Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 26: Burning Christmas Eve (7)

Dragon Raja 3

Explosions came in waves, and the hot wind and dust made it impossible for Renata to breathe. But she knew she couldn’t stop; stopping meant death. At this point, her only option was to follow the plan Zero had meticulously arranged. Yet now, Zero was of no help. When Renata found him, he was strapped into the iron recliner, wearing a straitjacket, his eyes vacant and lifeless. Renata finally understood why Zero insisted on her rescuing him—he had no means to act on his own in reality. Like the other children, he had undergone the split-brain surgery. He was resistant to the hallucinogens, but they controlled him with the metallic sounds.

She found the scissors taped under the recliner, just as Zero had said there would be. Renata cut the straps and dragged him along. Zero obediently followed her, but because he was in a straitjacket, he ran awkwardly, holding the white tin box containing a wilted flower—the gift Renata had given him in the vision, which he had somehow really received.

Steam and flames surrounded them from all sides, and she could barely discern the way. This was the first time she realized how vast Black Swan Bay truly was—much bigger than she imagined. The hallways were ten times longer, with all sorts of things she had never seen before. Through the quartz glass windows, she saw the power station ablaze, with electric wires spitting blinding sparks. In the metal lab, the crucible of copper bubbled; in the aquatic lab, the tank cracked, and a fifteen-foot-long beluga rolled in the boiling water… Everything was dying; they were the last two survivors. Zero’s knees were stained with blood; he had tripped over a door frame, cutting his knees and tearing his straitjacket on the sharp metal edge. He seemed entirely oblivious to the pain, his face expressionless, but his running was affected. If she let go of him, Renata could run faster and perhaps find an escape route sooner. But she couldn’t let go—Zero clung to her hand like a child holding his mother’s in a crowd. Renata blew the dog whistle as hard as she could. This whistle emitted ultrasonic waves inaudible to humans, meant to call the sled dogs that were friendly to her, just as Zero had taught her. But how could the sled dogs leave the locked kennel and find her? Her heart sank deeper into despair; they were going to die here together, this carefully orchestrated escape foiled by an “accidental” fire.

She couldn’t run anymore. She sat down with Zero, leaning against the wall. In the fire, the hot airflow moved upwards; sitting down made the air slightly more bearable, less suffocating. She wasn’t sad at this point, just regretful. She had spent all those full-moon nights running around and yelling in Black Swan Bay but hadn’t bothered to memorize the escape routes.

She suddenly thought of the black serpent. She wondered where it was now; if it knew its master was trapped in the fire, it would come to their rescue, wouldn’t it? But then she felt that was just wishful thinking. Zero might have seemed omnipotent in his dreams and hallucinations, but in reality, he was just a helpless boy being dragged along by her. What could the serpent do? The oxygen in the air was running out; her head grew heavy. Renata hugged Zero tightly… She was scared and wished Zero could hold her, but right now, she had to be stronger, even just a little bit, to protect him.

A deep roar echoed in her skull, and she jerked her head up, unsure if she was imagining it. She had never heard the black serpent roar before, but she instinctively felt it was calling for them—its aura was near, and it was desperately calling its master!

Renata struggled to stand, pressing her ear against the scalding wall to listen. The wall was vibrating, in sync with the roar she heard in her head. She suddenly remembered those full-moon nights when Black Swan Bay trembled as the black serpent played its iron scales like an instrument. The serpent must be nearby, trying to bring down the building with its roar, creating a path for Renata and Zero. Courage surged through her; Renata kicked at the cracked wall, hoping to break through it. She had never believed in anyone, but now she believed in Zero and his pet serpent, just as the serpent had used its tail to shatter the iron gate and give her freedom on those full-moon nights. Today, it hadn’t abandoned her.

She heard barking faintly! The sled dogs! Those arctic spirits! They hadn’t fled in fear; they followed her scent through the burning chaos, running alongside her, separated by a wall! So there was still someone coming to rescue her in this world; someone could still hear her voice. She wasn’t as alone as she thought!

The wall collapsed with a roar, not because of her kicks but because it was shattered by some strange sound wave. The blizzard rushed into Renata’s face, followed by the furry bodies of the sled dogs. The mother dog named Agata had brought her pups to rescue Renata. The sled dogs bounced around Renata, urging her to leave with their anxious barking. Renata hugged the dogs tightly, her tears soaking into their thick fur.

Right! The black serpent—she had to take it with them! Renata pulled Zero out through the gap, frantically looking around. Half of Black Swan Bay was now reduced to fiery steel frames. The heating pipes occasionally spewed thirty-foot-long fire tongues, and the sky glowed blood-red. Against that bloody sky, a heavy helicopter rose higher and higher, towing a steel cable. The cable dangled a massive black skeleton, its front half covered in iron-like scales, its rear half bare bones, with the giant bony wings drooping limply. It was a dead dragon—Renata’s old friend she had seen many times in her dreams. Renata finally understood it wasn’t a serpent but a dragon, a former king. On those long nights, it had crawled across the roof; Renata had reached out to hug her huge friend, and it had looked at her coldly, like a father or brother, not indulging her childish whims.