“Hey Felix, do you know what it’s like, being able to walk around again?” What? Walk around, what does that mean? “Oh you don’t know? You silly, it’s when you use your legs and feet, and instead of standing still, you move around!” Oh I see, so like, if I wanted to go to you, I would- “You would walk! You can also feel things as you step on things with your feet! My favorite thing to feel was grass, silky smooth grass, a whole field of them!” Grass? What is that? “Hm… How do I… Oh! Imagine a big, flat, fluffy place, and it’s green.” Fluffy? “Felix, I can’t explain everything to you, and it’s interesting how you know some things, but not everything.” What is, know… “Ah, I guess you’re losing more of your memory. Hey, before you go.”
?
“Don’t forget to come find us. Mom and dad are waiting for you, and so am I. We’re… getting lonely without you.” Lonely… Eva… “You remember my name! Felix, you have no idea how happy that makes me! It’s been so long, we miss you. Oh, and don’t tell mom or dad but, I- I’m starting to get scared.” Scare- “You really are losing yourself. I’ll let you go, but please, don’t forget. Whatever happens, don't forget about us. Not just us, but everyone.”
…
“Let me know when you see me again, and don’t forget to tell me how the grass feels! I miss it a lot.”
…
“Not as much as you of course! I’ll see you soon, you need to go. Good luck.”
…
“I love y-” BANG!
Thinking: Like an A.I.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“WAKE UP DIPSHIT! YOU’VE BEEN ASLEEP FOR MORE THAN 2 DAYS! WE THOUGHT YOU DIED OR SOME SHIT!” What, where am I… what is this place, who are the- “AHHHH WHO ARE YOU?????” Wh-what… Their skin is shiny, is it metal? “Ahahaha! Look J! Looks like he’s finally gaining some consciousness after all! You good, ape?” A-ape? Is he talking to me? His voice is so loud, and it’s… so sharp! My God! “H-hey, can you talk a bit quieter?” Urgh… my head hurts.
“WHAT?!?? I can’t hear your gratitude over the complaining after we just saved your ass!” AHHHH “Th-Thank you! Thank you for saving me so please shut up!” The air in here is so hot and heavy… It's not helping with my headache at all. Why is this room so small… The guy is not shutting up either. OW! “Hey, careful now kid. You fell from a pretty high height, your legs are going to feel it for a bit.” It’s coming from outside, is someone else out there? Oh right, he said Jay. “Wh-where am I?” His voice is much raspier than this guys. “You little- Don’t you think you can talk to Jeremy like that! He’s-”
“Quit it Kev, the kid’s hurt. He has the right to know where he is.” Kev, so that’s his name. Oh gosh, I smell something burning. That smells awful… “You’re in the burners, kid. Waste gets dropped in here, and we burn ‘em. You fell through a hole up there as well. Ugh… This old body ain’t gonna put up with the same old shit anytime soon. How’re you feeling kid?” He's made of metal as well. Who are they? “E-everything hurts. My head… My head hurts. I think my legs are broken too. I can’t- I can’t breathe well, a-am I going to die?”
“AHAHAHA! Shit, you ain’t gonna die! Yeah your legs are broken, and sorry ‘bout the air, all the gas ‘n the fumes gotta be stinking up your lungs huh? Your head's fine, probably just suffered a little shock but it’ll be good in a few.” Oh… It’s not just his face, his arm and legs are also made of metal! His clothes look dirty, tethered even. “Who- Can I ask you a question?” I can’t imagine how long they must’ve been here. Do they wash? I- I’m sure they must, right? I mean even if they’re made of metal, they gotta need to clean… Right? “Don’t get too comfortable you runt! Jeremy here doesn’t need to-”
“I said enough Kev.” H-his voice… I think my ears are bleeding… “What’s your question?”
“I- um, who are you guys- What are you guys?”
“WHAT ARE WE? WHAT DO WE LOOK LIKE TO YOU, RANDOM PIECE OF JUNK METAL?! YOU HAVE SOME FUCKING NERVE TREATING US LIKE TRAS-” *Clank! “I said no more! Get on outta here and start piling the new batch. Don’t want it spilling in here do we?” Um… I guess Kev is just loud… how did they even get here? How long have they been here? I need to get out of here fast. “Um excuse me, Jeremy was it?”
