Hello!
I have returned, I've come to accept that I won't ever be able to finish a single story.
...
SON OF A BI-
Anyway, here's the beginning of a story, a short intro, a test.
yes, I know the summary is weak, but I was never good at those.
If you like it, please, let me know.
I take criticism, positive and negative.
Though please go easy on the negativity, I will cry.
Please enjoy!
"Listen, Arron, I don't know about this…"
"Oh come on, we got all the way here, you can't pussy out now"
"I really don't like the look of this place"
"Can you think of a single person that would like a run down, decaying, building?"
"You know what I mean!"
"Calm down, what's the worst that could happen?"
"This place has been rotting for years, what if it collapses when we go inside?"
"I'm sure it would have done so by now, here, you'll need these"
"I get the flashlight, but why do I need a crowbar and backpack?"
"Well you'll need the crowbar to get inside, and a bag In case we find something of value"
"Wait, hold on, you never said we'd be stealing anything"
"It's not stealing if it's abandoned"
"But-"
"Come on Felix"
"H-hey! Wait up!"
"You go in through here, I'll go find a back door"
"Oh hell no! I'm not going off by myself"
"We'll meet up inside, just go in"
"Ugh…I swear if I die because of you, I'll haunt you forever"
"Uh huh, I'll be sure to mourn at your funeral"
Felix waited until his brother walked out of sight, then sighed heavily.
He then spent the next few minutes attempting to get the door open, the boards and rusty hinges snapping and creaking loudly.
He stepped inside and clicked on his flashlight, scanning his surroundings.
Mold, cracked tiles, old drawing, rotting decorations, broken tables and chairs.
There was no way there was anything in here worth taking.
He stepped in further, making sure he didn't step in any mold or puddles.
This wasn't the first time he was dragged into places like this, but it was the first time they even attempted to take anything.
What was Arron expecting to find in an old pizza restaurant?
From what he remembered, this place used robots as entertainment.
Maybe those?
Was he expecting to find functioning parts and sell them off?
Felix reached the stage, shining his light around it.
There was nothing.
No signs of any robots or any parts.
Whoever abandoned this place must have taken them.
Who would leave those behind to rot?
Felix began to walk around the broken tables, coming upon what looked like a carousel.
The remains of it anyway.
Two of the four animals had fallen off, the paint was ruined.
It looked like it would fall apart completely at a single touch.
Felix looked around the carousel, stopping when his light shined upon something.
A wooden board?
No…
A sign.
It was hard to tell, but it was a wooden sign that read "Balloons" on it.
Felix looked around, all the balloons in the area were deflated and deteriorated.
Felix began to walk around more, he soon stumbled upon a few discarded gift boxes.
He stepped around them until he found one larger than the rest, sitting beside a counter.
The counter was broken, rotten stuffed toys lay scattered about.
The large box seemed to be in significantly better condition than everything else in the room.
It was mostly covered in dust, mold, and grime, but it looked fine.
None of the paint was faded or chipped away, no cracks, no holes, no damage whatsoever.
All it needs is a good wash and it would be perfectly fine.
There was a split along the top, suggesting that the box could be opened.
Even the hinges weren't rusted or bent.
A thought formed in his mind.
If the box was in such good condition, then whatever is inside the box would also be in good condition…
Good enough to pawn off to whoever would buy it.
Or maybe, depending on what it is, he'd keep it.
There may not even be anything inside of it at all.
There was only one way to find out.
There was no obvious way to open the box, there were no handles or knobs.
Felix looked at the crowbar in his hand, then back at the box.
It wasn't sealed, it wasn't locked, it was sitting out in the open.
Meaning whatever is inside, if there's something inside, it's not valuable enough to be protected or secured.
It might just be full of toys and souvenirs, for all he knows.
What's the harm in keeping a souvenir if it's in good condition?
With that thought, Felix took the crowbar and wedged it in.
