Mouse Trap
  

As he stepped outside he pulled the heavy door behind him with a final click of the locking mechanism. His wiry glasses had fallen down the bridge of his nose, and after whacking him self in the face with his sleeve, he managed to get them back in the right spot. He turned back towards the empty best buy building, locking up the outside lock with the key dangling from the loop of his khaki shorts. His thick hair fell over his eyes as he bent, and he flipped it back as he stood up, stray pieces saluting the night. He quietly scanned the parking lot, heart rate fluttering as it always did when he had to close the store at night. It made him uncomfortable. He lifted his blue sleeve, revealing pale skin and waxy freckles. He checked the time and heaved a sigh before deciding to venture the walk home, instead of wait the half hour for the bus. Heavy sneakers smacked against the paved sidewalk, making much more noise then he usually noticed. The silence all around him was frightening, and eerie. He needed some kind of noise. He began to untwist the headphones shoved hastily into the crevice of his pocket, and stuck them in his ears. With the switch of a button his world became Beethoven, filled with wonderful strings and brass and such instruments. His fingers began to waggle like conductors, moving to and fro, this way and that. He was glad there was no one to watch him. A rustle caused him to stop suddenly, sneakers squeaking in protest. He slowly reached into his pocket and clicked the volume down, a faint beat still steadily buzzing into his ears. He stood there, scanning and watching carefully. His heart rate had increased tenfold, and he could feel the first pinpricks of sweat beginning to form upon his brow. He angrily wiped it away with the hem of his sleeve, cursing himself for a fool. He continued stomping his way home, music back to full blast, violins screaming in his ears. The crash he heard faintly went ignored, filed away as the psychological tricks of ones brain. The continuous turns of the city began to decline into the fuzzy edges of forest. Feet switched from cement to dirt, and the atmosphere felt like another world. He felt more relaxed here, the tension carried from the city dissipating like the dew from a plants leaf. He shut off his music and put it away, allowing his ears to be lulled by the chirps of birds and insects. There song battles rung in his ears and caused his pace to slow more, feet dragging hesitantly. He wanted to enjoy the moment for as long as he could. Eventually his steps slowed so much so, that he found him self standing in place. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, allowing the saturation of the forest to liven the smells of dirt, animals, and flowers. They commingled and formed something beautiful, a scent so pure that it rid his body completely of the looming fog from the city. A branch snapping caused his body to twist toward the sound and become rigid. He held his breath, remaining silent. Soft foot steps sounded in the area around the twig, almost playful as if mocking him. Annoyed with himself and his skittish behavior, he stepped out of the small forest, dense canopy replaced by bright moonlight, casting dancing shadows over the land. He could’ve sworn he still heard the small footsteps, but he knew he shouldn’t let it get to him. Fields rolled in front of him, yellow and huge. He could see the roof of his house, red against the pale yellows and greens of the pastures. He was still pretty far, and his feet were getting sore. He squinted his eyes against the harsh light as he continued forward, grass tickling against his calves gently. A louder thud got his attention, and this time he didn’t dismiss it. He whirled around, the anger practically causing him to spit.
“If someone is following me, then cut the crap! Get out here and face me!” He screamed, causing a flock of black birds to burst from the forest canopy. Nothing answered him aside from the plaintive moo from a nearby cow. He clenched his fists, and reached down to pick up a heavy rock in his hand. He bounced it a couple times in his palm, testing its weight, before chucking it towards the noise. He heard it land on the ground, but nothing more. He knew he had heard something, but whatever it was, it was gone. He continued home, feet hurried and heart quickened. He wasn’t sure how much more he could stand. The door slammed behind him and he winced, hoping he didn’t wake anyone up. He headed over to the fridge, clammy hands pulling against the cold metal of the handle. The small triangle of light blinded him for a moment, spots dancing in and out of his vision. He shook his head and began digging around before settling on last nights dinner. He shoved them in the microwave, and soon the smell of pasta began to fill the room, and his stomach grumbled impatiently. He waited, fork ready until the loud ding sounded, and he set it carefully on the wooden counter, sitting down on the stool and watching the steam waft off his dinner. He didn’t bother waiting for it to cool off, and wolfed it down, the heat burning his mouth and scorching his tongue, but he didn’t care. He set the dish and fork in the sink and wiped off his mouth with his dingy blue sleeve. A quick walk and he was in the bathroom, waiting as the shower water slowly warmed from freezing to luke warm. He shed his sticky clothes and climbed in, sighing as the water loosened his muscles and washed away the stress and the dirt from the long day. His hair plastered to his head was bugging him, and he quickly washed it, using the soap to hold it back out of his face. He heard light footsteps walking around in the kitchen, and realized he probably woke his mother up. He quickly finished his shower and wrapped a soft white towel around his waist, tying it securely before leaving. His wet footsteps left small puddles in his wake, and he was moving painstakingly slow, so as not to alert his mom. He pressed his back flat against the wall and peeked around the corner through the door and into the kitchen. There was a lady, about 5’9 and she was in all blacks and dark greens. She was facing away from him, but he could see a strand of hair escaping from her dark cap, and it was dark brunette. She held a fr.ame in her hands, and her fingers were sliding across the picture in side. She turned slowly and he held his breath. She only turned halfway, her gaze staring out the window. He saw the side of her face, all pale skin and sharp cheekbones. She was very pretty but he had no idea who she was. His weight shifted ever so slightly, causing the floorboard to creak underneath him. He winced inwardly, but it was too late. She whipped around to face him, and the last thing he saw of her was her blazing hazel eyes. He turned and ran, feet wet and slippery against the slick floorboards. He panted, clutching the towel around his waist. He didn’t hear footsteps behind him, but he heard the crash of glass breaking. He froze, and against his better judgment he headed back into the kitchen. The thick paneled window she had been staring out of was smashed to pieces, blood smeared on one part of the panel that was left, and the picture fr.ame was face down on the ground, also smashed. He picked it up, mindful of the shards of glass sticking out like tiny knives. The picture had blood smeared over it, causing a chill to roll down his spine. Faintly he could see his school picture, except in black marker some changes had been made. The outline of a skeletal head had been traced onto his face and his eyes widened. He flipped the fr.ame over and a small note fluttered to the floor. He bent over and picked up, all the while holding his breath. What he saw on the note caused all of his breath to release in a silent scream.
It was the same skull traced onto his picture, dripping blood and signed with an illegible signature. He dropped the note, letting it flutter and land on the floor, right into the bright red puddle of blood.

