What is Joy? [SaiGenos]

Wake

Its hard to start over.

Screams. They were all he could hear around him, other than the loud mechanic whirs and sputters as something neared his home. Orders went unheard, as it was hard to hear over the evident pain of the people outside his home. It was until a hand hooked the back of his shirt that he stood there, only to start moving quickly towards the door. The car was their best chance out of this, as they might outpace the creature. 

But only then did he get a good look at it. 

It was large, that was just putting it simply. Rays of sunlight hit it at odd angles due to jutting shards of metal, sticking out in crazed directions at it's shoulders. The rest was a shadow, due to its size. He was staring, slack jawed in fear as the same strong hand pulled him to the family vehicle. To snap out of such a haze would be too difficult, as it's size alone was purely distracting. That was without bringing in the horrible sight that was behind it. Bodies lay strewn about left and right, one even being clenched in its hand. It was the neighbor, a kind woman. She pounded its hand in vain, screaming for mercy or help or anything that might come to her aid in a time like this.
She didn't make it. One slam to the ground, and she became a part of this horrible display. 

His breath hitched in his throat and he turned to run, finally keeping pace with the man that dragged him. His father. He was a strong man, a very respectable one as well. Fear was plastered on his face as he dragged his only son towards the car, where his mother and sister had already loaded up. The family dog was even in the car, ears flat against his head and slobber dripping from his bloodied maw as he barked. The dog escaped the former collision which was a car being flung right into his back yard. He didn't know how, but he was relieved. His sister was a teary mess, clinging to the golden furred retriever, face buried against the soft touch of his hair. Mother was calm, surprisingly. It was clear that she was afraid, but as a parent? She stood her ground. Sitting at the wheel as she anxiously waited for her son and her husband to get in the car.

The worst feeling is likely hope. Why, you ask? Picture this. You're running towards a car, knowing that only a few hundred feet behind you is a killing machine, and you believe you can make it. You reach out for the car, for your safety and comfort, but it is suddenly unable to be reached. A car was thrown from behind him, a barked order from his mother being the only thing that told him and his father to scurry back as quickly as they could to avoid being crushed to their deaths by said vehicle. The screaming didn't stop then, either. Mother only continued to command them to run, whilst his sister had picked up in a panicked screech that just didn't end. It wouldn't end.

In just the time it took to dart around the car, the beast was upon them. He fell flat and looked up at it with a teary eyed stare, watching in horror as the hand reached for him. It was going to toy with him, surely. This wouldn't be as quick a death as he anticipated. So the best option was to cower in fear, arms covering his head and his eyes squeezed tight. 

Nothing happened.

Within the few seconds that he expected his death to come, nothing had happened. When he opened his eyes, he hoped to see the cyborg beaten. But no, he did not. As much as a fifteen year old boy could hope for, he wanted the cyborg to have been finally taken down by some unimaginably strong hero, but alas, that was too good for him. His father had ran right into its open hand to buy his son time, and he looked up just to see the life crushed from him in those strong hands. Tears filled his eyes and he blinked, letting them roll. His own voice cried out in a scream for his father, but he knew he wouldn't get an answer. It was too late for that, after all. So he could only watch in agony as the body was destroyed and tossed aside.  Only then did he run. 

The car was closer now. He reached for it, clawing anxiously for the handle before tugging it open and dragging himself into the passenger seat. "Drive!" he wheezed, only to break into a frenzy of sobs. There were no questions to be asked, nor time to ask them. Simply put, pedal to the metal and the car's tires screeched as they shot down the paved street. Swerving here and there, the car kept on gaining speed until they were sure they could escape the creature. He was an utter mess anyway, face in his palms as he cried in anguish. Tears were to be shed over this, surely. Mother herself was crying as well, but she was quiet. Presumably to stay strong for her kids.

The drive lasted no longer than a minute, and it was hard to place how exactly he got out of the car. It was so quick and painless, at least for the moment. Another thrown object caused them to crash and roll, and somehow he had made it from the passenger seat to the side of the road in a matter of seconds. 

And then the pain hit. He pushed a hand under himself and tried to lift up, only to choke on what might have been a sob. Something was broken. Probably his arm. Glass was everywhere, the scene was red with what he guessed was his own blood. He gasped and sputtered, pushing himself to his knees even through the pain. A voice cried out his name, and finally he was in a familiar embrace. Mother. She had made it out alive as well, just hurt. It looked like she had hurt her head in the crash, as well as her side. Her shirt was bloody. Her arms reached out for him and he gratefully crashed into them, holding her so tight that he hurt himself in the process. A choked sob was released into the fabric of her shirt as he held tight, unaware of the approaching cyborg. All he knew was that this was surely his demise. 

And it felt like it too. As he cried into the loving arms of his mother, he heard reassuring words. 

"Don't open your eyes."
"Its okay."
"I'm here." 
"We will face this together."
"Just don't open your eyes."

It took common sense to piece together what she was doing. She was watching, waiting. She knew they would die here, and her primitive urge to keep her son alive must be screaming. But it was best to assume that her daughter was dead, and her husband surely was as well. She wouldn't let her son die alone.

It happened too quick for him to even have a chance to run. They were slammed to the ground as fast as they were lifted, arms still locked around each other's as they fell back to the unforgiving pavement. "-Mom," he choked in obvious pain, clinging to her. Everything hurt. He probably broke a couple ribs in the fall. 

"Hush, i'm here." she replied, her voice breaking. 

Again, they were tossed up and left to fall. "Mom!" he wheezed again, looking at her with the same stunning blue eyes that she had. 

"I love you." she replied, voice hushed. She looked faint. 

"I love you too." One last slam, and he was falling again. Nearing the ground at an alarming rate. This was it, he was going to die here.

"Genos!"