Hours later, I laid, staring into the darkness.

It got cold here. I huddled up, trying to stop heat from escaping. The ground was hard underneath me, even though I was laying on a mound of leaves, and I wiggled a little bit.

I took out the blue fruit I managed to get. It was squished, and not very appetizing, but my stomach still growled at the sight of it. I was thirsty and hungry, and it was distracting. Not to mention that I was filthy and tired to the bone. But I couldn’t risk it.

Two moons and countless stars illuminated the world. It was a reminder, one among dozens of things that marked this place as somewhere we didn’t belong in. It was breathtaking, now that I had time to rest and appreciate it.

It was our first day on our new world.

The thought struck me. Maria was gone. David was nowhere to be found. One of us was dead, left behind when he was too bulky to be carried. There were supposed to be eight of us, but only four remained. Two boys, and two girls.

I wondered what tomorrow would bring. Probably a lot of work. This place seemed wholly unsuited for settling down. We would probably need to move to a more suitable location. But that was all for tomorrow.

Slowly, my eyes shut, and my breathing relaxed. And I would have fallen asleep right there and then, too. But for some reason, my eyes blinked open again.

Then I heard a rustle, and I shot up.

I barely had time to bring up the fire extinguisher next to me before I was hit by a tremendous impact, sending me flying. My back crashed against a tree, and I cried out in pain. Then it was on me.

The thousands of stars and two moons showed me just enough. A jaw filled with sharp teeth snapped at my face. It bit down on the fire extinguisher, and the contents of it sprayed out the newly made holes. The thing jerked back, sputtering as its head was doused by the foamy substance.

I scrambled up. Glowing eyes stared at me from the darkness. Two pinpricks of light were the only things showing me where it was. But I could tell that the thing was massive. It was something at least twice my size. Fear told me to start running, but logic kept my feet rooted to the ground. Run, and this creature would chase.

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“Help!” I shouted, looking back to where I knew the others were. I was punished for taking my eyes off that thing. It shot forward and bit me. Teeth clamped down harshly on my arm and I screamed, beating the side of its head with my metal tool. A particularly hard hit made it let go, retreating back, but still watching me.

My arm felt hot. Pain muddled my thoughts, and looking down briefly showed no blood- because my wounds had been burned shut. I looked at the thing again. The inside of its mouth had begun to glow orange. It was getting hotter and hotter, the chill that had previously annoyed me nowhere to be seen.

It pointed its head at the sky and breathed fire.

It didn’t extend a lot, maybe two meters, but I could feel the heat, sucking the moisture right out of the air. Trees nearby caught on fire. I fell on my butt, my mind stuttering at the sight.

How?

The fire lit up the surrounding with an orange glow. It was a large thing, With a snout that was a cross between a wolf and a lizard. It was on four slender legs, and a tail swished in the air behind it. The creature was covered head to toe in black scales. Two wings, far too small compared to the rest of its body, rested on its back.

Then it directed the stream of fire towards me.

I rolled away, but couldn’t stop myself from getting hit with a part of it. My shirt caught some of it, and I tore it off, throwing it away. The heat tapered off, as the creature shut its mouth. Smoke leaked out from his lips and nose.

Song Ji rose up, holding a piece of wood with white knuckles. Her eyes widened at the sight. Christopher awoke moments later and had a similar reaction. The thing turned to them.

Its mouth began to glow again.

“Duck!” I screamed, throwing my fire extinguisher with all the force I could muster. It hit the snout of the thing, turning his head slightly to the side. That gave Song Ji and Christopher just enough time to get out of the fire’s reach.

The thing was panting, smoke escaping it in small bursts. It shot forward, still fast but slower than when it was attacking me. Its claws swiped at Song Ji, and she twisted out of the way moments before it would have opened her chest up. She backpedaled, almost falling down in her rush.

“What the hell is that thing?!” She screamed. It leaped again, only to be interrupted when Chris hurled a rock at it. It stopped its charge, turning to look at Chris. His face paled.

I snatched up a piece of wood from the ground and ran over. When it shot forward to Chris, I managed to score a hit on its side. It stumbled, and Song Ji took the opportunity, hitting its face with a well-thrown rock.

Us three surrounded the thing. The lizardlike creature turned in circles, deciding who to attack. Perhaps it saw my previous injuries as weakness, because it leaped for me.

I lurched away, swinging my piece of wood. It hit the creature’s claws with hardly any effect. I was knocked to the ground with it on top of me. The air heated up as the large lizard’s mouth began gleaming once again.

Then a stick appeared, sliding between me and it, and jerked the thing’s head up. It was Song Ji, placing a stick where the chin met the neck and pulling it back. Each hand held one end of the wooden tool, directing its mouth to the sky. Another beacon of orange light lit the purple sky.

And its throbbing throat was exposed to me.

I didn’t think.

Taking a stick, I stabbed its neck, sinking the pointed end deep into its flesh. Blood splashed out, along with fire, burning my chest.

It thrashed. It roared. A pillar of fire brighter than all the others shot into the sky. Some of it leaked through the hole in its throat, and I cried out again. Its limbs flailed in its dying throes, and I watched has the body began to slack without the strength to support it. I watched as its lifeblood ebbed out, and as its fiery breath weakened slowly before stopping altogether. 

For a long moment, everything was silent except for the silent cackling of fire, and our ragged breathing.

Then it fell over, collapsing onto the ground with a loud thump.