Rock Bottom (Dragon Within #4) (17 page)

    
Have you
ever seen one of those movies where some dire emergency is happening and they
start blaring those one particular kinds of sirens? A klaxon. I think that’s
what they call it. I tell you right now, the movies don’t do it justice. That
sound is
loud
and something about it drives your body into full on panic
mode.

    
I leapt
out of the bed, got my feet twisted in the blankets, tripped and hit the floor
hard face first. The air went out of my lungs in a big whoosh. I curled my
fingers and felt soft fabric. The floor shook and I realized I had no idea
where the door was.

    
Dark red
light filled the room. I pushed myself up to my knees and then leaned back on
my heels to catch my breath. Slightly chill air touched my skin. I didn’t have
any clothes on. Suddenly, I was very glad for my feet getting tangled up in the
sheets.

    
Finding
my jeans and shirt was easy enough. No way was I going to worry about underwear
at a time like this. My sneakers were nowhere in sight. I dug through Zack’s
mess for maybe two minutes, then gave it up. If I had to stay in that room one
more second I was going to go completely insane.

    
I held on
to the thought of Zack as I made my way to the bathroom, keeping one hand
trailing against the wall even though I could see fine. Zack would take care of
me. Zack would make everything all right. I could deal with this so long as I
had Zack.

    
The
bathroom door was open and the eerie light made the toilet and sink look as if
they’d been dipped in blood. No Zack. Panic twisted my guts into little knots.
I was all alone and that was more terrifying than anything else.

    
I ran. I
don’t think I had any clear picture of where I was going, only that I needed to
find someone. Anyone. The hall seemed to go on and on forever, never leading
anywhere, turning and twisting like some sinister maze.

    
I would
never stop running. The klaxon would never stop blaring. The air itself had
turned red and was bleeding down the walls, hiding the guiding markers from my
sight. My chest was on fire and a burning pain had started in my side. I was
trapped in some nightmare with no end.

    
I
careened around a corner and collided with a firm, yet soft shape. I think I
screamed. I know I lashed out with my fists. Strong fingers closed around my
wrists and a familiar face loomed in close to mine.

    
“Calm down,”
Derek screamed right at me and I could barely hear him over the alarm. “It’s
only me.”

    
My knees
turned to jelly and if Derek hadn’t been holding me I surely would have hit the
floor again. He pulled me against his chest and rested a hand on the back of my
head. His presence had a steadying affect on me and I soon found my breath
evening out.
   

    
The
klaxon shut off as suddenly as it had begun, leaving behind a silent ringing in
my ears. I took an unsteady step back. Stephanie, Brandy, and Curtis were
clustered close together behind Derek. They looked not quite as out of it as I
felt. But then they were together when this started and I was alone.

    
“Where’s
Hannah?” I winced at how loud my voice sounded.

    
Derek
shook his head. “She wasn’t in the room when we woke up, I thought she might be
with you.”

    
“No.” Had
Hannah come looking for me? Was she at this moment wandering through the halls
the same way I had been? The thought filled me with guilt. “What’s happening?”

    
“I don’t
know, but it can’t be anything good,” Derek said. “We were headed for the
cafeteria. I kind of thought that’s where everyone would go.”

    
“Sounds
like a plan.” I was all tensed up expecting Derek, or even one of the others,
to ask me where I’d been. But I guess they were too focused on the trouble at
hand to care because none of them said a word about it.

    
The
cafeteria was a sea of murmuring, anxious faces painted red. That nightmare
feeling started creeping up inside of me again. Brandy, Stephanie, and I hung
close to Derek, but Curtis had stepped away from us. He kept raising up on his
toes, his gaze scanning the crowd. It didn’t take a genius to guess at what he
was looking for.

    
“Curtis,”
I spoke his name softly but with enough insistence to get his attention. “Don’t
go. I know exactly what you’re thinking. But I need you to stay here. I need to
know you’re safe. Please.”

    
His mouth
set in a thin, unhappy line, but he nodded.

    
I reached
out and took hold of his hand. “Thank you.”

    
“Everyone, listen up.” The attention of the room focused on the balcony,
where Megara stood leaning against the railing. “We are under attack.”

    
Harsh
gasps and startled cries filled the cafeteria. I drew Curtis closer to me,
worried we were about to have a full on panic run for the door we were standing
in front of. I prepared to pull up my air shield to keep us from being trampled
if I had to.

    
“Stay
calm,” Megara said with a hint of annoyance. “The bunker has only one entrance
and it’s sealed off. They can’t get in. We all knew this day would come sooner
or later, so no use in getting panicked over it now.

    
“I want
this room divided between those with active powers and those without. Then I
expect each and every one of you to stay right here until someone comes with
your orders. Abigail, Jonah, if you’re out there, make your way to the front of
the bunker and meet me there.” She turned and strode through the door.

    
I grabbed
Derek’s arm. “I don’t care what she said. You stay with Brandy and Curtis no
matter what. Keep them safe.”

    
“I will.
Don’t worry.”

    
As if I
could do anything else. I turned to Brandy. Her eyes were cloudy and her lip
trembled. It was one of the few times I’d actually seen her on the verge of
tears. I pulled her into a hug and whispered into her ear, “Take care of Curtis
for me.” I felt her nod against my shoulder.

    
Then it
was my cousin’s turn. He hugged me so tight. Like he never wanted to let go. I
could understand the feeling. He sniffled but tried to act like he didn’t. “I
wish I could go with you. This would be great for my movie.”

    
“They’ll
be plenty of stuff in the future for your movie,” I said, holding back the urge
to cry. Breaking down right then wasn’t going to help anybody. “Maybe I’ll even
put on a
Supergirl
outfit and fly around for you.”

