The Cosmic Dragon: Chapter 16

Isaac rubbed his eyes as he drove his car over to Josh’s house. Even though he had just been sleeping a little bit ago, he was already getting tired again, imagining what the party was probably going to be like. Let’s get this over with, he thought as he pulled into the driveway. He walked up to the front door, but it was opened before he could even knock.

“Hello Isaac!” shouted Josh. He was shouting because there was Heavy Metal music screaming in the background.

“Josh! Isn’t the music a bit loud?” Isaac yelled back at the top of his lungs. “I don’t want to go deaf!”

“Sorry, I’ll turn it down a few notches!” Josh answered, as Isaac entered the house. Isaac looked around for a corner to hide in. Unfortunately, all of the corners had groups of teens chatting in them. It’s funny how I was riding an alien dragon to escape a different alien dragon just yesterday and yet I’m still scared of socializing, noted Isaac.

The party continued, and Isaac simply followed Josh around and let him do all the talking. Isaac mostly just contemplated the events prior to the party and how his world had been turned completely upside down in just a few days.

“Are you okay?” asked Josh. This knocked Isaac out of his thoughts.

“Uh… yeah, yeah totally,” he replied, brought back into the real world. He then noticed from Josh’s face that Josh didn’t believe his answer. Do I look sad or something? wondered Isaac. “Really, I’m fine,” he added.

I am fine, right? he wondered. His brain didn’t reply.

“Jeez, Isaac, lighten up my dude,” said Josh, shaking his head. “Are you absolutely sure you’re okay?”

Isaac realized his current expression was not exactly the most pleasant, so he forced a small smile. As annoying as Josh could be, he really did mean well.

“I’m fine. Really,” insisted Isaac.

Isaac didn’t participate much during the rest of the party, other than trailing Josh and Violet, eating snacks, and winning the chess tournament that is. After the party, Isaac headed home. His social battery was at zero percent, and he really wanted time to be alone. No parties, no talking to coworkers, no interrogating people during investigations. Just Isaac and his room.

“What was it like, being an investigator?”

So much for alone time, thought Isaac as his parents interrogated him, trying to catch up on all the two years they missed. Not that I can blame them, they haven’t seen their son in ages. He answered their questions with what he could say, although most of what he knew was classified information.

He answered a few more questions.

“No mom, I didn’t meet any girls that I like while working there,” he grumbled. As he answered, an image of Alice flashed in his mind. He wondered if Shadowscale would be able to fix her memory. He hated not knowing what was happening.

***

Alice stood next to Donnovan in a hallway, and in front of them stood a man. Office lights flickered above, and some bullet marks were in the walls, remnants of Alice’s fight. Both Alice and Donnovan stared at the man in front of them. The man had stitch lines on him, in the same places Alice had hers, and his veins were vivid green, also like Alice’s.

“Do you remember now?” asked Donnovan to the man. “About how you are a serial killer who I pulled out of jail to work for me?”

“Yes,” said the man. “I remember now.”

“Excellent.”

Donnovan had a smirk on his face. Suddenly, that smirk disappeared.

“Something isn’t right,” he said. Alice then noticed him tense up. “Something definitely isn’t right.”

“What do you mean?” asked Alice.

“How?” yelled Donnovan. “I’m sure I built that cell correctly!”

“See, you are partly correct,” came a voice that Alice recognized as Shadowscale. “But unfortunately for you, you used really old parts from over a hundred years ago, one of which broke from being used after not being used in ages. When it did, I escaped. I don’t know where you got them from, but using such a complex system requires every part to work perfectly, so one part breaking causes the barrier to weaken greatly.”

Alice clenched her fists, ready to fight, but Donnovan waved her back.

“I will engage him, you two grab the prisoners and bring them here.”

“Yes sir,” said the man, and he and Alice turned to leave.

“You are despicable!” said Shadowscale angrily. “I know that you intend to use my friends as blackmail.” He rushed forwards, attempting to get past Donnovan. Donnovan blocked him, and they began an intense battle.

Alice ran at an intense speed towards the cells, and the two dragons went out of sight. Just as she was about to reach the cells, the entire building shook and she could hear a very loud roar. It seems they are transforming into their true selves, she mused.

Alice and the man arrived at the containment cells. Alice opened the first door, and looked inside.

It was empty.