The Machine God Series: An Endless Nightmare

Chapter 8: Return of Old Friends

Chapter 8: Return of Old Friends (unedited)

The house was a mess. Laundry was strewn around the room in piles, while dishes covered tables and counters desperately needing to be washed. Books and papers littered the floor with wires from several electronic devices and chargers snaking underneath them.  Dust blanketed wooden furniture like a white cloth. Cobwebs filled every corner of the house.  It was like a setting for a paranormal film, the ones that hide disembodied hands in cabinets or demons in dark rooms.

Nehna had to admit, she had really let the place go. With her parents gone on another military mission, doing whatever the hell it was they do, she had gotten lazy with keeping the house clean. The sad part was that it had been no more than a week or two. Even when she realized that it was only a few days before her parents’ return, she couldn’t bring herself to make the house the slightest bit presentable. But, there was no more time for procrastinating. Guests were due to arrive in just a few short hours.

“How the Hell did I ever expect to get all of this done?” Nehna complained to herself, or maybe to the ghosts, unsure of where to start first. “So much needs to be picked up, I hardly think this is a one person job”

Her plans were to invite some of her friends over for a casual party, with food, drinks, and games. Already, cooking the food, buying the drinks, and setting up the games was a lot to ask for. But, luckily for her, the recently befriended Yahnhinko was a pushover, and would give into her pleading almost instantaneously, no matter what it was he was busy with. True, she did feel a bit bad about enslaving him, especially when he was the definition of antisocial. But, what needed to be done, needed to be done. And what needed to be done now was to find her phone.

It rung a few times before someone finally answered. “Hello, Yahnhinko?” Nehna balanced the phone precariously on her shoulder as she worked.  “Yea, hi. I was wondering if you could help me?”

Though he tried, Yahnhinko could not hide the reluctance in his voice. In the background, she could hear something powerful working. As to what it was, that was beyond her. She wasn’t good at identifying machines by their sound, though it sounded similar to a fan with a strange, low hum.  Curiosity itched at the back of her mind, but she left it alone, feeling too nosy.

“Thanks so much. You know I appreciate it” Nehna told him in her sweetest voice, as he agreed. “See you soon”

Minutes later, the sound of worn out brakes entered through the open windows, followed by a solid thud.  Yahnhinko, always being the polite one, rang the doorbell. Dropping her bundle of clothes off by the garage, Nehna skipped over to the door, relieved to have some help.

“Hey!” she greeted, swinging the heavy wooden door open “You came. I’m so- oh?”

Something soft brushed past Nehna’s leg,  leaving a trail of drool behind it. Wet nose to the floor, and fluffy tail in the air, a clumsy pawed puppy made it’s way into the living room of Nehna’s home. A thick chain collar jingled as the puppy explored it’s new surroundings. Large, blue eyes examined the room, focusing on anything that moved. It’s fur was long and soothing to the touch, colored black with grey flecks.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dog like that before” Nehna commented as she moved her hand down the puppy’s spine.

“It’s a mountain dog, a Bohterahn. Commonly used for hunting, but they make great guard dogs and loyal pets” Yahnhinko informed her.

“Mountain dog?” Sometimes it was hard to imagine that anything could really live in the harsh conditions like the snowy mountains. But, she had to remember that that was Yahnhinko’s homeland, as unlikely as it sounded. She seemed to learn something new from him every time he decided to reminisce about home. “She must be a rare color then”