Complicated Vows: This Is War

Down Time

            Setting her jaw, fingers itching around the F.N. 5.7, Danielle stepped back out into her garage, hardly breathing as she took in the sight of the large gleaming vehicles.  The blue semi caught her gaze more than the others, seeming to radiate a presence that she couldn’t quite put a word to. Whatever it was, though, it deeply unsettled her. What was worse, she noticed that all of the drivers had exited their vehicles and were now probably skulking around her yard.

            The shining red Ferrari stole Danielle’s attention next. The paint job was flawless, the detailing, immaculate. The car looked like it belonged in a showroom, not in front of her garage, way out here on dirt roads.

            She crept towards the car, gazing at the fine specimen of speed and performance, but still alert for any signs that would inform of an incoming attack by one of the missing drivers.

            Finally out of her garage, she scoped out her yard but found nothing. She stepped around the side of the Ferrari, expecting to be jumped by someone, but realized that the yard was completely empty except for the vehicles.

            The sight of the black Topkick threw back her memory to when she saw it gunning down the road with seemingly no driver. She thought of how the Camaro had flashed its lights and played its radio while empty and off. It hadn’t been kidding about how others like it were coming here.

            “What are you? What do you want?” she practically yelled at the unresponsive vehicles in front of her. “If you’re here for the Camaro, just take it.” Panic crept into her voice, rising by the second. “I’m sorry that I took it. I didn’t think anybody wanted it anymore by the way it was left on the side of the road! I’m really sorry! I didn’t know! I really didn’t know!” She hadn’t realized how high her voice had gotten, but she almost didn’t care anymore. “Please, just don’t hurt me! I won’t cause any problems, I promise. I’m just trying to get by on what I have, I didn’t mean to make any problems. Please, believe me…”

            A deep baritone voice filled the air around her. “Relax, we are not going to harm you, young human. If anything, we are grateful that you saved our comrade.”

            Even though the immense voice seemed to come from nowhere and was off-putting, to say the least, what happened next completely threw Danielle over the edge.

            The semi began to change. The body of the truck and the frame pushed apart at the seams, individual pieces began to shift and move all around. She couldn’t believe her eyes as the truck, well… stood up!

            Despite the voice’s earlier statement of peace and gratitude, Danielle pulled up the gun and fired round after round at the giant machine. When the sight clicked with the image on the cover of the Times magazine, the one of the giant machines destroying the city, she fired at all the vehicles.

            “Why you little…” came a gruff dark voice as the Topkick changed and stood next to the semi. “You want a gun fight? Let’s go, fleshing.”

            The black machine’s arm shot forward as it turned into a glowing hot cannon. Relying on what she’d learned from the movies, her only idea was to fire rounds into the mouth of the cannon itself.

            She knew she’d hit home when the machine grunted and shook its arm, er.. cannon... She also knew she hadn’t damaged it enough though; she seemed to have only pissed it off more. Staring down the barrel of the cannon that was aimed right at her, again, Danielle froze. She didn’t even notice that the Ferrari and medical vehicle had also changed shape and were now standing around her yard watching.