Terra Firma

Circuits

His blow never came. His eyes blinked far too often for it to be normal. His mouth opened but words never left. Something was wrong with him.

Luna couldn't believe her luck, she had never seen a droid so close up. Now only inches away from her face his piercing blue eyes seem to stare right through her.

Luna wanted to know what he would feel like, they looked so human in every way. She needed to just touch him once. Goosebumps erupted all over her body as she slowly reached out to touch his arm.

Her hand rested on his forearm and it felt just like her skin, warm and soft. Luna quickly pulled her hand away and examined the rest of his body. As her eyes met his waist just above his belt she noticed blue colouring on his t-shirt. Just like blood. She looked around the rubble and dead city to make sure they were still alone.

Her breathing had become accelerated causing her mask to fog up and become damp. Luna steadied her breathing and lifted his shirt up. There was what looked like a bullet hole in his waist.

If he had been shot it must have been a human. Luna had hope that more were out there somewhere but not all of them were friendly.

The same blue liquid dripped from his ear. Luna brought her hand up to his ear and could see a broken circuit coming from behind his ear.

The way his eyes looked at her was almost like he was really suffering, in pain. They say that eyes are windows to the soul but did he really have a soul? Could he really feel pain like a human? As Luna stared back into his glacier eyes she could see suffering, loneliness and what seemed like kindness.

Just in case she reached for her pocket and found a sock she would use as a glove and pushed it into the hole to try and stop the blue blood. She wiped the blood from behind his ear with the other rag.

She couldn't take the droid with her, that would be stupid. Luna ran through all the reasons why that would be the worst decision she could ever make.

She stood back from him and picked her bottle up, walking away back to the trolly. She looked back at him and his eyes never left her. Almost like they were pleading with her.

"I'm sorry"

"No, I can't help you droid" It was only a whisper but Luna wanted him to know.

"Its too dangerous" She pushed her heavy trolly back in the direction of her buggy focusing on her goal.

Another noise came from behind her again. Luna quickly ducked down turning as she did. Blue eyes met her nervous glance.

You've got to be kidding me.

The droid was following her, a little slower but he was on her tail. Luna wondered if he had been programmed to hunt humans before he became broken. She didn't know much at all about droids, that's another reason she lived far out of the city.

She had never come across any out there, only in the cities. They were pure evil. They knew humans would need supplies from the cities so they waited there for them. Over the last year, Luna hadn't come across many maybe 1 or two. That was another reason she had lost hope in the survival of humanity.

The earth would become theirs soon enough. They could survive on this toxic planet at least.

Luna made it back to her buggy safely and loaded the bottles into the back as quietly as she could. She didn't want to take any more chances after the day she had had. She was already later than she wanted to be.

She knew she would lose the droid as soon as she drove off. She looked back and saw him coming only meters away as she sat in her buggy. He lifted his arm again and pointed at her. His leg dragged as he walked.

He didn't seem so scary anymore. She knew he was broken. She waited till he was close and shouted at him as she drove past "Go home droid, I can't help you"

She felt a pull at her heart as the fog gently engulfed him.

The sky was dark already so Luna had to turn her headlamps on as she drove. It made it a lot harder driving at night and a lot more dangerous. The fog was thick so you could barely see your hand in front of you.

She couldn't wait till she was back home safe in that bunker. Luna shook her head as she drove, she still couldn't believe the events of today. She pondered over whether she had made the wrong decision about the droid. Her conscience plagued her, it was something about his eyes; so human-like.

She shook her head and concentrated on the road. The hill was coming which meant the fog would be gone soon. She drove slowly up the steep incline stopping at the top. She looked out into the dark, she often came to this spot in the buggy searching for lights out in the distance. All that would stare her back was annihilation and a void of,

nothingness.

It was always the same. She drove the last stretch of the track until she reached her home.

Luna unloaded her buggy, opening the heavy metal door. She could hear a very faint bark from behind the door.

"Lucky" The little dog was happy to see her. She looked much healthier now. Luna bent down to greet her as Lucky licked her happily.

"What a lovely welcome Lucky, I'm so glad to be home"

Her home was a mess. Luna looked around and tried to tidy up a little before she would collapse on her bed. She took her dusty clothes off and threw them in the corner almost hitting her laundry basket.

She had managed to hook up a solar shower she had found and made her own small bathroom in the bunker. She cleverly ran the solar panels on the outside roof of the bunker leading inside through a small wire.

The warm water trickled slowly over her face washing the dirt of the city away. Luna closed her eyes letting the water clean her body. She reached for the green rosemary soap bar to wash her body and hair. Rubbing it between her hands the scent was amazing, she never grew tired of that scent. It was a luxury in this toxic world that she loved.

She brushed her teeth with the last of her toothpaste. She found those kinds of home comforts in old supermarkets in the city and would stock up on them.

Pulling her oversized tee on she hopped into her bed pulling the blankets over her. Lucky followed Luna jumping onto her bed and cuddling up to her legs.

"Well, looks like we are sharing tonight then Lucky" Luna lit the candle by her bed and turned the light off. She hated the dark. Having the candle on helped her to sleep. She was ready for bed after the long day she had.

She closed her eyes and wriggled until she was all tucked in. Sleep pooled on her eyelids. It didn't take her long until she was out like a light. The bunker was deadly silent the only noise Luna could hear at night was the soft ticking of the old clock she had found years back.

Hours later a deafening bang woke her abruptly from her sleep, it cracked through the bunker, like a thundering whip at her ears.