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Machinery

Kory lay upon dirt floor, packed down hard to provide some semblance of a real home. The decaying wooden wall filled his field of vision, faint traces of some black substance -- either oil of paint --  stained into them. He caught his breath and sat up, perceiving the presence of a small table, made from scraps of metal and covered in a thick caking of old dust.  Under the table, rolled into a small ball, lay an olive green sleeping bag -- similarly dirtied. The ceiling was not left unspoiled, a tangle of cobwebs coating the dark corners like lace. Kory's vision began to fade, spin, and whirl. He felt the violent urge to be sick, but fought it down. Nathaniel looked him over, noting the paling of his skin and the beads of sickly sweat. "You need sleep. No sense in running to save your friend if we're going to be in this bad of shape when we get there. Besides, she lives in Denton. She'll stay alive, don't you worry." Kory nodded, the sprint having taken every ounce of his remaining strength. "I'll take two hours. No more, and no less. I can't imagine what might be happening to her...if someone could kidnap here, I hate to think what they could do if she were unable to fight back...Two hours can't hurt. Wake me at 3:30..." Kory trailed off, crumpling against the floor, shifting, and closing the curtains of his eyes. 

Hours passed, Nathaniel taking cautious glimpses out the door and into the surrounding park, and Kory drifting through comatose hallucinations. Eventually, 3:30 rolled around and Kory was shaken awake, the last dream fading from his memory almost instantly upon opening his eyes. The sleep had done little for his livelihood, his eyes still shrouded with dark bags, and his limbs unwilling to move. Nevertheless, the duo pressed onwards, down the right hand path. More clouds and rolled in across the sky, hiding the moons form sight and denying the ground even a glimpse of the awe inspiring star field above. The deep tracks set into the path followed them along the right fork, ominous and foreboding. The shapes in the thicket had increased their activity, moving in larger packs and occasionally poking curious snouts out of the brambles to taste the night air. Kory shambled along, his gait seeming even more hindered when compared to the smooth and fluid movements of Nathaniel. Eventually, they reached the slab of concrete in which the steel manhole was set. As soon as he laid eyes upon it, Kory knew this was the place. He couldn't put his finger on why, though. Something about the thing...something about it seemed foreign, as if it had been dropped and abandoned by a passing schooner. Just as Kory was about to pull the small steel door from the hole and dive into the depths, a noise form behind made him freeze. 

A metallic wheeze sounded behind him, accompanied by an untuned symphony of hydraulics and the snapping of branches. He looked over his shoulder, heart once again pounding. A red light shone through the unruly forest, shaking and steadily approaching. It sat in the center of a strange shape, a huge clump of varied metals and electronics fused together horribly and suspended by four hydraulic legs. He scanned the heap, almost subconsciously, taking a tally of some of the items held within: A rotary phone, a microwave, several smartphones, a tire, and even the remains of some poor fellow's prosthetic leg. Vines and moss grew over every component, helping the bolts and welded steel in the titanic task of holding the giant in one piece. Nathaniel had already raised his pistol and started firing, the need for secrecy be damned. Each bullet either pinged harmlessly off the many metal plates, or caused some buried alliance to ding, spark, and smoke. Kory struggled harder to lift the offending cover, but his meager strength was making the process exceptionally and agonizingly slow. Nathaniel swore and fired an entire clip of six bullets into the synthetic monster, his vain attempt not slowing its methodical lurch forwards in the slightest. The metal shifted, allowing a rusted arm to pop free from the depths, the square beam connected to a whirring buzzsaw. Its intent was now even more clear: It meant to kill the intruders. 

It lurched out of the brambles, smoke pouring from within and every speaker letting out a flow of white noise that cascaded into what could have been called a crude approximation of a laugh. As its legs hit the stone path, the source of the previous indents became all too clear. Five more shots, and Nathaniel gun became a useless stick of metal. In a last ditch attempt, he began to pelt the machinery with sharp rocks from the ground, these proving even more inconsequential to the monster than bullets. Nathaniel backed up, moving to help Kory lift the hatch, the behemoth bearing down on them. With one last scream of effort, Kory and Nathaniel threw the cover aside. Kory jumped into the dark hole, his only wish being to flee. Nathaniel was slightly more cautious, jumping onto the first few rungs of an iron ladder. Staring up, dazed from fear, sleep deprivation, and his fall, Kory watched as Nathaniel began to descend, his climb hurried and rushed. Kory stared up as a cold metal arm, saw buzzing viciously on the end, reached into the confined space. He watched as Nathaniel Cornerstone, desperate and terrified, let go of the rungs. And Kory saw. Saw as he did not fall, but was instead caught by the serrated metal. Spinning, spinning, spinning. His vision, the man he had known for only a few hours, his mind, and the world at large. Apparently satisfied, the shape retreated from the ladder, carrying with it its bloody prize. Only after a few minutes of sitting in a puddle of foul-smelling water did the reality and truth of the event begin to take its place in Kory's reading mind. Nathaniel -- the mystery man who had sworn to help him -- was dead. And Kory was scared. Not only since he had lost a fast friend, but because he knew the endeavor wasn't over. He still had to find Amanda. He had to save his roommate. She would certainly have gone to the same -- or greater -- lengths if their situations were reversed.