Zodiac

 

---

 

A powerfully rhythmic beat played in the distance.

The drumming thunder echoed through the dark alleys.

Earth itself shook and the monuments of man trembled.

Throughout the night sky, the darkness fled from the brilliant firestorm.

Alarmed shouts and desperate screams escalated louder over the city's nightlife.

With a monstrously volcanic roar, all were forewarned of the approaching danger, but none expected how menacing it would be!

 

 

---

 

A day earlier

Alex stared at the collosal pile and asked: “How is this going to work?”

Kneeling by the blinding collection of colorful props and costumes was Zhen. “I've friends coming,” he said. “They've practiced this sort of dance before --”

“This isn't a dance! We have to scare everyone, not treat them to a fucking moonwalking Thriller!” Richy wasn't very amused. His concept of a haunted fundraiser was setting up a haunt and spooking the guests.

I personally thought Zhen's idea was unique. A week ago, we'd had no idea how to pull it off and Zhen was the only one to voice a plan. All Richy wanted was a place to hang out and yell at people... kinda like what he was just doing.

“What are we gonna do if they don't show?” As much as I hated Richy's smirking at that question, Alex did have a good point.

Zhen smirked back. “If they don't show, what else do you all have in mind?”

“A hayride across the countryside or one of those old jails would be creepy enough.” Richy stepped toward the bright colors piled on the floor and nudged the jaw of the mega-costume with his boot. “It won't fucking work. I looked it up --”

“Looked what up?” Zhen offered Richy a chance to explain, but step-by-step. Not Richy's outright pessimism.

“This so called 'Dance' uses poles to hold the thing up in the air, like it's flyin'.” He pointed down at the pile. “Nothing here but pretty rags.”

“There's more than one variant. The one you described, that could be Shenlong. Storm, wind, and thunder... Weather. It's supposed to fly.” Zhen pointed out the pile. “This is Dilong. Earth and river. It's supposed to remain on the ground... plus this is its year.” He stood up and laid a hand on Richy's shoulder. “Trust me. We know what we are doing.”

Richy brushed Zhen's hand off. “No offense, but I'm gonna laugh if this shit hits the fan.” Then he walked away and out of the warehouse.

I blinked a few times when the outside light poured in. Then I turned back to Zhen and Alex.

Alex squatted and lifted up the expansive fabric that made up the earth dragon. “What do we do while waiting for your party to arrive?”

“We make certain that what we have here is the whole thing.” Across from Alex, Zhen knelt next to the pile. Without even glancing my way, he called out to me. “Edna, you want your credits?”

Shyly, I said, “Y-yes.”

“Come over here and help me with the other end.” Zhen did glance at Alex and instructed: “When we pull it up and out, I want you to run your hand over the edge. You're feeling for any tears, nicks or thinning in the hem.”

“Got it. Coming, Ed?” When Alex called me over too, I couldn't refuse.

I got off of the bottom of the stairs and carefully walked over to them. As I bent over to pick up the other end of the fabric, I felt a stitch in my back. I kept my mouth shut and endured the muscle pain.

Bending over was all I could manage. My kneecaps had experienced a crippling accident a few years back. Only in the last year had I been walking.

To be honest, I had no idea why I was with these guys. The credits were an excuse for school. I could have gained those points behind a desk.

Zhen was a dark-golden, black haired, short and wiry guy with the biggest and roundest glasses I'd seen on anybody's face. He was very sure of himself.

Alex had the same golden tone as Zhen, but he was Hispanic. He was thick-limbed and strong. He had a barrel chest, but his stomach was a bit more pronounced.

Richy was a farm boy in the big city. He was of average build and had decent looks, but behind that face was a jerk.

Then there was me: the only girl.

A crippled girl with no future except as someone who sits down all day and fills out paperwork or answers phone calls. That was my goal. My only goal...

We had finished inspecting one of the expansive sheets and had been about to pick up the next --

-- but as I bent over, my back seized up and I unintentionally hissed.

