So I want to thank those who stuck around and those who were patient. I am back and ready to write! As I am a senior who wants to graduate on time and wanting to finish my classes, I think I'm gonna take my time and just focus on a story at a time so like Guardian Chapter 1, then either Saving The World or Dangerous Happiness Chapter 1 next. I really want to thank LoveAngel5952. She really helped, and deserves a lot of credit for being the beta of this story. So this chapter is dedicated to her.
Alexis cursed as she stumbled over a loose rock and dodged a bundle of trees as she fled from whatever was chasing her. She honestly had no idea what it was. It looked human, but it smelt horrible and didn't sound human. She let out a sigh of relief as she spotted the dark navy blue paint of her truck and skidded to a stop by the driver's side door. She whistled three long notes and one short note, three dogs popped up from nearby bushes and trotted over to her. She scratched their ears as they all hopped into her truck on by one. A groan sounded from the woods behind Alexis, making her curse and hop into the driver's seat and slam the door just as whatever was chasing her caught up with her. It was grotesque. It seemed to be a walking decaying human, but that was impossible as once you were dead. You stayed dead.
A whine from next to her, made her look over and into the chocolate eyes of her youngest canine companion; Jinx. "It's alright Jinxie. I'll call Daryl and find out what's going on. He'll know." Another whine and a pink tongue lapped over her sun kissed hand. "Love you too Jinxie girl." Alexis let out a breath and started up her truck. Immediately she reached for her phone and hit 1 on speed dial then speaker. "Daryl?" She said frantically once she was connected.
"Lexie? Oh thank god!" Alexis looked down at her phone confused.
"Daryl, what's going on?" She was concerned. The last time she heard that tone was when she and her brothers were in the car accident that killed their grandparents and gave them Temporary Retrograde Amnesia and got her adopted.
He ignored her. "Lexie, where have you been?" Alexis sighed.
"Camping, D. Didn't I tell you?" She could practically feel him hang his head. "Daryl, what's going on? I was just chased by a dead guy!" There was a moment of silence before Daryl sighed.
"Oh Lex. It's insane." He sighed. "Apparently there's a virus going around that's causin' people to come back to life." Alexis slammed on the breaks.
"WHAT?!"
"People are comin' back to life." Daryl repeated slowly.
"Shit."
"Exactly."
"What do we do?" she said timidly after a moment of silence.
She could hear Daryl sigh over the line. "Get back to your place. Pack everything you need and start heading towards Atlanta. There's a safe zone there, Merle n' I are headin' there." Alexis nodded and hummed.
"Alright. I'll meet you there. Be safe alright? I can't lose you two." She said in a quiet voice. Daryl sighed.
"Yeah, you too Little Sister. Be safe, be quick, and don't let them bite you. It's how it's transmitted." With that, the call was disconnected.
Alexis leaned her head back, closing her eyes. Why? Why did the world have to go bad? Was some higher being vexed with them? Were they just play things to Destiny and Fate? To Life? To Death? She cursed under her breath and put the truck in drive. She pressed her foot to the gas pedal and raced along the back roads towards the house she called home.
Alexis nearly forgot to turn her truck off as she raced into her house to pack everything. First she grabbed the extra duffel bags she kept for emergencies in the downstairs guest room closet. She quickly filled one with all the medicinal/first aid equipment she had in the house but as she was loading the heavy bag into the bed of the truck she got an unexpected call on an unexpected phone.
"Sam? Is that you?" She said in urgently and in surprise as she grabbed the next bag with started loading non-perishables into it.
A sad laugh echoed through the phone. "Yeah Lex. It's me." She froze. There was something in his laugh and voice.
"Samuel Witwicky." She said sternly. "What?" He let out a sarcastic laugh.
"Oh the memories of the tone." She could hear the nostalgia in his voice. "I'm dying Lex." He mourned quietly. She stumbled back. Reyes lifted his large head from his paws from his vantage point by the front window on the couch to look at her with his wise eyes. Where he definitely was not supposed to be, but she didn't have the heart to tell him to move.
"What?" Her voice cracked.
"Yeah. I got bit by one of the infected. You get bit. You get turned. It's the fucking zombie apocalypse." His voice stumbled.
"Oh god." She let out a sob. Her eyes closed and her hand covered her mouth as she slid down the doorway to the kitchen. "Sammy." She felt a cold nose touch her cheek and lick away the falling tears.
"Oh god, don't cry Fireball." He begged, using her old nickname and gifted callsign. "If you start crying, I'm gonna start crying again." She let out a sad laugh.
