Robotics and Necrotics (Book 1): As Nations Fall

by Vale, Silas

  "How far do you think we are from the settlement?" He asked, changing the subject. He sat back in his chair, giving her control of the truck again.

  "We have a truck now, so it can't take too long."

  "Uh- probably an hour or so, if the rumors were right on the location. Considering we’re still going pretty slow because the roads are shit." She grabbed hold of the steering wheel again and reached over with one hand to crank up the heat now that the engine had warmed up. "Maybe longer, maybe shorter. From what I’ve heard, it should be the next town that we come across. It was just a little town, but the railway ran right through it so they used the crates on the trains to make walls." She shrugged. "And I mean- it’s gotta be there." She sighed. "I don’t know how it couldn’t be, especially since I looked into it so much. I think it’s more of a matter of if they let us in or not, which they will." She leaned back in her seat, relaxing into the foam cushion beneath her. "Especially since we’re bringing a fucking truck with us."

  Shaun nodded his head, a slight chuckle escaping his lips. It was then he noticed something at his feet; a wooden case, which held an assortment of cassette tapes.

  "Hell yeah!" He said, picking up the crate and beginning to browse. He eventually pulled out a tape without a label. A smile lit up his face as he showed it to her. "I wonder what the hell this could be. No label means it was listened to the most." Music was something he had missed, as they hadn't had any way to listen to it for some time. He slid the tape in, and let the soft tones of the acoustic guitar wash over him. It wasn't country; far from it. More like acoustic emo, which he laughed a bit at. Just his style.

  It would be an alright hour.

  She turned to stare at him for a second, before she broke down into giggles and turned back towards the road. "It’s a damn good thing I have you around to keep me company, otherwise I’d be pretty bored right now." She smiled to herself and hummed, speeding up the truck a little bit when she deemed this section of the road as being safer than the rest.

  "… Do you think there’s any rock in there?" She smirked and nodded her head towards the case. "I think loud noises and headbanging would fit our mood pretty well right about now."

  "I'll check." He said, and perused the box of old tapes. He picked one out, which had the words ‘90’s Greatest Rock Hits’ printed on the front.

  He pulled out the emo soundtrack and slid in the dusty old tape, where an immediately recognizable voice began to sing.

  Classic rock hits were pretty much Shaun’s go-to thing, so he sang along, almost comically loud. He turned the volume up to nearly the highest it could go, and continued to sing in a terrible, hilarious voice.

  Aisling burst out laughing again, looking over at Shaun with a big grin. "You're a fucking dork!" She teased, raising her voice so it could be heard above the music. She rolled her eyes and looked back over at the road, humming along to the song quietly. She was never one for singing, but that didn’t mean she couldn't enjoy it.

  After a moment, she gasped, and turned the sound down as the truck slowed. "Shaun, Shaun look." She pointed out the front windshield. "There's a wolf."

  Sure enough, the fluffy creature could be seen standing on the edge of the road a little ways ahead. While they typically wouldn't have come down near the highway before the apocalypse, the lack of civilization running through the mountains seemed to change that.

  Shaun looked out the window, and sure enough, there it was.

  "I haven't seen a wolf since before all of this began." He muttered, a smile on his face. He turned down the music even more and looked out the window, a smile crawling across his face. "I wonder if it's hungry; game can't be easy to find these days, with hunters taking all of it down." He said aloud. Truthfully, the animal did look sickly thin. Like it shouldn't still be able to walk.

  "I wish I could do something." He said, though he wasn't ready to give up any of their food to a wild animal.

  Ais nodded, slowing down to watch the wolf as she passed by. "They're so pretty, aren't they?" She smiled a little sadly as she examined the wolf. "I hope it winds up okay." She sighed and passed by the animal, turning her attention back towards the road as she slowly sped up the truck once again. "I wonder what other stuff is up here."

  She glanced over at Shaun and then peered out of the windshield at the mountains that towered around them. "There could be anything up there, y'know?" She gasped. "We're in the midst of bigfoot territory, Shaun, you’d better watch the fuck out." What a dork.

