As Azura made her way through the city towards the bus stop, making sure to keep moving and not stop. It might not be a huge city, but there was still a lot of people in the city that she would want to avoid due to potential trouble that they can bring. Azura still felt happy though. She was about to change her life and start somewhere new. That is what she was hoping for anyway.
About halfway through, Azura felt the sense that she was being watched. She was tempted to look around, but she was worried that would only draw more attention. She walked a little faster so that she could get to the station faster. There was not much time to lose at the moment after all. She hoped to get to Florida, but anywhere outside of Wyoming was going to be better.
After thirty minutes, she made it to the bus station and she walked up to the board to see when the next bus would leave. She saw she had thirty minutes until a bus heading for Chicago would leave. She shrugged. It was a start. She walked into the terminal and saw there were a few people at the counters typing on their computers. She grabbed out one of her envelopes with cash inside and approached the counter.
She was a little nervous as she walked up to the counter. "E-Excuse me." The woman on the other side looked at her and narrowed her eyes slightly. "Are there any tickets left for the bus to Chicago?"
The woman tapped her finger on the desk slowly, showing she was not in the mood. "There is. Any reason why you want to head there alone, young lady?"
Azura took a deep breath. "I do not wish to discuss that. How much is it for a ticket?"
"I kind of have to ask, miss," The lady responded in a tired, blunt voice. "In case I need to speak with the police about the matter."
Irritated, Azura just answered her. "I'm heading to my aunt's for a few weeks. She just forgot to buy a ticket and sent me the money so I can come and head over as soon as possible. My parents are going on a business trip, so I can't stay here."
The woman just sniffed rudely and sighed. "Sixty dollars…" Azura quickly hands the woman the money. She counts and it was correct. She prints the ticket and hands it to the girl. She gives Azura fake, big smile. "Have a good trip."
Azura smiled slightly and walked out to head over to the waiting area for the bus to arrive so that she could leave. She saw there were a lot of other people waiting to get on a bus too. She made sure to not make eye contact with them as she didn't want to be bothered by anyone while waiting.
She glanced at the road when she heard a loud engine and she was surprised when she saw the red dodge driving by the station. That definitely not was what she expected to see. The car didn't slow down though as it kept driving, so she figured it was just a coincidence that it drove by the station.
The bus heading to Chicago arrived after fifteen minutes and Azura saw a few people getting off the bus. There were still a lot of people on board, but some people got off. She waited patiently until the driver called out for passengers who were heading for Chicago. She stood up and walked over as people line up at the door.
Azura was lucky she didn't have a suitcase, so the driver wouldn't need to throw her bag into the underside of the bus. The driver smiled at the girl kindly when he saw the ticket and gave her the okay to get on board. He thankfully didn't question why she was getting on the bus on her own.
She walked down the middle of the bus and took a seat. She hoped that no one would try and sit next to her as she didn't want to be bothered by anyone. She looked out of the window with a smile, knowing that she was going to leave this city and never come back.
Once the passengers boarded, the driver finished putting the suitcases away and he went into the station for something before entering the bus and taking a seat. He closed the door and backed the bus out of the parking space and drove onto the road. Azura felt so excited at the moment, knowing that she was leaving her awful life behind.
She relaxed in her seat as the bus drives out of town and she opened her bag to grab out a snack. Deciding to eat some biscuits, she opened a packet and began to eat quietly. She was still feeling a little hungry despite having food already. Though it was not unusual, since the orphanage never really fed the kids properly.
She ate a few of the biscuits before putting the packet back into her bag and she leaned back to try and sleep, knowing it would take many hours before the bus would arrive at Chicago. Azura relaxed and closed her eyes, not knowing that if she looked out the window, she would see a bird-like figure following the bus.
However, she opened her eyes when she heard someone gasp loudly. "What the hell is that?!" She turned her head with a frown. "Do you see that? Looks like a drone or something?"
Azura heard people chatting as they move to look out the windows. She looked out of curiosity and she saw it. It was a large figure that looked like a black bird following the bus. It had red lenses, but Azura didn't think much of it. She figured it was nothing to worry about as she yawned and tried to fall asleep again.
