Some Time Alone

2037

Charles swung his feet over the ledge of the cliff that led to the fire of the androids. I am sitting next to him drinking a flat soda. "Why is there a fire?" Charles asks. His deepened voice still surprises me.

"The androids who find their dead comrades throw them in there as a way to preserve the metal to make more." I answer, coughing slightly from the smoke, "The material goes underground where there is a bunch of androids that make the new soldiers."

"How do you know this?"

"I was there. I tried liberating it but I failed. That's how I lost this arm."

"You say that every time you tell me a story. 'I was making a sandwich but failed and that's how I lost this arm.'" Charles mocks my voice playfully, "You need to stop doing that."

"Oh come on," I punched him playfully, "I lost my arm. At least let me have fun with it."

"Because heaven knows how much fun losing an arm is." The arm says sarcastically. I roll my eyes.

"What are some stories you heard before the war?" Charles asks quietly looking into the distance.

"Geez, kid. How old do you think I am?" I chuckle looking out with him, "I have never seen a life without the war... but my grandfather told me about it. He would talk about how the children weren't afraid to play outside where people could see them. Or that people would laugh and talk daily. There was a place to learn how to read and write and find love. People weren't afraid... but what my grandpa missed the most was the sunset."

"What's a sunset?"

"I don't know but my grandpa would tell me that the world would light up when it happened."

We sit together a little longer as I lose myself in my thoughts. Spending so much time with Charles is going to bite me in the ass in the long run. I have become too attached to him... but we have been together longer than any of my other groups. If... if we look out for one another, we could make it through this! We could fight together! We could-

"Behind you." My arm says. I freeze and hold my breath. Charles hears me and stops swinging his feet. I slowly turn my head to see a single android standing about two feet away from me. It is pointing a gun directly at my head.

I jump up and pull my gun from my belt. I point the gun at the android and prepare to shoot. It quickly brings its gun up and shoots at my gun in my hand. I swiftly move my right hand to deflect the bullet. The bullet ricochets off of my hand and hits the android across its waxy face. It falls to the side and drops its gun. Charles stands up and bends down to grab the gun. The android instantly kicks Charles. He topples backwards and teeters on the edge of the cliff. I drop my gun and jump to help him. I grab his arm and he grabs mine. I start to pull him forward. There is a loud bang.

I close my eyes and wait for the pain to hit me... but... it doesn't. I feel Charles' grip loosen. I open my eyes and look at him. Charles has his eyes wide open and staring right at me. I slowly look down Charles and see blood soaking his shirt. In surprise, I let go of his arm. His body tilts and his foot scrapes the edge of the cliff as he starts to fall. I quickly try to reach out to grab him again but am stopped by a second gun shot. It hits Charles between his eyes. His head flys back and it causes him to fall faster. I start to the edge but I'm stopped again. The third gun shot hits me on my right arm. The clank my arm makes sends shivers up to my shoulder and a load of pain that causes me to scream. I angrily turn and see the android clutching the gun in his hand.

My face heats up as I let my anger take hold of me. I jump at him with my right arm outstretched. I grab the gun's barrel as another shot is fired. I yank the gun from him and throw it at his head. The android falls and slams onto the ground. I look at it and drop the gun. I lunge at the android and force its head to face me. I slam my left fist into the android's nose bridge and hold it down by the neck with the right arm. The nose caves in and shatters the eyes. The android starts to scream and flail but that doesn't stop me. The glass shards penetrate my skin and causes blood splatter but I don't feel the pain. I continue. The crater in its face gets wider with each strike from my fist. Something finally breaks and a blue cube is shown inside the head of the android. I take my left fist in my right and bring them down onto the cube. The cube slits in half and the android stops screaming. It stops struggling. It lies on the ground motionless.

I pant heavily and sit up onto the android's stomach. My eyes start to water. I angrily move my hand to wipe them but notice the blood and the glass. I sigh and let my tears fall while I start pulling the shards out of my hand. "That may cause the blood to flow faster." My arm whispers.

"I don't care." My voice croaks. There is a silence.

"You should run it over cold water." The arm says breaking the silence.

"That would infect it." I rip a strand off the android's reflective clothing and wrap my hand. "I knew I'd lose him at some point. I shouldn't have gotten so attached."

"We weren't talking about that."

"Yeah? Well it was bound to come up at some point!"

"You're unhappy."

"Of course I'm unhappy! I just got a fucking kid killed!"

"But... this isn't the first time." The arm sounds unsure. I angrily open my mouth... then I close it. He- it is right. How can I be so stupid. I knew I shouldn't have gotten attached.

"Yeah." I get off of the android, "I should learn to be more like you. Like a heartless killing machine." There is a silence. I shove my hands in my pocket and shift my feet to my gun. I pluck it off the ground and stare at it. I had killed Charles. That is my gun. If... if I didn't...

I shoved the gun in its place on my belt and slowly walked to the edge of the cliff. I look down and try to find Charles among the flames. The smoke blocks any view of the fire. I sigh and look down at my hand. The pain is finally settling it. I didn't mind it. It is a pain that I deserved.

"You're not alone." The arm says. I spin around and pull my gun out, readying myself for another attack... but no one is there. "I mean," The arm continues, "you are never alone. You have me. You don't need another person to depend on."

"I know." I say putting the gun back, "It was nice to have another human around. Someone who understands me. Someone who knows what pain feels like."

"Your hand is bleeding profusely."

"That's not the pain I am talking about."

"I don't understand. You've experienced the death of your kind on multiple occasions. Some of those occasions coming from your own hand! How can that same 'pain' be there?"

"I thought this kid had a chance." I say turning away from the cliff and staring at the ground, "I ruined his chance." There is another silence. I move to walk forward. Suddenly, the arm moves quickly to my belt and grabs my gun. It points it straight ahead. I look up and see an android standing right in front of me and over the dead body of his fellow android. My arm shoots at the android and hits him right between the eyes. The android falls leaving me with my arm out and my shoulder screaming in pain. "W-why-?" I start to ask.

"You are right." The arm says lowering back to my side, "This pain is not a pain I could get used to."