  Shaun nodded in agreement, and laughed at her final point. "Bigfoot? Shouldn't it be the yeti?" He sighed, shaking his head as if in mock disappointment.

  "What's probably out there is a bunch of scared people, holed up in cabins. Or a bunch of walkers, waiting for us at what used to be a settlement." His tone went dark. "What if the people there are already walkers?" His voice was somber, but it held tones of fear.

  He just wanted to get there.

  "Well then we'll deal with it when we get there, but we can't do much right now. I'm gonna find a way to get you patched up and this is our best bet at the moment." She sighed and looked over at him. "Even if that means hooking your ass up in an abandoned hospital, so you’d better be getting your hopes up, asshole." She cracked a small smile.

  "Even if we just stay long enough to get you rested up. It doesn't matter if we plan on staying there long term." She reached out and patted his head with her hand. "Besides, not like they're going to turn away a hella good robotic technician."

  He didn't know what to say to that. He felt happy that he had someone to take care of him, yet he hated being a burden on anyone.

  "Why would they give us precious medical supplies? They probably have people who need it much more than I do." He said, his tone rather hopeless. "And where will we go afterwards? There isn't much out here, Ais." It seemed like he was just looking for things that would go wrong, and he hated that.

  "And you're right. They will want a good robot technician. But me? I'll be thrown out." He said, looking towards the floor.

  "I just don't want to be alone."

  "Fuck- no, Shaun." She frowned, her brows knitting together with concern as she looked over at him. "You fucking listen to me, and you’d better pay damn good attention. We know information about a potential terrorist cell residing in the forests up here." She was kind of manipulative when she wanted to be. "And we don't have to give that information to anybody unless they help us."

  She paused. "Not only that, but they don't get any of my expertise unless they treat you. I'm not going anywhere without you and I'm going to get you help no matter what."

  He didn't know what to say to that, either.

  No one had ever done anything like that for him; not even Krystalynn, who had usually left him alone when doing things he was passionate about. Having someone stay by his side, no matter what… It was new to him.

  "Thank you…" He whispered, barely audible. He put a hand on top of hers on the wheel, and his were warm despite the chill of the air. His eyes held genuine appreciation.

  "Yeah, of course." She looked over at him, eyes softening somewhat with a smile. "You're my friend, I'm not going anywhere without you." She looked back towards the road. "We should be getting there soon. I'm thinking somewhere past that bend in the road up there." She gestured up ahead to where the road curved around the mountain. "Because it looks like we've been going down deeper into the valley."

  She pursed her lips and arched her back somewhat to stretch. "How are you feeling, by the way?"

  "I feel chemically burnt." He said bluntly, and then laughed. "Honestly, hurts like a bitch but it isn't really hindering me. I could walk for a while, but I'd probably collapse at the end of the day." His self-assessment was rubbish; his teeth were chattering, and the heater of the truck was probably the only thing keeping his body at a reasonable temperature.

  He looked to the bend ahead of them and smiled a tired smile. "I'm glad we're in this together. Makes it way more toler
able." He said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He knew he would be dead without her, but he'd never feed her ego that much.

  "Can't wait to see what all the fuss has been about." He said, looking eagerly towards the road. "I hope we don't find a pile of ruins."

  "Should I spray you down with aloe vera?" She replied, rolling her eyes. "Your ear was bleeding, I'm thinking you probably ruptured your fucking eardrum." She looked over at him briefly. "How's that treating you?"

  They rounded the corner.

  Across a functioning bridge… Was a wall.

  A wall made out of railway carts. It towered above the road, standing at least three carts tall as it stretched across the landscape so nothing could get in… Or out. On the other side of the bridge there was a large gate made of welded-together sheet metal, and it looked like it could be pulled away to allow entrance into the complex. Rows of barbed wire and spikes lined the top of the wall, preventing anything from climbing over the wall and getting inside.

