Underground Terror

Moscow, Russia

7 years before the end of the war

A couple of years after the initial outbreak of the dragons. The center of the war was Russia because since St. Petersburg was the zero point we all knew that it was there where we had to go to kill the dragons. To get there, the UN determined a plan which consisted of setting up an underground base in Moscow from where they would make one of the longest tunnels in the world that would connect the Moscow metro with the Saint Petersburg metro and be able to use the different exits to launch an offensive and maintain a safe route for necessary supplies. In command of the base was Rose Raven, who after surviving the initial outbreak was the person with the most experience on these beasts. My position in the army during that time was to be her bodyguard, but from time to time I had free time during that time I was also training to be a pilot on her recommendation.

For a couple of years the construction of the tunnel went smoothly and with the defenses mounted throughout the city keeping the dragons at bay was not difficult. The underground base, called Petra, was of enormous dimensions because in case of emergency it could cover almost the entire city of Moscow. It was like a cavern from which a large number of buildings hung down from the ceiling, while the military base was on the floor of the cavern, it had been done this way since the priority was the military personnel over the civilian, but also in case of attack, the army could quickly see what was happening above them to respond.

But it turned out to be a total failure because exactly on February 14 at noon, everyone at the base began to notice that it started to rain, it was strange without a doubt because we were inside a cave with a city of civilians over our heads. But when we raised our heads, terror seized us when we saw how what was raining was blood because the city was being attacked by a huge number of dragons, but strangely at the same time, there was not the slightest noise of the massacre that was literally happening above us. We immediately launched a counterattack, but after seeing how the dragons were outnumbering us quickly and powerfully, it became clear to us that it was a lost cause. Rose decided that the best thing was to evacuate the place and go to the tunnel under construction because in it there were more military personnel and supplies, so we began to carry out her orders. 

Rose insisted on staying to lead the defense as best she could and would leave by boarding the last evacuation train. I rose's bodyguard decided to stay with her so that I could at least buy time for her to get out of it. After all, what could a mere human with a rifle do against a monster of 10 meters each? Most of us soldiers were dead men from the beginning and we knew it, the only thing we could do was at least sacrifice ourselves in order to save our future. 

This was where one of my adventures began because when the last train was preparing to leave it was only for necessary military personnel, but still there were several people left, including a family. It was a mother and hers two daughters, the oldest was about eight years old I think, without a doubt something unpleasant to see. Rose was almost ready to delay the train to try to drop something to make room for them, but the dragons were right on top of us. We couldn't risk losing her and seeing the girls cry in fear of what happened. I offered to give my space to her family. I got off the wagon and quickly got on them, seeing them through the window the mother and her daughters smiled at them to try to calm them before the train started moving, I thought that was my end, but I was happy with him because at least three more people had managed to save themselves thanks to me. I stayed with a couple of soldiers trying to defend as much as possible the escape tunnel for those left behind, but it wasn't long before the dragons killed most of them. I think I was the last to retire when I saw that no one of my companions was left alive. I got out of there as fast as I could through the tunnel, as far as possible from that place. I entered the Moscow metro fearing for my life, one of the largest in the world when I could not even speak their language. 

It didn't take long to realize what a bad idea it was. The next day I was tired from not having slept, without ammunition, I had no food ration with me and outside it was starting to snow and although I thought it was normal according to the Russian troops told me, much later I realized that that was not more than another attack of the dragons. I only had a couple of cookies that I had gotten a little before the attack and a flashlight with a couple of batteries, which I used to guide me through the darkness of the tunnel, the light from that flashlight was my survival, if I ran out of batteries without It would certainly be my end, and yet I only had 2 days at best. 

My biggest surprise was when I arrived at what looked like a subway station, the light from my flashlight blew the head of a dragon small enough to pass through a door of only two meters, which when he turned to see the fountain of light noticed my presence and rushed to attack me. Without hesitation, I attack with my rifle, but I only managed to scare him away. But with the noise of the weapon I heard how several roars approached throughout the tunnels, they were more dragons that now are heading to my position. I started running for my life, I didn't pay attention to where I was going I just wanted to get out of there. I knew those dragons were lurking nearby, in the dark, closely following my flashlight, which I couldn't turn off because I needed to see where I was running. 

