Transformers Prime: Fractured Futures (#3)

Chapter 6

*Erin's pov*

My breath came faster, shallow and erratic. The policewoman’s words blurred in my mind, replaced by the rising panic that gripped my chest like a vice. I could feel the darkness stirring inside me again, like a wild animal thrashing against its cage.

“Erin,” the policewoman said softly, but her voice seemed distant now, fading under the growing roar in my head. *Power. Destiny. Shadows.* The whispers clawed at my mind, louder and more insistent than before.

I pressed my hands against my ears, trying to shut them out, but it was no use. The panic surged, white-hot and overwhelming, as the darkness inside me began to break free. My body trembled violently, and I felt the air around me shift, growing colder, heavier.

"Erin, stay with me," the policewoman urged, her voice firmer now, but I couldn’t focus. I couldn’t breathe. My chest tightened painfully as the world around me started to blur, and the darkness within me erupted.

A deafening crack shattered the silence, and the walls of the interrogation room trembled. The lights flickered wildly before the bulbs exploded, raining shards of glass down around us. The doors of the room burst off their hinges with a loud, metallic screech, slamming into the hallway walls, and the windows shattered in an instant, scattering sharp fragments across the floor.

The policewoman stood up abruptly, her face twisted in shock, but I didn’t wait to see what she’d do next. I was already moving, running on pure instinct.

I bolted through the open door, my heart pounding in my chest as I ran down the hallway, my footsteps echoing in the chaos I’d left behind. The other officers were shouting now, confused and scrambling, but I ignored them. I had one thought, one mission in my mind: Evan.

I burst through the back exit of the station, the cold night air hitting me like a slap. My eyes darted around frantically, and then I saw him, just outside one of the police cars. His hands were cuffed behind his back, and a lone officer was preparing to escort him inside.

I acted without thinking.

The officer didn’t have time to react before the same dark energy that had destroyed the interrogation room lashed out again, knocking him to the ground. The air around me hummed with power, and the shadows seemed to twist and warp, bending to my will. I grabbed the keys from the officer’s belt and rushed to Evan’s side, my hands shaking as I fumbled with the cuffs.

“Erin?” Evan’s voice was soft, but his eyes were wide with fear and confusion. “What’s happening? What did you do?”

I didn't say anything.

I quickly unlocked the cuffs, and Evan rubbed his wrists, wincing. Without another word, we took off running, our footsteps pounding against the wet pavement as we fled into the night. The police station grew smaller behind us, fading into the darkness, but I didn’t dare look back.

We ran for what felt like hours, through the city streets, past the flickering streetlights, until the buildings gave way to trees and the air grew quieter, thicker. I wasn’t sure where we were anymore—somewhere on the outskirts of the city, maybe, in a patch of woods far away from the chaos.

We slowed down, both of us gasping for breath, and finally collapsed onto the ground, hidden in the shadow of the trees. My body was shaking, exhaustion setting in, but my mind was still racing.

“I… I don’t understand,” Evan panted, looking at me with a mixture of concern and fear. “What was that back there? What’s happening to you, Erin?”

I lifted my hands to respond, but the words caught in my throat. How could I explain it to him when I barely understood it myself? My powers were spiraling out of control, and I had no idea how to stop them. The darkness inside me—whatever it was—had a grip on me now, and I wasn’t sure I could fight it.