A Winter Wasteland (Robotics and Necrotics Book 2) Read online

  "… Come on." She gestured for him to follow. "Aren't you coming? You’d better not pull any stupid shit." Her eyes narrowed somewhat nervously. "What the hell is that thing? What are you planning to do?"

  Erile looked at her sadly, though a mournful sort of smile seemed to grace his face.

  "I hope I'll be joining you for breakfast later. If not… Please, take this." He pulled a bracelet off his hand and threw it to her, smiling when she caught it. "It was my sister's. If you could… Bring her back, after your boyfriend. She didn't deserve to die like that. Hopefully, this goes well. If not, I’ll be back in a few weeks or so."

  And then…

  He pushed Aisling so she fell down into the basement. Saythe gasped and followed her down, not even thinking about what was going to happen. Then…

  Erile close the trapdoor, and pushed the bookshelf over so it fell on top of it.

  They couldn't get out.

  Aisling hit the floor with a thud and a groan, before her eyes widened. "Fuck!" She snapped, scrambling to her feet and sprinting up the stairs. She slammed her fist against the trapdoor, gritting her teeth and trying to push it up. It hardly budged, and she angrily thumped her fist against it before she receded.

  She took a step back down the stairs, and put the bracelet in the same pocket as Shaun's pendant.

  She reached up to rub her face, took a deep breath, and then receded back down the stairs. She pulled a small flashlight from her bag and silently shone it around the room. She had to be strong. She needed to be strong for Saythe. He would be afraid, and she had to look after him. Saythe came first. She could cry later.

  Saythe knew something was wrong.

  "Erile!" He screamed, beating his fist against the trapdoor. "There's room for you, please! You made my mom happy! I don't want her to have to be alone anymore!" That… That was the first time he'd ever said anything like that in front of Aisling.

  It was evident that this… This was scaring him.

  Erile, on the surface, slowly put his own earplugs in. This would hurt like hell, but he would probably survive. Third-degree burns and a shitty couple weeks, but… He'd probably live. And even if he didn’t, one of the Gods would yell at him for a bit, and then he’d be off on his way again.

  He had moved the shelf, and therefore the only thing keeping the Aurans out was the measly lock on the door.

  Erile ran up the stairs that were at the back of the room, up to the second story. There was a balcony, and he walked out onto it. There were more than two hundred Aurans, easily. And this… This would take out all of them.

  He looked up to the sky and smiled a bit. "Look at me, you son of a bitch. You know who I am. You know why I'm doing this. You know I can't watch people die, not like you made me watch her die. So you give me this. You give me this, you bastard!"

  And then he pulled the pin, and threw the grenade out into the center of the horde.

  And then…

  The air exploded.

  Aisling lunged forwards, grabbing Saythe and pulling him to the floor as she used her body to shield him. She didn't know what that noise was, but God did it sound bad. That was a huge explosion, and it made the entire building rattle. She held Saythe tightly in her arms and squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't move for a little while, silently holding him close. Erile was dead. He had to be dead.

  She was so sick of this. So sick of everyone who was ever nice to her dying. So sick of people dying.

  After a moment, she slowly released Saythe and glanced up at the trap door. She bit her lip, and then shook her head as she looked down at her son and pulled the earplugs from her ears. "… Are you okay?" She asked after a moment, looking him over and furrowing her brows.

  The entire building… It came crashing down around them.

  Erile screamed as the oxygen in the air ignited, searing his flesh as he threw himself behind a wall. The stone protected him only until the building began to fall; then it became his enemy. He leapt from the balcony, hitting the ground with a thud as he landed on the bodies of the already charred walkers.

  The fire in the air began to subside, but still he screamed as his hair burned, his skin burned, everything… Everything burned.

  And then it was over. Then, he crawled, inch by inch, toward the bookshelf that was now exposed because the building was gone. And with every ounce of strength he had left…

  He pushed it off the door.

