Desolation

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With a soft click, her time ticks down. Twenty-four rotations left.

"Dear Diary, it's another lonely day..." Cecilia wrote in her diary along the weary pages. As she finished the last word, one of her automaton fingers cracked.

"Shit," she said, annoyance seeping into her voice.

 "I need to replace it already."

 She sighed, stood up, and walked to the table where her tools were lying, each in its proper place. The room was filled with old, broken parts and bodies of otomos that had stopped moving long ago. Her face softened, and a wave of sadness rushed through her chest. She had just enough to fix her finger, but her dwindling supply of parts reminded her of the world slowly running out.

 Ceci anchored her hand to the workshop table and started fixing her cracked finger. Slowly but surely, she started patching it up. It took her a few minutes, but her finger started working accurately again.

Her breath echoed against the bare walls.

"I really need my morning tea at this moment."

She made her way down the dark, deserted hallway - memories flickered in the corners of each empty room. These rooms once were full of laughter and warm memories, but now time had sucked the life out of them, and they were just cold, hollow shells. Each step felt heavy, a reminder of what the world had become.

She grabbed her favorite tea blend in the kitchen and looked at the last coffee. After a moment, she took that as well. As usual, Cecilia made herself a cup of tea and three cups of coffee, placing them at each spot on the table. She sat down in her usual spot, sipping the hot tea slowly, trying to enjoy the warmth.

"Another busy day ahead, huh? Ha-ha"

Her voice sounded cheerful, but the empty room replied with dead silence. The three untouched coffee cups looked back like ghostly memories of the past. The emptiness felt heavy on her, dull and never-ending.

After finishing her tea, Cecilia walked to the front door, put on her gear, tied her old boots, and wrapped herself in travel clothes. When she looked outside, she saw only unending amounts of sand and a chilling cold wind.

"I guess I should start going," Ceci thought to herself, trying to stay calm. 

She took a deep breath and opened the door. Cold, powerful air greeted her like always.

The wind-up key turned again. Today, only Twenty-two rotations were remaining.