Escape from the Valley

“There weren’t always dragons in the Valley.” Winston regularly starts his stories out like this. As one of the few people left in this world who lived during The Fall, his stories of how life used to look gives the survivors hope for a new day and a life without living under the constant threat of death and dismemberment. “At one time it was a bustling metropolis brimming with life and light.” he shares with a group of young warriors around the small fire. Their eyes glimmer with wonder and excitement as he tells the same stories of long ago that they have heard their entire lives.

The start of The Fall took place long before Winston was even born. The world had always been obsessed with playing God, perpetually ‘building a better mousetrap’, as Winston likes to joke. It began as crude experiments on animals; trying to fuse various species or breeds to one body - building modern day chimeras. At the expense of countless animal experiments, science determined that this needed to be done on a cellular level, and when those began to prove slightly more successful, they moved onto gene splicing. This marked the beginning of our own fight for survival.

Winston shares his stories in the hopes that one day, the world will be returned to how life was before The Fall. As he speaks, the lilt in his gravelly voice is peppered with light optimism which sprouts childlike faith in the youthful fighters seated around him that the situation is only temporary. “Before the infestation we had buildings and homes peppered along the mountain sides, and a busy city in the heart of the Valley. There were countless vehicles and miles of smooth paved roads to travel along.” Winston closes his eyes, as though reliving his childhood, “I can even remember when the skies were still blue. Some days it was filled with white wispy clouds stretched apart by the winds. The best days were a deep cornflower blue sky and a cool breeze that would blow through the Valley.” he smiles, reminiscing. Winston opens his droopy eyes and looks around to those gathered around him, squinting as he continues, “One of the things that I miss from the old days are all the stores. There were stores of all different kinds. Some for clothing and supplies, others for games and toys, but the best were the grocery stores.” he pauses, a twinkle of wistfulness in his eye “They were filled with all kinds of amazing food. Foods you couldn’t even imagine now.” he shares while a slight smile graces the corners of his mouth as he speaks. “You can still see some remnants of them now if you’re brave enough to venture that far.” he warned, stretching his hand out towards the distant mountain ranges as he fell back deep into his memories.

***

It is a relatively normal day for Winston and his mom, Shelly. They are at the grocery store to collect their weekly rations of groceries. He was looking forward to it this week since he had finally saved enough credits to get a candy bar. “Winston, honey, hurry up. Pick only one!” Shelly calls him from the register. “Chocolate or peanut butter? Hmm.” he ponders aloud as people scurry around him. The grocery store is always busy, but today there are more people than usual. “W-Winston!” his mom screams out, but something in her voice startles him and he looks over as a man is tugging at her purse. Without thought, Winston drops the candy bars to the floor and rushes over to help his mom fight off the man. It is only then that he realizes that people are running around the store and grabbing everything they can off the shelves. Supplies had already been depressed and individuals and families were assigned enough meager rations to get by, but this was different - people were in a panic.

Winston’s heart thuds in his chest pumping adrenalin through his veins as he runs as fast as his ten-year-old legs can carry him and throws himself onto the man’s back. He kicks, punches and screams, “Get off my mom! Stop! Stop it!” His frantic attack stuns the man as he begins to grunt and wave his arms behind him to swat Winston off. Shelly shrieks for help as the man stumbles back, his body crushing Winston into the tiled floor. Winston’s breath is forced from his lungs and his body goes limp. “Here! Just take it - take it and go!” Winston’s mom shouts and rushes to her son’s side. The man looks at the small boy lying on the floor, gasping for breath and his face goes red with embarrassment. “I-I’m so sorry.” he mumbles before disappearing out the door and into the crowded parking lot.

Shelly is distraught as Winston continues to cough and gasp, desperately trying to regain steady breaths. “Oh my god, Winston! What were you thinking? Are you okay?” she groans while lifting his shirt to check his body for a punctured lung. She helps him up from the floor and brushes him off, “You could have gotten seriously hurt, young man.” she scolds. Winston gives her a sideways glance and smirks, “He was hurting you, and it’s my job to protect you, mom. I couldn’t just stand there and-” without warning, an ungodly loud screech interrupts Winston’s thoughtful sentiment and stops him and his mom in their tracks. The large glass windows at the front of the store rattle and shake while they both turn to look outside.

