[Somewhere in North Texas]

Michael was sitting on his horse, herding the cattle to the next pasture. He watched as the hundreds of cows moved from one spot to the next, stomping and mooing as they went along.  It was that time again but he was all alone. It was a tough job to do by yourself and he cursed his siblings for not helping him. They were probably out doing something for the company and it made Michael mad to think about it. They should have been here to help him yet they didn’t care, off doing whatever they wanted in the city. He sighed, running his fingers through his sort of long black hair, letting it fall just past his eyes, grabbing his bottle of water and taking a sip. 

It was around the colder time of the year as always and Michael liked it, looking at the snow on the ground and smiling. It made him remember the times he spent with his siblings, snowball fights and snowmen. Those were the days, filled with fun and a lack of responsibilities. Michael turned his head at the sound of hooves hitting the ground, looking and seeing his twin sister, Lucifer, riding her horse.

“Sorry I wasn’t up in time Mikey, I slept through my alarm.” Her voice was kind, sweet, paired with a southern drawl.

“It’s fine Lucy, I was just taking in the feeling of being alone.” Michael’s voice was opposite of Lucifer’s, it sounded rough, deep but still southern. He took a drink of his water and turned to face the herd, making sure that none of the cattle drifted off from the herd. He felt a slight rumble, his horse shifting a little bit out of nervousness, making him frown a little. This rumbling had been happening the whole time Michael was out herding the cattle, it made him wonder what was going on in this usually quiet area. He brought his hand to its mane and pet it softly, shushing as he was trying to calm it down.

“Rose has been acting up today, like she’s scared of something.”

Lucifer nodded her head, “Yeah, all the horses in the stable have been acting the same. I think something might have spooked them, not sure what.”

“Well, we’re almost to the southern pasture, after we get the herd there we can go back and see what’s getting them all uppity.” Michael looked back at the herd, moving along with them and watching out for any stragglers.

“Do you miss high school Mikey?” Lucifer asked, a hint of longing in her voice.

“Lucy, it's been a whole year since then.”

“I know Mikey but,” she paused for a moment, looking down at her feet, “I wish we weren’t stuck on this ranch, like I wish there was something I could do other than herding cattle and playing cowgirl. You know I’m not fit for this kind of work, look at me, I always get up late. ”

Michael turned around to look at Lucy, raising an eyebrow and smiling. “Well, you could always go work at Dad’s company like the rest of our ungrateful siblings.”

“It’s not Dad’s company anymore, it's Gabriel’s, especially after Mom and Dad died.”

Michael reigned his horse in, slowing down so he could ride next to Lucifer. He tried to reach over and patted her back, nearly tipping over when he did, catching himself and pulling himself back on his horse. “I know but, we gotta keep Mom’s memory alive. The good ‘ol Keith Ranch can’t work itself.”

Michael was trying hard to keep Lucifer happy, he felt what she was feeling and didn’t want her to dwell on it too hard. Lucy had always had a hard time with her feelings, often getting emotional and anxious at small things. It started with their parents believing there was nothing wrong with her, it was why she was never on medication. 

“But Mikey, what if Gabriel tries to sell the farm for a better profit for the company?”

Michael sighed, grabbing his water and taking another sip. “Then, I’ll beat the city boy right outta him. Gabriel may be strong but passion beats it all the time.”

Michael laughed at his own joke, hopefully making Lucifer feel better. He stopped laughing when the rumbling came back, this time louder, followed by a strange noise. Michael looked off to where he heard it from, looking at a mountain in the distance. The herd started to freak out and Lucifer had a panicked look on her face. It made Michael grip the reins on his horse, looking around to see what the hell was going on.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Again, another rumble, even louder than the last, the strange sound that followed sounding like a screech. This time, Michael’s horse started to freak out, jumping up and throwing Michael off of it. He fell to the dirt and hit his head, watching as his horse ran away and Lucifer hopped off hers. She had a look of panic on her face, getting down on the ground with Michael.

“Mikey, hey Mikey are you okay?”

Michael nodded, bringing his hand to his head and feeling the cold snow in his hair. He heard the rumbling again, the screech even louder, making him look up and his eyes widen. He saw something, flying in the sky and it was massive, like nothing he had seen before. Michael forced himself up and just stared at the creature, Lucifer turning to see what Michael was looking at, her face filling with shock and disbelief. Michael couldn’t believe what he was seeing, it was huge, its wingspan bigger than any flying creature he had ever seen. It was reptile-like, its scales a deep red color as it flew down to the ground, slamming into the dirt in front of the herd and rearing its head back. Michael couldn’t believe what he was seeing, there was no way he saw what he saw. It was a dragon. It made a screeching noise and let out a volley of flames out of its mouth, scorching almost half of the herd.

