Transformers ( Bayverse ) - I Bleed When I Fall Down

9 - Warm

Farrah stared in horror. She looked from the side window of the car to the front windshield.

Just in time to see metal contort painfully, unnaturally. It screamed as it was bent and broken. Her mother’s screams echoed her own as they stared at the wreckage. Fay hadn’t even felt the seat belt as it jerked at the sudden application of brakes.

The car ahead of them was broken, and now it was burning. Fay screamed, jumping out of the car and rushing forward. She was stopped by the officers again, her screams leapt from her throat against her will.

“No!” She called, reaching for the obliterated hunk of metal. But where had the officers come from? They hadn’t been her that quickly before. Fay’s mother had kept her contained in the vehicle originally.

That was when Fay realized she wasn’t herself. Not the way she was during the crash. She was the way she was now. Fully grown. She pulled past the officers with a burst of strength and they reached after her, but she was too fast this time. The words tried to escape her throat, but nothing came out as she closed the distance to the car.

She stopped at the edge of the burning, broken metal. She stared at the bodies inside for a moment, watching. She swore she saw his eyes flicker . . .

Fay reached for the door, pulling hard. It was wedged shut from the impact.

Why weren’t the officers coming to stop her? She shook her head. It didn’t matter. ‘I’ll save you this time,’ she thought, pulling harder on the door. She ran to the other side. In the impact, the car had been spun around in a 180.

Fay pulled hard on the driver’s side door, but it was in worse condition than the passenger’s. “No!” She screamed, pressing her lips together as she realized the fatality of the situation.

That was when his eyes, bright blue, opened slightly. Looking straight at her. Fay’s heart leapt into her throat. “I’m sorry . . . I’m so, so sorry. I tried. I really did.” She banged her fists against the glass, lowering herself to look at him directly. “I’m sorry . . . I failed you. I . . . I wish I was better . . .” She wiped her eyes, the tears slipping down her cheeks.

The tracks the tears left clear stains on her face. Fay’s skin was already coated with a layer of soot and dirt, giving her a filthy appearance. She banged on the window, wishing that by some miracle it would break and she would be let in. That she would be allowed to save them. His eyes stared blankly at her. Wishing he could reassure her.

“It’s all my fault!” She screamed, hating herself, hating everything in this moment. In the back of her mind, a thought nagged her. ‘Why aren’t the flames burning me?’ If anything, they left black marks that would wash off. They were warm, but never hurt.

That was when Fay realized how warm she actually was. She suddenly felt uncomfortably warm. Sweat dripped down her brow, but it didn’t change anything. She kept his gaze, wanting to take in as much of him as she could.

“I’m sorry I failed . . .” She whispered, wishing she could at least hold his hand one more time. The body next to him was already limp. Lifeless.

He shook his head, slowly, weakly. It was a barely discernable gesture, and Fay’s eyebrows creased. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off.

~~~

Farrah was back in her room, and woke with a slight jolt, but stayed laying down. She didn’t have much of a choice really. She was wrapped tightly in a cocoon of blankets. She took a deep breath, trying not to think about the dream. It had been too real this time. Too frightening. She curled up tighter, pulling her knees up towards her chest, but they didn’t make it past her waist in the tight bundle.