  And then he collapsed.

  "… Stay here." Aisling stood up, taking her knife. "Pull out your pistol. I'm going to look at what it's like out there. Don't come out until I come and get you." She took a step towards the stairs before she hesitated. She turned back towards Saythe and gently set her knife down, cupping his cheeks in her hands. "I'm so proud of you, kid." She pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, and then hugged him tightly. "I'll be back soon. I love you. Stay here where it's safe."

  With that, she released him and walked up to the trapdoor, lightly pushing on it to see if it would open.

  She jumped when it easily swung upwards and backed away for a second to see if any Aurans would scramble towards it. When none came, she peeked out and glanced around to see what was there. "… Erile?" She turned towards the man's body, and then gasped.

  A smile spread across his scorched face as Aisling reappeared through the door. They had survived. He had done it.

  Very, very painfully, he rolled over onto his back so he could see the sky. He shakily held up a hand, his middle finger extended, toward the stars.

  "Take, that, you Godly bastard." His words were harsh, shaky, and obviously pained him.

  And then he fainted.

  Saythe heard Erile speaking and poked his head up through the trapdoor. "Erile!" He screamed, clambering out past his mom and towards the man's body. He held his hands above him, but didn't touch him. He began to tear up as he looked to his mom, and choked out the words, "What do we do?"

  "… It's okay. It's okay." Aisling gently reassured Saythe as she gathered the man into her arms. She pulled him up against her body and lightly adjusted him before she began taking him downstairs with them. "Saythe. Close the trapdoor. Pull out the lantern from your bag and turn it on, okay?" She held Erile gently, careful not to hold him too tight in case she hurt him. She didn't want to do any more damage than what was already done.

  She bit the inside of her lip and sighed. "Honey, I need you to see if there's somewhere I can set him. Like a cot or a couch."

  She looked down at the poor bastard, and silently studied him to see how severe his injuries were. Fuck- he didn't deserve this.

  Saythe immediately thought of something.

  He got up to do what she said, but he went for their bags. He dragged them out of the trapdoor, and then seemed to frantically begin looking for something. A faint "Aha!" sound was made when he found what he was looking for.

  He dragged Erile's bag back over to them and took out the button he had used to create the beds earlier. He pressed it down and a new mattress seemed to spray forth, then expanded in front of them.

  Saythe was still in awe of this, and everything in the bag.

  Aisling blinked, before she smiled and gently laid the man down on the mattress. She bit the inside of her lip and carefully peeled his suit jacket and shirt from his body. She knew they'd just get in the way, and she knew they'd just hurt if they rubbed against any of the burns. They were bad enough to need treatment, but not so that they were life-threatening. She sighed, running her fingers through her messy orange hair.

  She didn't have anything to treat this.

  "Let me see if there's anything around here. They should've had a first aid kit." She sighed, standing up and walking along the edge of the room as she searched through cupboards and cabinets for anything that could help them. He was breathing, and he had a pulse, so she had time to look for things. "Don't touch him, Saythe. I didn't think you would but I'm warning you anyways."

  Saythe was having the time of his life looking through Eri
le's bag. It felt sort of like an invasion of his privacy, but…

  That was until Saythe found was looked like a bottle of… Something.

  "Mom!" He said, running up to her and handing her the bottle. He had read the label, and he smiled as he handed it to her.

  "It says it treats burns, and it was his, so it should be something super cool and futurey right?"

  Aisling stared at the bottle for a second before she took it from her son and smiled. "God- you're such a smart kid." She pressed her lips to his forehead before walking over to Erile. "Honey, grab the latex gloves from the first aid kit." She had a makeshift kit in her bag, which had about five pairs of latex gloves. They were a good thing to have in times like these- everything was filthy. And she was no exception. She needed a shower.

  She looked down at Erile and sighed. He had risked his life to save them.

  "Alright. Alright." She popped the cap open on the bottle and sighed. She was not letting him die. There was no way in hell.

