Icy couldn't believe that the dreaded night was upon he and his brothers once again. It was hard to believe that the sunny, birds chirping, happy morning was going to decline into a Spark-wrenching, horrible time for not only him but his brothers too. Tonight, October 31, what the humans celebrated as a holiday, something happened to Random every year that was unexplainable, and was progressively getting worse.
He became a monster that would stop at nothing for blood.
Icy sighed, going inside and waking up Hothead with a predictable reaction.
"Vhat are jou doing? Gah! Jou slaghead, I vas sleeping!" he went off. Icy clamped a servo over Hothead's mouth.
"Shush! Don't vake Random. Jou can't tell me zat jou have forgotten what today eez?" Icy hissed. Hothead thought a second, then frowned.
"No, I remember. I vill distract him and make him happy dis teim. Jou do vhat needs to be done." Hothead said, getting out of his bed. Icy watched him leave, then retreated to the room in the back of their house that was always kept locked. Random had never been inside, and for good reason. Icy unlocked the door, going inside and kneeling on the dusty floor. Sadly, he lifted a panel from the floor, pulling out a heavy metal box. Flipping open the lid, he gazed at the massive array of chains, cuffs, ropes, and a heavy metal collar. He closed the lid, picking up the box and peering around the corner of the door.
Hothead was just taking Random outside, and Icy slipped over to the door that led to the basement. He tucked the box under one arm, opening the door and starting slowly down the stairs into the basement. He flicked on the lights, which was merely a single, bare bulb that illuminated the large open area with a concrete floor. He set the box down, sighing, and gazed over at the reinforced iron cage that would later hold his demented brother. Settling down, he started setting up the chains and cuffs in case his brother wouldn't be contained in the cage.
…...
Later, Icy heard Hothead and Random come back just as he was finishing up. He slid the now empty metal box into a corner and dusted off his servos. He glanced at the dungeon-like setup he'd created, then shook his head and climbed back up the stairs. Hothead had obviously had a good day with Random, Random was giggling and trying to convince Hothead to arm-wrestle him. Icy smiled to himself, then cleared the expression from his face when he saw the sun was setting on the horizon. Icy nodded to Hothead, who then glanced out the window and frowned.
"Hey, hey Icy?!" Random said happily.
"Vhat?" Icy replied. Random was the youngest of the three, and as such, Icy felt terrible to have to lock him up on this dreaded night. Even sadder, Random didn't remember anything after he lost his mind each year.
"Can ve play a game?" he pleaded. Icy glanced out the window once more, then nodded.
"Alright, but first, how about I get jou some oil?" Icy said. Random clapped happily.
"Ooh, jes!" he exclaimed. Icy nodded to Hothead, who in turn went to the storage room and grabbed a barrel of oil, and something above it as well. Without Random seeing, he dumped the contents of the container, a sedative, into the oil. They had routinely done this every year, though it seemed since last time it was almost ineffective. Turning back, Hothead held out the barrel of oil to Random.
Random cackled and snatched the barrel, gulping its contents without a second thought. Hothead and Icy both glanced out the window, the sun had now sunk below the horizon, and predictably, Random froze, the empty oil barrel slipping from his hand and clattering to the floor. He hit his knees, hands clutching his head as he let out a wail of pain. Icy shouted to Hothead.
"Come on, let's get heem into ze cage!" Icy said. Hothead nodded, reaching for Random. Random trembled as Hothead's hand drew closer, then suddenly whirled and hissed at him, snapping his jagged teeth at his arm. Hothead drew back quickly, and Random moaned and curled into a writhing ball, whimpering in agony. Icy dove behind his crazed brother, locking his arms behind his back and keeping his head away from Random, who was twisting and trying to satisfy his lust for blood.
"I could use a leetle help please!" Icy cried. Hothead darted forward, grabbing Random's legs and hoisting his thrashing body off the ground. Random was now almost turned, and his voice was extremely eerie. The tone was deep, and melded with the higher, lighter pitch of his normal voice.
"Let me go, ju fools! I vill kill you all!" Random screamed, the tone of his voice changing further to the deep tone. Icy and Hothead scrambled with him down the stairs, and threw him, as gently as they could, into the cage. Icy slammed the door shut just as Random hurled himself at them his clawed servos reaching through the bars.
"Blooooood...I need blooood..." Random groaned. Icy backed away from the cage, Hothead following. Random let out a scream of frustration and bashed his head against the bars of the cage, cracking the glass on one of his goggles. Icy moved back against the wall, sliding down it he sat dejectedly and watched his brother in his insanity. It was difficult to judge Hothead's expression behind his visor, but his mouth was curved downwards in a frown. Random threw himself against the reinforced cage, screaming bloody murder. Hothead glanced down at Icy.
"Power off for a vhile. I vill take ze first watch on heem." Hothead said. Icy nodded, keeping an optic on his monster of a brother before closing his optics and drifting off to sleep.
…...
Icy woke on his own later, but he couldn't figure out why. Hothead hadn't woken him up, in fact, he had fallen asleep leaning against the wall. Icy sighed and bowed his head, though he caught a disturbing noise coming from Random's cage. There would be a horrendous ripping sound, then a small whimper, and then another rip. Icy looked up, then gasped in horror.
