I Swear I'm Not Crazy

11. Risen and Fallen

Song: Rise -Skillet

We've only got a mile left when we see the incoming Decepticons. About thirteen in total, spread around the desert. We hide in an old building, huddled together.

"Once it's clear, we run to Optimus as fast as we can, ok?" I tell them, mustering all the courage I can find.

"What if it doesn't work?" Mikaela asks.

"It's gonna work," Sam answers her, surprising me.

Suddenly, we hear a Decepticon land outside our hiding spot. Sam makes a hole in the wall so he can look through. Then he takes something out of the hole. A robotic bug. He rips it's head off, and a second later, the roof is ripped off of the building.

We run as multiple Decepticons begin attacking, barely missing us. And then, when we've had a couple minutes of seeming quiet, we see a Decepticon release two faces we never expected.

"Mom!" I yell frantically. "Dad!"

A Decepticon jumps over a building and lands between us, causing Sam, Mikaela, and I to fall backwards. The Decepticon aims a gun at our parents.

"Listen to me," Dad is shouting. "I want you kids to run. Just run."

"Dad, just stop," Sam yells. "They don't want you!"

"They want me," I finish, stepping forward. I can't let them hurt my parents. I vaguely hear Mom asking what happened to my arms, with the bruising, but I ignore it.

"Eleanor Witwicky," the Decepticon says slowly, turning to me.

"Don't hurt them," I command. "You don't want them, you want me. You want this." I hold up the beanie filled with Matrix dust. I see Bumblebee hidden between two buildings. "I know that you need me, because I know about the Matrix." The Decepticon pulls his gun on me. "Bumblebee!"

At my yell, Bumblebee jumps from the building, landing on top of the Decepticon. Bumblebee manages to glance at me as he puts down his face mask. He means buisness.

As Bumblebee fights the orange Decepticon, another shows up, in the form of a silver panther. It pounces on Bumblebee, but the Autobot rips him apart as Sam, Mikaela, and I run for the cover of a building where Mom and Dad are.

"Thank you, Bumblebee," I say as the orange Decepticon lands dead on the sand.

Bumblebee nods at me, saying, "Yeah," and sounding proud of himself.

"Bee!" Sam yells as more fire rains down. Bee comes to us immediately and Sam motions to our parents. "Get them somewhere safe, ok?"

"What?" Dad asks.

"You've gotta get in the car and get to safety," I explain, and Sam nods.

"No, this isn't up for discussion," Dad retorts. "You're my kids, ok? You're my kids! We're all going together!"

"Dad, stop," Sam says. "You get in the car and you run, ok? You don't stop, you don't hide, you run. We'll find you when you're safe."

"No," Dad argues.

"Dad, you have to let us go," I input. "Please, we know what we're doing."

"Ron," Mom interupts, surprising me. "Ron, let them go."

"You come back," Dad orders us, before taking Mom and running to Bee.

"Mikaela, go with my parents," Sam tells his girlfriend.

"I'm not going without you," Mikaela snaps, and Bumblebee drives off with just our parents.

That's when Ironhide and a femme Autobot find us. I recognize her, even with her multiple forms, as Arcee, from everything Sam has told me.