  Saythe did as he was told and brought his mother the latex gloves.

  He knelt down beside her, obviously wanting to help but not knowing what to do. His eyes teared up again as he said, "He's really nice. I want him to stay with us, mom. And he's not mean like the other people you told me about."

  The kid was so innocent, so even if Erile had been a sleazebag, he wouldn't have known. But… Saythe was right. Erile was a genuinely nice guy, albeit a bit nuts, and he had risked his life for them.

  If she couldn't save him, well… His blood was on her hands.

  "Please save him mom. You said only hug people you love, and you hugged him, and I don't want someone you love to die."

  Aisling looked towards her son, and her brows furrowed with worry. Her son was a lot more perceptive than he let on, and she didn't always know how to deal with that. It was easier to shield him from the horrors of the world when he was younger and more naive. She sighed, lowering her eyes for a moment. "… I'm gonna try my best, Saythe. I promise." She put on the gloves and then carefully took the bottle of ointment and squeezed some out onto her fingers.

  She hoped to God this stuff worked.

  She gently pressed her hand to his chest, and then started to carefully rub the ointment into wherever he was burned. She was kind of glad he had fainted, because she didn't want to deal with the screams of a man whose flesh stung from not only burns but the ointment she put on them.

  Because she had done that before. And it sucked.

  Something insane began to happen as she applied the ointment, however.

  This… This wasn't possible.

  The burns… Wherever the salve was applied, they just… Vanished. She could visibly see the flesh mending itself, absorbing the ointment as it was pressed to the dead cells. Erile came awake as she applied it, but he didn't say anything. He seemed to still be in tremendous pain; it was visible in his eyes. But it lessened as she applied whatever was in that bottle, and eventually…

  All of the burns were gone.

  His skin was slightly pink, and there was one section on his arm that had been burned particularly badly. It would scar, but… Other than that, he was completely fine.

  Yet he simply laid there, seemingly too tired to move, staring up to Aisling.

  Aisling put the cap back on the bottle, tossed the gloves to the side, and stared at the man on the mattress for a couple seconds. She got up, walked over to their bags, and pulled out their blankets. She draped one over him, and then sat down on a dusty couch that was a little ways away. "… It's still dark outside." She said after a moment, sighing as she brought her hands up into her hair. "You two should get some sleep."

  She seemed stressed, for obvious reasons.

  "Saythe, c'mere. Come lay down, buddy." She gestured him over towards the couch. "You need your sleep, kiddo."

  Erile was asleep in mere seconds, his bag clutched close to him. He hadn't even thought about it, and he was glad it wasn't destroyed in the explosion. He would have been seriously pissed off if he’d lost that bag.

  Saythe ran to his mother's arms, tears still strolling down his face, and he snuggled in against her.

  "Mom?" He asked, after a couple moments. He was staring at Erile's sleeping form, as his chest moved rhythmically up and down.

  "I know you miss daddy, but… Do you think you'll love Erile?"

  What a sweet child. So innocent. So full of questions. That was rare these days.

  Aisling leaned back against the couch's armrest and held her son close. She gently reached up to wipe his eyes, and pressed a tender kiss to his forehead. He was such a sweet child, and she hated seeing him scared like he was. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve to be scared like this.

  She hummed contemplatively, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair. "It takes a long time to fall in love, Saythe." She always tried to be as honest as she could with him. There was no point in skirting around things. "I loved your father very much. And I still do, even though he's passed away to a better place now." She looked down at him with softened eyes. "Maybe. I only just met him. He is a very good man though, Saythe. Maybe if he stays around, but for now he's just my friend."

  Friend. It was such a weird word to use in those days.

  Saythe nodded his head introspectively. He understood, sort of, but he kind of hoped that she would love him.

  It would be cool to have a dad.

