Days gone wrong 1

It was a normal day, the sun was out in full force even though it was starting it's decline in the sky as the day started to end, me? I was walking home from school, taking a shortcut through somebody's backyard, I knew the people who lived there and went through every day. Being fourteen and all I didn't think anything could happen on a day as mundane as this... how freaking wrong I was...


“RAAAWWR!”

I stop dead in my tracks, my ears were actually ringing, I turn and look towards the woods that bordered the backyard... definitely where it came from. I was about to start moving again when something pushes it's way out of the bushes... what the...

I was staring at a dragon, red scales from head to tail, maybe six feet high and twice as long, it came out on the ground on all fours, a set of black horns curved their way over it's neck, I was absolutely frozen by suddenly seeing something like this... then it's brown eyes lock with mine, it had this frenzied look in them, the reptilian slits narrowed almost to hair-thinness. It sat still for a second more, then suddenly he was a blur of motion, rushing me like a bat out of hell!

“Oh shit!” Thee moment it got close enough which was maybe eight feet it made a lunge that would have taken my head off had it connected, in absolute fear I drop backwards and the air whooshes out of my lungs right as I hit the ground and as it sails over me, it's tail slamming into the ground inches from my head in a attempt to recover from missing with the lunge. It goes skidding several feet, leaving trenches dug with it's claws, I roll onto my stomach and try and get my breath back... it worked faster than I hoped it would, but then the dragon whirls around, sighting me again... oh my god.

He had reared back to deliver a burst of flame that would have turned me extra-crispy if I got hit by it. It closes it's eyes right before the peak of it's drawback, and thinking this is my only chance I dig my feet into the ground, churning up grass and dirt before running straight for the tall fence dividing the houses, it was maybe eight feet, which made it around two feet I'd have to jump, I feel heat scorch the back of my neck as the roar of flame starts an inferno where I used to be standing. It only took me a few seconds for me to reach the fence, but it felt like minutes, the flame-throwing dragon stopped the second he realized I wasn't there, which was surprisingly quick I reach the fence and leap for it, My hands get splinters int them from grabbing a hold of the spiked top my foot scrabbles for a hold on the board running across the fence. I hear and feel a tug as my shirt rips right as I get a hold and toss myself sideways over the fence, I slam into the ground with a thud, a headache started as the dizzy feeling settled in, I struggle to recover and almost fall over again.

I hear it roar again and decide to run past this house and the turn out onto the street, at first I thought it would work, until the fence is smashed apart and the psycho dragon hops through and sees me. I stumble and keep going, running around the side of the house I get to the street, nobody, cars or even someone out on their lawn... I lean against the fence and take a deep breath, my heart was pounding and lungs burning, even from as small a distance I've gotten already. The dragon skips around it's side of the house and slides out onto the sidewalk... I cough and start running down the sidewalk.

The only thing that saved me then was my speed. I had never been a good runner, but I could sprint like no other, if only for a short time. I could hear it's claws cracking the concrete as it started getting way to close for comfort, I had passed two houses by now and knew I couldn't make it if I kept going like this. I could feel it's breath on my neck now and it was no or else I was dead, so, diving to the left I leave the dragon skidding on the concrete and burst through the door of a two-story house.

The first thing I see is two kids and their mom at a table, then the staircase to the left,  their reactions of surprise would have been picture worthy if I wasn't running for my life and scared out of my mind. I couldn't leave them without warning so I shout “RUN!” As I whirl around and up the staircase, It would have to do, because right as I reach the top of the stairs does the dragon busts through the front door. I don't look back as I head for a room on the right and shut the door behind me as quietly as I can before sliding to the ground, trying to catch my breath and slow my heartbeat. I was in a bedroom, small really,  a single-size bed in front of the door and a window on the far right, nothing else really caught much attention, I hear scream and a roar downstairs, a chill goes up my spine... and I feel something warm head down it. Reaching back I touch the trail and feel whatever it was trickle over my fingers, I draw back and see it was red... blood.

I instantly feel sick “Ugh...” How bad was it? I didn't want to know... wait, if I'm bleeding...

CRASH

I hear something break downstairs, I must have left blood somewhere, if I was right it would find me up here that much faster, I needed to get out. I am about halfway up when electricity arcs through my spine, causing me to fall back to the wooden floor and gasp in pain as I feel the wounds on my back take their miserable toll. The sick feeling returned at full strength and I groan, something was wrong. The pain increases to a new height and I double over, I was still able to bear it, but I felt like screaming. I hear steps pound up the stairs, I only had seconds noooooww!