Zhen immediately took control. “Edna, go sit down. Alex, help her and I'll be back. I'm going to the truck.”

One man went one way, the other approached me and I froze. Alex gave my back a small pat with one hand and pointed to the stairwell. “Let's take you back to your corner.”

“My corner?” He smirked at me in amusement and nodded. “Am I on a timeout or something?”

We were walking to the stairwell as he answered: “Yes. This is a timeout for you to get better.” He shrugged. “I don't know what Zhen is up to, but I'm sure it'll help.”

I grinned as I grabbed the stair rail for support and asked: “Help me or you guys?”

“Maybe both?” He shook his head. “Zhen only knows.”

Our curiosity didn't last long before Zhen reappeared. He carried a big box and set it down. When he opened it, he pulled out an odd article of clothing, golden-framed and with a bright red inlaid draconic decoration surrounding the midriff...

It took me one second to recognize what he had in his hands. “Is that a corset?”

“No. It's a back brace... a fancifully embroidered back brace.” Zhen held the brace out to me. Once I took it, he knelt back down and pulled out a strange, thick cylinder.

He shook it and the bottom of it extended down to the floor. He turned it upside down and shook it until the other end reached the floor too. With a clicking noise, both ends locked in place.

I asked: “What is that?”

“A staff. Instead of wasting your time here, you can rely on this and come back with us to sort everything out.” I gave him a deadpan stare as he held the extension staff out to me. “Here. Take it.”

I took it. “I thought we didn't have any poles?”

“That's a staff. And I never said anything about not having poles. Richy was the one who mentioned not seeing any.”

“That's not going to collapse on her, is it?” When Alex said that, I immediately became self-conscious of my weight. I wasn't big, but I wasn't model material.

And Zhen snapped open the back brace for me. He gave me a straight-faced look and nodded for me to enter the brace.

I used the staff to hold myself up and Zhen put the brace on me. I'd never worn one before, and had no idea how the thing should be secured.

And that was when I realized my terrible mistake!

He shifted the thing around my middle and strung together the harness on the sides --

-- and yanked! I hissed. He yanked again, eliciting another hiss.

“Fucking Hell! Zhen! Take it off.” It had hurt being put on and I felt constricted by the brace... no, that was definitely a corset.

He yanked on the third harness around and under my bust.

“Zhen!!” In case he hadn't heard me, I put all the pain he was inflicting into the yell.

“It's on. You'll be fine and now you can help us.” He laid his hand on my shoulder and stated: “No more pain. Trust me.”

I mumbled and grumbled as we went back to the colorful dragon hoard. After an hour of assisting the two, I discovered Zhen was right.

I felt no pain.

 

 

---

 

The next day

“Jesus H. Christ. They actually showed...” Why Richy seemed pissed about Zhen's party showing up, I had no idea.

On second thought, that was a lie. I knew why Richy was upset. He wanted Zhen to be wrong about something for once. I kinda did too, but not at the expense of others.

On a third thought, I wound up wearing Zhen's damn corset again. I appreciated the staff, but when I looked in the mirror and saw how I appeared with the corset, I looked funny. Like I was only wearing one piece of a set.

To myself, I said, “Maybe I am?”

While Zhen's party was figuring out how to put on the dragon suit, I walked over to the big box by the stairwell and looked inside.

Gold and red.

Whatever I was wearing was a part of a set.

My gaze drifted to the extension staff. It was a ruddy-red.

“Zhen!?” He appeared surprised when he saw me looking through the box.

With a smile on his face, he raced over. “Do you want to try it on?”

My mouth partially opened, then closed. Looking back in the box, I picked up some of the pieces to inspect them. 

“What is it for?”

Instead of telling me what it was, he gave me a history lesson... or a mythology lesson. “Dilong is an earth dragon, but also a dragon of the river. A friend of the Sea Kingdom. The costume in there is the Sea Dragon Armor.”

“Okay.” To be sure, I asked: “So it's armor?”

“Yes. I told you that was a back brace.” I rolled my eyes when he said that.

