Machine God: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller (Final Draft)

Basic Instinct

We each took a sip, except for the soldier.

He simply refused to open his face shield.

It was a strict soldier rule from the Bulwark to always leave your guard up, including hiding your identity from the other classes. But these circumstances nullified the cluster's stern orders. We'd probably never see it again.

I said,

"Are you sure? We'll split it evenly."

He nodded.

"I'm a warrior. I can last for days without water. Blame my Bulwark training."

More for us then.

During the ration sharing, I asked the soldier,

"What's your name?"

"Does it matter?"

"Feels a bit strange to talk to a faceless soldier with no name."

"Says the nameless man from the ruins."

"Two points for you."

I wanted to shift topics but the soldier finally opened up.

"Call me Naif."

So Naif it was.

When the tension quieted down, I joined Ann-Lyze near the tunnel wall. Her mind seemed absent, her posture defensive. There had to be an invisible wall between her and everyone else, including me.

"Do you want to be alone?"

"It doesn't matter anymore."

She sank her head into her knees.

Looked like an apathetic bum.

Begging for a chance to turn back time.

I tried to find the right words, but they eluded me. I never had family, or maybe I did and forgot about it. But to lose your own flesh and blood must have hurt as much as getting your limbs chopped off. Besides, Nathan was probably not the only family member she had lost over the past years.

This world had decay written all over it.

With nothing smart to say, I sat next to Ann-Lyze and scooped closer. She leaned her head against my shoulder and breathed in.

My body moved back and forth.

We rejoiced in the silence of the tunnel.

Ignored the digger chatting with the soldier now known as Naif. After a pause that stretched into eternity, Ann-Lyze said,

"You were born, you battle, and back to dust, you'll blow."

"What's that?"

"Some stupid poem. Apparently from a famous children's book."

"That must be one creepy-ass children's book."

She giggled for the first time before she remembered her personal tragedy again. Ann-Lyze fell back into grievance and sighed.

"I'm not sure I want to live anymore. What's the point? Everyone of us is going to die. We either get shot by the Technoids, ripped apart by the sandstorms or imprisoned in the cluster. Seriously, what's the freaking point?"

Heavy question, too complex for now.

The adrenaline had subsided, but the tension inside of me remained.

Ann-Lyze continued.

"I lost everyone in my family. My sister. My brother. Mother. And now father."

She eyed my Dust Viper.

In it, a 15mm bolt.

The quickest way to salvation.

"If I kill myself, I could complete the cycle. You know, rejoice with my family. Maybe even in heaven."

I put the firearm out of her reach, in case she was going to grab it. Ann-Lyze was in a dangerous phase and any sign of violence could trigger her. I tried to shift the conversation to a more upbeat topic.

"Heaven, em? I'm not even sure it exists in this world. I only worry about today, and tomorrow. Hacking away the unessential, only focusing on what matters."

"But why? Tomorrow's going to be as disturbing as today. I don't have anything to look forward to anymore."

"You have your science and research. Doesn't that fulfill you?"

"Maybe."

Pause.

"I always loved science because it advanced humanity. It was supposed to make everything better for us. But now, I'm not so sure anymore. All these machines and technology that humans had built during the Great Collision, they have wiped out our planet, maybe even because of a misunderstanding. Doesn't that bother you?"

"I don't know. My mind's still murky. I just feel like it's my duty to try every option. Survive at all costs."

"Duty?"

"Something inside of me I can't put into words. You don't have this feeling?"

"No. Not in the slightest."

"You're pretty touchy-feely for a warrior," a deep, male voice said.

Naif, the soldier, stood in front of us and looked down.

"I don't want to disturb you, but I think it's better to move on. We have to get as much distance between us and the Technoids as possible."

He was right.

Every delay would increase the metal freaks' chances of catching up with us.

Or worse: enslave us for their twisted experiments, if that rumor was true. I craned my neck toward Ann-Lyze who still rested her head on my shoulder.

"Can you walk?"

"I have to."

I helped her up and joined the others.

Four were left.

Me.

Ann-Lyze.

Naif, the soldier.

And one young digger whose name I still didn't know.

It was time to change that.

"How are you called?"

"Trinch," the young digger said.

"And my father's name was Smedge. A brave man who who shouldn't have died up there."

Damn. Another parent-child dilemma.

Tragic, but this wasn't the time to point fingers.

Our lives were still at danger.

"Let's move on," I said instead.

Naif waited for my direction.

"Which way now?"

I pointed toward the third tunnel from my left.

"Why this one?"

Because my instinct told me so.