The bare lightbulb illuminated Random hunkered down in the cage, and Icy looked just in time to see him sink his own teeth into his forearm and pull, tearing a large chunk of his armor off and causing energon to pour onto the floor of the cage. Worse, there was a fair sized pool of energon under him and he was covered in self-inflicted wounds, giving evidence that he'd been at this for a while. Icy stood quickly, briskly punching Hothead in the shoulder. Hothead jolted awake, and Icy merely pointed at Random. Hothead frowned.
"Ve had better move heem." he said. Icy nodded, and with Hothead following close behind, he approached Random's cage. Random looked up, a crazed light in his optics, and returned to his self-mutilation. Icy carefully unlocked the cage, signaling to Hothead right as he flung open the door. Random lunged immediately, but Hothead snagged him and dragged him, hissing and screaming, over to the chains set up on the floor. With much effort, he and Icy contained their brother, snapping on the collar that was now chained to the floor, they worked quickly. Cuffs were locked onto both his wrists and ankles, spreading out his limbs so he couldn't hurt himself. He screeched in frustration, thrashing and sending the chains clattering an awful racket. Icy clenched his fists, turning from his brother.
It had never been this bad before...Would this be the year they finally lost their brother? Icy didn't want to think about it. He turned back to Random, whose teeth were stained with his own energon. Icy sat out of reach of him, and looked over at Hothead.
"I vill watch heem dis time." Icy said. Hothead nodded, going to lean against the back wall again. Soon, Icy knew he had fallen asleep again and he turned back to his evil brother. He had been thinking, perhaps if he just let Random have his fill of what he was after, maybe it would cure his obsession and stop the transformation every year. He slid in front of his brother, who had since rested his chin on the ground and was watching him with narrowed optics. As he approached, Random pulled back as much as he could against the cuffs and collar that had him tethered to the ground. Icy eased him with his cool voice.
"It eez alright, my brother. I vill give jou vhat jou want." Icy said. Random gave him a curious look, the monster in him interested. Icy carefully unlocked Random's collar, and then the cuff holding his left wrist. Icy took a deep breath, his servo shaking as he reached for the other wrist cuff.
"Be gentle..." he said, a command and a plea at the same time. He unclasped the last thing holding Random back except for the cuffs on his ankles, and sat shuddering, bracing himself. Random didn't lunge as he expected, but rather leaned forward, his eager jaws slightly agape. Almost as if he couldn't believe he was finally getting what he thirsted for, he tentatively reached his clawed servo and placed it on Icy's chest. With a quick flick of his wrist, Icy flinched with pain as Random opened a row of gouges on his chest. Random grinned malevolently, and Icy was getting a bad feeling. Before he knew it, Random had grabbed his throat and slammed him into the floor, dragging him within easier reach.
Random lifted Icy to optic level, the monster inside him sadistically looking at him. Icy tried to hold still, thinking that if he did the monster wouldn't sense his fear and kill him. Random tilted Icy's head to the side and back, and rearing his head back he sunk his sharp teeth into Icy's throat, ripping a large chunk of his armor and circuitry apart, as well as sending a splatter of glowing blue energon arcing onto the floor. Random clamped a servo over Icy's mouth, muffling his pained scream. This wasn't what Icy had been thinking at all, and he desperately wished Hothead would wake up. Random lapped greedily at the smoothly flowing stream pouring from Icy's neck, though he was now in a frenzy.
Drawing back, he rammed his claws repeatedly into Icy's chest and stomach, giggling madly as his own brother's energon flew through the air, spattering Random and the floor around them with his blood. Icy whimpered in agony, feeling his life ebb from the many and terrible wounds that Random had inflicted. He made the hastened mistake of taking his hand from Icy's mouth, and rammed both his clawed hands into Icy's stomach. A blinding white flash of pain hit Icy and he screamed, instantly waking Hothead. Icy reflexively shuddered as Random's tongue flicked into the deep wounds on his stomach, greedily devouring what Icy had selflessly offered. Hothead instantly knocked him aside, grabbing his critically injured brother and dragging him backwards, leaving a streaked trail of his blood in their wake.
He pulled Icy over to the far corner, laying him flat and staring in horror at the wounds that were most likely fatal. He looked back over at Random, who had started to convulse and twist in pain. It seemed his transformation was ending, though it was still the dead of night. Soon, the evil glint had retreated from his eyes and Random's peppy, annoying voice was back. He looked horrified at Icy in the corner.
"I-Icy? Vhat happened!?" he cried, pulling against the cuffs on his ankles. Hothead wordlessly left him chained, going to sit by Icy.
"Jou did dis to him! JU! Ju turn into a monster every year! Don't ju get it!" Hothead yelled, turning back to Icy. After a few moments of dead silence, Hothead heard a loud pop and it was instantly dark in the basement. He whirled to see Random's glowing red optics and one of his cannons that was glowing with heat. Icy's fluorescent blue energon was even more visible in the dark, and it outlined Random as he sneered, the red backlight in his mouth seeming even more eerie. Hothead's Spark pounded in his chest when Random spoke, again with the monstrous tone.
"Oh jes, I get it brother. Ju two vill be all ze blood I need to stay like dis forever!" Random growled. Hothead then heard a sickening sound. Random easily rose, snapping the cuffs on his ankles and tilting his head with a devilish grin. Hothead backed up, stumbling and falling on his aft next to Icy. Random approached slowly, then stopped a short distance away.
"Get avay from us ju monster!" Hothead yelled. Random parted his jaws slightly, giving a low chuckle.
Then he lunged for Hothead's throat.