How does it taste like?”

“A bit bitter…” I responded and the drake escorted me to the hall back.

“Now, who is going to take care of him?” He asked the audience. Every dragon was silent and not showing any response, being scared that it would be chosen. “No one?” He asked again “Oh, guys. So sad to see that. Boy, such a thing just happened. Nobody wants you here.”

“And what should I do now?”

“I will take care of you.”

The blue dragon showed me a room. I was so sleepy and I forgot the way to my new apartment, but the thing was: I am in the center of a massive Dragon Island. The room had an opening that lead to the cliff. The bed was very big and uncomfortable. I also did not feel any pain in my arm, however the meat was showing but it was covered with saliva. I lied down and almost at the same moment fell asleep. The last thing I heard was the stone door being closed. The silence was everything that was absorbed by the room.

Author's Note

Hey, I was away for a while and finally upload this thing. Now, I expect to see a massive number of mistakes. I will be very glad if you read through and find some. I also self-edit is too.
Please, tell me, how is the story going? If you have not read the whole thing, I advice you to do that.
Be as critical as possible! Thank you.

P.S. I write from my Surface Pro. It is absolutely awesome. Considering the fact that I worked full-time, when I am only 16 years old.