Abduction
Chapter 11
Twilight's Last Gleaming
XXX
The sun slowly fades behind the hills, the colors of sunset beginning to come forth. I smile; it makes me happy despite the aching of my throbbing head. My feet move forward by themselves, like a never ending treadmill. Behind me, Soundwave, Mel, and Carmen are doing the same thing I am. Neither of them complained, not since the…"incident" earlier. I can't remember what had happened. But whatever it was, it had involved fire. I had seen burned trees before Soundwave had picked me up and carried me, as he seemed overly worried about me. He'd carried me even when we finally walked out of the little "forest" we were in. After that, I haven't been paying much attention to where we were going. But when I was curious enough to look for myself, I found that we're in a large barren grassland. There are no trees to be seen, and grass stretched as far as the eye could see. At least that's how I saw it. When I'd seen we were in a grassland and Soundwave had been carrying me since, I'd told him that I'd wanted to walk on my own. He was surprised by my request, and by the fact that I'd spoken to him. He questioned me a little, the worry never leaving his voice, and I kept saying I can walk. I didn't want him to carry me all the time; it'd be unfair to Mel and Carmen. He'd hesitated, but he finally gave in and let me go on my own two feet. He'd also surprised us by having had our stuff with him since he entered … San…uh, San…shoot! Why can't I remember? I think it was a city we were in. San – something. But it was by the ocean. The lovely ocean.
But when Soundwave had let me go on my own feet, I was surprised that I still felt wobbly. My head is killing me, and the setting sun is way too bright even for almost sunset. Was the sun always this bright before? I think to myself. I don't want to tell Soundwave or Mel. I can't really trust Carmen, considering how she acted before and when Soundwave was carrying me. I won't tell her anything personal...not yet at least.
Since this year's been awfully hot, even a warm winter, there has been very little rain here. The grass is dried out in most places, the other spots are starting to dry out. I just hope we find a town or a city near-by. But I've never been here before, sure my mother, my brother, and I had once driven up here to Vancouver last year in 2011. I think it was around this time in June that we'd driven up there. It's strange that it's so warm, or rather hot these past months. I look down at my outfit as I continue to walk. My parachute material jacket from The Hunger Games is alright, my cotton black V-neck shirt has dried but hardened in some spots due to the salt in the ocean, my cargo pants are a little wet but like my jacket they're fine. The same goes for my leather boots. I sigh softly, not wanting to get Soundwave and Mel's attention. Why did I have to wear this outfit for? It's so hot? Why did I even it for again? I can't remember. But I know better to wear it in San…San…er, whatever that city's name is again.
Why had we traveled to San Fransico for anyway? My head throbs painfully as I try to think about it. I rub the back of my head gently where the throbbing is occurring at.
"Sophia please don't put your hand there," Soundwave gently chastised me, again there's that concern lingering on his voice.
"I'm fine, really." I keep the annoyance out of my voice.
"That's where the branch had landed on you. Do you want me to carry your bag for you?"
He means my shoulder bag that Mel said has my stuff in it. Soundwave told us that he saw us run away in that city from before, and got our stuff that we apparently left behind. He stored them in his atl-mode's trunk, and when he transformed they go into a compartment thing on his back or somewhere on his body. It made me think of the little game Operation. So I can remember things like board games I played when I was little but I can't remember anything that previously happened before…the "incident" occurred. Just what's wrong with my head?
"No Soundwave. I got it," I say, getting a little annoyed at him but still trying to be nice around him.
"You sure? I don't mind to carry it, if you want."
"Soundwave, please. I got it. Really, I do. I can handle it."
He's silent for a few seconds, then I hear him sigh. "Alright. Suit yourself. But if you change your mind, just let me know alright?"
"Yeah, alright." I nod my head.
I notice the sky is getting darker, but the sun still hasn't set yet. I look at the sun, watching it slowly start to descend behind the hills. I stared too long, and put my hand up so it's covering the sun, blocking its light from irritating my eyes. My head can't take it the brightness very long.
"Sophia?" Sounwave's worried voice is heard in my ears. I turn to look at him. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I just stared at the sun a bit too long."
He seems to calm a little bit, looking at me. I notice his eyes are a really dull red color. It almost looks black.
"I should be saying the same thing about you, Soundwave. What's wrong with your eyes?"
"My optics feel irritated. And my face is bruised from the battle with Said. But I'm fine really, I am." He smiles. I'm a little shocked. I haven't seen him smile yet. Have I? I can't really remember anything, like the "incident" or the name of the city. I feel nervous a little and I run a hand through my hair, surprised that while it's a little crusty from the ocean, its gone back to its curly wavy state. It's longer than I thought before…before… darn it! My hair is longer when it's straightened out, and a bit shorter when it's curly. Soundwave seems to notice my astonishment.