  A woman poked her head up over the top of the wall. From what could be seen from such a distance, she had brown hair pinned up into a high-ponytail and fair skin. She disappeared, and after a moment she returned with two other men.

  Who also happened to have rifles pointed at the truck.

  The Smell Of Bullets

  Aisling slammed on the breaks, stopping the truck about halfway across the bridge. She studied the guns with wide eyes and raised her hands from the steering wheel, palms facing the presumed guards as she looked over at Shaun. "Well. We made it."

  Shaun cursed. Guns. Always with the guns.

  He raised his hands into the air, though he was fully aware of the pistol tucked into his waistline. If it came to that, he would have to kill again. He had already killed two people; one more, and he was legally a serial killer.

  What a fun title.

  "What the hell do you think they'll do?" He asked. He had two ideas; one, they would just come out and check who they were. Two, they needed the truck, or the supplies, and they'd kill them on sight.

  "I can shoot them if the need arises."

  He was on high alert, though his wounds were obviously getting to him.

  "Just calm down." Ais sighed, putting a hand down to put the truck into park before she put it back up. "Let's just see what they want. They might just be trying to protect this place."

  The woman leaning on the wall pointed at Aisling, and then towards the side, signally for them to get out of the truck.

  "…Okay." Ais opened the door and stepped out, closing it behind herself to keep the warm air in the truck with Shaun. "Hello?" She shouted, furrowing her brows somewhat nervously.

  "What do you want?" The woman shouted back, quirking an eyebrow. She seemed nice, but authoritative.

  "There was a bomb." Aisling replied. "My friend- I- he's really hurt. He needs help."

  Shaun heard the conversation, and opened the door. He stepped out into the frigid air and almost collapsed.

  "Yeah… Bitch of a chemical one." He stuttered, trying his best to be loud enough to be heard, biting his lip so his teeth wouldn't automatically begin chattering. He nodded toward his belt and said, "I do have a gun. But I'm in no shape to use it, so please don't make me." He obviously couldn't have gotten a shot off if he tried, but it still made him feel better to have it on him.

  "Please… We've heard about this compound for months. I hear there's warm food, and shelter, and enough for everyone." Shaun was begging now, but he didn't care.

  "Please."

  Aisling furrowed her brows and looked over at Shaun, walking around the front of the vehicle so she could help support him.

  "… Hm." The woman furrowed her brows, and glanced to the guards. "Lower your guns." She held up a hand, and the guards obediently lowered their weapons and pointed them towards the ground. "What do you have to offer?"

  "You can take the truck." Ais wrapped an arm around Shaun. "And I used to work with robots. If you have anything electrical or mechanical that needs fixing, I can do it. Just please help him." She was sounding a little desperate. "I can prove it if you need me to."

  The woman was silent for a moment or two, thinking about and weighing the risks. "Drop the gun." She pointed at Shaun.

  Shaun looked at her. He really looked. She seemed trustworthy enough, but that gun had saved them twice already. He wasn't just going to leave it in the snow.

  "I'll throw it into the truck." He said, doing so and then closing the door. "I don't want to lose that gun. But now I'll step forward." He staggered forward, so he was out of reach of the door. They could shoot him without him having a chance.

  "Now please… These things really burn." He said, exposing the chemical wound to the icy, frigid air.

  The woman sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose. "Alright. Open the gate." She leaned back, looking down somewhere behind the wall to where there were presumably other people waiting.

  There was a heavy metallic clunk, and then a whirr as the gates began to slide open. More armed guards laid on the other side, though their weapons were lowered by their sides. It seemed to be a sort of checkpoint to monitor those who came in, and those who went out of the safe zone. The woman stood up straight. "Come in. We'll give you a look over for any bites or hidden weaponry and then take you to the infirmary."

  Ais grabbed their bags from the back of the truck, and then looked to Shaun. "Okay, let's go. Lean on me, alright?"

  Shaun nodded his head and leaned on her, allowing her to support him as they walked through the gate.

