[TRIGGER WARNING: VIOLENCE, BLOOD, IMPLIED POTENTIAL SELF-HARM]
"What are you doing?"
This was the sixth time Alex had stopped, listened, and then taken an abrupt turn in their path. If you could even call it a path. The buildings weren't laid out in a grid like Tim had expected. Instead they were scattered, hap-hazard and unevenly spaced. Along the main road everything was quite uniform, but once they got back into the second and third layers of the district that neatness was gone. Less of a city district and more of a forest made of black glass pillars. Some of the buildings seemed no more than a single column, barely large enough to fit a person. Each one was a different width and height.
"You don't hear that?"
"No, obviously not."
"That creaking noise. What the hell is that?"
Tim stopped to listen. At first he only heard the wind as it picked up again, filling his head with a hollow staticy sound. After a moment or two he heard it. It was such a faint sound. But it sounded familiar. It reminded him of someone...Someone he'd only seen briefly, but recently. He couldn't quite place it, however.
"It's probably the wind."
"It sounds like metal."
"Well maybe it's one of those guys from management. With the masks."
"They aren't made of metal, dumbass."
"Maybe it's not metal! We don't have time for this, we have to find Jay."
"It's following us."
Tim was about to say something but Alex held a finger to his lips for silence and changed their route again. He noticed now, though. Every once in a while it would come along the wind - a low groan that reminded him of a complaint. He couldn't shake the feeling that he knew who - or what - it was.
Stalk. Chase. Bot. Tackle. Static.
"Wait." Tim stopped. They were moving along the main road now. Hadn't they just been noodling around through the maze-like inner sections of the district?
"What?"
"When did we get out here?"
"What are you talking about? We've been walking along the main road for like, twenty minutes now."
"Since when?" Alex's face went blank. Tim took a step back. He half expected Alex to charge him.
"What?"
"You blacked out, didn't you. It's close. We need to move, now."
"Hey, wait up!"
Alex wasted no time in getting off the main road. He sprinted between the buildings with surprising ease. Tim wondered how many times Alex had to run like this when he worked here. He seemed quite familiar with the area, though he couldn't see any sort of landmarks. Occasionally they passed a smile pile of scrap metal or a dumpster, but other than that everything looked exactly the same. The noises were becoming much more frequent. They sounded closer.
"Alex! Move!" He dove out in front of the tan and black blur that came barreling around the corner towards Alex. He shoved the man to the ground roughly as his arm shot out to block the assailant's path. Tim's eyes went wide.
Searing pain. Unforgiving, raw, searing pain. Alex was on the ground, clutching his bag like a shield. Tim struggled to keep his hold on the bot, one arm firmly wrapped around its neck and the other arm hanging limp at his side. It was struggling to free itself. Tim dug his fingers into the bot's shoulder and the metal gave easily under his grip. They sunk right through. Sparks erupted from the new "wound" and the bot twisted violently, hands clawing at his arm weakly.
"You." He hissed. It was coming back to him now. This was the one he had chased into a corner. This was the one that caused the black outs. This may have been the thing that cost him Jay.
For once, Alex was genuinely thankful for Tim's violent outburst. His attacker was on the ground now, Tim looming over it like a wild animal over wounded prey. Steam made an ominous haze around the two robots. The whole scene was almost cinematic. He watched, transfixed, as Tim's eyes go red as he stalked closer. He watched the bot scramble out of his reach, clutching its damaged shoulder.
"No. Not this time. You're not getting away this time."
This time? This had happened before?
"Get up, you useless piece of scrap."
The bot shook its head furiously, scooting back more. Alex wondered what was keeping Tim from simply dismantling the damn thing. It looked ancient, for Christ's sake, and he'd already damaged the thing.
Oh.
Tim's arm hung loose at his side, barely attached to his body. That bot was apparently a lot stronger than it looked. Alex stood up cautiously, his hand hovering over the pistol at his belt. If he fired a shot, management would hear. And they didn't need that. Alex certainly couldn't fend them off, and neither could Tim in his current state. If he didn't and Tim tried to attack the bot, he wasn't sure if he could repair the inevitable damage Tim would sustain.
"Tim, leave it. Let's go. You can't fight like that."
"Shut up."
"Tim-"
"I said shut up!"
Alex took a deep breath and started towards him. He seized Tim by his good shoulder and tried to pull him back. He was on the ground again before he could even register the movement. The side of his face stung badly and he was having trouble moving his jaw. That small distraction was all the mysterious bot needed. It was up and out of sight within seconds of Tim turning around.
"What the hell is wrong with you? I could have ended that thing! I could have-"
"Gotten yourself damaged beyond repair, killed, been corrupted by it?" Alex retorted, staring up at him defiantly.
"You son of a bitch."
"I should have let you try. I should have let you get torn to shreds!"
"Get up."
Tim grabbed his shirt, yanking him to his feet. He waited for the next blow, positive that this one was going to finish the first one's job and remove his jaw completely. It never came. Instead, the bot stooped down to pick up his glasses and held them out for him to take. Alex squinted at him suspiciously. Tim picked up the bag Alex had dropped and started to walk away.
"That's it? No fight?"
"No. Why, did you want one?"
"N-No. But why?"
"It's getting dark. We should find a place for you to rest and eat. I need a cigarette anyway."
"You didn't answer my question."
"And I probably never will. Let's go."
This time he didn't bother calling the name. He didn't bother feeling around or rubbing his arms or any of the previous formalities. This time, Jay flung the door open and crawled into the light. This time he went straight to the mirror to look for the newest wound. A chunk of glass was missing from the mirror. It was there, on his neck, right below the bruises. One long, wide cut. Very neat, done quite purposefully he was sure. It wouldn't have surprised him if he had been the one to put them there. They were already starting to scar.
Already? Pfft...I have no idea how long I've been out. It could have been days, weeks, months...
A new candle burned on the table. The mask was there, too. His face felt suddenly itchy and he looked away. The fact that Jay himself had built that very mask made it all seem so much worse. He wouldn't put it on. He wouldn't turn into one of those things that came in every time he woke up just to "persuade" him.
Then again, it's been so long and Tim still hasn't come looking for you...
No, he was on his way. He was looking. Jay didn't know where he was, how could Tim possibly know?
He won't find you.
Jay sat on the edge of the bed, facing away from the table and the mask. He was too numb to cry this time.