Little Flower--A Transformers Prime Fan Fiction

    Summary: Lily encounters some strange robot beings

    ~~This chapter is rated T for sensitive material.~~

     

    TFP © Hasbro

    Lily © Me

     

     

~Chapter One: The Girl Who Had Nothing~

 

 

    “Run! Run and don’t look back!”

    “I’m trying!”

    “Keep going!”

    “Mama!”

    “Don’t stop! Keep going!”

    4-year-old Lily McElroy and her mother sped down the street as fast as their legs could carry them, holding hands tightly and not letting go. Darkness surrounded them; all little Lily could see was the street in front of them, and the forceful red blasts that impacted and crumbled the road around them. All she could hear was the sound of her mother’s voice, her own heart beating, and the roar of jet engines booming in her ear.

    After what felt like an eternity of running, they both noticed a clump of trees and bushes and raced towards them, ducking behind them and catching their breath. Mrs. McElroy pressed Lily close against her body, constantly glancing through the leaves up at the sky. “W-Who are they, Mama?” Lily asked, trembling.

    “I don’t know,” her mother replied.

    “Why are they chasing us?”

    “I don’t know...”

    “W-What’s gonna happen to us?”

    Mrs. McElroy looked down to Lily and sadly smiled at the sight of tears; she used her thumb to wipe them away from Lily’s emerald eyes and kissed her forehead. “Nothing will happen, Lillian,” she spoke softly. “I promise you.” They both jumped and Lily cried when a blast landed by the bushes, a red glow blinding them. Mrs. McElroy looked through the bushes again and took a deep breath. “Wait here, honey,” she said as she got onto her knees and placed Lily further behind the shrubs. “Don’t move...and don’t make a sound.”

    “Mama? Don’t leave me...Mama...!” Lily cried.

    Mrs. McElroy shushed her and wiped her cheeks, tears forming in her own, warm brown eyes. “It’s okay...It’ll be okay. Remember? You’re Mama’s little flower, Lily; beautiful and bright. It’ll be alright...” She kissed her cheek and stood up. “Stay here.” Then she took off into the street—straight into the numerous lines of fire.

    “No! Mama, come back! Don’t leave me!” Lily wept, but her mother remained in the street. She watched her mother wave her arms around, stumble and dive out of the way of the oncoming blasts. Lily badly wanted to go out to her, not wanting to be alone in the shadows for any longer, but her legs wouldn’t move. She tried screaming, but her voice was caught in her throat. She watched a blast come and her mother roll across the street. Blast. Roll. Blast. Roll. Blast. Roll. Then came another blast—striking the ground inches from where Mrs. McElroy stood. She went flying across the street and landed head over heels until she laid still on her stomach, a smoking, singed, battered woman.

    Lily wanted to scream, but her voice remained stuck. Then she ducked down behind the bushes, peeking through the leaves, as a jet hovered above the ground where Mrs. McElroy limply laid. Then, the metal of the jet shifted around, and it took a new shape—the shape of a large, red eyed robot. But the image of the robot was blurred as her eyes filled with tears and her body trembled. Its voice as well was unclear.

    “Where is she?” it asked.

    “...W-Where is who...?” Mrs. McElroy warily asked as she forced herself onto her hands and knees, facing halfway away from the strange robot.

    “Do not play dumb with me, female fleshling! I know you are hiding her. Where is the child?! My master demands I bring her to him!”

    “Who are you...?” Mrs. McElroy croaked, as she slowly started to back away.

    “As if you did not know!” The giant robot reached out a clawed servo and grabbed Mrs. McElroy before she ever had a chance to flee. Lily tried crying out again, but nothing escaped her mouth. Her feet remained planted to the grass by the bushes. All she could do was watch.

    “I don’t know who you are!” she cried as she struggled in the robot’s hand. “Let me go!”

    “Where is she?!” roared the robot.

    “I don’t know who you’re referring to!”

    “You think you can fool the likes of me?! I saw you running off with her down this very street. Now, tell me where she is, and I just might let you live long enough to say your farewells.”

    Mrs. McElroy glared, her voice beginning to choke as the robot’s hold on her tightened. “W-Whatever you want with my baby...you won’t get it...you monster...”