When I laid my eyes back on him, his smile grew. And I didn't like it! “What?”

“Try it on. I'll help you.” He was quickly on his knees and taking out each piece of the gold and red set.

“Zhen... please, no.” In exasperation, I tried to protest, but he pulled out everything and became assertive with sliding on certain parts. Like armbands and gloves, a big coat, shoulder guards, thigh-knee-shin pads, and more. He even put a long feathery crown on my head that had to be secured with an elastic string beneath my jaw.

I stood there in silence, leaning on my staff and gazing into empty space with a mile-long stare. When I turned to look at Alex and Richy, they snickered!

Then Zhen turned and waved his crew over. He spoke to them in a hushed voice before he waved back to me.

Zhen's party appeared to be enthusiastic about something as their chatter escalated excitedly.

When their little party broke, Zhen came back and told me: “You're going to be a part of the attraction.”

“...What?” I couldn't have heard that right. “Say that again?”

“You'll be fine. The role you will take is dainty, shifts back and forth, titters behind a limp wrist... oh yes, definitely hold the staff like this from now on.” He took my hands and manipulated them in an odd angle around the staff.

I felt like I was giving the staff a monkey's grip.

Zhen backed up and said, “Now I want to hear you laugh.”

“Laugh?” He gestured for me to commence with the laughs. “Ah, okay.”

For a moment, I had to work up the courage to laugh at nothing. Then I laughed.

“Ed, come on. You can do better.” I narrowed my eyes at him and tried louder. “That's not what I meant. Try a real laugh. The kind that would snap you out of that corset.”

My jaw dropped. “You said it was --”

“Edna! Laugh for me! Show me how a King would laugh!” That was a strange request.

But I did what he asked. I pulled in lungfuls of air, and laughed boisterously. He was about to speak again, but after confirming my suspicion about the corset, I didn't give him a chance to speak.

I laughed in his face, loud. Laughed until my stomach really did hurt!

I had to hold my side and lean on the staff at the same time by the time I finished my ruckus.

Zhen's smile was absolutely genuine. “You're perfect. Young boyish face --”

“Boyish?” I gave him a glare with that remark.

But he continued as if he hadn't heard or paid me heed. “-- slender and small, light and clear skin, bright blue eyes, and excellent short hair... we need more hair.”

“More hair?” I was more baffled at him commenting on my short hair and demanding more!

He turned away from me while I caught my breath.

Zhen pointed at me and I only caught one word as he spoke: “Wukong.”

That name sounded familiar. I could have sworn my little brother would play an online game with a monkey character with that name. “Wait a sec... isn't he in --”

“Come over here and allow them to work on you.” I stood my ground and stared at Zhen with both shock and defiance. “Or they can work on you there.”

I practically screeched: “Work on me?!”

And I had no opportunity to escape with my disability. His party surrounded me and began a series of applications to my hands, neck, face... they even worked between the outfit to have the costume blend in with my casual clothes beneath!

As shy as I was, I kept very still while they worked on me. I didn't enjoy strangers touching me, but they'd already begun their work on me. Plus Zhen's always-right streak grounded me.

“Good, good. Excellent!” While Zhen appraised and admired whatever was happening to me, Alex and Richy were besides themselves with barely contained guffaws!

I don't know how long I stood there, but I began to absolutely rely on the staff to keep up. My legs began to buckle at my knees... I squared my shoulders and gripped the staff between both hands as I endured the party's administrations to my makeup.

I supposed it was my posture that brought Alex rushing over to me. “Zhen, call them off.”

Zhen appraised me again. “Just a minute more and she's done.”

Alex squeezed past the group around me and gave me a shoulder to lean on.

“...Thanks,” I whispered.

“Sure... you look flushed.” I wasn't surprised, but Alex remarking on that made me conscious of the fact.

I was hot in the outfit. “I should go outside. Get some air.”

“Yes. That is a good idea.” Zhen nodded and quickly ran to the door. He opened it for me and elaborated. “We can get an idea how you would look in the light.”