  Saythe eventually fell asleep, and he slept quietly. He rarely moved much, which definitely helped Aisling. They didn't have to get up early the next morning, especially considering the ordeal they had just been through.

  So he slept well, for the first time in a long time.

  Aisling sat up for a little while longer, staring up at the dimly lit ceiling of the basement. It was… Kind of nice. Chilly, but it was warmer than outside. She glanced over towards Erile and studied him for a moment. He was a remarkable human being.

  She sighed, reaching up to lightly run her fingers along the cut on her face. It was healing nicely. She figured another couple of days and she'd be able to pull the stitches out. It got itchy sometimes, and it was rather annoying. She didn't really want to deal with them any longer than she had too. Although maybe if she hadn't gotten in that fight with that guy a week or so ago… Oh well. It was necessary.

  She took a deep breath and wrapped her arms tightly around Saythe as her eyes fluttered shut. She was exhausted. She'd sleep well. They probably would have to wait another day before they set out again.

  A Shocking Morning

  Zaaaaaaap.

  "Wooh! Fuck yeah, baby!"

  The sound of electricity was what woke Saythe up. The sound of Erile shouting was what got him moving.

  He put his boots on, his red hair falling across his face annoyingly. He really needed it cut. He'd ask his mom later. But he looked to Erile's bed and found it empty, which caused him to worry a bit. When he climbed up the staircase, however… He whooped in excitement.

  "Mom, come see this!"

  Erile had a crackling fire going, though most of the smoke was absorbed by the snow around it. And laying scattered throughout the snow… A collection of ten or fifteen large, plump blackbirds.

  And because they had been killing with his helo-gun, they were already cooked.

  "Breakfast is served."

  He seemed to be feeling much better.

  Aisling stumbled up the stairs quickly, eyes wide with alarm at her son's shout. She stared at them for a second with disbelief, before her shoulders sagged and she sighed with relief. She ran a hand through her hair and pulled herself out of the trap door with a yawn as she rubbed her eyes. "I- wow." She furrowed her brows for a moment or two, looking towards the fire and the blackbirds. This was a feast. How had he…?

  "You did all this?" She glanced up at Erile, and then walked over to the crackling fire. "… Wow. How long have you been up? Are you feeling okay?"

  If that ointment truly got him up and about like this, then she hoped to
God it would work for other things. Maybe even bites. What if that thing worked to heal bites? It would be amazing, but she had no intention of ever testing it.

  Erile looked to her with the biggest, most goofy-looking grin on his face. He held up his gun, which was still smoking from the muzzle, and said, "A whole flock of them flew overhead. All it took was one shot."

  He put the gun back in his bag and walked over to the two of them, picking up the birds and stringing them on a piece of rope along the way. There were twelve in total.

  "Four for each of us. I know you probably haven't had any meat but jerky in a while, so I figured something like this would help." He had pulled up three logs near the fire, which would function as chairs.

  "And I've been up a good three hours. I've never been one to sleep in late, I uh…" He seemed uncomfortable with what he was about to say, so he changed the subject.

  "I feel fine. That ointment you used was specifically developed to treat burns from that bomb, so good on whoever found it." Saythe beamed proudly, and Erile winked at him. He then kept talking.

  "My bones still ache a bit and I'll be bruised for a week, but I'm fine. Now come on, sit down. Eat. You'll have to pluck off the few feathers that weren't blown off in the shock, but other than that, they're good to go."

  "… Thank you." Aisling murmured, reaching out and taking one of the birds to sit down and eat. "I- this really helps. You didn't have to go through all of this effort." She looked towards him and tilted her head to the side, before beginning to carefully pluck apart the bird and ravenously pick away at it. She didn't realize how hungry she had gotten until she had so much food laid out in front of her. If this kept up…

  She'd be at a normal weight. For once. She had always underweight since the Auranis began.

  "Eat, Saythe." She gestured to the birds, glancing at her son. "If you're still hungry you can have one of mine."