Word count: 1,480

SUDO <3

Cyber Flu

First Aid groaned as he curled up tighter on his berth. He couldn't sleep at all. Every part of the young mechlet's body ached. But he didn't want anyone to know. If his brothers knew, they'd take him to the hospital. He didn't want to go to the hospital.

"'Aid? You alright? You don't usually sleep in..." He heard Groove's voice from the door.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just uh... I'm a bit more tired than usual..." First Aid coughed.

"I-if you say so... but you really don't sound good..." Groove hesitated.

"I'm fine. I'll get up now, sorry." First Aid apologized and moved to get up.

"All right. See you in the main room in a minute then?" Groove asked as he walked out the door.

"Yeah. I'll be there." First Aid promised as he got up, stretching as Groove left. Something in his arm decided to snap. "Ow. That's painful." He muttered as he went out of their room and to the washracks. He felt like mortar was plastered to his pedes and his body was on fire. He needed a cold shower.

He went into the washracks and turned the solvent spray on cold and tried to stand under it, but he slipped and fell right on his aft. He was too tired to bother trying to get up, so he just sat there. After ten minutes under the nice, cooling spray, he heard his brothers walk in.

"Aid? You there?" Hot Spot called out.

"Yeah? I'm here..." He said weakly, enjoying the spray.

"First Aid, what are you doing?" Hot Spot asked, the rest of First Aid's brothers standing behind him, concerned for him.

"Well, uh... I like sitting in the shower?" He tried to cover it.

"No way, man something's wrong with you." Groove said from behind Hot Spot.

"Um... I... uh..." He stuttered under the spray.

"Please, just tell us what's wrong? We've been feeling strange sensations from your side of the bond all morning! Pain, weakness, fear, exhaustion... What's up?!" Streetwise asked.

"I, I uh..." He was going to have to tell the truth. They'd find out sooner or later.

"What is it? Just spit it out, mech!" Blades said.