But she didn't get much luck as there was a loud explosion behind the bus, making everything scream loudly. Azura sat up straight in fear and surprise, looking around in confusion. The bus jolts and she shrieked, clutching her bag to her chest and she gasped when she smelt smoke. She turned her head to l see where the smoke was coming from, only to tense as the bus swerved, trying to avoid whatever was attacking the bus.
However, the tyres seemed to lose control and grip on the road as there was water laying on the road, making it hard for the driver to control the bus. Azura screamed when something hits the bus from the side, sending it off road and she felt it tipping. She heard people screaming and saw almost everyone had taken their seatbelts off to look at whatever was following the bus before.
She braced herself and hugged her back as the best felt on its side hard and there was another hit, and she clenched her eyes closed as she felt the vehicle rolling down a hill. The glass of the windows break loudly around her and she hears the screams of everyone around her, though many get cut off and she realized people were being killed.
Once the bus finally landed on the bottom, it landed upright and Azura took deep breaths as she tried to calm down. She opened her eyes and looked around, widening her eyes in horror as she saw blood streaks around the bus. She heard some people crying, but she had no doubt most were dead.
She removed her seatbelt carefully, grimacing as she felt a sting and looked down, realizing that the belt had cut into the skin of her chest and right shoulder, and she had blood staining her shirt. She check to make sure the necklace had not fallen off her neck, and thankfully it did not. She placed her hand on her head and felt shards of glass in her skin.
She tensed when she heard the sound of something big walking towards the bus. She could not see it and she was looking left and right until she saw something on the opposite side from her. Tentacles began to reach into the bus and grab different bodies of people, and seemed to be checking them. It was like it was searching for someone.
But she did not want to stick around. She stood carefully and brushed some of the glass away from the window frame and grabbed onto the frame, swinging her legs over slowly and dropped onto the ground. She grimaced as pain shot up her legs from the impact, but she looked around for a moment and ran towards the trees.
Once she hid behind a tree, she looked back at the bus. She widened her eyes when she saw what looked like a tall, robot. It was lean with dark purple colors. It had no face, only a glass visor, and the arms were very thin. However, it had tentacles reaching out from its chassis, and she swore that she can see that it's chassis seemed to have the drone she saw before attached to it. And this bot was indeed pulling people out and checking them.
Not wanting to stick around to find out, Azura turned and ran, hoping to make her way back to the road. This definitely was not what she had hoped to happen when she bought the ticket tonight. She hoped that she would not be sent back to the orphanage, as she knew she had to find the police and tell them about it.
However, as she ran, she heard a jet flying over suddenly and she looked up. She saw a dark purple jet and she skidded to a stop when it transformed suddenly and landed in front of her. She fell backs onto her backside and stared at the very same bot she saw before. It was a staring at her as she scrambled back.
Azura tensed when she ran against something behind her and she looked up to see another bot with red optics grinning down at her. This one was silver with a lean body and jet wings on its back. "Hello, why are you taking off like that, hmm?" He chuckled coldly as Azura stood up, backing away from the two of them. "Well done, Soundwave."
She stared at them as she backed away nervously. "W-Wh-Who are you? W-W-What are you?" She had no idea what they wanted from her since she had nothing of value to them.
The robot chuckled coldly as he watched her scramble backwards. "I apologize for not introducing myself properly, youngling. I am Starscream, second in command of the decepticons." She glanced at the other bot briefly and back at him. "And you have met the eyes and ears of the decepticons, Soundwave."
"Uh huh…um…" She swallowed nervously as she stopped crawling back and looked at him nervously. "W…What do you want from me? I…I don't even know you, or know what you are?" She glanced back at Soundwave and Starscream again fearfully as tears fill her eyes. "I…I have nothing you want…uh…I think you got the wrong girl."
"On the contrary, we have exactly who we are after." Starscream's smirk widened as she tensed at his reply. "It seems you have no knowledge, good. Just what we need." He looked at Soundwave with a stern expression. "However…make sure this is the right person, Soundwave. Otherwise, I will not be pleased if we picked the wrong girl!"
