dragons breath 01 - stalked by flames by susan illene Page A

was paying attention, I heard gunshots as well. Were people there shooting at them?
    A moment later an explosion rocked the area. Flames shot upward, obscuring the dragons for a moment before they flew through it.
    “What the heck?”
    Conrad leaned closer toward me so he could get a better view out of the driver’s side window. “All these earthquakes probably ruptured some of the gas lines. Their flames might have ignited the fumes.”
    “Oh, that’s just great.” I hadn’t even thought of that.
    “You hear that?” he asked.
    “The gunfire?” It had been coming from several locations, though there was a break after the explosion.
    “No.” He shook his head. “Listen closer.”
    I rolled down the window an inch. “Oh, yeah. Helicopters.”
    A moment later two of them came into view. They headed straight for the dragons, who’d moved on to the next neighborhood. I could only guess the military had put troops there to defend the place because it sounded like machine guns were going off on the ground again.
    “Those are Apaches. They must have sent them from Fort Riley for them to get here this fast,” Conrad said.
    I gave him a surprised look. “How do you know that?”
    “My parents are in the army.”
    “Huh.” I wouldn’t have guessed.
    The Apache helicopters opened fire on the dragons. The creatures jerked wildly as the bullets tore through their bodies and wings, but neither of them fell. Lifting their heads, they roared out thick red and orange flames into the sky. One helicopter swerved to avoid the fire, but the other one didn’t move in time. Its rotary blades were incinerated, sending them plummeting. I winced as it crashed and burned into the ground. Those were our troops we’d just lost.
    “Now I really want to see those fuckers die,” Conrad said.
    We both leaned closer to the window as we watched. Please, God, let the other helicopter hang in there and do some damage. I wasn’t sure if it would stay in the fight as it sped away, flying faster than the dragons could follow.
    Then it turned back, letting loose a missile before banking away again. I held my breath as the missile sailed toward the dragons. It struck one. The light from the explosion was almost blinding in the dark sky, but there was no missing the fall of a large body.
    Conrad pumped his hand in the air. “Take that, you fucking bastards.”
    “Why didn’t they do that in the first place?” I was still mourning the loss of the first helicopter.
    He gave me a grim look. “On such short notice, I doubt they have more than a few missiles to use. They were probably ordered to try bullets first.”
    A chorus of roars filled the air. Four more dragons entered the scene, coming from the north. The Apache sent missiles out toward them, but this time its targets were ready. They blew flames in front of them, incinerating the projectiles before they could do any damage. There wasn’t even an explosion.
    They spread out to surround the helicopter. It didn’t have a chance to get away before one of the dragons got close. I dug my fingernails into the door panel as I watched it let out a stream of fire that engulfed the body of the helicopter. When it was done, only the blades were left to fall to the ground. I clenched my eyes shut, wishing I could wipe the memory of what I’d just seen away. The men in there had to have died instantly, but it must have demoralized their comrades on the ground. The shooting had stopped.
    After giving myself a mental shake, I opened my eyes again.
    “Damn. I thought that helicopter had them,” Conrad said, settling back in his seat.
    “At least they got one dragon before they went down,” I said, rubbing my face.
    “Yeah, but you saw what happened. It only took one time for them to see how a missile works before they figured out how to defend against it. They’re smart and there’s nothing that can get around that fire.” He balled his fist. “We’re up shit creek without a