    The robot glared fiercely. “My lord and master has also ordered me to eliminate those who get in my way. And you have been in my way for too long now.” Its other claw extended, revealing finger-like talons.

    “If you kill me...you won’t know where she is...” Mrs. McElroy croaked.

    “Oh, no worries,” the robot chuckled. “If she is nearby, she will no doubt start screaming...”

    Then there was a white flash and a tearing sound. It blinded Lily a little, then she looked again where the robot stood—and found her mother at its feet. All she could see was red. Red coated her mother’s body, and she laid face-down in a pool of it. Lily’s stomach dropped, her blood ran cold. The robot being was also covered in red, but it didn’t seem to care.

    “Pathetic fleshling,” it muttered and kicked the body away, and laughed watching the limbs flare around. Once it stopped chortling, it seemed to be listening. “Huh. I had expected the brat to be screaming by now...maybe she is no longer in this area.” Then the robot quickly took shape of a blurred jet and took off away from the neighborhood—leaving Lily alone with a corpse.

    Gathering up her courage, which was very little, Lily struggled to stand as she stepped out behind the bushes. When she tried to walk, her legs gave in and she fell to her knees. So, she crawled. She told herself to stop, but her hands and knees kept on guiding her forward. She kept crawling until her fingertips waded in the growing pool of thick red blood. There, she could see what the robot had done. It made sure to dig its talons into the corpse’s body in order to claw out the ribs and lungs. The neck was gashed open, revealing the flowing arteries and windpipe. Rivers of red poured from every wound, the corpse’s limbs were bent in inhuman positions from the fall, and the body rapidly became pale. The eyes—the warm brown eyes that were once full of life and love—had become grey and glazed. Lifeless.

    Lily was so horrified by the sight, she forgot that this corpse was her mother. As reality struck, her stomach lurched and her blood ran hot. She began quivering as she felt Mrs. McElroy’s blood flow by her legs and stain her clothes. Her heart ached and she choked on air as she slowly started to hyperventilate. Then, she gripped her hair tightly until her knuckles turned white and screamed.

     

~~~

 

    “NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!”

    Lily sat up in bed as she howled, gripping her hair with a firm grasp. Her heart raced and jumped out of her chest, thumping powerfully; her skin, pajamas and bed sheets were soaked in sweet; her body trembled uncontrollably and her breathing was jagged; her wet green eyes were wide in terror; her stomach churned and her blood ran cold.

    Once she came to her senses, she frantically looked around. She saw her pink, flower-decorated walls, her toy chest and book shelf, her pile of dirty clothes, and her toy bear. She then remembered she wasn’t out in the street; she was in her isolated house that sat near the desert, in her room, in bed, having awoken from a nightmare—not. Not just a nightmare. A memory. A horrible memory of the gory event that took place three years prior. It was the same every night. She would see the same thing whenever she closed her eyes: the red stain on the road, the soaked clothes and skin of the corpse...the red eyes of the robot. Those malicious, merciless red glowing eyes...

    She jumped at the sound of her bedroom door opening and turned to find her father racing towards her bedside. At that instant she burst into tears and clung to his shirt, sobbing and hiccupping.

    Mr. McElroy pulled her into his lap and rocked back and forth, running his hand up, down, and in circles along her back. “Shhh,” he shushed softly. “There, there...It’s alright...” He was used to this now. In fact, he expected this every night, and knew to come running any time his daughter cried out. He remembered the day he learned about his wife’s brutal demise. He had received a call that his wife had been involved in a murder, and he immediately left his office, heading for the hospital downtown. The medics said they found Lily in shock beside the body and took her straight to the hospital. He met her there and stayed with her until she was clear to go. Then they planned the funeral, and other events occurred. Since then, his daughter has suffered severe PTSD; he is only thankful that it hasn’t escalated any further. “It’s okay...we’re safe...Calm down, now. I’m here.”

    Lily hiccupped as her tears rolled down her burning cheeks and soaked her father’s shirt, and snot dribbled from her nose like any upset child. “Real...so real...like always...” she barely managed to say.

    “I know,” Mr. McElroy said quietly, glancing out the window for a while, then he looked to his daughter again. “But you know we’re safe. Right? Because I won’t let anything happen to you.” He tilted her chin up and stared into her teary, red eyes, using his thumb to dry her cheeks. “You know why?” Lily sniffled and nodded slowly. Mr. McElroy smiled. “Yes, I know you know. Because you’re my little flower. And I promise to keep you blooming forever.” He kissed her red nose and nuzzled her with his cheek. “Do you want me to take you to my room, or are you okay now?”

    Lily took a minute to calm herself down, taking deep breaths. “I...think I’m okay now...” she croaked.

    “Very well,” he said and stood up, giving her another kiss. “But if you ever need me, you can come into bed with me any time. Good night, Lily.” He went to the window, stared out of it for a moment before closing the curtains and left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar.

    Lily listened to her father’s footsteps disappear down the hall, then she went to the window, wondering what her papa was looking at. She watched a couple vehicles pass by her house, then  she returned to her bed, hugging her knees. She was a bit nervous about going back to sleep. She always was. There were most times when she’d sleep again and the nightmare would return. However, there were a few occasions where she wouldn’t dream again after the nightmare, and she’d wake up in a much better mood. She looked down at her teddy and pulled it into her lap, staring into its black, beady eyes. She remembered when her mother bought her this bear. Aside from the picture on her nightstand, it’s all that she, herself, had left of her mother.

    Then, turning to her left, she saw the photograph; it was of a young man and woman, and they were holding a baby. Lily’s eyes were on the young woman. Her hair was in a bushy ponytail, her faint freckled cheeks were scrunched up in a smile. Lily knew that smile. She used to see it every morning she woke up from sleep, when she got home from school, and before she went to bed. Those warm brown eyes the woman had stared at her. She knew those eyes too well. No matter how hard she prayed, because of that murderous robot, she knew she would never see that friendly, loving smile, nor those beautiful eyes again. As more tears threatened to spill down her cheeks, Lily sat the picture back down on the nightstand, hugged the bear tightly, and laid back down.

     