Azura stood up quickly with a grimace from the sting of her wound. Tentacles extend out from Soundwave's chassis and reach down towards her. She backed away quickly and turned to run. "I have nothing!" She heard Soundwave step forward suddenly in an attempt to grab her. "Please! Don't hurt me!" She shrieked and kicked her legs when she felt the clamp of strong, metal fingers around her waist as she was grabbed and lifted by one of the tentacles. She placed her hands on the fingers and pushed at them. "Let me go!"
Starscream chuckled as he enjoyed the struggles of the girl as she tried to get out of Soundwave's grasp. "She sure is feisty." He looked at Soundwave as he lifts his hand and moved his fingers towards her neck, making her shake her head to try and get away. "If she is the one, we will have leverage over the autobots…especially when they will not wish for any harm to come to her when they learn who we have…" He paused and turned when he heard the sound of a loud motor revving. "What the…"
Azura gasped when she saw the red dodge launching into the air from the hill above, where the bus had been pushed down from, and she widened her eyes when it transformed. She stared in disbelief as this bot raised his fist as he felt down, punching Starscream into the ground and kicking at Soundwave's stomach. The girl screamed as the purple bot's tentacle lost its grip on her and she felt onto the ground, thankfully she rolled so she would not be terribly harmed.
She looked up when she stopped tumbling as she stared at the bot. He stood in front of her with his arms raised to fight. "What…what is g-g-going on?" She could not believe what was happening right before her eyes. For some reason, she was a target.
The bot turned his head slightly and she saw blue optics instead of red. "It is best you hide somewhere, little lady." He looked back at Starscream and Soundwave as they stood back up. "Things are about to get ugly. And you both best be ready for the horns!" He punched his fists together loudly as Starscream glared at the bot.
"Well, well, if it isn't Cliffjumper," Starscream mocked with a cold laugh. "We have to really thank you very much for leading us here. If it weren't for you, we might not have discovered this little secret." He glanced at Azura who was looking at them in confusion. "And thankfully, she isn't exactly smart."
Cliffjumper did not move as he glared at the two bots. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Soundwave picked up my call." He glanced at the faceless bot and grinned slightly. "This is my lucky day. Time to put some dings into you both!" He lunged at them with his fists raised and threw them at Starscream.
Azura turned before she could see the rest and ran away, hearing the loud sound of metal clanging and there was the sound of blasters being fired shortly after. She covered her ears slightly and did not know where she could run to at the moment, and she had no idea what these bots wanted from her, and it seemed like they were fighting over her. And she was terrified. She had no idea why this was happening to her at all. Tears roll down her cheeks as she ran through the forest as fast as she could, not knowing where she could go.
Maybe I can slow them down…an avalanche…
She glanced up and thought about it as she ran. But there was not enough debris that could really affect the bots. And they seemed intelligent…and they transformed from vehicles. She has never seen that before in her life, and she knew that there were no robots on this planet who could do that. Even the most advanced robots military had, she knew they could not do that. Especially since these bots appear to have…sides.
Azura shrieked and skidded to a stop when a stomp in front of her made her freeze. She looked up with wide eyes as Soundwave looked at her. "This is a dream…this a nightmare…" She walked backwards slowly as the bot walked towards her. "This has to be a dream…" She clasped her hands together as she felt static in her fingers and she focused. "Leave me…alone…" She stepped backwards as thunder rumbled from above and Soundwave reached down with his hand open and ready to grab her. "NO!"
She shrieked and turned to run, ignoring the loud clap of thunder and the sound of lightning striking a tree next to Soundwave. He stepped back in surprise as the tree began to burn as it fell in front of him. He watched the girl run and he stepped over the tree to follow her, swiping at the trees either side to make his way to grab her.
"No you don't!" Azura glanced over her shoulder as she saw Cliffjumper shoot his canons at Soundwave. The bot moved effortlessly to avoid the blasts. "Keep running, girl! Get them little legs going!"
