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

  This couldn't be happening. This shouldn't be happening. They had been so careful.

  Erile turned to her, and although he didn't want to be angry… He kind of was.

  "What do you care? I met you not even three days ago, and now you're sobbing because of my wound. Shouldn't you be worried about your own? I'll be leaving in a week or less and there's a very high chance that you'll never see me again."

  He got close to her, wrapping his arms around her and letting his anger flood out. All that was left was pain. She had lost an arm because of him.

  He knew she couldn't hug back, but he also knew she'd need to be held at that moment.

  "You should worry about your own life."

  She collapsed against him and sobbed. "I'm scared."

  That was… Never something one would expect to hear from Aisling Grace.

  She whimpered, trembling in his arms as she buried her face in his chest. "I- If I turn, a- and you turn, then…" The thought made her want to puke. "S- Saythe, he'll be all alone." She shook her head. "I don't want him to be alone. I can't leave him alone. He can't be alone." She broke down further, clenching her teeth together tightly as she sucked in air with small gasps and hiccups. "I don't want to die. I don't want you to die. You're my friend."

  She coughed again. "I don't want to die. I'm so afraid. I don't want- I- I-"

  Erile tilted her chin up so that her lavender eyes were directed at his aquamarine ones.

  "You won't. Remember what I said? You inherit your business from your mom and go on to be one of the most respected engineers in the country. You've got the wits to survive, and you've done amazing so far, and I doubt that me being here will have changed that future for you. You'll live. Saythe will live to lead the military in its wars against the enemy. And me…

  He let go of her and stepped back a bit, a hint of sorrow in his eyes.

  "I've never seen my own future."

  "Let me help you." She sobbed, tugging desperately on her restraints. "I- I- we can still save you. Please, just let me help you." She took a sharp intake of breath, and after a moment her chest swelled with something that almost seemed like rage. "… If you turn, you'll get back in, even if you go outside, and you'll kill us. Because I'm locked up, Saythe is asleep, and we won't be able to defend ourselves."

  Her body trembled. She looked like she was in the middle of a panic attack.

  "So for fuck’s sake, why won't you let me help you?!" Her anger diminished into panic again, and she coughed another couple of times. "I don't want you to die!"

  Erile smiled a bit. "You'll be completely fine. I don't think you understand what I mean."

  He pulled out his phone, and seemed to sigh in relief as he saw the time. "Because it just hit six hours since the two of us were bitten. You didn't turn. So you'll still be able to protect Saythe. I'll unlock you."

  He did so at that moment, though caught her in his arms as she fell. She wasn't used to being on her own two feet.

  "You'll be okay."

  He offered no explanation about himself, however.

  She leaned against him, legs weak and shaking. Wait a minute-

  Six hours?

  Then that meant…

  She looked down at the bite on his arm and furrowed her brows. "Then… Why haven't you…?" He should’ve been dead. Nobody ever lasted past six hours without showing any symptoms of the virus. It was impossible. Which meant…

  "… You bastard." She looked up at him, her face screwing up in anger. Funnily enough, she didn't pull away from him. She just sobbed, burying her face in his chest and angrily thumping her hand against him. "You absolute bastard. Why the fuck didn't you remind me about the vaccine earlier?!"

  She had a right to be angry.

  Erile chuckled a bit, but wrapped his arms around her. "I wanted to let your immune system fight, just in case any of the virus got into the bloodstream before I cut off the arm. Panic causes more white blood cells to be made. I also wanted to make your blood travel quicker, so I could be more sure about you being fine. But now that we're past six hours… Yeah. I am vaccinated."

  He sounded a bit apologetic, but very happy.

  "And you bitch, getting yourself bit like that. Can't blame you, but I can still be angry at you."

  "Fuck you." Aisling growled, wrapping her arm around him and sniffling as she buried her face in his chest. "You're a dick. I hate you." She was joking, but she still sighed as she let most of her body weight lean against him. She wasn't really able to hold herself up very well. "… I won't be able to use my bow." She murmured after a second. "I'm not going to be able to protect him as well as I used to."