It gave with almost no effort, not a single squeak.
He took his flashlight and shined it inside.
"…what the hell?"
Inside the box was what appeared to be…
A girl?
A girl with long silver hair, wearing a black skin tight suit.
The girl was huddled in the fetal position, the only way she could fit inside the box.
It couldn't be a girl…
Maybe…it was something that resembled a girl.
A robot.
The more he looked at it, the more he felt compelled…to touch it…
He slowly reached his hand inside, feeling a few strands of platinum silver hair.
"So soft…"
It felt like silk.
Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrate.
He grabbed it and saw a text from his brother.
[find anything?]
Felix hesitated for a moment.
(Just lots of mold and broken toys)
The last thing he needed was his brother trying to take this robot away and selling it.
[damn, there are still a few places I haven't searched yet]
(Have fun)
Felix sighed and put his phone away.
"…you lied to him"
"Yeah, I-"
Felix froze on his spot, his brain only now registering the ghostly hollow voice.
He turned slightly, finding the figure now standing up.
"Hello"
Now that it wasn't balled up, there were a few major details he missed about the figure.
This, was definitely a 'she'
There was no mistaking that.
"He…hey…"
Silence.
Felix couldn't stop his eyes from roaming, he was still trying to make sense of what he was seeing.
"It's rude to stare, you know"
Felix blinked, then realized what she was saying.
"I-I-I'm-"
"Felix!?" The voice of his brother called out.
"Ah shit…y-you need to hide, I can't let him see you"
The girl retracted into the box, Felix quickly closed the flaps.
"I-I'm over here!"
"Ah, hey, you'll never guess what I found"
"I can only imagine"
"Come on! You gotta come see it" Arron began to walk away.
Felix took a glance at the box.
"I'll come back…" he whispered.
"What was that?"
"Nothing!"
XXX?XXX
That human…
He obviously doesn't know what this place is, or what he's done.
He freed her with a touch, and not a perverse touch like all the other humans.
Well…the ones she saw when this place wasn't shut down.
He only lightly touched her hair.
Then, he lied to the other human, saying he hadn't found her.
She didn't know why he lied, but it was clear he didn't want the other human to see her.
Why?
Her mind stayed on one thing.
'I'll come back…'
Thinking about it made her feel something strange, something she's never felt before.
She liked the feeling.
It was a good feeling.
'Please come back soon…'
XXXFelixXXX
"Uh uh"
"Come on"
"No"
"Please?"
"No way, I'm not going in there, not for all the money in the world"
"It's just a room!"
Yeah, a room full of robots!
Sure, they may be rusted and broken, but he already saw one robot come to life.
"Let's just get out of here"
"Why are you so scared of this room?"
"I'm not scared of that room-"
"Then come inside with me!"
"No!"
"Why?"
"It doesn't matter why, I'm not going in there"
"Dude, if we can get these robots cleaned up, think of how much money we could make!"
"Who says anyone would buy these?"
"Not them, the parts, we sell the parts individually"
Taking them apart…
If these robots are somehow still functioning like that other one, then taking them apart would be torture for them…
"Arron, listen, I'm sure there are other places where we could find things even better than these, let's-"
"You know something…"
"Pardon?"
His brother looked at him with narrowed eyes.
"You know something about these robots that I don't"
"T-that's ridiculous, I've never been to this place-"
"You really don't want me to touch these things, you normally don't care this much"
"And you normally don't steal anything"
"Ah, salvaging, it's different"
"Then let's salvage somewhere else"
"Man…something happened to you…" Arron looked at his watch. "It's getting late anyway, let's go home"
Felix sighed in relief.
"Thank you…you go ahead to the car, I think I forgot something"
"Alright…"
Felix made his way back to the box, kneeling beside it.
"Hey, if you can hear me, I'm afraid I have to leave for now…but I'll come back again" Felix took a breath. "…I promise"
He got up and began to leave.