Chapter 21 — An Unfair Injury
Dante looked at the piranha stuck to the guy's leg and thought about what he could do. He looked around, scanning the chaotic scene, and noticed a piece of pipe lying on the ground, half-buried under debris. Dust rose in tiny clouds as people screamed and slipped around him. Then he stood up, grabbed the pipe, and with precise strength, threw it at high speed, hitting the piranha squarely and killing it instantly.
Dante thought, "That's why I loved hunting with my mother." Memories of running through forests, tracking small game, and learning to stay calm under pressure flashed in his mind. It all made sense now—this instinct, this calm in chaos—it had always been part of him.
Lenny, seeing the scene, shouted in shock:
— Incredible! You saved the guy!
Everyone who had been running suddenly froze and stared at Dante in shock. He noticed their wide eyes, the mix of awe and fear on their faces. Seeing that those idiots were staring at him instead of continuing to run, Dante yelled:
— Get out of the water NOW, all of you! Piranhas are never alone! If there's one, you can bet there are more!
Screams echoed from different parts of the park, cutting through the chaos like sharp knives. The shrill cries mixed with splashes, shouts, and the occasional thud of someone falling. Dante's heart raced, but he remained focused. He turned to Jasmine and Amber, checking quickly if they were okay. They hugged him tightly, relief and fear still shining in their eyes.
— We're fine… thank you, Dante.
Dante hugged them back, feeling a mix of relief and determination:
— You're my girlfriends. It's my duty to take care of you and protect you.
Jasmine and Amber stared at him even more, their hearts pounding. For two girls who had lived almost their whole lives with an absent father, this display of courage and reliability from their boyfriend only deepened their feelings. They clung to him a little tighter, their breaths mingling in the chaos around them.
Lenny cleared his throat, attempting to interrupt the tender moment:
— Sorry for interrupting your love confession, but we're still in danger.
Dante snapped back to focus, scanning the surroundings. He grabbed a piece of broken metal from the chaos, jagged and heavy, and handed it to Lenny:
— Here's the plan: we're going to look for everyone, gather every person, and get out of here. Any questions?
Lenny nodded, a smile briefly crossing his stressed face:
— No. I love the plan… especially the part about getting out of here.
As they approached the shallow pools, Dante's eyes caught movement. Erik and Kurt were standing on top of a table that was about to break, a piranha lurking underneath, circling hungrily. Dante's mind raced—he couldn't afford mistakes. He threw the metal, smashing the piranha's head in half. Then he spotted a knife on the ground. Another piranha lunged at his face. Without hesitation, Dante stabbed it in the eye, feeling the resistance as its body went limp.
He looked at Kurt and Erik, still hugging each other in fear on the table:
— Well, we found two damsels. Let's keep going; we still have a lot of people to find.
He ran toward the next attraction, his eyes scanning for movement, any sound that indicated someone was in danger. Lenny looked at Kurt and Erik, still clinging to each other, and said:
— You two can save the romance for later. We have to find the rest of the group!
Kurt and Erik finally realized their predicament and climbed down. Erik offered a shaky smile:
— Lenny, good to see you.
Lenny nodded:
— Let's go.
They ran after Dante, splashing through shallow pools, water dripping from their clothes and hair. Dante's focus never wavered. Then, he heard a woman scream. He sprinted toward the sound, Jasmine and Amber at his side. They saw Rob, panicking, holding a wooden table over his head, screaming like a woman, while Briget tried desperately to pull him from the water.
Dante grabbed a piece of wood from the ground and hurled it at a piranha, piercing its eye. The piranha fell atop Rob, who screamed even louder.
Dante approached, his tone sharp:
— Well, if you keep screaming… who knows, maybe the piranha will come back to life? So go ahead, continue.
Rob coughed, blinking in disbelief, seeing Dante, Jasmine, Amber, and Briget staring at him:
— Well… it's just a fish. Nothing I couldn't handle.
Lenny and the others caught up. Dante said:
— Alright, we're almost all here. Let's find the rest.
Everyone agreed, though the tension was palpable. As they prepared to move, Rob whimpered:
— I can't walk… I think when I climbed onto the table, I dislocated my foot.
Dante assessed the situation quickly:
— One of you will have to carry him. I can't, because I have to deal with the giant piranhas. Jasmine, Amber, and Briget don't have the strength. So that leaves you three.
Lenny replied, frustration in his voice:
— I can't, I'm with the boys, and if anything happens, I have to carry them in an emergency.
Erik and Kurt exchanged a glance. Kurt muttered:
— Don't look at me, you're the strongest one.
Erik sighed and reluctantly agreed:
— Fine…
He lifted Rob princess-style, careful not to drop him. Dante looked at the scene, feeling a mixture of disbelief and amusement—it was straight out of a 2025 Disney movie. He struggled not to laugh, and even Lenny and Kurt tried to hide their chuckles despite the life-or-death situation.