Thinking of a way to lose my persecutors, I turned off the flashlight in one of the intersections between several tunnels, for a moment I ran blindly so as not to lose my advantage, but suddenly I could feel how one of my steps never finished and I began to fall. I thought that this would be my end, that I would die falling into the void in the dark, but I was relieved when I managed to feel that hitting with several tubes slowed my speed and I stopped only a couple of meters below. But even though I was dying to turn on the flashlight to see where I was, I decided to wait until I made sure the dragons no longer followed me. I don't know how long that lasted, I think that maybe it was only minutes, but it was the most terrifying minutes that I spent in my life.

When I noticed that I was safe I got up and turned on the flashlight only to be even more scared to see that where I was standing there were eggs around, they were large enough of they were even empty. I had no doubt, those were dragon eggs, I had to get out of there as soon as possible because if this was a nest those beasts would return sooner or later. So despite my pain from the fall, I walked carefully again so as not to make the slightest sound.

But just when it was about to leave the nest one of the eggs hatched, emerging a dragon, it had four legs and a tail, although it did not have wings. I raised my gun with my last magazine, I don't want to spend it against a newborn because I might need it later. But the dragon did not attack me, on the contrary, it approached me and tried to snuggle into my legs. I thought the dragon was mistaking me for his mother just like some animals do when they are raised by humans. Unlike was what all logic dictated, I thought that since I was not attacking I could keep it, because maybe I could warn where the dragons lurk using the help of the baby, in the worst case at least I got a free meal. So I took him in my arms and left the nest behind.

Not long after that, I managed to find a large store in another subway station so I tried to grab all the supplies I might need. From food for me and dog food for the dragon to various battery packs for the flashlight. But I couldn't stay, because the ground was full of claw marks, so those monsters had to pass by regularly.

For a while, I was trying to get to the surface, but I realized that the dragons came to the surface during the day and flew over the city in search of food, so it was dangerous to go out. But during the night the cold of winter increased so the dragons themselves took refuge in the subway to sleep. Taking advantage of that, I had no choice but to forget the sunlight and resign myself to living in the dark. During the day I would try to explore the tunnels or rest and at night I would surface to get more food in the city without the dragons, but I would return before dawn. So I lived 24 hours without seeing the sunlight. 

With the baby dragon, I tried to start studying the behavior of the beasts to my advantage. With him I realized what I suspected, dragons could see in the dark. After giving him some meat in decontamination I managed to see that this did not affect them in the least, although he did eat it with disgust. I also thought that maybe they could communicate, but remembering that this dragon was separated from others of his race, I thought that maybe if I taught him to speak I could tell if they were capable or not. But maybe over time, I began to see it more as a form of entertainment, so I began to treat him like a dog and talk to him about whatever it was. The little dragon couldn't do anything but growl, so I thought maybe the dragons didn't have vocal blocks or something to communicate with. 

Knowing that I was completely lost in a foreign city and of which I did not even know the language to read the signs, I began to work on a solution. I knew that somewhere in the subway I had to see a tunnel newer than the others, that undoubtedly had to be the tunnel that connected with the city of Saint Petersburg, my way out of this infernal place. So I started to make a map about the subway, where each tunnel I visited led to, and which stations are connected to. I knew that the exit should be north of the city, but I had nothing to indicate it and my fear of being discovered by the dragons was such that I did not surface while the sun was up. That map was my guide and survival because I began to write down all the valuable information that I found, from small and safer corridors to the places that the dragons most frequented or their nests, which areas of the city were more likely to find food and in which others are more likely to find clothes or tools. So I always had it close at hand along with a pencil to write down any new discoveries. 

As for the passage of time, I was also beginning to worry, since it was already the middle of June but the winter showed no signs of leaving. It was impossible for a season to last that long, but the snow on the surface didn't lie. I really was convinced that the dragons must also be to blame for the strange weather. But I could not know if everyone suffered from the same, or if on the contrary, it was only the city because I had nothing to keep informed.

As for the dragon, the passage of time was also noticeable, as it had grown considerably, but not at the level of the others. He still looked like the height of one of those big dogs. Until a certain day comes where a great change did happen. Well, one day when I got up before the bet of the sun to go back to the surface for food when I opened my eyes I noticed how the dragon that slept next to me was nowhere to be found. In her place, there was a girl with horns and a tail who hugged me, and when she woke up from her she also called me Daddy