  The place was huge.

  He had seen bigger gates, but that was before the apocalypse had happened. All of that metal had been salvaged and reused, so seeing a wall or a gate like this… It was rare, to say the least.

  "What kind of facilities do you have?" He asked, his voice sounding like he was fading in and out. He had been downplaying the pain, but now it was really getting to him. He had been blown up.

  It wasn't something he really enjoyed.

  "Hey, hang in there." Aisling furrowed her brows, holding him steady as she looked up to where the woman was ascending a set of stairs that led up to a small walkway above the gate. "You're gonna be alright." She looked around at the guards accompanying them and kept close to Shaun. "Can we sit him down?" She looked up at the woman as she approached.

  "Not yet. We can't let you in without confirming that you've had no contact with the virus." She shook her head. She was of average build, and was slightly on the tall side. "I know he's in pain, but we can’t break protocol."

  "Aisling?" One of the guards spoke up. He had scruffy blond hair and green eyes, though the green was a watered-down, uglier version of the color. "Didn't think you were still alive."

  Ais tensed, and swiveled her head to look at him. "Fuck." She sighed, and pressed her eyes shut. "Go away."

  The woman raised an eyebrow inquisitively, and glanced between them, silent for now.

  Shaun looked at the guy, and a spark of jealousy ignited within his chest.

  He didn't know why; he tried to quell it, but he couldn't help but hate this man whom he had never even spoken to. His lips turned down, and he tried to stand more on his own. He suddenly hated the idea of looking weak in front of Aisling, or this man she apparently knew.

  "I understand." Shaun said, through clenched teeth. He knew that he would do the same thing, in her position. The leaders couldn't let in someone that was already infected, even if they were in massive pain.

  "I can promise neither of us are infected, but I know you need to check us over anyway. So go ahead." He said, still following.

  "Look them over." The woman gestured a hand towards them, and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

  "Don't." Aisling held a hand up towards the man with a sneer. "I've had enough of your bullshit to last me a lifetime." She sighed, rolling her sleeves up and letting a different guard look over her arms and pat her down for weaponry. Another did the same to Shaun, though mindful not to t
ouch the chemical burns.

  "I'm hurt." The guard crossed his arms. "Aren't you glad to see me?"

  "Hardly." Ais clenched her teeth. "You do remember how we broke up." Ah. That's who he was.

  Jealousy was nothing compared to what Shaun felt then.

  It wasn't anger, per say. But it was close. It was a sense of, I want to kill this man. But he knew that would get them thrown out or killed immediately, so he went with a different tactic.

  Once they were done being searched, Shaun took Aisling's hand and wrapped their arms together in the most intimate way he knew how. He held her close to him as a small smile grew on his face.

  "Well, she's with me now. So you can back off, bud." He hated to sound rude, but he really hated the idea of this guy trying to get with her. Shaun looked to the woman who was apparently in charge, and said, "You know we are weapon free. Could I get this burn looked at, please?" His voice was polite towards her, much unlike the rude sneer he had directed at the man.

  Aisling blinked, a red flush abruptly spreading up her cheeks as she looked up at Shaun. She opened her mouth to speak, but shut it against her better judgement. She ignored the man behind her, and looked to the woman instead. "I- I wrapped him up the best I could, but he really needs proper medical treatment."

  The woman nodded. "Alright, follow me. I'll show you to the infirmary."

  "Not much of an upgrade." The man tilted his head. "Don't you miss me, princess?"

  "You’re a liar and a cheat. Don’t try to act superior." Aisling spat, narrowing her eyes viciously. "Get away from me."

  Shaun looked to the man. There was something in Shaun's eyes, something that resembled malice, but it went much deeper than that.

  "An infidel, eh? Ma'am, are you sure you want an infidel on your guard squadron? You know what they say about loyalty. Once you've broken it, you're never loyal again." Shaun's voice dripped with venom, and he didn't hold back the sneer that came to his face. "I'm sure someone else would make a better guard."