Michael grabbed Lucifer and started to move back, getting quicker by the second, yelling at her.  “LUCY!!!! RUN!!!!” Michael and Lucifer ran as fast as they could, turning around every so often to see the dragon looking back at them, making only what one would say was a smile. It thrust itself into the air, flying high into the sky and following Michael and Lucifer and blowing its stone melting flames at them. Michael didn’t look back, he kept running, looking at Lucifer right next to him running for her life. He looked forward, watching the endless plains before him, seeing the silhouette of a house in the distance. Michael looked back one last time, seeing the dragon still hot on their tails. He looked forward again, seeing only what he thought made his situation worse, it was another dragon.

Michael was sure this was the end, there was no way out of this, his feet pounding against the dirt and grass watching the second dragon closing in. Michael closed his eyes, preparing for his end. A few moments passed and Michael heard screeching, opening his eyes and seeing the two dragons fighting. It didn’t stop Michael from running no, he kept going, watching as the two massive beasts battled it out. He looked at Lucifer who had tears running down her face. He could tell that she was full of fear, she had always been emotionally unstable and Michael knew that this was making her emotions go on overdrive.

Michael looked forward again, seeing the house get closer and closer as the sounds of the dragons fighting rang throughout the plains. He hopped over the gate and kept running, getting into the house and letting Lucifer in, locking the door behind her. His breathing was heavy, his mind all over the place as he tried to put together what the hell just happened.

Lucifer was the first to speak, her voice cracking and nasally. “Mikey…… What the fuck was that!!!”

Michael grabbed his chest and slowed down his breathing, leaning against a counter and looking at Lucifer. “I- I have no idea. Were those fucking dragons?”

Lucifer grabbed her head and began to panic, mumbling under her breath as Michael was trying to calm down. “Hey Lucy, calm down, we’re going to be fine.”

“FINE!!! WHAT DO YOU MEAN FINE!!!! THERE ARE FUCKING DRAGONS OUTSIDE OUR HOUSE!!!! WE ARE ALL FUCKING DEAD!!!!” 

There it was again, Lucifer’s anxiety, making her have a panic attack. Michael had no time to panic for himself, getting down to the floor next to Lucifer, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her head close to his chest. He could still hear the screeching and the rumbling, the horrid sounds of what one would call monstrous. He quickly covered Lucifer’s ears, trying to muffle the sounds of the beasts. He was trying his best, some tears rolling down his face as he began to fear for his own life. He felt a voice tickle the back of his mind, something calling but it was too quiet to make out. Michael assumed it was just his brain playing tricks on him and ignored it, his mind more focused on the screeching and fighting taking place outside his home, the only place he felt was safe and it was increasingly becoming less safe in his mind.

Michael kept listening, the ground beginning to rumble a little less. He felt the fight beginning to die down, the screeching suddenly coming to a stop, making him able to hear Lucifer’s sobbing. He slowly opened his eyes, lifting up his head and trying to look out a window, not able to see anything. In order to see, he let go of Lucifer who tried to reach out for him, grabbing his hand and looking at him, her face wet and her eyes red. 

“Don’t leave me Mikey, please don’t leave me.” Michael could see the fear in her eyes, he knew she needed him, she always did and he wasn’t going to leave her anytime soon.

“Okay, come on, get up.” Michael pulled Lucifer up to her feet. She sniffled a little bit, holding Michael’s hand and wiping her nose with the other one. They both slowly walked up to the window, moving the curtains a small amount, just to get a peek. Michael looked around and saw one of the dragons, dead a doorknob, sitting on the grass below it. Flames were consuming the land, incinerating the grass and melting the small stones, it was unreal, out of this world. He looked back at Lucifer who was doing the same thing, looking out the window in shock, her lips quivering out of fear. Michael turned around, slowly, walking towards the front door with Lucifer in tow. The walk seemed to take forever, like the door was half a mile away. When he did eventually make it to the door, he hesitated when grabbing the doorknob, stopping himself just before it and looking at Lucifer. She nodded her head, giving Michael the reassurance that he needed to open the door. Slowly, Michael twisted the knob and opened the door, letting the crackling and popping sounds of the fire seep through the cracks and into their ears. It made Lucifer jump a little, her grip on Mchael’s hand getting a little tighter, not that Michael minded at all. They saw it not through glass but with their bare eyes, the corpse of what would be only regarded as a fairytale, a dragon. Michael looked at Lucifer, witnessing her bring her hand to her chest and just stared at the massive beast. He looked back, taking a few steps forward, slowly, letting Lucifer keep up with him as he went down the porch stairs.

“I can’t believe it,” Lucifer said, breaking the suffocating silence.

“I can’t either.” Michael still felt like he was in a dream, there was no way this was real right? He walked even closer to the monster, feeling the heat from the fire on his skin. He saw the absence of snow, his mind just now thinking about how hot the fire actually was, it made him wince a little, standing closer to the beast and looking back at Lucifer who was just staring in awe. 

“What do you make of it Lucy, a whole ass dead dragon on our front porch.”

Lucifer moved her gaze to Michael, a mix of emotions in her eyes, fear being the more prominent one that Michael could see. “I don’t know Mikey, it confuses me, It’s like I was ripped away from my reali-” She stopped, her eyes widening as she looked past Michael and pointed. “Mikey,” she said shakily, “It’s the cops.”