Free Flyers by Scott Ciencin

the larger flyers reached down with its claws and plucked up a human. Then another swooped in, and another—

    PTERANODON
    Josh gasped, seeing that one of the people snatched was a dark-haired man in a blue shirt.
    “Dad!” Josh yelled.
    The screen suddenly went blank.
    “They yanked the feed,” Amanda said in horror.
    “We gotta go,” Josh said. “We gotta go now!”
    “Alan hasn’t called with the signal,” Amanda said.
    Josh rocked back in his chair, causing Eric and Amanda to jump out of his way as he darted to the control panel for the attraction’s many outdoor speakers. He flicked the on button and started the looped recording from Manly’s camera before Eric or Amanda could stop him.

CHAPTER 18

    The sound came from the other side of the park. An angry, unmistakable hiss, a screeching, and a furious, frantic whipping of wings. It was low at first; then it rose, growing louder, moving from one part of their new domain to another.
    Fire
cawww
ed with concern. His son was in trouble!
    Dropping the human, he rose into the air. The feast was abandoned as Fire flew high, his mate right behind him. Lightning sounded frantic. The sounds moved and Fire soared, following them. Lightning was in trouble, Lightning was—
    Lightning was at the lagoon.

    BLACK PTERANODON
    It was a trick! He doubled back and saw Keepers climbing onto the boats and flooding into the docks. His sons were clawing and attacking as many as they could, but some were getting away!
    Screeching in rage, Fire led his mate and the Elder to the fray.
    The Keepers would pay for this.

CHAPTER 19

    “Hurry!” Alan commanded, fumbling with the fireworks.
    “You hurry,” Manly said, his hands shaking as he primed a launcher.
    Everything had happened too quickly. They weren’t ready. Why hadn’t Amanda waited for his signal?
    Manly looked out the window. “They’re going crazy! Those people don’t stand a chance.”

    Alan looked down at the stockpile of fireworks around them.
    Grimly, he said, “Maybe they do.”
    Eric ran through the darkness, the screams from the lagoon rising. Josh was ahead of him, Amanda behind. The chilly night wind sliced through them like icy daggers.
    “Eric, we’ve got to get out!” Amanda yelled. “Eric!”
    They were racing toward the lagoon. The flyers were overhead, diving down at the terrified horde of people trying to escape.
    Suddenly, a deafening explosion came from five hundred yards off, and the shack where Alan and Manly had been disintegrated. Shards of wood and debris shot out over the lagoon as the fireworks ignited and a kaleidoscope of brilliant colors burst out. A curling, sparkling fire clawed at the night sky as streamers and rockets shot out in every direction!
    “Alan,” Eric whispered, shocked so badly his legs nearly gave out beneath him.
    Cawwhhrrr!
    In their confusion and terror, the flyers fled from the lagoon, and waves of people lapped onto the boardwalk and sped toward the street that meant freedom.
    “Dad!” Josh yelled. Not even Eric, only a dozen feet away, could hear the cry.
    Some people had been clawed; many were hurt.
    Josh saw a woman who had been in the water near his dad. Her blouse was covered with blood and she was terrified.
    “That guy you were with,” Josh said as he grabbed her arm. “The guy in the blue shirt!”
    She shook her head and tore herself away from him. “Let me go! They’re gonna get me, too!”
    The woman was lost in the crowd.
    Eric caught up to Josh. “We’ve got to go. We don’t have much time.”
    “Why didn’t you do something?” Josh hollered.
    A voice stopped him. “Josh?”
    “Dad!” Josh yelled, racing toward the smiling man. His father was shivering and drenched. He grabbed Josh in a hug, then ran with him into the crowd.
    Amanda snagged Eric’s arm. She pointed at the main thoroughfare. “Eric, the way out is this way. Come on, honey!”
    Eric saw the female flyer soar away from her disoriented family, heading across the