I gave him a baleful smile. He smiled back, then jerked up in a jump as I stabbed down on his toes with the bottom of my staff.

My laughter rang into the evening as I walked out.

 

 

---

 

Later that night

The warehouse we'd rented was transformed easily into what appeared to be a cave. We relied on Richy for the decor: black tarps and plenty of his country leftovers from before he'd moved to the city.

Zhen's crew had thoroughly familiarized themselves with the dragon costume. At least four people were acting as the dragon's four two-toed-feet. The legs were like cloaks to those feet-men.

The head had to be manipulated by two people. Zhen volunteered to hold up and blink the eyes, so he could coordinate where to go. Richy was to open and close the dragon's giant mouth. At first, I thought that would have been difficult with Zhen in there too, but they showed me how the head was supported on both their shoulders.

Along the serpentine body, Zhen's crew crouched or raised themselves when the dragon would move about. The tail was being swung around and moved about by Alex alone.

When the cars began to show up, I would greet them with a limp wave and a little titter as I saw children.

“Monkeys?” I had to question that.

One of the grownups informed me their school had an event. The teachers and their classes had drawn tickets on what animal to dress as. Some were kitties and doggies, others fishies and froggies, and more... and these were monkeys!

I should've been collecting money, but I was distracted by the little monkeys jumping around as they saw me! They were so cute!

As the kids first approached me, I discovered my costume had a tail -- one of the little tots pulled it and my pants almost exposed cheek!

I shouldn't have, but by instinct, I whirled around on my staff and gave the little guy a playful snarl while comically pulling my pants back up. The kids around me laughed, but my targeted kid hadn't...

So I painfully crouched down, crossed my legs, and offered him a look at my staff in offer of apology. He appeared interested and more cheerful, and that was enough for me to appreciate some triumph.

I made a mental note that I had better get a decent amount of credits for tonight.

The kid with my staff had his parents calling for him, so I took my staff back. Unfortunately, I had trouble standing back up.

Instead of going through the ordeal, I slumped my shoulders and frowned a comically grumpy face...

A moment later, my back, legs, and skin felt tingly --

-- and I heard screams! Not the scared kind I was expecting when the show would start.

Real and terrible screams.

I looked at the many butts of the crowd in my face and wondered what was going on.

Then I saw a few of those cheeks clench just a split second before the crowd turned in all directions to flee!

Without a thought, I climbed up my staff to stand and see for myself what had happened. My short stature didn't help.

In a few seconds, I had no need to see to know what was going on. I heard it. A series of thunderous crushing noises. Something massive was moving around in the warehouse.

Then I felt it. An earthquake of a colossal creature smashing through the warehouse wall. I didn't understand what I saw.

A dragon!

Our dragon. But it was real. Alive!

Once that thing burst out of the warehouse, chaos followed. Everyone was running and slamming into each other. A free for all to escape.

I would've been one of them too --

-- but I'd caught sight of a little monkey boy sprawled out on the ground. The kid who'd held my staff. And his parents weren't about to pick him back up.

Once again, without any thought, I slipped against the flow and through the racing crowd to the kid. I had a sure grip on my staff as I climbed to sit down and cross my legs.

I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe I had thought it was impossible for me to pick the kid up. But I guarded the kid and blocked the stampede with my staff held across and above my head. I was like a red guardrail!

So many people... they couldn't have all come from the attraction. Something else was causing a mass panic in the streets.

More and more, the flow of people came and I was barely holding onto the staff. People pushed and shoved until some fell against or over my staff.

I was amazed to not have been crushed under the weight, but I supposed adrenaline gave me the strength to keep the masses away from the kid. With him in mind, I glanced behind me to check up on him --

-- and saw children had gathered behind me without my notice!? My jaw dropped and a squawk of shock escaped me as I took in how hairy they were!

Monkeys. They were kid monkeys!

I tried to ask them about their parents above all the shouts and screams. But the moment I made the attempt, they rushed and clung to my back as a roar silenced me and everyone.

