Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, only the characters I have created.

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Chapter 1: Echoes

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My worn out boots scraped the ground as I walked, my eyes flickering over the houses around me. The silence of the deserted neighborhood made it appear as if a ghost town– it practically was, as it had been abandoned nearly two months ago.

I had gotten used to the lack of human company. When it all started, there had been plenty of people I came across, but in the past two weeks, I haven't seen a single living soul. Those who had been smart and set off into the wilderness had a greater chance of survival, as the people who believed the shelters provided were safe, had been completely wrong.

Halting, I crossed to the other side of the street, glancing up and down the road, a habit of mine ever since I was a child. A feeling deep within me stirred, as if trying to recollect the memories of my childhood, but it vanished. There was no time to think about the past anymore.

I gripped the straps of my backpack as I walked to one of the houses that seemed relatively untouched, pulling the small handgun I had out of my belt. I crept up the stairs, the light creaking alerting my senses with each step I took, until I reached the patio. My eyes fell onto the two rocking chairs next to a table, with dead flowers in a delicate vase on top of it.

"I wonder who sat there once," I said aloud, immediately covering my lips. It was foolish to speak when I was alone; the hearing of the robots had to be very advanced. Speaking of robots, I turned to face the neighborhood road, a distant sound of an engine catching my attention.

Freezing momentarily, I ran to the door, turning the doorknob quickly. It's unlocked, I thought, as the knob turned a full rotation, and I hurried inside, careful not to slam the door as I shut it. The sound of the engine had become louder, and I pushed my body against the wall, holding my gun in the air steadily. My stomach gave a low growl, and I winced, reminding myself I needed to check for food after the sound of the engine would disappear, and the coast was clear. If it disappeared.

I slowly crept towards a nearby window, hesitantly pulling back the blinds as I watched a dark car quickly approaching in the distance. Please drive by, I prayed, my dark blue eyes focusing on the moving object like a hawk would its prey. To my horror, it rolled to a smooth stop, sitting there without moving.

Daring to breathe, I opened my lungs, sweet oxygen filling them as I took a shaky breath. I couldn't tell if it was one of them or not, the stillness of the vehicle terrifying me. Relax, Braelyn, I thought, maybe it's just a person. A gut feeling told me I should run, flee the area before it would sense my presence. Or, if it were not a robot, I still should avoid the people.

I stood up, my eyes never leaving the black car. Slowly, taking small steps backwards, I began to move through the living room, maneuvering around armchairs and tables as I did so. I held my gun steady, a finger hovering over the trigger, giving me a sense of security.

The sound of metal scraping against metal and gears whirring made me freeze, as I watched the car transform into what I had feared all along. It was a Decepticon.

"Shit," I whispered, my mind buzzing with thoughts of how to survive this encounter, which would most likely end in my death. I bit my lip, still frozen, as the Decepticon began to walk towards the house I was in. Yep, definitely after me, I thought, before scrambling backwards, searching for an escape route.

My eyes landed on a sliding glass door, and I sprinted towards it, pulling it open. It slid with ease, and I hurried out of the house, onto the overgrown lawn, full of bright green grass. I pushed a strand of my brown hair that had fallen out of my ponytail behind my ear, jumping as the sound of an explosion came from within the house. Did it still think I was in there?

Giving myself no time to think, I began to run along the edge of the treeline, where the forest met the lawns of the houses. I could either run into the forest and hope to find somewhere to hide, or run in the open street, as someone could possibly hear my cries of help. Glancing backwards for a second, I watched as the Decepticon stopped firing at the house, its crimson, red eyes focusing on me.

"Don't make this hard for yourself, human!" It roared, before taking after me.

My heart pounded, slamming within my chest, as I decided to continue along the treeline. The chances of it were slim, but it was better than running into the forest, where I could become lost without food for days if I were to escape the Decepticon. My supply was dangerously low, something I needed to preserve before I found more of it.

A blast of energy flew over my head, and I tripped, my face colliding with the earth. A sear of pain shot across my body, and I groaned, shakily pulling myself to my feet before continuing to run. I gasped for air, my muscles screaming for me to stop, and I felt myself beginning to lose energy. I could only last like this for a few more minutes before my body would give way.