~~~

 

    The next day was Saturday. Lily’s favorite day of the week. It wasn’t just because she didn’t have school, but because it was the day she and her papa spent the morning together at the local park. Then they would head to the desert, sit atop a plateau and watch the sun set over the mountains. That was how her parents met; they both enjoyed the view of the setting sun.

    Lily sat on a swing facing the road and squealed every time Mr. McElroy pushed her. Every inch she went higher she laughed and smiled. Then Mr. McElroy raced in front of her, holding his arms out; Lily leapt from the swing and he caught her, spun around as he held her up in the air, then set her down, the both of them dizzy, and the game started again. It was exhausting for Mr. McElroy, but if it made his daughter happy, it was worth a backache.

    “Again, Papa!” Lily giggled as she skipped to the swing.

    Mr. McElroy breathed a chuckle as he rested his hands on his hips, trying to catch his breath. “Lily, I think six times is enough. Why don’t we take a break?”

    “Aww! Please? One more time?”

    “Maybe later, sweetheart. I’ve got to rest a little,” her papa said as he gazed out at the street. Then he ruffled her hair then went to sit down on a bench, pulling a newspaper from his pocket and began to read.

    Lily pouted and sat there on the swing, staring at the dirt while kicking her feet. She was quite small for a 7-year-old girl; her feet still couldn’t quite reach the ground whenever she sat down, not even if she pointed her toes, so she couldn’t push off the ground and swing herself. Lily then glanced out at the street, watching vehicles go by, some traveling faster than others. She did so for a couple moments when something caught her attention as a few more vehicles passed by. Then she remembered. Those were the same vehicles she saw last night. A yellow car and a dirty green jeep-like vehicle. She couldn’t explain it, but she found it odd that she saw the same vehicles together.

    Before she thought on it any further, she heard the familiar, chilling sound of a roaring jet engine. Shakily, she looked up over her shoulder, her eyes following two dark jets soaring over Jasper. Her mind raced as her stomach began churning again. She tried to focus on them as they flew by; she had to see. But from what she could tell, “it” wasn’t one of those dark jets. Ever since that dark night, whenever she heard that familiar sound in the sky, she would look up and see if the jet was the same robot from three years ago. So far, she hasn’t seen any matches. But that could change at any moment. It also raised the question she’s always asked herself: what did that robot want with her? Then, the two dark colored jets turned around and headed back in the direction they came.