My attention went up. Wa-ay up!

If my jaw had dropped at the sight of those kids, then it unhinged and hit my lap at the terrifying image of the dragon just feet away!

The sky had changed color from the night blue to a fiery orange. I didn't know if the dragon had breathed fire or if there was something else in the city setting it aflame.

But I didn't take a chance when the dragon opened its huge mouth!

I swung the staff at it --

-- and the extension stretched further out than I'd thought possible!

The dragon flinched away and shook its mighty head. Those eyes were crazy... like googly eyes. They weren't focused on a thing!

And as I observed it, the dragon wasn't coordinated at all. Its legs kept stretching out in different directions, but it mostly slithered on its stomach. Like it didn't know how to walk... or had no control of its legs.

Everything about the dragon appeared to be in chaos, as if it was having a seizure.

I tilted my head to the side and laid my cheek on the shoulder pad in confused wonder. “Did I do that?” I lowered my staff and gave it a renewed appraisal.

My attention was brought back to the dragon as I heard the warehouse crumble behind it. The incredibly long tail had aimlessly swung and smashed into the structure.

“Okay. Time to go.” Over my shoulder, I saw the kids were still there. “Give me a hand, will ya?”

Two of the bigger kids came to my rescue --

-- and I yowled in pain! Someone had stepped on... on...

“Tail?” I reached back and yanked on my tail. I actually felt it slip out from under a kid's foot before the two helped me stand up. I quickly turned around and followed my tail before I stood still. I felt around my pants, dug into them, and --

-- my head shot straight up when I felt I had more than one head and tail down there. With a sheepishly nervous grin, I pulled out and ended my exploration.

Right now was not the time to figure out what was going on with me. Not with a crazy dragon looming over our heads!

I used the extension staff to keep the crowd from stomping the kids flat as we made our escape. In a couple of minutes, we managed to get far enough away from the dragon --

-- but there were other dangers nearby.

I had just seen a wolfman run from one alley and into the next.

A large droid of some kind bumped into a door before blasting it open.

A school of little fishpeople were running and screaming after an old lady across the street.

And countless characters of various kinds... with our nasty rare bird.

The earth shook. I looked back and saw the dragon had come closer, but blindly collided with the nearby apartment building.

It didn't stop trying to go that direction, either! The dragon was digging through the building, smashing its way through and destabilizing the whole thing.

My eyes drifted up the height of the apartment building. “Uh-oh.”

I immediately turned and made the kids scramble across the street!

We all managed to make it across.

My attention shifted to the collection of tots. I took a moment to count the little monkeys.

Then my focus changed back to the sudden silence.

With a yip from me, I turned and saw why as everyone and everything had quieted. We all watched the destroyed apartment building tip towards the rented warehouse. I really hoped that Alex, Richy, Zhen, and the whole crew were long gone by now.

At least, I hoped they had been before the dragon appeared... our dragon...

In an insane way, the uncoordinated movements of the dragon began to make sense to me. I gulped when a sickening theory entered my mind about how that dragon may be comprised of multiple people.

From beyond the rubble of the building, I saw the long serpentine tail swish back and forth. That dragon was still on the move...

For now, I had to get myself and these kids to safety. The only place I could think of going was a police station.

As the crazy Halloween night continued, I fended off one abomination, another lunatic, a hysterical crowd, and so much more.

When we made it to our destination, I took note of the huge assembly of frightened people waiting for police to take action. Some of those officers were directing a number of citizens to shelters.

The night felt like it would never end, but I decided a shelter was better than out in the open with who knows what else went bump in the night. Punching my heroics out, I called it a night before I ran into something climactic. Those sort of things could be left to the superheroes I'd caught strutting their stuff out there. With my life and the kids' on the line, I decided to follow those going to the shelter.

Down in the shelter, I made a more startling discovery than my inhuman transformation or gender change; I was pain free. And because of that, I welcomed those who clung to my back.

All night long, I kept an entertaining vigilance up for my little monkeys...