Skylar and the Nesbots

Part 8-The Survivors

"Twila, I'm fucking scared. How do we get out of this?" My eyes were beginning to water and my voice was pitchy.

Twila spoke from behind me. "The only way I see is through those godforsaken robots. Listen Skylar, I don't think we have a chance to get by them, so I' m gonna say what I was gonna tell you later. I lo-" She was cut off by a blast to our right. The air between us and the robots was filled with pink dust and splinters of brick. "Quick!" An unfamiliar voice shouted. "Through here!" We both shot glances toward the voice. It was a boy and girl, maybe two or three years older than us. We didn't hesitate any longer. The robots were mere feet from us now. We darted into the narrow hole in the building. One of the unfamiliar people sprinted behind me and peered out. He whipped his head back inside just as a Prius flew by. We all gathered in a stairwell at the front of the building as the robots pounded away at the brick on the other side of the building. Twila and I stood side by side as the two curious strangers stood in front of us. Inspecting. "Okay," one said to the other. "They look all right for now." The sphinx like pair nudged Twila and me. We all heard a booming sound. The building shook and the air was filled with pink dust and debris. The girl spoke, "Okay. We need to move."

***

The four of us ran for at least an hour with only three five minute breaks. The robots were gone; we had outrun them. We came to a small house. We ran in and all collapsed on the floor. The only sounds that were present in that room as we all drifted to sleep was the heavy breathing of the four of us, and the faint tick of a clock somewhere in the house.

***

When I woke it was dawn. Light was just beginning to peak through the curtains of the small foyer where we all lie. I lie there next to Twila. I ran yesterday's events in my mind. Twila was gonna say something to me yesterday before those people showed up. She said "I lo-" Was she gonna say she loves me? Surely not. She doesn't love me. She barely even tolerates me, there's no wa-. I felt the others stir.

We all eventually woke. I scoured the kitchen for food. I found some Raisin Bran and Coco Puffs. We four ate from the boxes with our hands. It was silent in around the table for some time. Twila finally spoke. "So... who exactly are you two and why did you save us?" She had an unusual leery inflection to her words. The two looked at each other. The boy spoke first. "I am Ethan and this is my sister Ava. Our parents were the ones who created the Nesbots for the government. They died. There was an accident where they were working on the bots. The bots got loose, and this shit went down. We were running from one when we heard your shouting, so we blew out the wall and helped you. Just being good citizens." Twila looked at the intently. But I had seen the look on her face before. It was fascination, irascibility, and worry. When Twila finally spoke again, she spoke quietly and sternly. "So. You, Ethan, are telling me. That your parents are responsible for all this SHIT I've had to put up with for a fucking week?" Ethan looked gobsmacked. "Y-Yes." 

"Were your parents in their right minds when they took that fucking job, Ava?"

"I-Uh.. I- Yes?" Ava was petrified.

"Why the hell did your parents create something as deadly as a fucking killer robot? Are you two aware what killer ro- killer anythings do? They kill things. Why?"

"Why my parents took the job? Well, money is the short answer. The government offered them $125 million to create a simple prototype. The Nesbots were originally created for warfare. They were never supposed to be able to do the things they do," Ethan started at Twila and me with benevolent Amber eyes. "The Nesbots were supposed to be controlled via human, but someone in the lab fucked up big time and did the opposite. The Nesbots are hostile, and will not rest until they have terminated their target. It does not matter to the bot if you are threatening or not. If you have a heat signature you are a threat." He threw his hands up in a manner that suggested he was saying what can you do? 

Twila's hands dolefully fell into her hands. She was muttering something to herself and slightly rocking in her chair. She eventually looked up and stared at the table for a minute. "How do you defeat them?" She was still looking at the table and her voice was hoarse, barely a whisper. Ava spoke for the first time since Twila was on her rampage. "Well, Ethan and I have been making I.E.Ds and using those. But only in extreme cases., because as he said, heat signatures attract them"

Twila placed her head back into her hands. I spoke up for the first time since meeting the two, "How do you make an I.E.D?"

The two taught me and Twila how to construct I.E.Ds and how to use them. Just as Ethan and Ava were finishing their seminar, there was an ear-splitting boom from outside. Both Ethan and Ava bounded to the front of the house. They both rushed back, "Okay. There are 5, maybe 7 coming. You two go, and we'll fend them off. Twila and I wasted no time going out the back. We rushed through the backyard and hid behind a storage shed. We watched as the house was demolished by one of the "Nesbots." "Oh God. Did they die?" I said this in a horrified manner. An explosion went off and three of the Nesbots collapsed as shards of metal went everywhere. We waited as long as we could. The Nesbots started to charge at us. We never saw Ethan and Ava come out of the house. Twila and I ran as fast as we could to get away from the Nesbots. Thankfully they weren't as fast as their counterparts, so as soon as we rounded the corner, they were gone. We waited there for Ethan and Ava, but we never saw them again.