    Another sound got her attention. She looked to the sound and saw another small girl playing with her mother; both the mother and the small girl were smiling and giggling and playing together on the see-saw. She heard more laughter and looked to it, seeing a mother and son making a castle in the sand pit. Everywhere she looked, she saw happy children with their happy mothers, while their fathers were elsewhere. As she watched them smile and love on each other, she began to wonder. If that robot hadn’t killed her mama, if she was still alive today, would they be smiling and giggling while they played on the see-saw? Would they laugh if their sand castle fell over and they rebuilt it? Would she be as happy as the other children are with their mothers? She knew she’d never know. She knew she’d never feel the same happiness as those children; she wouldn’t laugh or smile with as much joy and love. She knew all of that. Because that robot took it all away from her. Because her mother was dead. As she hung her head, she gripped the chains on the swing; the children’s and mothers’ laughter echoed in her mind, as well as the words her mother spoke that night three years ago, and grey flashes of previous moments with her mama appeared before her closed eyes. As she sat there, the sounds became louder and louder, and her grip on the chains tightened until her knuckles were bone white. She thought it was unfair. Why, out of everyone in Jasper, did she have to suffer like this? What had she done to deserve this? What had her mother done to deserve being killed? Whether she knew the answer or not, it didn’t matter.

    Lily was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt a tap on her shoulder. “Excuse me,” said a voice. Another little girl in a pink dress stood behind her. “Could I get on this swing when you’re done?” While her mind was back in reality, Lily’s swelled up emotions remained locked away, fighting to escape. Unknowingly, she let it loose. She hopped off the swing, her hands still clenched, and she rammed her fist across the girl’s face. The girl yelped as she landed on the dirt, staring up in shock at Lily. After a moment, she began screaming and crying, earning everyone’s attention. Lily stood there breathing heavily as her eyes widened in surprise. Did she really just hit this girl? The sound of the girl’s hurtful wailing crushed her; before she could apologize, the girl’s mother and Mr. McElroy raced over.

    The mother asked her what happened and the girl explained everything through sobs and hiccups. The look on her papa’s face made Lily very afraid. He apologized numerous times to the mother as she went off, carrying her daughter, then he angrily stormed to Lily, grabbing her by her wrist and pulled her to the side. “Lillian Abigail McElroy, what in the hell were you thinking?!” he hissed.

    Now it was Lily’s turn to cry. “I...I-I don’t know, Papa...I-I didn’t mean to h-hit her...I-It just happened, a-and--”

    “Sucker-punching another girl doesn’t just happen, Lily! I thought you knew better,” he grumbled. After a long intense moment, he started leading her away.

    “W-Where are we going?” Lily sniffled.

    “Home,” Mr. McElroy grunted as he yanked her to his side. “And you are going to sit in your room and think about what you did!”

    “No! Papa, no! NO!” Lily wailed. She began to tug and pull to get her arm free, but her papa would just tighten his grip and pull her back beside him. “NO! PAPA! THAT HURTS! LET GO! LET ME GOOO!”

    Mr. McElroy ignored his daughter’s screams and placed her in the back seat of their car, slamming her door and his when he got in. He turned the key in the ignition, started up the car, pulled out of the parking lot and drove home; all the while, Lily wept and rubbed at her wrist. When they arrived at the house, he plopped Lily on her bed and told her to stay in her room until he said she could come out, and he somewhat slammed the door on his way out. Lily laid on her bed softly crying into her pillow, fully regretting her actions back at the park, wishing to take them back and stop herself from doing it. She was ashamed of herself; she knew she was upset, but she expressed it entirely the wrong way. She reached out and grabbed her teddy, slowly pulling it inward and hugging it close to her chest. “M-Mama…” she whimpered as she nuzzled the bear and continued to sob.