Two more blasts were shot at me, both narrowly missing my body. A cry of help left my lips as I turned towards the road, hoping somebody would see me. I had little time before the Decepticon would reach me, its speed much greater than mine.

Turning my body backwards and skidding to a halt, I positioned my gun, aiming it at the metallic face of the robot. I pulled the trigger, a satisfying cry of pain making me grin as it covered its face.

"Urg! My optic!" It yelled, stopping its chase after me. It took its hands away, revealing multiple large cracks in its eye. Before I could start running, it reached to pick me up, sharp claws jabbing into my sides. I cried out in pain, tears silently slipping down my cheeks as I squirmed helplessly.

"Help!" I screamed with all of my might, my chest heaving for air. The Decepticon only tightened its grip on me, and I began to cry, a true feeling of helplessness washing over me. This was it.

"You thought you could outrun me, puny being? And shoot me in the optic? That was a big mistake on your part, no-no," it growled, wagging its finger in the air as if taunting me.

I clenched my teeth, eyebrows furrowing as I tried to get out of its grasp, but it was useless. "Why?" The word escaped my lips, and I frowned, grunting. "Why would you do this? To humans? What did we ever do to you?" I hissed.

The Decepticon stared at me, as if considering my question. I suddenly heard the roar of an approaching engine behind it, and saw a flash of movement as the familiar sound of metal scraping once again filled my ears. Great. Another bad guy to join the party.

My body was jerked as the Decepticon turned to face the other robot, its fist clenching tighter around me, if it was even possible. I screamed, praying for the pain to stop, as I felt my skin break open under the force of the claws. My eyes fell on the new, silver robot, and it snarled, growling lowly.

"Put the human femme down now," it said, and I was jolted back in surprise. So, it wasn't a bad guy?

The robot was smaller than than my captor, its body held up on two wheels. I expected to see red eyes like all of the others I had seen, but instead I saw an electronic blue, glowing softly. The small orbs flickered to me, and the robot's face plating contorted with anger.

"I'm surprised to see you," the Decepticon said, its low voice sending shivers down my spine, "but I'm afraid I won't give her to you that easily."

Giving no response, the robot shot forward, tackling the Decepticon. It lost its grip on me, and I was sent flying into the air, twisting helplessly as I began to fall, screaming. I closed my eyes, preparing for the impact, my life flashing before my eyes, but I never hit the ground. The robot had caught me moments before impact, settling me gently onto the ground before pursuing after the Decepticon.

I scrambled to my feet, my hands clumsily trying to hold my sides to relieve the pain. A warm liquid stuck to my hands when I pulled them away, feeling lightheaded as I saw the amount of blood I was losing. The ground shook as I focused back on the battling robots, attempting to hurry away as quickly as I could.

The silver robot had the evil robot pinned underneath him, stabbing it repeatedly with what appeared to be swords on its lower arms. Blue liquid flowed from the wounds, the Decepticon grunting in pain, trying to pry the attacker off of itself, but failing.

"You'll never get away with trying to harm that girl," the silver robot growled, halting its stabbing of the robot. With the click of a gun, it fired a shot into the chest of its enemy, hopping off of its body with ease. The Decepticon remained motionless, its red eyes fading into nothingness as my body began to tremble. Tears pooled in the corner of my eyes, and I bit the inside of my lip to stop myself from crying out loud due to the intense growing pain in my sides.

The remaining robot wheeled over to me, its silver metal reflecting the sunlight as it approached. I whimpered lightly, my eyes coming in contact with soft, blue ones. It kneeled, keeping a small distance between us.

"Are you alright?" It asked, and my vision began to blur. Its form now became a fuzzy gray blob, and my mouth opened to respond, but nothing came out.

With my mind catapulting into darkness, I blacked out.

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A/N: I missed all of you so much! Life has gotten in the way, but I'm slowly hoping to recover some time that's been taken up so I can write. This story idea has been in my mind for so long, and I desperately wanted to write it down, so I did. Words can't explain how happy I am to be posting again, although as for my two other stories, "I Need You" and "Fix Your Heart", I don't think those will be updated for a long time (sadly).

Please leave a review letting me know who read this and your opinions so far! Many thanks to those who do so :)

– SapphireSpark