  Saythe was a constant worry for her.

  She bit the inside of her lip, peeking out from his chest to look towards the stairs. "… How is he?" She asked softly. "Is he okay?"

  "He’ll be alright once he sees that you’re okay. But as for not being able to use your bow… I kind of already modified that for you."

  She didn't know what he meant, of course, until he led her over to the couch near the fire. He let her sit down, and then showed her what he'd been working on. And when she saw it, well… It was impossible not to gasp.

  Because it was beautiful.

  Her sleek wooden bow had been trimmed to fit what looked like a sitting handle, and there was a clasp at the end of it. A slider was attached to the clasp, and one of his odd pieces of technology sat underneath it.

  "It's a crossbow. But you only need one hand." To demonstrate, he fired an arrow at the wall, and then pressed the button on the strange panel he’d added. The string was pulled back and set into place, and a mechanical arm pulled another arrow from the side and notched it.

  "But that's not all I've been working on."

  Her lips parted in shock, and she furrowed her brows as she took in the amazing piece of weaponry he had crafted her bow into. This was… Amazing. It would work perfectly, considering she’d be doing everything one-handed from then on. Considering the situation… It was exactly what she needed right now.

  A new round of tears sprang to her eyes, but she held herself together. "I- thank you…" She bit the inside of her lip. "It'll work perfectly, I- this is amazing, Erile."

  Indeed it was. The gratitude she felt was almost palpable.

  He shook his head, a smile spreading across his face as he pulled his bag closer to him. "No, it isn't, because this next thing is amazing. And the thing is that you're going to do it. I don't have all the parts, and I'm sorry, but… We'll be able to make something that works. And I'll help you along the way. I'll show you exactly how to do everything, but you'll be the one to do it. Because I know that you'll want the pride of saying you made it.

  He pulled out a box and dumped it onto the table in front of him, revealing… Well, what looked like a load of junk.

  But if one looked closely, they would see… The parts to make fingers. A hand. An arm. Everything that was needed to assemble a robotic arm.

  "Remember how you inherit your mom's company? Well, take this as your first lesson. Building a robotic arm that will function exactly like your old one."

  He beamed in delight.

  For a moment, she didn't process what he was implying.

  And then realization washed over her, and when she blinked, tears ran down her cheeks. "Oh, Erile…" She reached up to wipe her tears away, staggering over and sitting down beside him. "Thank you." She leaned against him, lightly examining the parts and whimpering. What the hell had she done to deserve such kindness? It was something she never quite knew how to process in this day and age, and it was overwhelming.

  She wrapped her arm around him, sighing as she shook her head. "You're a good man, Erile." She murmured. "Please remember that."

  Erile's smile faded when she said that.

  "I'm not a good man, Aisling Grace. I'm a man who's been trying to make up for past mistakes. For a long, long time." It didn't seem to be a conversation he was willing to get into, but it was something she'd
definitely disagree with.

  "I got you bit by choosing this house. I’m going to try my best to fix my mistake."

  He coughed a bit, and then looked to the pile of parts on the table.

  "So are you ready?"

  "No, no, look at me." She lifted her hand to his cheek, gently tilting his head back towards her. "You are a good man. You’ve saved me and my son three times now. You hardly even knew who we were the first two times. You have given your everything to us, and for what? You're not going to gain anything from this in the end. You're doing it because you care. And that does make you a good man. Regardless of your past."

  She held his gaze. "I'd rather live in a universe that doesn't care, with people like you who do." She tilted her head to the side. "So let yourself have this."

  She hesitated, and carefully withdrew from him. "… I should check on Saythe." She said. "I need to make sure he's okay. He probably got the scare of his life last night."

  Erile shook his head, holding her so she'd sit down on the couch. "I made sure he went to sleep, and I can promise you that he won't be waking up for at least another five hours. All the terror completely exhausted the kid, and he was out in seconds. Plus, I bet he'd prefer waking up to his mother and a robotic arm rather than his mother with no arm."