“What is it kid?”
“... Stop calling me kid. Why are you guys here? Who are you guys? Why did you help me-” Pat.
“I’m gonna stop ya right there. Yer clearly a human, then you need a lot of explaining but you ain’t gettin that from me. I’m a busy body, and I ain’t got much time left so I gotta get on with my necessities.” His hands are cold. Urgh… my head hurts, but him patting it feels oddly nice… Uh, I’m getting tired again, I can feel my eyes getting heavy, is it because of my headache? I have to keep… talking… but I think… I’m… SPLASH! WHA- Ha, ha, What was tha- “You fall asleep, I can’t help you. I told you, I’m in no shape to carry you outta here. Remember, yer legs are still fucked up. Here, Kevin will get you where you need to be.” Uh… Him again… Anyone but him. I don’t think I can deal with him anymore… “O-okay…”
“Ahaha, he may be loud, but he’s a good one. Yeah he’s had a few screws loose ever since I built him, but it’s not fun without a new personality in here.” He made him? Then, who made him? Who made, me? Why is he made of metal, and why am I… flesh. ?! Metal? Flesh? What are these… “Y-you, what did you say I was?”
“Yer a human. A living, breathing organism. Although yer not made biologically, it’s clear that yer still alive, and unlike us, you have what’s called a soul- But that’s about it for now. Mia will be able to tell you more about ya.” Mia? Who’s that- “Hey Kev! Get in here, I got a job for you!” Clang Here he comes… “What is it J?!” Ahhhh. “Ugh…” I have to go with him? “Pipe down a bit will ya, yer hurtin the kid’s head.”
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
“Ahhh quit whining! Anyways, what you got for me?”
“I need you to bring him over to Mia, he needs his legs replaced.”
“Huh?!? I ain’t got the time OR the fuck’s to give to be doing ANYTHING with this neanderthal brained-” … “OOOOOOWWW MY BACK! URRRGH I THINK MY SPINE IS LOSING STRUCTURE! KEV HURRY! AHHHHHH!”
What…
“Wait, WAIT JEREMY I’M SORRY! I GOT IT I GOT IT I’LL BRING HIM OVER THERE! DON’T DIE ON ME! I’ll- I’ll bring a new spine so-”
“ARGH HURRY!”
“AHHHH! C’mon you Ape! We gotta go! Can’t you see J suffering?!?” I… I guess I’m glad they’re both not alone. I may not ever understand the dynamic they have, but it seems, like they truly care for eachother. I can’t imagine being in this place for so long, it must have an effect on you- Woah! “OW!”
“Quit your complaining! If J dies it’s all your fault! You’re lucky I’m willing to carry you all the way to Mia, you know how far that is?!”
I’m gonna die…
“Ugh, it’s not far, he’s just overplaying it. Kid, if anyone sees you with Kev, make sure you go with what he says, got it?” Go along with him? Will I be ok… “W-will I be ok? What’s going to happen-” My… my head, I hear ringing, I feel awful. “Looks like he’s losing it, hurry. Get him to Mia.” Uh oh, my eyes are getting heavy again. “You’ll be fine, kid. Good luck out there, don’t waste this opportunity.”
Kevin carried the boy out of the burnt hut. He ran past the piles he was recently working on, and as the boy looked up at the ceiling of the enclosement, he saw the holes mentioned by Jeremy. His head was foggy, but he couldn’t process how he had survived such a fall. In a circle, piles upon piles of scrap and junk made mountains, and in the middle of the hill, was a fire, burning away. Draped across Kevin’s shoulder, the boy felt an intrusive pressure pushed up against his stomach. The nausea followed the boy's motion sickness, which soon accompanied the sharp, banging headache. It wasn’t long until the feeling took over the boy’s actions as-
Bleeergh!
“AHHH WHAT THE FUCK! YOU DID NOT JUST PUKE ON MY BACK NO SIR! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU-” … Th-this guy… needs to shut up… “H-hey, are you alright? DON’T YOU DIE ON ME NOW GOT IT?! J’S NOT GOING TO FORGIVE ME IF- If… Whatever! We gotta go, we don’t have time!”