"I'm... I'm not feeling too good..." He started, and his brothers immediately crowded around him, Hot Spot kneeling in front of him.

"Why didn't you tell us? We could've helped you." He asked, feeling hurt.

First Aid knew his brothers would be hurt by him not telling them about this. "I- I'm sorry. I just... I don't want to go to the hospital. Please don't make me go! I'll get better, I promise!"

His brothers exchanged a saddened look between them and smiled at him.

"'Aid, it's not that bad there." Hot Spot started.

"Yeah, they'll make you feel much better!" Streetwise added.

"The doctors are really nice!" Groove put in.

"It won't be that bad." Blades ended.

Hot Spot reached over his little brother and turned the solvent off. He then moved to pick him up. "Come on. We won't take you to the hospital yet, but we'll put you in your berth and take care of you for now. If it gets worse though, we might not have a choice..." He put a hand on First Aid's chestplate to take his temperature and yanked it back in surprise when it burned instantaneously. "Wow, guys, he's really overheating. His chestplate just burned my hand."

"I'm sorry, Spot." First Aid coughed weakly, feeling horrible that he'd hurt his oldest brother.

"It's all right 'Aid. It doesn't hurt that much. It just means that you're getting worse." He said. "Let's get him into our quarters."

Being carried into their quarters wasn't bad. Hot Spot was careful not to move him too much. When they got into their quarters, the firetruck wrapped his little brother in a towel and set him on the berth.

"You rest here. We'll be back in a minute." He announced.

"Where are you going?" First Aid asked, frightened.

"We're going to go research your symptoms and bring you back some warm energon and hopefully the knowledge that this will go away soon." Said Streetwise.

First Aid curled up and shuttered his optics, waiting for his brothers to return. He laid there for about fifteen minutes and was about to drift off into recharge, Blades and Groove walked in again.

"Hey, 'Aid! We found out what virus you got." Blades called.

"W-what is it? I won't have to go to the hospital, will I?" He asked.

"No, no. Not right away anyhow. It's called the Cyber-flu virus. It attacks your systems by gradually decreasing your firewall until you have no defense. The virus itself isn't deadly, but it sure is nasty. Not only does it make you feel like slag, but it can also create room for other worse viruses to get in. Right now, you should be okay in a few cycles. But if you contract another virus, we'll have to take you to the hospital. We don't want you to be in pain for much longer." Groove explained.

"S-so I'll feel better soon?" First Aid asked. "Hey, where's Spot and Streets?"

"Yeah, you'll feel better real soon. And they went to go get you some medicine for your virus. They should be back soon." Blades said.

"O-okay. So I'll just... lay here?" First Aid asked.

Groove and Blades walked over and stood beside his berth. "Yeah, just lay there and try to get better. We'll bring you warm energon to drink and so you don't get bored, we'll bring you your datapad so you can watch video feeds or read when you're not recharging." Groove handed some warm energon to First Aid and set a hand on his shoulder. "Spot and Streets will be back soon."

"Will... will you stay with me? I- I don't want to be alone..." The ambulance looked up at his brothers.

"Of course we'll stay with you." Blades smiled.

"You don't need to be worried about being alone. We'll stay in here. There's plenty to do in here anyway." Groove added.

"But... You'll be sick too... No. You shouldn't stay, I'm sorry. I don't want you to get sick more than I don't want to be alone." First Aid realized.

"Hey, it's okay. We don't mind staying here. Besides, when Spot and Streets get back, they'll stay with you while we go and get vaccinated against the virus. Then they'll get theirs. And when you get better, you can get one." Blades said.

"W-what? No! Don't make me go there! Please!" First Aid was suddenly scared.

"It's okay, 'Aid. We'll be with you." Groove assured him. "And it won't be for a while." He stroked his shoulder.

"Hey, we're back with 'Aid's medicine!" Streetwise announced as they walked in the room.

"How's he doing?" Hot Spot asked as they went over to the berth.

"Well, he's not fond of our idea of getting vaccinations. He's scared." Groove explained.

"I am not! I just... I don't want to go there." First Aid said defiantly.

"Anyway, do you want your medicine?" Streetwise asked.

"Yes, please. It hurts. I can't drink energon without purging." The young ambulance begged.

"So that's why you haven't touched your energon." Groove said.

