Darkness Falls

[Kinley Sima]

The last thing Kinley wanted to do was turn his back on Dragon. Every part of his being screamed for him and he kept foolishly looking back. Every time he did, the mist began to obscure his vision. His heart raced, thudded, and beat a harsh rhythm against his ribcage. Dragon! Yet Tim kept moving forward, ignoring what was happening behind them. How could he have so much confidence? It made Kinley feel... lesser somehow, as if he didn't put enough faith and trust in Dragon to be able to handle whatever that thing was on his own.

He didn't think it was like that, though. Logically, he was sure Tim just wanted to save his friend--Kinley--from harm. And he hoped that Dragon wouldn't be hurt in the process but... but... But what? Couldn't he help? No. He said he can't change like Dragon does. A product of being half-dragon rather than a full one, Kinley suspected. And then he wondered which parent was the dragon.

"What if he..." Kinley couldn't finish the sentence; he knew that if he did, the possibilities might just turn him back toward the fray. The very one his best friend was trying to pull him away from. Instead, he swallowed past the thick lump in his throat and tried to change the subject.

"Kero's safe, right?"

[Tim Zhong]

What if he needs our help?

It crossed Tim's mind too but he couldn't stop and turn back now. He promised Dragon that he'd keep Kinley safe and promises between dragons were sacred. It wasn't something to be taken lightly. Besides, if they were hurt trying to save Dragon, then Dragon's sacrifice would've been for nothing. Tim grit his teeth and kept on going, ignoring the lump in his own throat as Dragon's cries sounded behind them, growing weaker.

"Yeah, he's safe. Last I saw, he was making eyes at Andy." Tim tried to grin but it came out wrong. It was tight, forced. They were nearly at his house now, though, and he saw the front door opening and the welcome beacon of light spilling out into the dense fog. A figure hurtled towards them, sprinting across the front lawn.

"KIN! KIN! YOU'RE OKAY!" Kero flung himself at Kinley but Tim pulled him off before his arms could make it all the way around Kinley's waist.

"We have to get back inside!" His voice was sharp, strained. They weren't out of the woods yet! Tim hustled both brothers along, into his house, and then he slammed the door shut and locked it behind him.

"We'll just. We can wait here until Dragon kills that thing. He knows where I live so. He'll find his way here later."

[Kinley Sima]

Please be safe, Dragon. The sense of loss was real and he didn't want it to happen again. Losing Dragon in one form had been bad enough. Losing him forever... The lump in his throat grew larger and he had to swallow hard and remember to breathe. Dragon was a dragon. He would be okay. Tim thought so. Dragon... must have thought so, too. He'd do anything to protect me, wouldn't he?

Even die.

Stop.

Struggling to keep himself in the present with Tim, he took in another deep, shuddering breath. Then he realized what Tim was saying and he looked up, startled. "Did you just--?"

Andy? Kero's making eyes at Andy? Kinley half wanted to laugh and half wanted to cry for his brother. Then again, Andy was way more accessible than a dragon that seemed connected to their world only through a little card. He didn't have long to ruminate over his brother's possible romantic fate, however--because Kero was throwing himself at him with all the grace of a truck. No time for a reunion. Kinley cast another furtive glance over his shoulder just before he was unceremoniously shoved into Tim's house.

"Sheesh, okay. We're inside." Kinley turned to see Tim securely locking the door. Sliding an arm around Kero's shoulder to half hug him, he continued to watch Tim. "What the hell's going on out there?"

[Kero Sima]

Kero kept a firm hold on his brother and buried his face into the vicinity of Kinley's chest. When Tim and that Dragon guy rushed out, Kero had a bad feeling that something was wrong. That feeling was exacerbated by the creepy weird robed things that swarmed by outside, just barely visible through the fog. Tim hadn't even done a good job of explaining anything—all he said was to stay indoors and to stay quiet.

Kero spent half the time worrying about his brother and the other half of the time staring at Andy. Who was a dragon. Yeah. Kero hadn't gotten a chance to interrogate him before Tim and the Dragon guy made their appearance, and then he sorta forgot most of his questions because he was busy ogling Andy. Maybe that creeped Andy out, he didn't know (but highly suspected that was the case).