Dante said:
— Alright, let's go.
As they approached the exit, they found Sera, Charlie, Marcus, Diane, Sally, Glória, and the children. Everyone embraced, relief flooding the group.
Erik said:
— Since everyone is here, let's go.
Lenny scanned the area:
— Where are Becky or Roxane?
Sera explained:
— Roxane was with us before all this started. She left to take Beck to buy juice.
Lenny's eyes widened:
— I have to go back and look for them!
Kurt warned:
— You'll only get yourself killed if you go back!
Lenny insisted:
— But I have to save her!
Charlie intervened, sternly:
— You don't even know where she is in this confusing park. And even if most people have left, lots of people got hurt, and the water is full of blood. You don't know what's under it. And with how high those things jump… if you pass near a puddle with one, you're dead. Your wife is already at risk. Do you want to risk yourself too? And if something happens, the boys will be left with no mother and no father!
Dante's gaze hardened:
— Well… I'll go get the two of them.
Charlie looked at his son. He knew these piranhas were nothing compared to Dante's true nature—a dragon. But Dante had to maintain a human guise; his powers couldn't be revealed in public. Charlie had to feign worry to avoid suspicion.
— Son, are you serious? That's insane!
Dante replied calmly:
— You know I'm the only one who can save them without becoming piranha food.
Charlie sighed:
— Alright… but if you find them and can't come back, look for a high place and stay there until the police arrive.
Dante turned and dove back into the water park.
Sera watched anxiously. She wasn't worried about Dante—he was a dragon, after all—but about her friend. A hero saving a beauty… it was fatal for any woman.
She whispered:
"I just hope I'm overthinking…"
Dante sniffed the air, using his dragon senses to detect the scent of Beck or Roxane. The chaotic mixture of blood, screams, and splashes made it difficult, but he honed in carefully.
— Well… looks like thanks to my warning, no one died in this area. Though most of them will need hospital care for a while…
Suddenly, a scream pierced the air. Dante ran toward the source, his heart pounding.
He found Roxane atop a lifeguard chair, with Becky on the other side. Roxane realized the chair couldn't support them both, and if Beck stayed, they'd fall into piranha-infested waters.
She whispered to her daughter:
— Princess, you have to be brave now. I'm going to jump into the pool and get out on the other side. You must stay quiet up here, okay?
— Yes, Mom.
Roxane jumped, but trash-filled water and chaos caused her to be cut by glass, preventing swimming. Blood seeped into the water, attracting the piranhas back.
Dante saw Roxane jump, get cut, and start drowning. He ran, jumped into the water, and dove down to her. Seeing Roxane almost passing out, he grabbed her in his arms… but the piranhas surrounded them.
Dante discreetly transformed his right hand into a dragon claw and shredded the piranhas around him. But when he was about to surface, he saw several curious people staring at the pool.
Dante thought:
"Damn it! These idiots must have seen me jumping in to save Roxane… but if I come out without a single injury after swimming in a pool full of giant piranhas, even an idiot will know something's wrong…"
He then thought:
"Damn it… there's only one way."
He used his own claws to create a wound on his chest.
"Who would've thought my first injury in this world would be because of curious idiots… The saying is true: 'never fear enemies like gods, but companions like pigs'…"
He grabbed a piece of metal from the bottom to pretend he used it to kill the piranhas and surfaced. He climbed out of the pool, staring at the onlookers. Dante had never felt so wronged.
He looked at Roxane and realized she wasn't breathing.
"No other choice… I'll have to perform mouth-to-mouth."
He started, and then saw one of her eyes twitch.
"She wouldn't do that just to kiss me, right? She's married and has a daughter…" he thought.
After a moment, Roxane coughed up the water.
She looked at Dante:
— Thank you for saving me.
Then she remembered and asked:
— Where's Becky?
A tourist named Joe said:
— If you mean the kid on the lifeguard chair, she's right here.
Beck ran to her mother, shouting:
— Mom!
Roxane hugged her:
— My sweet girl…
Dante thought, "At least they did something and watched over the girl."
He then asked Roxane:
— Shall we go? Everyone must be worried.
Roxane tried to stand but failed. Dante sighed, picked her up in his arms, and Becky clung to her mother's chest. Roxane held her daughter while staring at the blood mark on Dante's chest. She wanted to say something, but stayed quiet.
Dante, noticing her stare, said:
— It's nothing. I'll be fine in a moment.
He started walking and looked at the onlookers:
— You all better come with me. We don't know how many of those monster are still in the water.
Everyone obeyed and followed him quickly.
As he walked carrying Becky and Roxane, Dante thought:
"How am I going to explain this wound to my parents? I guess I'll have to tell the truth…"