"Okay 'Aid, hold out your arm." Streetwise instructed.

"My arm? Why?" 'Aid held out his arm, confused.

Before anything else was said, Streetwise poked a syringe into First Aid's arm.

"Ow!" First Aid yelped.

"I'm sorry, 'Aid, but I didn't have a choice. You weren't about to let me give it to you." The police car carefully took it out and stroked his arm. "It'll help you hold down your energon." He explained.

The little ambulance gave a little sniffle and held his arm, curling up into a ball on the berth.

"Oh, 'Aid, it wasn't that bad, was it?" Streetwise asked.

"Yes, it was." He pouted.

"You're just grumpy 'cause you're sick. When you're better, you'll realize it's nothing." Hot Spot said.

"I am not being grumpy. It hurt." First Aid sulked.

"Sure you're not. Come on, drink your energon." Blades pushed the cube of low grade towards him.

"No, it's gonna make me purge. I don't wanna purge!" He whined pathetically.

"'Aid, you sound pathetic. Just drink it. Please?" Hot Spot begged.

"Okay." The ambulance sighed as he took the energon and sat up, sipping at it lightly. "Hey, I don't feel bad!" He said, excitedly.

"That's good. Now get some rest. Streets and I will stay here while Groove and Blades go get vaccinated." Hot Spot said as he took the towel away and wrapped First Aid in a blanket.

"You don't have to, guys. I think you should all go at once. That way, you don't have prolonged exposure to the virus." First Aid coughed.

"You sure, Aid? I mean, we can take turns watching you. It's no big deal..." Hot Spot said.

"No, I'm sure. You all get your vaccines and I'll rest here until you return. I'll be fine. I'm feeling much better anyway." First Aid explained.

"O-okay, but you comn. us if you start to feel even just a tiny bit worse, alright?" Hot Spot instructed.

"Yes Spot." First Aid agreed.

"Alright... I still don't feel too good about this, but since you insist on it, we'll make sure we're back quickly." Hot Spot assured him as the four of them walked out the door.

First Aid snuggled into his blanket and purred. "Mmm." He was nice and comfortable in his berth. As he drifted off to recharge.

First Aid awoke later to find that his brothers weren't back yet. "Hmm... I'm pretty hungry now. I'd better get some fuel into me." He got up from the berth, tearing the blanket off. "Uuugh. I feel awful." He trudged slowly to the 'kitchen' area. The youngling picked out a cube of low grade and warmed it up for ten seconds. "Hopefully I can keep this down..." He said to himself as he retracted his mask and begun to slowly drink.

"Oh no. I think I'm gonna-" Poor First Aid keeled over and purged everything in his tanks. "Oooooh." He groaned and then tried to go get some towels to clean it up, but before he could reach them, he collapsed and went unconscious, darkness consuming his vision.

"Ow. I didn't think they'd be so rough." Blades rubbed his shoulder where he had been injected.

"Awww, I thought you were the big bad copter." Groove joked.

"Yeah, Blades. Why are you complaining so much?" Streetwise added.

"Uh... I'm not complaining! I'm simply stating that they were rougher than they needed to be." He said sheepishly.

"Heh, sure Blades." Streetwise said sarcastically.

"Hmph." Blades pouted as they walked back to their home. "Hey, 'Aid hasn't commed us, has he?"

"No, He hasn't... and I can't feel his side of our bond... let's hurry up." Hot Spot said, concerned.

When the four brothers got into their home they ran to the berthroom. "Aid? You there?" Hot Spot called.

"No answer..." Streetwise pointed out.

"Maybe he's recharging?" Blades reasoned.

"Not it. He's not in here." Groove said as he scanned the room.

"Uh oh. What if he got delusional and wandered off?" Groove asked.

"Everyone, check the vicinity!" Hot Spot ordered.

The Protectobots all spanned out looking for their little brother. Groove went to check outside in the yard, Streetwise checked the main room, Hot Spot checked the washracks, and Blades checked the 'kitchen' area. Blades stumbled upon First Aid's collapsed body and sent out distress through their bond.

"Blades? What is it? Did you find 'Aid?" Hot Spot asked.

Blades was at a loss for words. He was in shock.

"Blades? You in there man?" Groove asked.