It was just...

Andy was a DRAGON!

And so was Tim! And Tim's parents! And the Dragon guy was a dragon too! EVERYBODY was a dragon!

"Something bad's happening." Tim ran a hand over his face, looking tired. "My parents said it was the fog. Things are coming out of the fog and they're... hurting humans."

Kero's grasp on Kinley tightened. HE was a human!! "Kin... what's gonna happen to us?" And their parents? Tim said his parents were over at their house, keeping their parents safe, but Kero wished he could see his mom and dad right now.

[Kinley Sima]

"Only humans?" Kinley asked, sounding somewhat skeptical. So then why was it attacking Dragon? Because he was in a human form. No, no. That made no sense. It didn't react to Tim, did it? Kinley found that he couldn't remember. He was so shaken that he couldn't really think straight. Even his limbs were shaking a little, to mirror the jarring rhythm of his heart.

"We're going to be fine," Kinley said, mustering the most confident voice he could. He lightly ran his hand up to Kero's head so he could ruffle his hair. Kero was worried. Tim was worried. Everybody was worried but they couldn't show it in front of their little brothers. Kinley glanced up and scanned the room for Tim's brother, who was sitting on the couch with his legs crossed like a kindergartener, hands pressed against his legs. He wasn't looking at them, just staring blankly at the television. It was on, but it was just static.

Trying not to worry Tim on top of everything else, Kinley asked, "Is the cable out? And the news?"

[Kero Sima]

"Looks like the cable's out. You wanna go check the radio upstairs? Maybe there's some reception up there." Tim frowned at Andy, but didn't say anything about his strange behavior. It looked like he wanted to, then thought better of it.

Kero's head snapped back. "What's gonna be on the news? Is the--are the creepy guys in the fog gonna be in the news Kin?"

Also, what was up with Andy? Kero finally let go of Kinley, now that he knew his brother was safe, and wandered back to the couch. He plopped down beside Andy and nudged him with his elbow. Then he felt a little thrill--because he'd just nudged A DRAGON with his elbow!

[Andrew Zhong]

"I don't know but we're going to find out,," Kinley said, ruffling his brother's hair one last time before he started up the stairs with Tim. Andy watched them out of the corner of his eye and then stared at the television again. Still nothing but static. Cable was definitely out. He grasped his knees again and then jolted in surprise when a weight plopped down beside him. Finally, he turned his head to face Kero and he felt at least somewhat calmed by his presence.

"What?" Andy elbowed Kero back.

[Kero Sima]

"Ow!" Kero rubbed his ribs where Andy's elbows dug into him. "We should go while they're upstairs!" He leaned in closer, dropping his voice to a low whisper even though Kinley and Tim couldn't possibly hear them now. But Kero didn't know if Tim had super DRAGON hearing! Maybe Tim had all kinds of special powers! (Little brother snooping-on powers maybe!)

"You know. To see what's going on outside! Don't you wanna know? Where's Dragon? Tim went out with him right? We could just... take a quick peek and come back before they come downstairs again!"

[Andrew Zhong]

Go? Andy stared at Kero without comprehension for a few seconds before realizing what it was that Kero meant. He only realized it a second before Kero explained, but still. Then he cast a look toward one of the windows. Dragon, eh? That Dragon guy that Kero's brother was so obsessed with?

Normally, Andy wanted to go on adventures with Kero but something in him hesitated. Maybe it was the way being outside made him feel. Maybe it was the strange fog. Worst of all, maybe it was the way his brother was acting. Andy couldn't even remember the last time he saw Tim so worked up.

"You just got your brother back inside," Andy said. "Why do you want to go back outside?"

[Kero Sima]

"Because now I know Kin's safe!" Kero exclaimed, in a tone of voice that indicated he was trying very hard to explain something very obvious to Andy. "So now I can go out, because he's here! C'mon! I heard a huge noise earlier, didn't you? You think that Dragon guy's a dragon right now?"