Azura did not know if she should trust Cliffjumper or not, but he was telling her to run. And she hoped he was on her side. She continued to run, deciding to flee away from the road and further down hill was the best way to go. She used the gravity to her advantage as she ran down the hill between the trees in the hopes to get away from the fight as much as possible.
But she heard the sound of multiple jet engines flying above and she slipped underneath a log. She crawled as far as she could as the log was on an angle and she pressed into the gap as much as possible. She took deep breaths and focused on the storm rumbling above, and it didn't take long before she heard the rain falling down. At least it would cover her tracks, though the air was extremely cold and she shivered.
If only I could influence the temperature as much as I can the weather.
"I don't care!" She flinched when she heard the sound of Starscream shouting at someone. "She's around here somewhere! Find her! She's just a human! Got it!"
"Yes, Starscream!" Came the unison reply of multiple bots.
She hoped Cliffjumper could help her. She didn't know who he is or why he was helping, but at least he was trying. She heard jets flying around and she remained under the log. It was dry at least, and she was not covered in damp clothes, so she was fine for the time being. Though she did not know how long it would last, and she was still terrified. She did not know what to do. The bots will keep looking forward her, and she did not want that to happen. She was thinking on everything that the bots could want her for, and she couldn't think of one.
"Where are ya, Scream?!" She flinched when she heard Cliffjumper yell out to him. "I got some reinforcements on their way, but I would totally love to dance with ya right now! Come on out!"
Azura listened to him and it sounded like the bot was mocking the other bots. She did not know if that was a good thing or not. She heard footsteps getting closer to where she was hiding, but thankfully they seemed to stop and run somewhere else. She was able to relax a little as she did not know how long she could hide. Plus, she was still bleeding. She looked down at her chest and pressed her shirt against the wound, hoping to put enough pressure to stop the bleeding.
She wasn't able to focus long as she heard something land near her and she tensed, recognizing Starscream's legs and feet. She kept herself quiet as much as she possibly could, though the feet got closer and closer to where she was hiding and she soon saw Soundwave landing behind Starscream. She braced herself and prefer to jump to her feet if needed, and it seemed like that she needed to as slender fingers grab the log and threw it away.
"I found you!" Starscream mocked cheerfully as the girl scrambled to her feet and fled from them again. "Aw, come on! Isn't that part of the game! You hid and I found you! I win!" Azura ignored him as she ran and ducked as other bots transform from jets and land, trying to grab her and she slid along the leaves and mud as much as she could. "Stop getting in the way!"
Azura shrieked when someone finally scooped her up and she looked up to see Cliffjumper. "I got you, kid." He held her against his chassis and ran through the forest. "Help is on the way, we had all just been a bit spread out. Sorry, we're a little thin right now."
The girl said nothing as she clutched the bot's fingers, not knowing what to think as he ran between the trees, stopping only to hide behind a tree or large boulder and shoot at the bots chasing them. She was too terrified to talk. She had so many questions right now, and had no answers. She wished this was all just a bad dream. That would be the best-case scenario.
I must have really dozed off on the bus. I'll probably just wake up and find I am still on the bus. Yes, that's it.
While she was hoping that she was just dreaming, Cliffjumper is rammed from behind by Soundwave, sending him rolling forward and losing his grip on Azura. She screamed as she fell from his hand and groaned as she slammed into an exposed root. She felt the slice into her lower back from the root and she held her back as she took deep breaths. She looked up and covered her eyes as a blast from Cliffjumper was extremely bright as it hits one of the other bots that were assisting Soundwave and Starscream.
She scrambled to her feet and ran again. It was harder to run fast with her injury in her back, but she did what she could. She didn't get far as something suddenly shines in front of her. She came to a stop as it looked like some kind of energy, filled with colours of green, white and purple, it seemed like some kind of vortex. And from this vortex, a dark, purple motorbike, a yellow and black camaro, a green all-terrain vehicle, a red and blue peterbilt truck and, finally, a white ambulance with an orange hood and roof. And they too transformed, launching themselves upward.