"Y-yeah. Guys, come see this." The copter was shaken.

There was a collective gasp from the remaining three Protectobots as they stood in shock at the doorfr[injection]ame. They ran over to First Aid's unconscious fr[injection]ame where Blades was crouched.

"Sudo..." The unconscious First Aid mumbled.

"What was that?" Blades asked, confused.

"Not sure. But I do know he's gotten worse..." Hot Spot started.

"But how though? I just gave him a shot of medicine before we left! That was only three hours ago!" Streetwise asked.

"Not sure. But if we don't do something more soon, he'll go critical. And if that happens, he might not become conscious again..." Hot Spot said.

"Alright, load him in." Hot spot said, transforming into his firetruck alt mode.

The Protectobots loaded their brother into Hot spot and transformed themselves.

"Hey Spot, you think he's got another virus?" Streetwise asked him.

"Probably, yes. That's why I want to get him to the hospital as soon as possible." Hot Spot answered.

"Let's go, Protectobots!"

They rolled up to the Praxus Repair Centre with their brother and transformed, Hot Spot ending up carrying First Aid bridal style. It was a large facility built in the heart of the city of Praxus, dedicated to medical science. They rushed into the emergency bay and looked around for a receptionist desk.

"Hey, over there!" Blades pointed to a large desk beside two doors on the far wall.

They walked over to the desk and met a lean dark coloured mech standing there. He was a traditional Praxian fr[injection]ame with black, blue and purple hues on his body making him look the same colour as the night sky. His golden chevron stuck out against his colours. "Hey, back so soon?" He asked.

"Hi Nightfire. We were just here for Cyber-flu vaccinations. Our brother actually has the Cyber-flu virus, but it wasn't so bad before. Now it's terrible and we think something else must have settled in too. We found him on our kitchen floor unconscious when we got home. He was apprehensive about coming here at first, so we left him to try and recover and got him some medicine, but he just got worse so, we're here. He's still unconscious." Hot spot explained.

"Oh, well, just have a seat in the waiting area and I'll have a doctor with you as soon as possible." Nightfire said worriedly. "I hope he ends up okay."

"We do too." Blades said as they walked to sit down in the empty chairs. There was no one else there save for a Praxian fr[injection]amed enforcer who looked like he had been injured taking down a criminal and another enforcer hovering worriedly over him who looked like he might be from Polyhex. They were relatively young, but not as young as the Protectobots.

A doctor came out and went over to the enforcers and took them into the repair bay.

"I'm guessing they'll take us in next, then." Groove said.

"Good. I'm tired of waiting for him to wake up and figure out we took him here. The sooner we get him seen, the better." Blades added.

After a few kliks, another doctor came out and strode over to them. He had a Praxian fr[injection]ame as well, but his was upgraded. Most of his fr[injection]ame was white except for his hands, waist, helm, and the medical insignias on his shoulders. He also had red stripes on his wrists and on his thighs. The chevron adorning his forehelm was charcoal black and had no pendant in the middle like most Praxians. His doorwings were squarer in shape than usual and were also red with white spark monitor symbols on them.

"Hello there, I'm Ratchet." He gestured to First Aid. "Let's get your brother into the repair bay, shall we?

((This is a fanfiction, but does it still count? I also bolded the magic word too so you could see it. The characters in this belong to Transformers. I just borrowed 'em. Story's mine though. Sorry about the '[injection]' Thing in the middle of some words. Don't know how to make it go away. ;D))

~Sudo~

Finally. After months of waiting and praying, hoping he would be home soon. God answered my prayers. My marine had come home.

I was sleeping soundly this morning, not expecting what was about to happen.CLICK! I heard the lock on the door turn, and I was sure someone was breaking in. I sat up, rubbed my eyes sleepily, and reached for my boyfriend's crowbar beside the bed. In earlier months he told me, "If anoyone tries to break in, take this to their head. Don't hold back", and then he was gone. I thought it had finally happened. Maybe someone WAS breaking in this time. I silently waited for our German Shepherd Jace to bark.
Silence. I had become shakey and suddenly couldn't find it in me to scream, so I waited. The door handle to the bedroom turned. I sat up in bed and was ready to charge and attack, and just as the door flew open, there he was. Grant, dressed in his Dress Blues, turned and smiled that goofy country boy grin every southern girl melted over. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. I immediately dropped the crowbar and wrapped my arms and legs around his body, knocking his hat off. Suddenly the thought hit me. I was about to defensively beat my boyfriend with a crowbar. I dug my head into his shoulder and cried hysterically, mumbling and not able to be understood. "Darlin, I can't understand. Don't cry...", he spoke so softly. I missed that voice. I finally stopped sobbing enough to finally speak up audibly, and clearly. "I almost hit you with a crowbar... I'm so sorry", I spoke.

