Withered Roots

Killed the Cat

The sun was now well past the horizon, and you prepared yourself for your quest as excitement built in your gut. Something deep inside of you told you that you were going to discover something great, and you were prepared for whatever that might be. You threw a couple of tools into a bag and grabbed a dark hoodie and jeans from your closet. You threw these on along with a pair of boots before double checking your appearance and gear. Walking out of your apartment casually, you descended the stairs and emerged onto the dark streets, taking an unlit path to the house to avoid being spotted. As you neared the fence, you crouched behind a nearby dumpster to take one last look around for any surveillance that might catch you, and proceeded to sneak over to the rusty chain links. You knew you saw that android detective go under the fence earlier, so you prodded along the bottom of it until you found the small corner opening that he had slipped under. Carefully, you tossed your bag first before sliding through the hole yourself, and you lowered the chains stealthily behind you. Once on the porch, you tried to peer through some of the boarded up windows to see if you could spot anything. The only point to note was a dying fire resting on its last embers in the living room, a sure sign that life had been here. Aside from this, the moonlight was not bright enough to illuminate the room, so you grabbed your flashlight before pushing the door open with a long and eerie creak.

The inside was absolutely dilapidated, dust falling off of cracked boards in the ceiling and wall. Boxes and garbage were strewn about the floor carelessly, and a splintered dining table sat in front of the fire you had seen moments ago. However, it looked to be set up for a few people, and you stored that fact in your memory as you moved on to the second room downstairs. This one was a kitchen, its appliances long dead, and a heavy air of sadness hung over this room as you shined your light around. A small shiver ran up your spine when you looked at the wall. It was covered in scrawlings and carvings of the phrase "RA9" in different sizes and mediums, and some of it looked like it had been scratched in with a fingernail. An uneasy feeling crept into your body, but your determination did not falter as you stepped out of the room and proceeded to creep up the stairs. A horrible stench flew up your nose as you went near the bathroom, and you gagged heavily before stepping back out of the room. You had a few guesses as to what could be the cause of such an atrocious smell, but none of them were pleasant. Therefore you decided to check the bedroom at the start of the hall first. A large, three panel window allowed moonlight to cascade into the room, allowing you plenty of light to see what was around you. There was an armchair covered in plastic to your right, along with an overturned dresser in the corner. Boards were splayed over a ruined mattress next to the window sill. A makeshift closet with a floral covering stood near the rear closet, causing you to believe that this was, at some point, a girl's room. To your left, in the opposite corner, was a large, chipping wardrobe, its aged white paint shining against the darkness. It seemed to be the only thing decently standing in the house, and you turned your flashlight to it and stared at it for a long while, something about it striking you as not quite right. You neared it, cautiously, quietly, and you could swear you saw movement through the tiny crack in the center. Your heart thrummed loudly in your chest as you raised a hand to the small knob on the front. Instinctually, you spoke, though you weren't sure to whom, or what, your voice was directed quite yet.

"I-if you're in there... I'm not gonna hurt you..."

Your words seemed to pull a trigger, and the doors suddenly flew open, causing you to scream as your body was thrown back against the wall. Your head hit hard on the wood, and you were dazed for a moment before you could catch yourself. Your bag and flashlight went flying, leaving you defenseless as you felt something cold and sharp against your throat. You blinked a few times to stir your vision back to clarity, and suddenly you understood that you were being pinned with a knife. Your wide eyes followed a slender, dirty arm, only half of it covered in skin with the rest being a distinct metallic white. A dirty cloak covered a tall torso, and two eyes of different colors stared back at you from a nervous face. Your breath hitched in your throat when a few stray moonbeams caught one side of the figure's jaw. It was dented heavily, scarred, burned and shattered in jagged sections, skin faded off to fully reveal android metal and blue blood which must have been sticking there for ages. His entire jawline structure on that side had caved in, and the damage only continued down to his arms and hands. Some blue blood even stuck on his shirt from what could only be stab wounds on his abdomen. He was saying something to you, but the pounding in your head made it hard to hear.

"Human! Nasty humans always out to get Ralph! They will hurt him. Ralph can't take that chance..."

You were horrified, though the threat before you was only part of it. You couldn't take your eyes off his terrible scars as you wondered what could have possibly happened to damage someone so badly. You knew you had to say something, so you scrambled for words and ended up stuttering.

"I-I-I'm not out to get you. I would never hurt... I wouldn't..." Your eyes locked with his, and you felt sadness from his hazel orb and the clouded blue pupil staring back at you. "Who... who did that to you?" You raised a hand to gesture to the damage.

He blinked and his head jerked a little as his burning red LED processed your question. You saw in the corner of your eye that his blade had lowered a bit. You swallowed while you had the chance, and tried to relax your body a little without alerting him. This was not what you expected to find tonight.

"Your kind," he murmured. "Nasty humans hurt Ralph. Ralph cannot trust them. Ralph has seen a lot."

He quivered a bit, and despite the weapon in front of you, you were overwhelmed with sympathy for this android. Whoever did this to him deserved to pay, but more importantly, he needed care.

"I'm not a bad human... Ralph," you practically whispered, hand moving up slowly, ever so slowly, to gesture the knife away. "And you're not a bad android. The people who did that to you were wrong. But please, don't hurt me because of that."

His light faded to a spinning yellow, and he seemed to shake himself out of a stupor as he lowered his blade. His expression was regretful now, and terribly lonely.

"You're right. Ralph is sorry. He cannot control his anger very well. Ralph does stupid things when he is angry. What may he call you?"

You told him your name and he repeated it back quietly, some small sense of happiness lighting up in him at the introduction. He was still flinging the knife around in his hand as he spoke, but you were able to relax far from the wall now, and you retrieved your bag and flashlight while he talked to you.

"Ralph has been here for a very long time. Ever since he ran away he has been here. It's lonely, but he is safe." He looked sad as he said this, and his head lowered a bit before he piped back up. "Ralph was startled because he was found earlier. Unwelcome people came into his house."

"I know," you responded. "I saw the lights from my apartment. That's why I'm here. I thought that someone might need my help."

"Ralph was just helping his friends, being nice. Everything is okay now." He held no regard for himself as he said this, and it made you all the more upset as you studied his face.

"But... you're not okay. You're all alone here, aren't you?"

His light blinked again, and he frowned.

"I think... maybe you need some help, Ralph. Maybe you could use a friend. Would you like that?"

You did not know whether you said something wrong or right, but the android's expression dropped into pitiful sadness as he glanced around him, then jerked slightly. His composure was broken as he made a few strangled whimpers. He smiled then frowned again, and his body tensed as his bottom lip shook. You stepped silently closer, and he watched you with the same expression as your palm lifted to rest on his bare forearm. He froze, but you remained warm and hopeful. Your eyes shined, and your gaze burned into his as you tried to convince him. You silently prayed he would accept.

"I can take care of you, get you out of here. It's not far, but it's nice and safe. Do you think you could trust someone, just one more time?"

He thought about it, and as he did, a tear slipped down his cheek. Your sincerity overwhelmed his circuits, but he knew what he wanted. He smiled, voice breaking into a hoarse whisper.

"Ralph would like that."