These Paths We Tread (Autobot x OC)

LXXVIII. Death is the Road to Awe

Wattpad hates youtube still, so here's the link to the song to play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FDAkpQSJVA

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Sam didn’t realize he was moving until he fell beside his friend and shook her shoulders, crying out to her. She did not move, though. She did not even make a sound as he screamed and screamed while his eyes burned behind a stream of tears. He didn’t want to, but he had to pull away as the putrid stench of burned flesh caused him to wretch. Nothing came up and he forced himself to turn back to her. He cupped her face this time, still calling out her name, but the young woman’s eyes were dull and lifeless, the eyelids half-closed and burned. She still did not move, and he had to turn away a second time when the smell made him gag again. He did not let her go, though, and his eyes looked to the main battle field, which had finally begun to calm with the last of the Decepticons being defeated.

“Help! Please!” he hollered. “Lennox! Epps! Somebody! Help!”

Somehow, the two men heard and turned their heads. They were battered, bruised, and bloodied, but they did not hesitate to drop everything and run. They didn’t even need the young man to ask why he needed it; they instinctively knew, and their eyes went wide with fear. Three more joined the two in their mad sprint, and they skidded down beside Sam. A string of “no” poured from the Lennox’s mouth as he brushed the young man’s hands away to lightly tap at the young woman’s face. When he got no response, his hands moved to her chest where they began to press down in rapid succession. However, the only response they received was the small gush of blood through the gashing wound that had formed above her breast.

“Stop! Stop! Stop!” Sam howled as he brushed Lennox away, and then tore off both his backpack and jacket. He bundled the latter it up and tired to stop the blood, but it only served to break the charred skin further, and he threw away the cloth with disgust. His tears came faster down as he looked upon his friend while Epps called for a medic. He could barely stand the sight of her; her suit was burned and frayed and torn apart by the explosion. Her pale skin was blackened in areas where it had been seared, and he could see the pink flesh and white bond where the explosion had slashed through her collar. Her hands were worse off, the flesh completely black or red and hardly resembling a hand at all. Only her face remained mostly intact, but even that bore burns and cuts, and her eyes still gazed upon them without the slimmest traces of life.

Sam knew then his fears were true, but he wanted desperately to not accept it. Yet, there was no denying it.

Catherine was dead.

“No—it can’t be! Don’t do this to us!” Anthony cried out as he stood behind Lennox, his hands latched to his face as he tried to comprehend it all. Next to him, Epps cursed and shouted and cursed some more as he again called for a medic and, at last, others came towards them. Jackson was silent as he crouched at Catherine’s feet, his eyes hard and dark as he rocked back and forth. Lennox, too, was silent as he sat back on his knees, his stare blank and empty; lost. Fig was the only to really move, and he did so by wringing Sam up to his feet by his collar, bringing the young man’s face dangerously close to his. His eyes were blazing with pain and anger, and Sam did not blame him.

“What the fuck happened!?” he snarled through grit teeth.

The young man sputtered, “S-she did it to save us. She destroyed the Pillar.”

The Mexican man’s grip tightened briefly, as if he intended to hit the young man, but, in the end, he threw him back roughly and turned away, cursing. Sam spared Fig a moment’s glance before looking back to Catherine. He felt the need to wretch a third time at the sight of her ruined flesh, but he held it back and looked upon her face instead. Unfortunately, that, too, made his stomach clench; never had he seen her so lifeless, so lacking of the luster he had known to be a part of her for so long. It was like she wasn’t even the best friend he knew anymore. It was like she was just another casualty, and the thought made the bile rise in his throat.