The tears lasted for quite awhile, and as we sat and laughed, enjoying each others company, I heard it. Grant's stomach was telling me how much it missed me as well. I knew Gran'ts favorite place for breakfast, and before he spoke a word, I had my keys in hand. I smiled at him and wiped one last tear away and finally said, "Waffle House it is."

Upon arriving, I noticed he was still in his Dress Blues. As we got out of his truck, the clapping began. We entered the building, and almost everyone shook his hand. I blushed. I was so proud of Grant, and the fact that he was a Marine only made it better. He gave them one good "OOH-RAH!" and we sat for breakfast. Grant's favorite breakfast choice? Belgian Waffles with orange juice. One thing about a Marine is that they finish their food in 15 minutes or less. So I was stuck with eating my food, while Grant watched me intently. His eyes were full of excitement and bliss, and I fell in love all over again. After finishing our wonderful first breakfast together in months, he dug into his back pocket for his wallet. The waitress held her hand out for him to stop. she handed him a ticket, and on the back it said, " Thank You, for keeping this country safe. God Bless You. This one's on Us. You've done enough, and Welcome Home". Yeah...Welcome Home Darlin.

it's hard not knowing. I can only hope that he's safe and sound, and I know that when he calls me at nights or skype's me, he's going to be alright. It's tough, being away from him. They say USMC girlfriends/wives are some of the strongest women in the world, because the first battle is being strong as they board the plane for deployment. All the while very worth it when you see them running down that terminal to wrap you up and make you feel whole again. Whenever Grant leaves he takes half my heart with him. I stay strong until he's out of my sight, and then I silently break down. It's uber hard, but he's doing this country a favor, and I'm so proud of him. I love him more and more every single minute and thank God when he comes home one more time. I love him with all my heart. He's my lover, my best friend, my everything. I'm grateful to be the only woman he'll love liek this besides his momma.You have to stay strong. It's tough on him as well, but knowing that you're staying strong for him will help him cope better.

Here's Grant, my baby, seeing his Uncle who was in Desert Storm in '91 for the first time in months.

http://kelsewolf3.deviantart.com/#/d5u3lqf

Army.

My dad was in the army, so he could be gone for months at a time.And I was used
to it. I had a sister though, and a brother too, and they were new to this
"army" thing, being in 3rd grade and kindergarten. Dad was in the
air force and his plane was named "O. A. SUDO." We didn't get a lot
of time together, so when we did it was treasured. That rare moment when we sat
on the porch, eating ice cream and laughing at a joke. That rare moment when we
opened gifts from relatives. That rare moment when he told me "I love
you", and I said it back.

Last year, he was away for Christmas. He was supposed to come back
on the 20th, but he got injured. He stepped on a land mine in Afghanistan, and barely escaped with his life. He suffered from a broken rib,
leg, and a punctured lung. The doctors said he was lucky, as he could've
died. I remember crying, he wasn't going to make it home. He had to stay at the
hospital there. My grades plummeted that term, A's to C's. B's to D's. My
mom didn't care though. This was hard on everyone. I remember when he came
home, frail and on crutches. I remember how we crowded over his bed, overjoyed that he was finally home.

After that, he was forced to quit his career and start anew. No more army days for him, no more fights. He wasn't "Lt.Dad" anymore, just plain old "Dad". But I still remember him in his army days. He still has to relive those days, sometimes being asked to preform in assemblies. He was the man who served his country. The man who stood by his family, no matter what. The man who taught me how to fire a shotgun. I'm proud to say that man was my dad. I love you, dad. 

--END--

This story came entirely from my head. It's my first one that I posted online, so i hope you guys like it :). I wrote this because a lot of the kids in my class have a parent in the navy. Hope those people have a great year! :D