Dawson Smith

## History

### Last Chance Gas

Dawson Smith, a lapsed Mormon, is traveling through the Nevada Desert on the way to California with his wife Carolyn in the 1970's. Unbeknownst to Carolyn, Dawson plans to leave her and begin a new life in California. On the way they stop at the Last Chance Gas gas station. At the gas station they are carjacked by a Walther Security guard, who tries to escape the gas station in their car. Before getting far though, the car is destroyed and the man is killed by a flying creature, in an attack that causes a sonic boom. The sonic boom injures both Carolyn and Dawson, though Dawson is able to drag the two of them into the gas station before passing out.

After waking in the gas station Dawson discovers that Carolyn is still unconscious, and also meets the other stranded survivors; Malcolm Little, his wife Bernadette, their son James, a doctor named Abella, and her grandson, Marco. The group of survivors explain to Dawson that the creatures in the sky, which fly high enough to be mistaken for clouds and dive after prey like falcons have trapped them in the gas station, and have already killed Abella's granddaughter and the owner of the station. They also explain that the security guards showed up after they were already trapped and seemed to know a lot about what was going on. Abella explains that Carolyn has a concussion and needs medical attention, setting a clock in motion.

Dawson realizes that the creatures cannot see them, and that is the only reason that they haven't been attacked. He further deduces that the creatures are likely blinded by reflection coming off the stations windows, and proposes they could reproduce this effect as a form of camouflage. Malcolm, nicknamed Comey, and Bernadette offer the means to do so by building reflective panels they can cover a car in, and a portable satellite capable of reflecting a concentrated beam of light. He uses this to repel the creatures long enough to retrieve the keys to the security guards Jeep, and a large revolver from the wreck of the car the guards had stolen. While doing so Dawson is attacked by one of the creatures and he realizes that the creature is a Dragon. The satellite proves not to be effective enough to deter the dragon from this attack so Dawson uses the pistol, which he would later find is chambered in 454 Casual, an extremely large pistol cartridge typically reserved for use for large game such as bears. The gunshot wound does not kill the dragon, but injures it badly enough to give Dawson the time needed to set it on fire, which finally kills it. Another Dragon seems to mourn the death of their cohort, and Dawson gets the impression that it simply wants the group to leave. They do so, and finally escape the gas station in the security guards Jeep.

During the drive to civilization, while all the passengers save for Abella and Dawson are asleep, Dawson reveals to her that he has had time to process the situation that had just occurred and deduced that the strangeness was not all a coincidence. He tells her that all their cars were facing the wrong way, as if they had not come from the highway and inquires as to where they had all come from. Abella tells him that she will reveal to Dawson what goes on in the desert if he asked again, but that it will inevitably cause him great burden for the rest of his life, though it would not likely be long.

Dawson leaves Carolyn at a hospital where she receives the much needed medical care she needed. Dawson however leaves before she wakes and goes to start his new life.