     

~~~

    Lily must’ve cried herself to sleep because she suddenly felt her papa gently shaking her awake. She groggily sat up and moaned; her face felt dry from her tears and rubbed under her eyes. The lighting in her room was dark, indicating it was late in the afternoon. She met her father’s gaze, and saw his eyes were friendly. He smiled as he ran his fingers through her hair, and she sleepily smiled back.

    “I’m sorry I snapped at you like that, Lil’,” he said softly.

    Lily slightly frowned and shook her head. “No...I deserved it. I shouldn’t have hit that girl.”

    Mr. McElroy nodded his head, then turned slightly towards her. “I know you said you had no idea why you hit her, but...there must be some reason.”

    Lily remembered, and tears filled her eyes. She sniffled as she sat up to wipe them on her arm. “Because it’s not fair!”

    Mr. McElroy seemed puzzled. “What’s not fair?” he asked.

    “T-That all the other kids have a mama, a-and I don’t!” Lily wept as tears spilled down her cheeks and dripped off her chin. “I-If it weren’t for that stupid robot, M-Mama would still be a-alive, a-and we’d be happy a-all the time!”

    Mr. McElroy sighed. “Lily, I’ve told you, it was no robot that killed your mother. It was probably someone of a big size or--”

    “NO, IT WAS A ROBOT!” Lily screamed at him. “I saw it! I saw it happen! A-A jet turned into a r-robot, a-and it killed Mama! I s-saw it! N-No one believes me! T-They think I-I’m crazy!”

    “Calm down, Lily,” Mr. McElroy said gently, yet firmly. He rubbed Lily’s back until she relaxed, then he pulled her into his lap. “No one ever said you were crazy, Lily. And, I know it hurts that this happened and that you don’t have your mother anymore. I know it hurts. But, you must remember: she is always with you and me in our hearts”—he tapped her chest, then her forehead—“and in our memories. No matter what.” He reached down and squeezed her hand. “And Mama wouldn’t want us to hold onto the past. She’d want us to move on, even though it’s hard to. She knows, just like you and me, that there’s no way to change what’s happened...but she wouldn’t want that to stop us, now, would she?” Lily sniffled with a trembling lip and shook her head no.

    Mr. McElroy smiled as he wrapped an arm around his tiny daughter and quivered a smile, and they gazed out the window. “I’m afraid the sun’s already set, Lil’. I’m sorry we didn’t get to see it like we always do.”

    “It’s okay...One time isn’t going to hurt anything,” Lily said quietly.

    They both smiled and he kissed her tear-stained cheek. Mr. McElroy then said he gave her permission to leave her room, but Lily replied that she was too tired now. He went to her pajama drawer, grabbed a shirt and pants, and went to help her change out of her clothes. He took off her shirt and slipped a light green, baggy pajama top over her head and pulled her arms through the sleeves. He lifted her legs up and removed her skirt, replacing it with light pink pajama shorts. Then he took each foot and tickled them a little to make Lily laugh before slipping socks on to keep her feet warm. Once she was completely changed, he laid her back down, tucked her in, tossed her clothes into the dirty pile and quietly left the room.

    Lily sleepily reached for her teddy and cuddled it as her eyes began to droop, and she eventually fell back asleep.

     

~~~

 

    Lily awoke with a shriek. Not from the nightmare. But from a loud explosion coming from outside. Jumping out of bed, she raced to her window, looking towards the open field near the mountains, and she saw a large cloud of fire and rock quickly rise up into the sky. Another explosion made her jump. Then bright blue and red flashes of lights lit up the sky as they flew across the sky. Another deafening, sonic boom in the distance that shook the ground and the walls of her room made her scream and duck down. After the echo died down, she poked her head up and saw silhouettes of a large being taking on a second. After a closer look, she realized the beings were made of metal.

    She saw right below them, two other large metallic creatures were taking on much smaller ones. In the full moonlight, she could clearly see that one of them appeared yellow, and the other was green. At first, she thought they seemed familiar and then it clicked; they were the same colors of the two vehicles she had seen at the park and outside her window the night before. They were firing laser cannons and swung swords, and when one of the smaller beings landed on them, they threw them overhead and into the dirt. Lily gasped and stared at the brawl taking place in awe and curiosity.

    “Lily!!” her papa’s voice rang out, making her jump with a squeal. She turned around to see her father holding a flashlight and a strange-looking gun in both hands. “Get away from the window, we’re under attack!!!” Lily got a second quick glimpse at the metallic beings, and she noticed the fight going on between them was getting much closer and closer to the neighborhood. Then she bolted out of her room alongside her father, sticking close to his side.