Winston’s face drains of color and his eyes widen in terror as he sees a winged reptilian creature the size of a semi-truck swoop down into the parking lot. Its wingspan at least a football field in length, and a snake-like tail that whips side to side as the creature lands with a thundering boom, crushing all beneath it. The elongated neck appears mostly scaly with patches of feather-thin red fur. The head is wide like a rattlesnake, but its mouth is shaped more like a turtle beak with sharply angled protrusions instead of teeth. The wings looked like bat wings as its front legs were attached to the webbing with only sharp talons extending from the points where its feet would be. It was a terrifying creature, something seen only in the dark reaches of nightmares made more frightening due to the sheer size of it.

The people in the parking lot shriek as they dart away from the monstrous beast. “M-Mom? Wha-what is that?” Winston murmurs, clutching her hand. The creature lowers its head and lets out a deafening screech. Winston can feel his insides vibrate as he clutches his hands over his ears. “Run!” Shelly yells, only her words sound muffled, as a lingering ring persists. Shelly grabs Winston’s arm and yanks him towards the back of the store, his feet fumbling beneath him. Uncontrollable tears blur his sight and tumble down his cheeks as shock has yet to settle in. “Baby, I need you to run faster!” his mom shouts, her grip around his wrist tightening like a tourniquet.

The sound of shattering glass comes from behind them as the people in the front begin to scream. “This way!” Shelly directs her son, turning towards a door leading to the stockroom of the store. A palpable sense of dread fell over Winston as they neared the back of the store, and he dragged his feet to stop his mom from running through the swing doors. Her frantic face turns to him, pleading him to move, but she quickly turns towards the doors once she hears snarling grunts and growls. “Oh my God.” she mutters quietly as a pair of fiery red eyes peer from the darkness behind the open doors. Shelly places herself between the eyes and Winston as the creature emerges.

The monster slowly slithers towards them, it’s body long like a snake. The face is shaped like a crocodile, but with brown feathers mimicking a mane framing its head. It hisses and extends its forked tongue, tasting the air while holding Shelly’s stare. Winston pulls at his mom’s shirt, “Come on mom, let’s make a run for it.” he begs her through tears. Shelly doesn’t avert her eyes from the slithering monster, but takes a few steps backwards and quietly whispers to Winston, “Babe, you’re going to run as fast as you can down towards the dairy section on the left. I’m gonna be right behind you, I promise.” Winston shakes his head rapidly, “No!” he yells. The serpent monster raises its head up and opens its mouth, showing multiple rows of dagger-like teeth. A thick mucus drips from the side of its mouth and slaps to the floor and immediately begins to melt it. “Honey, when I squeeze your hand, run. Run as fast as you can.” Shelly insists. A steady stream of tears and snot flow from Winston’s face while he prepares to run. “Get ready.” Shelly prepares him, “Go!” she screams, pushing him away from her.

Winston’s feet feel like lead as he runs down the aisle. His vision is blurry, but his ears hear perfectly as the creature releases a blood curdling howl. He hears noises behind him, but he doesn’t dare look. He runs until he can hide behind the refrigerator where they keep the eggs, when he turns to look for his mom. Winston searches for her somewhere near him, but she hadn’t made it much further than from where they were standing - she had broken her promise.

The serpent monster had wrapped around her, constricting her whole body like a snake. Winston screams out, “Mom! No!” through tears and agony. Unable to speak, Shelly simply blinks three times before the creature pulls tighter. Winston can hear his mother’s bones crushing and her final breath escaping her mouth when he drops to his knees and sobs uncontrollably, “No, no, no. Y-you can’t leave me.” he says aloud through tears as he watches the creature lather his mother’s body in the acid-like mucus and devour her whole.

***

Winston’s eyes water when he finishes his story of the first dragons he ever saw. He speaks slowly, “I will never forget that day. It was the single most terrifying day of my entire life. It was not only the day that the world changed, but that my life had changed. Since that day I have encountered countless dragons, I have fought many battles and lost so many others that I cared about to the jaws of those creatures, but I’ll never forget my mother’s sacrifice for my survival that very first day.” he tells the group gathered around him. “Now it is your turn to provide the ultimate sacrifice.” Winston says quietly. The warriors look around at each other with puzzled expressions on their faces. “It is now your time to sacrifice yourselves for the greater well-being of the rest.” he tells the group, as he raises his arms to the sky, summoning the dragons.