From Teens to Sparklings

Chapter 16 June

 Jack bounded over a fallen log, Energon splattering all over its surface. Sand exploded under his talons as he dashed through the desert, desperate to get away from that horrible place. His whole body felt alien to him, and his vision was swimming. Dark shadows danced at the edges of his sight, and he almost tripped over a rock because of it. As he ran, a black strip came into view, stretching as far as he could see. He had seen something similar when he had left the base, perhaps it was close by?

But just as he had almost made it, a great pain assaulted his systems. Images of humans he had never seen before, yet he felt like he knew, blinded him. Other things were there too. A pale pair of hands gripping Carrier's handlebars, a voice that sounded like Miko telling him a bad joke about cats, a gentle face smiling at him. But there was something else, something bad. Yelling, screaming, the sound of glass being broken. Noises he feared, despite never having heard them. A door slamming, someone crying so hard it made him want to cry too.

All these things caused him to fumble onto the black strip. He was brought back to reality by a bright light and loud noise, before everything went black.

June wiped away another tear. That seemed to be all she had been doing lately. But who could fault her? She had been attending her only child's funeral not 2 hours ago. There hadn't even been a body to bury...

She still remembered the sharp, ice cold pain that had stabbed her heart when a police officer had come to her house and told her that her precious son was dead, killed in a freak building fire. He had said that Jack and 2 of his friends had been exploring an abandoned building, and that part of the building had collapsed onto a gas tank. No one had survived, and their bodies had been charred beyond recognition.

The funeral had been small, not too many family members left in her family. Some close friends had also attended, giving June their condolences. They were all static noise to her as she stared at the closed caskets, sobbing. The other children's families had, of course, come, and June had found some comfort with them. They were all extremely pleasant people, and she wished she could have met them on happier terms. Rafael's parents told her of about how their son had told them so many good things about Jack, how he had stood up for their son and Miko, and how saddened they were that they would never get to meet him.

And now her she was, alone, crying, and desperately missing her son. She rubbed her eyes for a second, wiping away more tears threatening to fall. It was only when she looked at the road again did she see she was about to hit something.

SCREECH- BAM!

June screamed as her bumper connected with whatever it was that had run in front of her car. She jolted forward, smacking her head against the steering wheel. Her car spun and slid off the road, rolling into the sandy desert. Quickly, she hit the brakes, stopping the vehicle. She put it in park and dashed out, hoping to god she hadn't hit a person.

A grey and blue form lay crumpled on the road, illuminated by the headlights of the car. June gasped when she got a look at what she had hit, stepping backwards. Blue liquid pooled around its stomach, head, and feet. Metal scales shifted and moved as the creature breathed shallowly. The unmistakable smell of blood had June taking another step back. What did she hit?

Peering closer, she could recognise what it looked like. It was a dragon, like the ones in the fairy-tale stories she used to read-

She cut her thoughts off, feeling a new wave of tears threatening to assault her eyes. Looking back at the creature, she felt a surge of guilt hit her. She had hit this poor wounded creature, and now it might die because of her!

She blinked and shook her head, clearing those thoughts away. No. She would help this dragon. She was a nurse dammit! She could save it. She got back in he car and drove it back onto the road, making sure that the trunk was facing the dragon. Pulling out a spare pair of surgical gloves from her glovebox, she ran over to the dragon, opening the trunk. Grabbing it under the arms, she hauled it up and into the trunk of her car, making sure to lay it into a comfortable position. Tucking its tail under one of its legs, she grabbed one of the blankets she kept in the back seat. Pulling it over the dragon with practiced precision, she secured the wounded creature, making sure that if it woke up, it wouldn't hurt itself or cause her to crash. Just as she was pulling her hand away from the corner near its chin, it leaned into her hand, purring. June froze for a moment, before giving it a sad smile and petting it, laying its head back down.

She climbed into the drivers seat once again, adjusting her mirrors. She took one last glance at her unconscious passenger before stepping on the gas, breaking the speed limit just a little. She needed to get home, so she could stop the bleeding. She blinked. Was that blue stuff blood? What kind of living creature had metal scales and blue blood? She shook her head again, focusing on the dark road. She would just have to find out.