    “Papa, what’s happening?!” she wailed fearfully, clinging to his arm.

    “Damn ‘Cons are at it again,” Mr. McElroy muttered under his breath, not hearing her question, looking around frantically. Before she could ask again, a sonic blast erupted just outside their home, and every window shattered; shards of glass went flying everywhere, scraping both Lily and her father on their arms and legs. She screamed and he groaned in pain, yet he pressed onward, shielding Lily from any danger, until he got to the guest room across the hall. “Lil’, I need you to stay in here until I say it’s safe to come out!!” he said as he cleaned her wounds as quickly as he could.

    “B-But, w-what about you?!” Lily sobbed out of fear and pain.

    “I’ll be alright,” he said in a rush. “Just stay in that room!! I’m going to barricade the door, okay?! Now get in!!” He guided her into the guest room, shut the door, barricaded it with a chair under the knob, then locked and loaded the gun he held and stood at the foot of the stairs. He was not about to risk losing anyone else in his family.

    Lily cowered behind the bed in the guest room, sobbing heavily as she hugged her slashed knees. What was happening? Why was her papa acting this way? These metallic creatures were fighting near her home. Did they not know humans were living in this home?

    Almost immediately after she thought that, a deep, powerful voice rumbled, “Lead this fight away from the homes! We must not allow any harm to come to this family!”

    Lily gasped and crawled low to the window, cautiously peeping out of it. There right before her was a large metallic creature, battling another just like it, but its appearance was completely different. And his eyes…they glowed red…Lily felt shivers crawl up her spine. The creature with the red eyes had silvery armor, each tip looked as sharp as the tip of a spear, and its mechanical hands appeared like claws. Its teeth were jagged, and its face was shadowed by his helm, but was also lit up by those fierce red glowing eyes. Suddenly those red eyes locked onto hers, and the metallic being sneered. Lily gasped and told herself to move, but she wouldn’t. She knew something was to happen, but she was unable to get out of the way. The second metallic being then turned towards her, revealing its bright blue eyes. This robotic creature had less points and more round edges, she imagined the plates all over its body were made to look like muscles on a human, and its eyes seemed friendlier. They seemed to widen when they saw her, and Lily locked onto them. She sensed something behind those eyes…she couldn’t explain it, though, no matter how hard she tried.

    Then, Lily gasped as she noticed the red-eyed metallic creature drawing out a large gun made out of the same metal as its skin, and pointed it at her. The blue-eyed being heard the weapon charging up, and with a roar its arm changed into a sword. It swung its weapon, and the gun exploded, knocking the red-eyed being backwards—and knocking the blue-eyed one forward towards the guest room. Lily screamed and ran towards the door; just as the giant robotic being crashed into the house, it created a large force powerful enough to knock the door down, and Lily barely escaped the wave of debris and splinters. She sobbed uncontrollably and crouched down in a corner as guns and sonic booms went off around her. She was desperate to know what was happening and why.

    She suddenly heard a familiar cry of agony coming from outside and raced to the closest shattered window. Looking down at the street she saw her father laying in a pool of red, and his right leg below the knee was obliterated. The memory returned and her stomach lurched as her heart raced. “NO! PAPA!” she shrilled and raced down the stairs out into the street. The battle was taking place right outside her door. Both types of robot beings were fighting each other, blasts flying everywhere and their giant feet stomping around. Lily screamed as she avoided being stepped on and ran to her father, sobbing. “Papa!”

    Mr. McElroy hazily looked up at her as he groaned in sheer pain, grabbing his leg. “No...Lily...go back inside...w-where it’s safe...dangerous, out here...”

    “Papa, you’re hurt! Hurt real bad! We need to get you to the hospital! Papa?!”

    Then, her papa looked beyond her and his eyes widened. “GET BACK!” he shouted as he took Lily under his arm and rolled away onto a patch of grass. A red blast struck the road where they used to be, and a smoldering crater was what remained. Mr. McElroy yelled in pain through his teeth as he clutched his leg, his gun laying beside him.