  He picked up two of the pieces of metal and held them out to her.

  "So are you ready?"

  Aisling hesitated for a second, reluctant. She really wanted to go see her son but… He was right. It'd be better on both her and Saythe if she had a robotic replacement by the time she went to go and wake him. The poor kid would feel guilty for sure, no doubt about it.

  She reached out and carefully took the two pieces of metal.

  "… Yeah." She nodded, lifting her eyes to meet his gaze. "Let's do this."

  Limb From Limb

  Four hours and twenty-six minutes later, Erile and Aisling stood facing each other, the latter’s hand completely stained with oil. It had been a long process of him showing her something three or four times before she finally got it right. But in his hands… In his hands was an arm that would work perfectly.

  "So this bio-tech is going to hurt like a bitch while attaching to a burn, but it's completely sterile. So afterwards, you won't ever have to remove it again if you don't want to." He stepped up to her and removed her bandages carefully, then pressed the arm to the wound.

  It seemed to… Bond, with the skin. It suctioned itself against her so that it was nearly a part of her. Erile beamed after the initial pain wore off, and said, "Well? Try moving her. She should feel just like your arm."

  Aisling hissed through her teeth as the arm attached itself, before slowly relaxing as the pain ebbed away. "… Okay. Okay. Let me try." She tilted her head to the side. It took a bit of trying, but after a moment or so she curled and uncurled her robotic fingers, and then did each one at a time. Emotion overwhelmed her again, and she teared up slightly as she looked up at Erile. "It works perfectly. Thank you."

  She leaned over and hugged him tightly. "God, where the hell would I be without you?" She squeezed him, pressing her eyes shut.

  After a moment or two, she pulled away. A slight smirk crossed her features, and she held up the robotic hand.

  "High five."

  Erile rolled his eyes with a smile before he raised a hand, hitting his own against the metallic one she had.

  "I say we go wake up your son, don't you?"

  Oh, Saythe would absolutely flip out once he saw the arm. He would no doubt feel bad about getting her bit, but once he saw the arm… Maybe he wouldn't feel as bad when he figured out she'd be fine.

  Erile led the way, opening the door to the bedroom for her.

  Aisling nodded. She followed after him and quietly stepped into the room. She softened when she saw her son asleep, and carefully walked over and sat down beside him. She grabbed a blanket, lightly pulling it over him before she gently laced the fingers of her real hand into his hair to soothe him.

  … God, this kid was her entire world. She would take getting bit any day if it meant that he would be safe.

  "… Saythe." She said softly. "Saythe, sweetie, wake up."

  Saythe sat bolt upright nearly immediately, obviously having been on the verge between sleep and wakefulness. "Mom, I- I'm sorry, I know that we're low on supplies and I just wanted to help and I'm sorry and-"

  It was only then that he noticed her mechanical arm.

  "What the-" He almost cursed, but seemed to understand that his mom was right in front of him, so he obviously held his tongue.

  "Where did you get that?"

  "Erile helped me build it." She softened, and smiled as she lightly tilted her head to the side. "… Were you going to drop the F bomb?"

  An amused look crossed her face, and her eyes lit up mischievously. "Oh my god, you were totally going to drop the F bomb." She snickered, soon beginning to cackle with laughter as she looked down at her son. "Holy shit, you heard that right?" She glanced back at Erile with a snicker, and then turned back towards her son.

  Well, she seemed to be in a good mood.

  "… I'm glad you're okay." Aisling said after a moment. "That's all that matters to me, Saythe."

  Erile chuckled amiably while Saythe shook his head back and forth, a grin beginning to spread across his face. He then threw his arms around Aisling, locking her in place with him on the bed.

  "I love you, mom." Saythe… Wasn't one to say that very often. He only really said it in times where he truly meant it, and this… This was one of those times.

  They were in a good mood. And they deserved it. It had been a long night.