    
He
laughed. “I’d like to see that.”

    
I kissed
his cheek. “Be right back.”

    
“If this
was a horror movie, you would have just doomed yourself.” He squeezed my hand.
“Good luck.”

    
I backed
away, grinning carelessly. An expression that in no way matched the way I
actually felt. “Who needs luck when you’re a super powered dragon?”

    
Knowing I
would have trouble making my way through the crowd, I gathered the air up under
my feet and lifted myself above their heads. I floated myself to the staircase,
where I caught the sound of someone calling my name.

    
Jonah was
jumping up and down, waving his hands to get my attention. I guessed he was
having the exact problem I had avoided. It was easy for me to wrap the air
around him, pluck him out of the crowd, and bring him to the stairs.

     
"Are
you all right?" he asked.

      
I
nodded. I took one last look at my friend clustered together by the door, then
followed Jonah to the room where we’d first entered the bunker.

    
Megara
marched straight up to me. “Where is Zack? His troops are here,” she indicated
Dee and the other dragons standing near the hall leading to the bunker’s hidden
entrance, “but he isn’t.”

    
“I have
no idea.” But it was a good question. Where could he have gone that he didn’t
come back for me when things started to get crazy?

    
“How bad
is it, really?” Jonah asked. “Are we in danger?”

    
“Of
course we’re in danger,” Megara snapped. “As soon as they attacked, we dropped
the blast door. But it won’t keep them out for long. Not when they’ve clearly
got earth dragons among them. Get a few strong ones together and they could
bore straight through the side of the mountain.”
 

    
“So we
fight.” Jonah looked no happier about that then I felt.

    
“What
about the kids?” I asked. “Where will they go?”

    
“The
bunker has some lower levels we’ve never used,” Jonah said. “The plan in case
of an attack was to send them down there to hide.”

    
“What?”
Zack’s words about the bunker being a tomb flashed through my mind. “So the
earth dragons can drop the mountain down on top of them? No way. Jonah.” I laid
my hand on his arm. “You have to tell her.”

    
“Tell me
what?” Megara’s eyes narrowed.

    
Jonah
sighed. “I was looking through some of the bunker’s back rooms, trying to see
if anything was worth salvaging like you told me to, when I found a room with a
loose ceiling tile and a ladder hanging down. I followed it up and came out
into the woods. I’ve been using it to sneak out of the bunker.”

    
Megara
stared hard at him “How could you keep such a thing from me?”

    
“I
thought if I told you, you would have sealed it off.”

    
“Too
right I would have. Do you have any idea how dangerous such a thing is?” Her
hot glare was as much for me as it was for him. “Who else knows about it?”

    
“Only
Abigail,” Jonah said. “I never told another soul.”

    
“And what
about you?” Megara asked. “Did you tell anyone?”

    
I know
what I should have said, but I was afraid if I told her about Zack, she
wouldn’t listen to my idea. And I couldn’t bear the thought of Brandy and
Curtis trapped under the earth. “Of course not. Jonah swore me to secrecy. It’s
perfectly safe. We should send the kids out that way. You could even send a
couple of dragons with powers to keep an eye on them.”

    
Megara
pinched the bridge of her nose between two fingers. “Where does this thing come
out at?”

    
“On the
far side of the bunker,” Jonah said. “If the attacks have been focused on the
entrance, then Abby’s right. Sending the kids out through the back makes the
most sense. I could get them to safety that way.”

    
Megara
pressed her hand to her mouth. I could almost see the wheels of her mind
turning behind her eyes. “All right. Into the woods it is. You can take two
dragons with powers along, but only two. We need the rest of them for the
fight.”

    
“I’ll
go,” I said. “In case there’s any trouble.” Am I coward? Maybe. But I’d killed
two people in my life already and that was enough for me. Besides, I wanted to
be with my friends.

    
“No.” Megara
said. “I need you with me to go up against the enemy. No discussion. I give the
orders and you take them.” She turned to Tim, who was sitting behind his desk.
“Go with Jonah, bring the powered dragons along. I’ll take Abigail and the
battle trained dragons out first. You follow us.”

    
Tim
nodded, and then tapped out something on the computer. “The door will open in
three minutes.” He got up and started for the hall leading back to the
cafeteria.

    
Megara
went to talk to the battle trained dragons and as Jonah started to follow Tim,
I grabbed his arm. “Take my brother with you? I’d feel better if I knew my
friends were together.”

    
“Of
course.” He squeezed my hand. “I hope we see each other again on the other side
of this thing.”

 
   
I considered saying something about Zack and
the secret entrance, but there wasn’t time. I told myself firmly that it didn’t
matter anyway. “Me too.”

   
I hope you
never have to know how it feels to walk straight toward your own death. That’s
what I felt I was doing as I joined Megara and the others. “Still no Zack?” I
asked.

    
Megara
shook her head. “We’ll have to go on without him. Trust a tracker to let you
down when you need him most.”

    
But that
wasn’t like Zack. It wasn’t like him at all. Where was he?

    
The main
entrance to the bunker opened as we approached, letting in a blast of chill
air. The woods beyond were still and silent. I could see no evidence we’d been
attacked, but then I really didn’t know what to look for, did I?

    
“Dee,
Frank, you go on out ahead and see what’s to see,” Megara said.

    
The two
of them exchanged a look, but did as they were told. I tensed as they stepped
out of the shelter of the bunker. I was sure they would be shot or fried or
something. But no, that didn’t happen.
Nothing
happened. Frank looked
over his shoulder at us and shrugged. Even with no danger in sight, following
Megara out after them was still the most terrifying thing I’d ever done.