However, her eyes stare at the peterbilt. When it transformed, she saw the very same bot she has seen in her dreams for the past several years. She now knew she was dreaming as they land behind her in a wall to protect her from the other bots. She took deep breaths as she stared in disbelief for a moment and shook her head before she ran forward again, running around the vortex to avoid it. She didn't want to stick around at all.
"The girl is running!" One of the bots shouted. "Go after her, Ratchet! She's injured!"
Azura did not know who that was, but it did not matter to her. She heard the sound of rushing water ahead of her, even through the pouring rain. Though as she ran towards it, she heard something whistling through the air and glanced over her shoulder, widening her eyes to see a missile. But she could not alter it off course as it hits the ground behind her, creating a massive blast and sending her flying.
She screamed loudly as she was thrown into the air and her body flipped and spun uncontrollably. She landed face first into the ground, making her grimace as she skids along the ground and she felt the shards in her face press into her skin even further, making her whimper and she was surprised she didn't feel any other pain. Though when she stood, she felt a sting in the back of her legs and glanced down to see the back of her jeans had been burnt, and she saw the red, burnt skin that had been caused from the blast.
She heard laughter and looked up to see Starscream transforming from a jet and landing in front of her. "You don't need to do this to yourself, youngling." He looked at her with his arms open, seemingly looking like he was being graceful. "I am not hear to hurt you, after all. We are here to take you home. To your real family."
My real family?
She clasped her shirt, feeling the crystal underneath. She realized suddenly that it was because of the crystal they were after her. She backed away from Starscream nervously. "I…I d-d-don't know anything…r-r-really…I…I…h-h-have no parents…"
The bot laughed and opened his mouth to say something, only for the orange and white bot to slam his fist into the side of his face. Starscream fell to the side and rubbed his cheek before growling and glaring at Ratchet. Azura watched as the bot's hands turn into swords and he lunged at Starscream as the bot jumped to his feet to avoid the swipes from the bot. At least it seemed Starscream had his attention taken off her again, for now.
Azura backed away slowly, not knowing where to run. It seemed like wherever she ran, they would find her. She felt her vision blur as tears fill her eyes, mingled with the raindrops from above. She didn't even feel the cold as much from the adrenaline she was pumping. However, as she took a step back, she felt the ground give way and she screamed, realizing she was on the edge of a high bank and fell straight into an icy, cold river.
The water was running very fast. She tried to kick up to the surface, but she was bumped into multiple rocks and debris in the water, and she couldn't get to the surface at all. She grimaced after a couple minutes as she wanted the water to slow down. And she held her hands out, turning in the direction the water was rushing, in the hopes she could slow it down. And to her surprise, she could as she felt the water slow suddenly and she was able to kick to the surface. She took a deep breath once she reached the surface and she realized the rain had stopped. The water was still running, but not as fast. She looked over her shoulder and she saw her bag was still with her, but it was damaged. She likely lost everything in it.
She swam over to a log floating in the river and climbed onto it before letting the river flow naturally again, rushing her down stream. It seemed to be the only way to get away from those bots as fast as possible. She clenched her eyes closed as the icy water soothed the pain in her legs, back and chest, and stopping the flow of blood. She stopped hearing the sounds of fighting and she was relieved. After twenty minutes, the river brought her to a lake where it was calm.
She grimaced as she kicked her weakened, frozen legs to the shore as she clutched the log. Once she reached the bank, she fell onto the ground and crawled. She breathed in and out in gasps, she watched her breath turn into cold mist when she breathed out. She shivered as her clothes stuck to her skin like glue and she dragged herself away from the water as best as she could. She found herself settled against a tree and between a few boulders. It was here she leaned against the trunk, shivering and curled.
She could not believe this was all because she chose to leave the orphanage. Living there would have been better than this. She sniffled a little as no tear filled her eyes. She was too cold to even cry. She felt exhausted and closed her eyes to try and rest. She knew an animal might find her, but at least that was better than whatever the bots wanted with her. As Azura drifts off, she barely heard the heavy footsteps of multiple bots approaching her location. She didn't hear their voices, nor did she feel the gentle hands of one of the bots picking her up and cradling her against them. Even when the warmth touched her skin, she fell into unconsciousness.