Bleeergh!
“AHHHHHHH! STOP THROWING UP SHIT ON ME!”
“I-I’m sorry… Your shoulder is… your shoulder is killing me.” Will I really die? My leg is gone, my head is going insane- “HEY! HEY YOU BETTER STAY UP!” And I think my ears are bleeding… What about Eva? Mom… Dad…? Wait, who is Eva? Who is Mom, a- a field? What am I looking at? A green… field… Is this grass? What is, grass? The air feels… fuzzy, it’s getting warmer. There’s a girl over there, in a white dress. She’s holding something. Who is she… Her hair is so bright, it’s so long. Flowing in the wind… It’s so beautiful.
“Don’t forget us.”
Is she talking to me? Is she, Eva?
“Find us, please. We’ll all be waiting for you.”
How-
“H-How do I find you guys? Where do I go? Who is waiting for me?”
She’s drifting away! No, no!
“Wait! Don’t leave! Please! What should I do?”
Please, don’t leave me again.
“Live, Felix. You must live.”
Wai-
Beeeeeep Beeeeeep Beeeeeep-
The room was bright, bright enough to fully wake up the boy from his dream. Along with the blinding light, the boy was woken up by the sound of a continuous beeping sound, his ears still sensitive, the sharp yet soft noise gently wrapped his ears. The boy sat up from the bed, looked around the room, but was blocked by a tarp surrounding the boy and the bed. As the boy came to, he saw something, poking out of the sheets from the lower right corner. Then the boy realized, he lifted the sheets and:
M-my leg…? It looks similar to the man back at the hut, and… he must have brought me here. My headache is gone, my leg is back… It must have been Mia! She fixed me up, I’m alive…
*Snuffle
“I- I’m alive… I’m alive! Thank you, Eva.”
Shhhhhhh
The curtains revealed a figure in a long white coat, seemingly comforted by the boys awake. She spoke in a soft, yet deep voice.
“Oh thank Eva, you’re awake! I was worried it might have been futile! See, I had to dig so deep into the archives to know how to put you back together. I mean, you aren’t a NUman, so I didn’t know if you were even hanging in there-”
“Thank you, thank you so much.”
“O-oh, sure! Of course, you process emotions, probably better than us. How are you feeling?”
So they’re NUman. Apparently we’re different? Then what am I? The room smells so nice, I wonder if she’s Mia, she has to be.
Unlike his first location, the boy was welcomed with an arousing aroma of sweet and warmth. His lungs were rejuvenated from the smoke, and the boy for the first time took in a slow, deep breath. He swallowed the clear and silky smooth air, and as he exhaled the boy felt the lingering pain seeping out of his body, from head to toe. The boy felt his body awaken, felt his body come alive. Energy suddenly surged throughout the boy, and for the first time, the boy felt the need to stand up.
“WOAH! Calm down, your body may be put together but that doesn’t mean you’re fully functional again. It may take some time but-”
Woah, so this is what it feels like, it’s so weird being able to feel only my left leg, I wonder if I’ll ever get used to it. I can hardly balance myself, can I just-
“Ahhh!”
“I said be careful! You know what I went through to get that leg for you? It took so long to attach it because your body was so soft! I don’t even know how well it’ll stay on, but I tried my best.”
“H-how long have I been out for?” Urgh… I can’t get up.
“It’s been 3 days, hold on, here let me help you.”
“Thank you, you must be Mia.”
“I must be, and I suppose you met Jeremy. How’d you handle him?” I wonder how close they are. Speaking of which…
“Handle him? He wasn’t the one that I needed to get used to…” What was his name? K-Kay something…
“Oh haha, you must mean Kevin. I know he can be a bit too, but trust me they’re both sweethearts. Believe me, once you get to know him, Kevin is the most loyal person you will ever meet. He brings me flowers quite often!” Flowers? Oh, is that what the girl was holding?
“He must like you a lot.”
“Although he didn’t bring me flowers today, instead he brought me something much more stressful than the usual flowers.” I-is she talking about me…
“I’m sorry…”
“Hehe, I’m only joking. You best rest up, save that energy in getting better. I’ll be here to make sure you fully recover alright?”