I spasm as a searing pain hit my tailbone, and I hear ripping sounds... huh? I look back and see a tail l there, sitting limply on the floor, made of red V-edged scales and measuring out at maybe four feet long. Before my brain could process this I hear a door crash open, the one opposite this one... I needed to get out of here. I stand up, noting the odd feeling of the tail scraping against the floor, I get to the window and jerk the lock on top, then slide the window open, warm air hitting my face as it pushed into the AC cooled room. The door to the room bangs open and I look back and see claws grip the door-frame as the dragon ducked low to get in... it was walking on twos now? It's eyes catch sight of me and he moves way faster than before, I get out the window as fast as I can, but my tail smashed into the frame and smarted, slowing me down, right as I get all the way out the dragon rushes the frame, leaving me no choice but to let go.

The dragon's claws miss my arms by inches as time seems to slow down during the fall, I see it's eyes glare down at me, before disappearing back into the room I try and turn in midair, then see the ground rushing up at me, instinct makes me put my arms out to break the fall along with my feet... I could almost count what felt like seconds as the ground came up, and hit.

My palms slam into the ground at the same time my feet do, and a shock goes up the bones, and it hurt like hell, though a fall from that height should have broken those bones. The shock in my arms and legs fades quickly and I get into a crouch, still surprised at the oddity, the I hear a door get knocked off it's hinges and all I could think was Run Run Run Run!  I start moving and hop the low fence, noting something red glint on my hand as I did so, I see a row of houses up ahead, one with a foreclosed sign on the lawn. I hear a roar come form behind me and speed up, it only took a few seconds to hop the next fence and reach the foreclosed house, I kick the door to see if it opens and it does. I rush in, door to my right, kitchen and other doors to the right, glass door to the unfenced backyard... I make a quick decision and rush to the glass door and open it, I look back... no blood that could be seen, that isn't right! But it helped in my favor, I rush to that door on the right and go through, shutting the door and locking it. Looking around it seemed to be what used to be the master bedroom, the only window was one that pointed into the backyard. I duck into the near corner on the window side and wait.

I hear it tromp through the house, I could track it's footsteps, they hesitate at the front door, then the dragon must have seen  the open glass door, because he rushes across the house and outside... didn't think that would actually work. I risk a look through the window and catch a glance of the dragon fuming, literally, with smoke coming out of it's nostrils as he looked around for a sign of where I went... luckily he didn't seem to get the idea that I duped it, the dragon gets back on all fours and keeps going for a minute, then seemingly to give up he unfolds the wings on it's back, a dark red on the inside yet matched the color of it's scales on the outside... he takes off, heading out across the forest probably thinking I went in there... Taking an shaky breath I fall slide away fro the wall, adrenaline leaving my system.

Pain flared up as I went to the ground, I look back and realize I had sat on my tail... it took a second for me to register that I wasn't supposed to have a tail, when the fact jumps into my skull I near stop breathing. Why did I have a tail? Then I remember the cuts on my back, I lift up the shredded blue T-shirt and feel my back... what? I check and sure, the blood trail ends where the wound was supposed to be, but instead something hard was there, and it was moving slowly.

I pull the shirt the rest of the way off and take out my phone, luckily it had a camera, I put it behind my back about where the cuts should be and take a picture. I could hardly bring myself to look at whatever the little camera captured, but in the end a single glance was all it took... Red scales were winding their way out of four pale red scars on my back, the skin around them as red as the scales.

I about drop my phone when I see it, and now I was getting really worried, putting two and two together left the only result that I was turning into a dragon.  I do drop the phone then, and when I reach down to pick it up do I notice the small cluster of red scales sitting on the back of my right hand, which were spreading.

Electricity arcs upwards on my spine and I gasp in pain as something started happening on my back and neck. I drop the phone again and fall to the ground, trying to fight off the burning feeling, a crick jumps into my neck and it forces my head straight, before several other cricks come in, the feeling of ants crawling over the skin started on my back and grew to where it felt like it was just a patch of static... my vision starts to dim, as my mind started going shutting down even though I fight to keep conscious, but it  wasn't enough... the last thing I see before my vision goes completely black is claws starting to poke out of my fingers.


Night had fallen outside, the crescent moon reaching it's highest point in the sky, with the stars clearly visible. The foreclosed house was silent, several police cars had traveled the suburban road, none noticing the semi-open door, the cops more concerned about the missing family. A roar-ish yell came from the empty house, followed a few minutes later by a red dragon sneaking out through the back door, looking skittish, it's details were almost exact to the one that had rampaged through hours ago, the only difference was this one had green eyes and black spikes rolling out from a 1-inch swept curve at the top of it's head to the five-inch razor edged ones ending at the tip of it's tail.

It takes a nervous look around before heading on two feet towards the city.