  Their mood died down when they heard a slight groan from down the hallway. The three of them immediately turned towards it and saw the bumbling shape of a woman, moving characteristically like an Auran. It must've wandered in while they were enjoying their jubilee.

  Aisling spun Saythe around, got up off of the bed, and marched right up to the Auran-

  And promptly cold clocked it in the face with her metal hand.

  "… Oho, I like this thing." She glanced to her hand with a slight smirk, and then narrowed her eyes as she brought her foot down on the Auran's face. She stomped until it stopped moving, grinding her heel into the thing's face. Then she withdrew, walked over and cleaned off her hand with a spare pillow case lying on the ground, and turned back towards her son. "I love you too, kid. I'm so glad you're okay."

  Erile's face had paled, but then returned to its ordinary shade. Saythe was obviously aghast, but then hugged his mom again. "You're like a superhero!" He exclaimed, laughing jubilantly. Erile was happy to be with them; they were good people. He truly, truly hoped they did alright.

  "Come on. It's time to go." He said, shouldering his bag. They still had a hell of a trip to go, and considering his bite was infected, even though he wouldn't turn… He'd probably have to deal with a hell of a fever before his powerful immune system kicked in.

  People in his time didn't die of disease anymore, but they still had to go through the damned symptoms.

  "Let's get to New York."

  The Big Rotten Apple

  Four days was a long time to pass uneventfully.

  Aisling looked up over the horizon and squared her jaw nervously. Skyscrapers towered on the horizon, and random pillars of smoke arose from the skyline of the once iconic city in front of them. New York City. Once a hotbed for people trying to pursue the American dream, it was now just a breeding ground for death and despair. The people who still lived there, well…

  They were exceptionally dangerous people.

  She looked back at Erile and Saythe. "Both of you stay close." She said, sighing as she gestured out towards the city. "That's New York. We won't be going into the heart of the city, but we’ll be going through some areas I don’t trust."

  Erile nodded his head. His face was grim. He had lost weight.

  As expected, the bite had given him a nasty fever, and it had taken two days to get
over it. He hadn't let them slow down, however; he still pushed them to continue, much to Aisling's anger. The fact that he threatened to walk ahead alone kept them going.

  Saythe looked up to him in worry. He definitely looked worse for wear, but at least the fever had broken.

  "Where is this house again?" Erile asked.

  "Maybe an hour’s walk, not even. We'll be going into a suburban area." She turned towards him, reaching up and gently feeling his forehead to gauge his temperature. "You should take some medicine to get your fever to go down faster. We need you in prime condition going into the area we are." She sighed, pursing her lips nervously. She was glad he was recovering.

  She turned away, looking back out towards the horizon. Her mother and father were somewhere out there.

  She had to find them.

  She fumbled a bottle of pills out of her bag, tossing them towards Erile so he had no choice but to catch them. With that, she stepped forwards and started walking towards the city, even though every fiber of her being screamed at her to run the other way. She couldn't. She had a job to do.

  Erile caught the pills and took one, handing the bottle to Saythe and following Aisling. Needless to say, his helo-gun was in his hand, and he was ready for anything. It couldn't take out hordes bigger than a few hundred, but he could certainly pack a punch against the smaller groups.

  "Well then we should hurry up, because I really don't feel like coming across anyone or anything. I'd prefer to lay down in your parents' house and sleep for about twenty-three hours."

  He didn't sound happy about their current predicament, and Saythe giggled.

  "I can't wait to meet grandma Willow!"

  "Yeah, me too." Aisling smiled somewhat and nodded, looking down at her son fondly. She was glad he was so optimistic, because it usually rubbed off on her too. And truth be told, she needed as much optimism as she could get. Because the likelihood that her parents were dead was… Quite high.

  "If they're still in their house, they'd be in mom's workshop downstairs. It's totally soundproof, with a heavy door and air filtration system." She hummed, trudging along at a somewhat fast pace so they could get to the house before sundown. "I know the password, so we can get in safely."