"Your hair is cute when it's like that."
"Thanks."
"I thought your hair was naturally straight. Why is it curly now?" He seems surprised, I can tell by the tone in his voice.
"I had it straightened out before..before...uh, never mind. But when we jumped off the bridge like you said, my hair got wet and it got curly from that."
"Oh" is all he says.
"Yeah". I don't know what else to say to him other than that.
I look straight ahead, my head painfully throbbing away. I try to ignore it; I look at the sunset again. The sun's now starting its distant behind the hills. I watch it, and I suddenly see a flash of lightning in the distance. Or maybe it right near here! Right above my head! My hearts beating rapidly as I panic, and cover my ears, anticipating the powerful loud roar of thunder.
"Sophia…what are you doing?" I hear of them ask behind me. I don't which one asked me, it was either Soundwave or Melry.
"I'm waiting for the loud clap of thunder. You know I don't like thunderstorms." I say that like I'm talking to Mel, when I really don't who it was that had asked me in the first place.
"Thunder? But there's no clouds in the sky!"
What? "But I saw a flash of lightning! It was so bright; it was like it was right above our heads!"
"Sophia, there was no lightning! And there no clouds in the sky!"
I start to panic a little more. How can that be? I swear I saw a flash of light! We're out in the middle of…of..uh, somewhere…what was that Soundwave said earlier? California? Aright, we're in the middle of California where there's no street lights or electricity to even cause a flash of light! It had to be lightning! Had to be!
I wait for the thunder but it never came. It should have sounded when I was thinking to myself. Yelling at myself! I couldn't have missed it! I would have stopped thinking right then!
I move my hands away from my ears, once I feel almost certain it won't sound. I sense the others, Soundwave and Mel, relax behind me. I know they did.
I look at the sun again; I'm very surprised it's now going behind the hills. Disappearing, sinking into the earth. It might be my imagination but it seems to be getting dimmer for some odd reason. How strange. I don't think it's done that before. Am I seeing things? And what was that flash of light earlier? If it wasn't lightning then what was it?
The sun's now half way gone. The colors paint the sky around it; the sky above my head is still light blue. It's pretty. Yellow is around the horizon, and if I were to look back behind me, it would be already dark, the night setting in on the light so to say.
I watch the sun until it finally disappears, sinking behind the hill. The horizon. The sun might be gone but the light blue color of the sky is still there, around the horizon all around expect in back, is yellow. I know what it's called. Twilight. My favorite time of day. It's just so calming to me. It normally would be, if it wasn't for the horrible throbbing my head is causing. What's wrong with my head? Why is it throbbing so much, causing me pain even when twilight is around me. It usually calms me, but I can't because of my head!
I notice the sky is quickly turning dark, a purplish color. I don't like being out in the dark, walking or even when my mom drives in the dark. She doesn't like it either, and tries to avoid it when possible.
"We're gonna have to stop here. It's getting too dark for you three to walk out here." Soundwave's voice rings out my ears. He seems more worried, but less concerned. I guess he doesn't like to be out in the dark either. "We'll have to sleep here tonight."
"Sleep here?" I ask, shuddering. "You want us to just sleep on the ground? Right here?"
"You see another option?" He seems to sense my panic, judging by the silence. His tone then softens, as if with pity. "Look – it's better than sleeping in my alt-mode. For all of you. At least it's flat. It's also too hot for any critters here to be attracted to your body heat and -"
"Critters?" I demand, my voice rising with panic. "Critters?"
I imagine unpleasant, ugly, deadly insects coming to us in the middle of the night.
"Don't worry." He tries to soothe me, but I arch up on my tiptoes, away from anything that might be hiding in the grass below, my eyes search the blackness for some escape. "Nothing's going to bother you unless you bother it first. After all, we're all bigger than anything else out here."
"Perfect," I moan, sinking down into a crouch, though I'm still afraid of the black ground beneath me.
"Stop being a baby. Nothing is going to kill you. Now lie down and get some rest. Tomorrow will be harder than today. And you will have to walk, Soundwave isn't gonna be carrying the whole like he was earlier." That was Carmen's voice. From her answering tone, I imagine she had rolled her eyes before talking to me.
"Thanks for the good news," I grumble. She's starting to turn into a tyrant. Neither Soundwave nor Mel has anything to say to her. I think there's a saying that corresponds to what she was saying. I don't know it was, or can't remember. But even though I had been walking for a shorter time than the others, I'm more exhausted than I thought, and as I settle unwillingly to the ground, I found it impossible to not slump down on the soft dried out grass and let my eyes close.
XXX
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