Kero was almost wiggling physically in his giddy excitement. Yes, he was worried earlier, but that was when he didn't know where his brother was. Now that Kinley and Tim were safe, and knowing that TIm's parents were taking care of his parents, the only thing left to do was--well--go see what all the fuss was about! Kero was sure that if there was real danger, they could simply run back home.

Leaping up, he grabbed Andy's hand and tugged hard on it. "If you don't come with me, I'm going out alone!"

[Andrew Zhong]

"...probably?"

Andy didn't know what else to say. Part of him was a little, well, jealous. He'd always know that he was a blood relative of a dragon and that he had a few extra abilities thanks to that bloodline. But as far as he knew, he'd never been able to actually change into one the way that Dragon guy did. What kind of name is Dragon anyway? he scoffed to himself. Kero was awfully interested in him now that he knew dragons were real! And that the guy could become one.

Andy scoffed aloud, too. Tugging back, he didn't immediately get up. He tried to pull Kero back down.

"Dude," he started, but Kero was excitedly talking over him--about how he was going out alone if he didn't go with him. Andy narrowed his eyes and pulled at Kero again, tightening his hold on him in case Kero really made good on his words.

"No way, man. You can't go out there. You're human, stupid!"

[Kero Sima]

"I know that, dummy!" Did Andy think that Kero didn't know he was just a garden-variety, ordinary human?! That was why Kero needed—yeah, NEEDED, all capitals with emphasis—to get out there, before it was too late to see what was going on! How often would Kero have a chance to see a real dragon?

...he had plenty of chances to argue with an almost-dragon, every day practically. (Like... right now.) But a real dragon?! That was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and Andy was getting in the way of that. Kero tried to wrench his hands free, since now Andy was holding them hostage as he tried to drag Kero back down onto the couch. "That's it! I'm leaving without you!" he declared hotly, twisting his body in the direction of the door.

"Let go! I have to see the dragon!"

[Andrew Zhong]

"Kero! You idiot!"

Stupid, wiggly dumbass! He was going to get himself in trouble, running off into the mist like that! Yet Andy still got up and chased him to the door because sitting there staring at a static-filled television wasn't doing anything for him. It wouldn't do anything for anyone. But going out... Andy was admittedly apprehensive. There was something out there and both his parents and his brother and even Evie seemed pretty wary of it.

Thinking of Evie, Andy looked up the stairs, where Tim and Kinley had gone. Evie was upstairs, too. She was probably following Tim everywhere. Andy set his jaw. But she might think he was cool if he went outside with Kero and saved him from being dumb!

Sighing, he followed Kero outside.

"They say the stuff out here only goes after humans, you know," Andy said pointedly.

[Kero Sima]

"I'll out-run them!" Kero called over his shoulder to Andy, secretly glad that Andy decided to follow him. He was all gung-ho about going outside while he was inside, but once he was outside with the things that only went after humans, little fingers of fear began to creep down his spine. Still! His desire to see the dragon—a real live DRAGON—was greater than his fear of things that he couldn't see.

Kero ran down the street, looking left and right. Where was the dragon? He looked up into the sky. No dragon there. Was the dragon hiding behind that house? Behind the bush? He rooted around but nothing like a dragon popped out. "Where...? I thought I heard the noise from over here!" That roar sounded close earlier, like it might be only a few blocks away.

"Hey, what's that?" Crouching down, he inspected a pool of what looked like black ink. Kero dipped a finger into it and brought it closer to his face. It was a little thick and it was almost glossy. When he looked up, he noticed other small pools of the black substance. "Did somebody spill paint over here?"

[Andrew Zhong]

"Whatever," Andy mumbled. Like Kero was some kind of track runner or something. He couldn't outrun everything! Like monsters and ghosts and spirits! Pfft. Andy tried to shake off the weird feeling in the air but it crackled under the skin like a storm raging inside his veins. The feeling was thoroughly unsettling. Frowning and drawing his brows together, he followed Kero as closely as possible. So closely that he nearly stepped on the heel of his shoes a couple of times.

Then he stopped. Andy followed his gaze and immediately grasped onto the back of Kero's jacket and hauled him back, toward himself.

"Don't touch it, stupid!"