The thin piece of thread held him almost weightless in the air, his lifeless body flowing with the wind currents that managed to pass through the closed window. The rope that tied his wrist to the contraption snapped, his body landing with a loud thump on the wooden desk as a round metal object fell a few inches away from him.
His optics flickered slightly, his hand moving to prop himself up. The doll shook his head in confusion, reaching up to touch the barrel of his optic. The 18th creation stared in awe at his metal hand, his joints moving, rusting as he smiled slightly.
He looked down as he felt a small rush of air intrude in his insides, noticing his chest open, the button that held him together on the right of his chest. He heard a small zapping sound before noticing a round object just a few steps away.
He tilted his head in curiosity, attempting to stand on his two wobbly legs.
The newly awakened stitchpunk tried again and managed to take his first steps in this unknown world, walking towards the object.
He carefully bent over, making sure he was sturdy before he picked up the object. The metal clicked on his fingers as he rubbed it.
Weird symbols were embed on the object's surface, three circles beneath it once he turned it over.
His attention turned to the window doors moving with the wind.
The doll pushed the window slide's open, almost stumbling down once he managed to open it. Nothing but ruins greeted him. An Emptiness.
The doll almost dropped the object in his hand, staring in awe at the desolate wasteland.
What happened to this world? Torn down buildings, only a few standing, rubble in the streets as the wind carried off the ash and dust of the past. The atmosphere wasn't cold nor warm, something in between. Cloudy skies shrouded the sunlight, giving it an eerie and hollow feel to the emptiness outside of that first room.
The doll tried to utter a small sigh but nothing came out. Puzzled, he held up his hand to feel around his throat, trying over and over again to make any amount of sound. 'I... I can't speak?...' he had to find a voice... but how?

After the doll had gathered enough courage, he jumped down the steps to get a closer look at the apocalyptic world. The round device still tightly tucked on his button pouch. He studied the debris, wandered down the streets and looked for anyone that could help him. He suddenly stopped... he heard a voice... or a sound... someone was... humming? A bright light suddenly pierced through the dolls optics. Something was out there!
'No!...I-I have to hide.'
His feet hit the fallen rubble, slipping a few times thanks to small stones with each step he took. He hid behind a metal wall with holes; he heard the humming stop once he reached his hiding spot. Footsteps grew louder; the holder of the light might have noticed him. He reached down to the ground and grabbed a bolt tightly around his sliver fingers.
With his back pressed against the wall, the doll steadied his shaking hands. The light then blinded his side vision; he swung at the blinding light.
"GYAAAH!" The light vanished with the sound of a loud dusty thud, the light rising from where the flashlight glass once stood, now long gone and broken.
The doll was now lost in darkness with this unknown person. All the new doll knew was that he wasn't going to be dumb. He stepped out with a frightened glare, the bolt held above his head in defense as he approached the unknown person, who seemed to be having a hard time getting her head straight.
The teen doll held her head to help her raise her eyes from the ground, groaning before noticing a pair of feet not far from her. She looked up at the stitchpunk who hit her.
The new doll was about to swing again before the other stitchpunk looked up at him, eyes wide. The doll bit his lip, the bolt still high above his head.
He was about to run when the doll spoke, "Wait...! I'm a friend."
The doll looked down at her weirdly, slowly lowering the bolt. He tilted his head.
The teen doll's smile was comforting and welcoming at the same time, not at all threatening. She groaned as she tried to get up on her feet.
After dropping the bolt, the other doll helped the teen stand.
21 chuckled after the new doll helped her, placing a small magnifying glass over her optics to have a better look at the doll.
"Yes, I always hoped..."
The new doll jumped slightly when the teen circled around him, before feeling him and poking his back.
"So much thought..." 21 took 18's hand, examining it. "The details..."
21 laughed softly as she tested 18's finger joints "Carved wood, molded sliver". 18 shook his head, holding up a hand to his throat. Mouthing, 'I can't speak...'
"You can't speak?" she asked when he noticed. She looked at his button, motioning to him if she could have a look.
The doll named 18 looked down at his chest, noticing a button. He smiled slightly and unbuttoned it.
He backed away slightly when 21's hands entered his chest. The girl inventor examined his gears, noticing that one piece was missing, "Hmm..." she let 18 button up his chest as she walked away, she turned to the new doll. "Come with me."
18 didn't move, he was hesitant for a while before finally following the doll.
21 reached her roller-skate; now full of different objects and supplies, the biggest object on it was a large porcelain doll. He looked through the many things she collected until getting a hold of a match, lighting it with her wooden foot and lighting the candle in the porcelain doll's eye, returning the light.
18 looked around at all the items on the skate, soon grabbing a long, pointed, shiny object. He tapped his metal fingers on it curiously.
21 was oblivious of what the newcomer was doing, for she was looking for the missing piece 18 needed. She opened up the chest of the porcelain doll, "Ah," she took out a voice box with its cables, "Here it is..."
"Stop!..." 18 as just about to slam the weird object down but froze when the teen yelled.
21 held out her hand when the doll looked at her, the teen placed the voice box on the skate before taking the object from 18's hands, she was all too familiar with it, knowing it was a bullet and what they were capable of.
18 looked confused, he pointed at it in question. But when 21 shook her head he just nodded.
"Some things in this world are... are better left where they lie..." she placed the bullet away before taking the voice box, examining the cables before unbuttoning 18's chest.