    “Papa!” Lily cried out. Then footsteps boomed towards them and she turned to see one of the metallic beings with a red visor tower over them. Lily whimpered and tried to pick up the gun her papa used, but it was too heavy and too hot. “Papa, get up! Get up! Papa!” she exclaimed, tugging on her father’s arm. The robotic creature charged up a laser cannon it drew out of its arm; Lily’s heart dropped into her stomach and her blood ran cold when she heard and saw it begin to charge up.

    Then, a blue light blasted the robot from behind and it collapsed; Lily watched it fall and the red light behind the visor flickered then faded for good. She gasped and looked up to see the largest of the robot beings aiming its blaster at the fallen robot, its blue eyes glaring. Then it looked to her and its expression softened. Out of nowhere, the silver, spiked robot being tackled it and the two began to fight once more.

    “Lily, get out of here...!” Mr. McElroy winced as he supported himself on one elbow.

    “No! I don’t wanna leave you!” Lily wept.

    “Go, now! You’ll be safer!” Mr. McElroy fought to stand on his one good leg and continued firing his odd-looking gun, which had the same color of ammo as the other robot beings. He struggled to keep his balance while he fired, but he managed to remain standing. “Look, I promised to keep you safe, and I will!” he spoke to her between firing and locking the gun, and the turned his head to her. “And I know that there is a lot you don’t understand right now! I know you have questions, but I can’t answer them! But, I think it’s time you knew that--”

    At the sound of a nearby blast and a close flash of red, Lily’s face turned sickly white. Mr. McElroy wondered what troubled her when he felt this throbbing pain in his chest and his back. He dared look down, to see a gaping, smoldering hole that went clean through his chest. His face fell as he wearily met eyes with his daughter. Tears poured from her eyes as he choked on her name, and she tried to crawl over to him, but she was too awe-stricken to even blink. Then, as his remaining leg went limp and his eyes rolled up and closed, the gun he held slipped from his hand as he collapsed backwards. As he laid there on the road, a mass of red filled the hole in his body and flowed over, spilling down his body and staining the street. Lily just sat there and watched; at first, she wondered if this was really happening, if this was just her imagination. Her father’s body just laying there and not moving is what gave away the fact that this terror was real. Lily felt the same feelings she felt three years ago. Flashes of her mother appeared before her eyes. The sounds all around her faded as she stared at the fresh corpse in front of her—knowing that corpse was her father. Her last parent. She had nothing now.

    After a moment of being unable to breathe, she began hyperventilating. From where she knelt in the grass, she threw her head back and howled the longest cry she had ever let out.

    “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!”

    “NOOOO!” the largest of the robots roared, and the battle raged on even more fierce than before for a while longer.

    Lily sobbed and screamed and pulled at her hair. It happened again. A red-eyed robot being blew a hole into her father, and now he was gone, too. She became very overwhelmed. She felt her heart racing in her chest as she began to feel lightheaded. She heard more deep voices shouting but couldn’t make them out as their words became muffled. She felt her eyes flutter and roll up, all the sounds went dead, and then everything went black.

     

~~~

 

    The next time Lily came to, she felt her body slightly rocking, as if she were in a moving vehicle. Her eyes were too heavy to open for a while, so she listened. She heard the sound of an engine running, the sound of tires rolling over gravel, and metal creaking. She felt something strapped over her chest and waist. A seat belt? Yes. She was inside of a moving vehicle, and by the sound of the engine, a large, powerful one at that.

    She heard voices; both of them were deep and spoken softly as if they weren’t trying to awaken her. She couldn’t make out the words, though. She was too exhausted. She moaned and shifted a little, turning her head to the left, her body aching. The voices then went quiet. Warily, she opened her heavy eyes and saw a man in a suit sitting in the front seat. She tried to speak, but her voice was stuck in her throat.

    The man briefly glanced at her then focused on the road. “Take it easy, kid,” he said quietly. “Just relax and go back to sleep. It’s okay. I’m taking you somewhere you’ll be safe.”

    “Papa...” Lily barely managed to whisper.

    The man sighed, lowering and shaking his head. “I’m sorry...Get some sleep, okay?”

    Lily didn’t want to sleep. She wanted to cry, but she was still so lightheaded and her body was aching, and the pain somehow made her very sleepy. Having no strength left, she succumbed to the heaviness of sleep and blacked out once more.



end of CH. 1