Better Not

Piotr's response was surprisingly disgusting to Kowalsk. "I'm preparing something for us to eat."

"Us who? I'm not eating that," said Kowalsk, making a face of disgust.

"Old soldier, if I were you, I'd eat at least a little piece because soon, there won't be anything solid and edible for us to consume. Besides, we'll have more company shortly, and we won't be able to leave even if we wanted to."

Kowalsk looked at the strange soldier and asked, "What are you talking about? The door is just stuck because of that monster, but there's more than enough space for us to get out of here. Can't you crouch down about sixty centimeters?"

Piotr stared at Kowalsk for a few seconds without saying anything. Then he gestured for him to be silent and listen to the noises coming from outside. Kowalsk was frightened; he could recognize those wild sounds anywhere.

"What's happening here, Piotr?"

"What's wrong, old soldier? Haven't you realized it yet? Do I have to explain again that our escape route is blocked?"

"What do you mean by that?" asked Kowalsk, increasingly scared and unwilling to believe it.

"If you look under the door to confirm what I'm saying, you'll see some creatures out there just waiting for us to step out of this room."

"I can't believe this. How did they get in?" asked Kowalsk, disconsolate at the thought of being trapped there for longer.

"Have you forgotten the size of the opening you left behind? If a creature as large as the one right in front of you got in, imagine what smaller ones could do. By the way, what is that thing?"

This time, it was Kowalsk's turn to be surprised by the strange soldier's naivety.

"My dear friend, that is a dragon, or are you going to say you didn't know?"

Just as Kowalsk finished speaking, the seemingly unconscious dragon opened its eyes and roared in pain, its mouth wide open. Kowalsk was so startled that he jumped, causing Piotr to smile.

"Hey, old soldier, I see I was very wrong about you. I thought you were braver."

Feeling awkward, Kowalsk replied, "I am brave. I was just startled because that thing roared out of nowhere. Why did it do that?"

Suddenly, the floor inside the room filled with a thick, viscous, almost purple liquid. It was the blood of the dragon still trapped by the metal door. Without realizing it, Kowalsk still wanted to see what was happening outside in the corridor, but Piotr stopped him with a gesture.

In the following seconds, Kowalsk understood why Piotr was right to stop him. Screeching and growling sounds from the corridor indicated that two or more dragons were fighting over the trapped dragon's flesh, which could only scream in agony as pieces of its legs were savagely torn off.