"How's Mickey?" She froze when Sam let out a sob, a real true sob. One that just screamed that that was the wrong thing to say. "Sam?" She said frantically. What happened to her cousin?
"Mickey's gone." He whispered. She could barely hear him. She felt more tears slip from her eyes. Mickey was gone. Her sassy cousin was gone from this world. She would never hear her laugh, never race motorcycles again, never play with Bones, never do their favorite hobbies, all of the plans they made for their next visit, gone. Forever. Obliterated.
"Sam. What are we gonna do?" She could hear him sigh.
"I called them Lex." She froze. Them? She had never met them. She had her heard stories but never actually met them in person, well except for Bumblebee. She met him. By the time the United Nations voted them off world, she had never gotten a chance to meet the rest.
"Sam? How can they help?" Alexis whispered, she honestly could not think how who knows how many meters tall mechs could help save an undead planet.
"I don't know Fireball. I just called them and," He laughed, "Left a message." Alexis didn't laugh. How could she find that funny? "I told them that if they could get to Earth, to go to insert random coordinates near the quarry and meet you there." She froze. Meet her there?
"Sam?"
"Yeah, I know. You probably have to get your brothers but Alexis. We need their help. Ratchet and his fellow scientists/doctors may be able to find a cure! A way to end all of this before it gets too bad!"
Alexis sighed. She knew this was a dying man's last wish. She had to grant it. "Alright. I'll do it. I'll go meet up with them. But Sam, I can't promise that it will work."
"Thank you Lex. I'm gonna go. I'd like to have my last moments with Mikaela." Alexis nodded.
"Yeah okay Sammy. I love you, you awkward spazzy ladies man." She said. She knew that this was gonna be the last time she would ever hear his humor and voice.
"Mikaela never should have told you that story." He sighed with a hint of laughter. "But yeah, I love you too Fireball. You are the sister I wish I was born with." Alexis laughed. Oh she was gonna miss him. And with that, he hung up.
She let out a shaky breath and stood. I have to do this for Sammy. For Mickey. I promised him. She moved with new spirit and purpose. She quickly finished filling the duffel bags and loading them into the truck before double checking the house. Grabbing little mementos that made her smile. A necklace she left on the kitchen table. A tennis ball Jack left lying by the stairs. A photo of her and Mickey leaning on Bumblebee's leg as he kneeled into the shot with Sam standing next to him holding Frankie and Mojo on a cliff with the sunset behind them. Her album of pictures of her family, of her vacations, of her trip to the cosplay convention in Atlanta, of her dogs as puppies, of anything she captured. A gold locket with a picture of her and her brothers. At last, she went into the basement and turned on the lights. Jinx, Reyes and Jack sat at her feet, waiting for her to grab the last things. She patted the large wooden table in the center of the room. At once the three dogs hopped up and sat obediently, she was glad they took to the obedience lessons she went through with them.
Alexis quickly dressed the dogs in their hunting gear, designed to protect them from the usual predators of the forest they usually hunted in. She grabbed the large wheeled case towards the back of the wall and started loading everything in it. The quartet quickly hopped back into the truck and started on their journey to meet up with Optimus Prime and those he would bring. She at least hoped that he would show up. Because she promised her brother that'd she meet him in Atlanta. She didn't break her promises.
She huffed in annoyance. The Siberian Husky at her feet copied her, making Alexis smile in amusement. Trust Jinx to bring humor to any situation. "They're late." She muttered as she stared at the afternoon sky as she sat in the bed of her truck. The large german shepherd to her right moaned and shoved his face into her stomach making her groan. "Dammit Rey!" She looked down at the tired hound. Running around the clearing for hours to train would tire anyone out. Jack perking up caught her attention. "Jackie?" She looked in the direction he was staring. He was staring straight up at the sky. At a steady blue light that was quickly closing the distance between them. Alexis bolted up, accidentally knocking Reyes off her lap as she stood. She grabbed her binoculars and aimed them at the growing in size light.
"Well pups, looks like our special guests have finally arrived!" she remarked sarcastically. All three of them just stared at her. She turned away from them, "Oh I see how it is." She glared half-heartedly at the three dogs. The quartet watched as the light could now be distinguished as a ship. A large, and that's saying something, dark grey spaceship with a red boxy face on the side. Once landed, she vaulted over the side of the truck and stood in front of the side of the truck with a mischievous and cocky smirk as the bay doors opened revealing those she here for.