18 watched her place it inside, hoping this would help him be able to communicate.
"But if you know where to look..." 21 placed the voicebox inside 18's chest, adjusting the cables. "These ruins are full of riches... Believe me..." 18 suddenly felt a small spark in his chest, he tried to speak. "Frrr-ennn-d?..." It came out all scratchy.
"Wait, wait..." the girl inventor fiddled with the cables as 18 kept trying to speak. "Almost there..."
18 smiled as his voice hot more clearer, finally with a clean voice 18 asked, "F-friend?..."
21 chuckled softly, "Friend..." she took off the small magnifying glass away from her optics to smile at the doll.
She looked at 18 for a moment, "Hmm... The others would like to meet you..." the girl inventor thought after she said that. This new stitchpunk has a sorta shock face and a wide smile like 0 when she first met him, 18 was just like 0 curious about the world .
"Others?" 18 asked happily. "There's more?!" the doll asked as 21 packed up her things to head out.
"Yes, there are more of us." 21 chuckled at the young doll's excitement. "You'll get to meet them soon."
The young doll noticed something inside 18's chest, "What's this?"
18 looked at her, confused until he followed the teen's line of sight to his still open chest. The round object?... 18 slowly pulled it out, watching its shine catch the teen's eye.
Once 18 showed 21 the object, something sparked in his mind. The symbols on the object were so familiar, then she smiled widely, the young doll took the device in her hands. A talisman. "You've found it!"
18 smiled slightly as the teen laughed and pointed at the symbols on the metal object. "They're... They're always drawing this..."
The symbols that the artist and artist girl drew so often now a days, what she'd been studying to find out what they meant, even if 6 and 68 drew them so much, she felt like she had seen it before, but where?
"U-umm... what is that anyway?... I found it when I awoke..."
"I'm not sure... It's familiar to me but I still don't know what it is..." 21 muttered as 18 looked around. "Are we alone out here...?"
21 looked at him, suddenly realizing that the beast was still lurking. 21 shook her head, "No, no... There are many things out here that could harm us but we'll be safe once we get to sanctuary…" 21 grabbed her rope and motioned for 18 to follow.
18 grabbed the rope to aid the teen, he didn't know why but it made sense to do so. They heard a low growl not far from where they were.
"Oh no..." 21 gasped, frantically looking around before pointing at a can not far away. "Come on, let's hide in the can."
18 nodded, running alongside the teen once 21 got a hold to her spear.
18 looked back at the teen in confusion, "Aren't you hiding with me?" 18 whispered.
21 shushed him, "Get in the can, go on now...!"
18 frowned but then ducked inside the can without another word.
The teen looked around worriedly; it was like ghosts were calling out to her whenever the wooden floors of the buildings creaked. She didn't know where the beast would strike.
She jerked her weapon and looked around, ready for anything. She heard the low growl again. It was close.
The sound of metal claws clicking behind her, she turned and met the Beast from the ground, roaring at her.
18 watched in horror from the can as 21 quickly tried to reach for her spear before she was lifted into the air.
21 managed to grab a rock in her hand, as the Beast held her near its skull face the teen threw the rock at its red eye.
The beast roared and shook its gear in anger, dropping the teen in its rage.
21 crawled towards her spear, reaching out to it. 18 didn't know what to do.
The beast was about to swipe at the stitchpunk but 21 grabbed her spear, holding it threateningly at it. "S-stay back! Get away!"
The Beast growled, un-amused by the young stitchpunk, his claw swooped her off her feet, 21 hit her roller-skate. She groaned as she fell on the ground.
The round object clinked on the dirt ground, catching the beast's attention. 18 watched as it picked it up and examined it. 18 gasped and jumped farther inside the can, causing it to bang lightly.
The beast lit his other eye, acting as a flashlight as it walked towards the can, 18 didn't dare to move when the light got closer. He wanted to peek out once the light was gone but scurried back to the edge as the Beast's claw reached in.
"Agh!" the doll continued to scoot farther inside the can as the beast clawed and scratched. With his back against the can, he whimpered and looked away as the beast's claws barely grazed his neck.
The beast took out its claw and looked inside. He growled at 21 when it felt a rock hit its head. The girl inventor took deep breaths, getting a hold on another stone as the Beast walked to her, its red eye glowing.
"H-here kitty, kitty... why don't y-you finish what y-you started..." 21 tried to be brave, weakly holding the rock above her head, glaring her best. "With m-me..."
The machine loomed over her, watching her shake in fear before snapping its jaws at her, holding the girl inventor in its jaws before walking back to the can, looking inside it. 18 was gone...
In anger, the beast swiped the can. It flew and clanged violently on some rubble. 18 ducked as it flew past him, clutching his arm. He could hear 21 whimpering in pain.
The machine grabbed the talisman, placing it on its collar bone and began to run away. 18 got up from his hiding place, watching 21 reaching out to him, groaning. She was afraid. Her pendant fell to the ground once the machine ran.
18 had a lump in his throat as he lost sight of the beast, and his first and only friend. 18 gripped his arm as he tried to walk down from the cliff of rubble he was on. Where was he going to go now? He was injured so he couldn't help 21... he was so tired of the pain... so... tired. He felt lightheaded.
A glass shard looked upon him from afar, watching him taking a few steps before the 18th doll collapsed on the ground. The figure watching over him with the telescope gasped, his one optic clicking, pondering in thought.