Short Chapter: Night One
WX-78 stared out into the distance. The weight of the dark hurt its optical sensors; the feeling of uneasiness hung in the air leaving the robot with its thoughts. Eyeing the fire, it rose its knees to its chest. If Charlie was willing to cheat for WX, then surely she had no bad intentions if the fire happened to go out. She did say she had a job, though. But how could she be the monster in the dark? "FLESHLING?" The automaton's voice echoed vastly, to its surprise, making the dark feel empty. It was as if the entire forest had been drowned in a starless nebula. All senses of belonging suddenly vanished. The eerie quiet was met with a snap. Must have been a twig, it's what the robot assumed, but not before flinching. WX-78 could feel its body lock up, its servos going haywire and its fists tighten around its metal legs.
Watching the dark for what seemed like ages, WX-78 detected no sign of life. It lowered its gaze to the fire, which appeared much, much smaller. But then, to the robot's dismay, a shuffling arose from the night just inches away from the glowing fire's radius. Gears whirring in horror, WX-78 felt an artificial adrenaline coarse through its wiring. Sinking into itself, the robot was ready to flee, when a soft glow emerged from the curtains of black and hovered in the air before the robot's tense form. "WHAT IS THAT?" The automaton blurted out, pointing at it. It swayed hypnotically, fully capturing WX-78's curiosity. "ARE YOU ORGANIC? COME HERE SO I CAN EAT YOU." The robot rose, creeping slowly towards the drifting bulb. Forgetting it had kept the rope in its lap, WX-78 let it fall into the flames of the fire. Bursting to life, but only for a moment, it illuminated the maw of a large black bear.
WX-78 stood, frozen, as the beast returned its gaze. Then, rising to its full height, it rose its front legs to the air and unleashed an earth-shattering roar. The bulb shot up, and WX-78 could see now that it was attached to the bear's forehead, hanging by a wire of flesh. The robot yelled out, hastily scrambling up the nearby tree. Trembling and slipping, WX-78 held onto the trunk of the ancient birch for dear life. Grunting and huffing, the monster slammed its weight into the tree, shaking it, but had no chance of knocking it over. Looking down, WX observed its attacker.
The bear's fur was dark as the night. It had sunken eyes that failed to reflect the fire's light. Spiny cobalt fins spread down the back of its arms and legs, and a large caudal protruded from its rear in place of a typical bear's tail. Its hanging jaw was large, and overall, the beast sharply resembled an anglerfish. Snapping shining white teeth into the bark of the tree, it gnawed away at the wood with ease. "STOP THAT." WX-78 spat. It angrily moaned and growled in response, slamming a heavy paw into the tree. Glistening black claws sank into the birch, and the bear attempted to lift itself off of the ground. "NO! BAD URSIDAE!" WX screamed, as the animal propped its hind legs successfully onto the trunk and swiped at it. "PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR ROUTINE OF SLEEPING AND DEFACATING." Roaring, it launched itself up a few feet, snapping at the automaton's heels. I CAN HANDLE THIS. WX-78 thought.
Lashing out with its metal foot, WX-78 kicked at the bear's muzzle. The bear's dripping jaws shut on the entire lower half of WX's leg. I CAN NOT HANDLE THIS! WX-78 shrieked. "HUMAN! HUMAN, WHERE ARE YOU?!" It yelled out, with no response. The bear began to unsheathe its claws, sliding down the tree with the robot in its teeth. "HUMAN!" WX-78 wailed, its fingers peeling the bark they dug into. Thrashing its head, the bear dragged them closer towards the soil. Tightening its grip on WX-78's leg, the robot shouted in a mixture of pain and white noise, "CHARLIE!"
A group of shadowy spines shot through the shadow the bear casted, most hooking the over-sized fish by the scruff. The bear cried out, letting go of its hold on the automaton. They coiled tightly into the bear and yanked it with outstanding force back into the dark. The tendrils that missed and struck the tree retreated with it. WX-78 dropped to the ground with a loud clank. It lay on its back, staring at the empty sky. Turning its head to face the tree, WX saw that it was littered with claw and bite marks. Wait… were those words? Catching its breath, the robot rose and kneeled close to the inscription in the wood.
"I won't save you again."
WX-78 sighed heavily, letting itself fall back onto the ground. In a cloud of thoughts and questions, the robot managed to find rest.