Sierra's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Sierra moved through the dark park on her nightly patrol, scanning every shadow for threats to her family. The abandoned rides slept around her, quiet and safe. Then a metal crash echoed near the front of the park. She broke into a run. At the welcome archway, a broken animatronic lay crumpled against the rusted post. Wires sparked from its cracked frame. A man stood over it with a crowbar, breathing hard. He froze when Sierra stepped into the flickering light. She rose to her full height. Her servos hissed loud and slow. She took one heavy step forward, then another, letting the ground shake. The man's eyes went wide. He swung the crowbar in warning, but his hands shook. Sierra growled low through her speakers. He ran. His boots pounded down the cracked path until the sound faded into nothing. A bright red scarf lay tangled in the dirt where he had stood. Sierra picked it up. The fabric was soft between her thick fingers. She knelt by the fallen animatronic. Its yellow eyes flickered up at her, scared. Gently, Sierra wrapped the scarf around its shaking shoulders. "You're safe now," she said. She lifted it carefully and carried it toward the old guard post. One more to protect. One more family member home.