head increased unbearably as his awareness
slipped away and he lost consciousness.
5
The child wasn’t human! But it had to be. The androids
didn’t feel such emotions. Had the world changed so much? The differences
between this boy and the children of the past were so few it almost hadn’t been
able to tell the difference. Maybe the rest of the children were the same now.
It would’ve thought the kid human if not for his damage. The
boy’s head continually emitted a loud whine like bearings going out in a motor,
but when it approached the sound suddenly stopped and he collapsed. It could
still hear the blood pumping through him.
The question was… did this change anything?
It grew weaker by the second, its energy dissipating. It
cursed itself for its weakness. Its body was failing. It screamed its misery for
what it had become as its energy slipped away. Near the river an empty, rotting
log would provide shelter. The child was broken and abandoned, with nowhere to
go, just like it. Nobody wanted a kid that wasn’t perfect.
6
Josh awoke, shivering. The whine in his head started up
again and brought with it a dull ache within his skull. The sun had just risen
above the eastern peaks and its rays had yet to provide any heat to the cold
morning.
It all came back to him in a rush. Something horrible had
trapped him in his tent. He leapt to his feet and looked around hurriedly. What
if it was still out there? Of course it was, these woods belonged to it. He
didn’t belong here, he was the one intruding on its territory.
He shuddered. Nothing hurt though, other than the obvious
pain in his head. That was good. It meant that the creature had decided not to
eat him.
There was only one place he’d be safe, and that was at home.
He had to get back and reach his parents. He couldn’t be here in the dark, ever
again. He sniffed and wiped his nose on the back of his hand. Just when he
thought he couldn’t cry anymore, it all started up again. Maybe he could at
least reach the lake before night fell again. If there were people around, the
creature should stay away. He had to hope it would.
Josh found his one last can of soda and drank it quickly for
breakfast, and thought forlornly of all of the treats the animals had stolen.
He tried to take down the tent but gave up quickly, leaving it in a jumbled
mess. He couldn’t sleep in it another night anyhow. He would never sleep in a
tent again. He looked around for anything to take, but he had nothing.
That’s good, I’ll get where I’m going that much faster. He
needed to conserve his strength. He didn’t know how long of a walk it would be.
Maybe he would find other campers, and other campers meant food.
The cold morning quickly turned hot and muggy as he set out.
Heat radiated from the road as he walked and he wiped the sweat from his
forehead with the bottom of his dirty t-shirt. Hunger and fear pushed him on,
the desire for shade from the sun a distant second. He wished for clouds. If
the day were cooler, he could travel faster, and leave whatever lived here far
behind. He trudged on, constantly keeping an eye on the embankments, looking
for signs of his family’s vehicle where they might’ve gone off of the road, or
signs of a monster hunkered down in the brush, waiting to pounce.
Maybe the creature had gotten his parents too.
A giant black fly landed on his arm and he brushed it away
hurriedly. The big fat ones bit. It swarmed around his head angrily before
landing on the back of his neck. He swung his arms wildly and jumped up and
down until it finally left him alone. There were mosquitoes too, but for the
most part they didn’t bother him. They, at least, didn’t like his taste.
A giant shadow passed over him. He looked up to see large
billowy clouds rolling in over the mountains, blocking the harsh sun. Finally ,
he thought, a break!
The clouds brought some relief, but they grew steadily
darker as they spread across the sky,
slipped away and he lost consciousness.
5
The child wasn’t human! But it had to be. The androids
didn’t feel such emotions. Had the world changed so much? The differences
between this boy and the children of the past were so few it almost hadn’t been
able to tell the difference. Maybe the rest of the children were the same now.
It would’ve thought the kid human if not for his damage. The
boy’s head continually emitted a loud whine like bearings going out in a motor,
but when it approached the sound suddenly stopped and he collapsed. It could
still hear the blood pumping through him.
The question was… did this change anything?
It grew weaker by the second, its energy dissipating. It
cursed itself for its weakness. Its body was failing. It screamed its misery for
what it had become as its energy slipped away. Near the river an empty, rotting
log would provide shelter. The child was broken and abandoned, with nowhere to
go, just like it. Nobody wanted a kid that wasn’t perfect.
6
Josh awoke, shivering. The whine in his head started up
again and brought with it a dull ache within his skull. The sun had just risen
above the eastern peaks and its rays had yet to provide any heat to the cold
morning.
It all came back to him in a rush. Something horrible had
trapped him in his tent. He leapt to his feet and looked around hurriedly. What
if it was still out there? Of course it was, these woods belonged to it. He
didn’t belong here, he was the one intruding on its territory.
He shuddered. Nothing hurt though, other than the obvious
pain in his head. That was good. It meant that the creature had decided not to
eat him.
There was only one place he’d be safe, and that was at home.
He had to get back and reach his parents. He couldn’t be here in the dark, ever
again. He sniffed and wiped his nose on the back of his hand. Just when he
thought he couldn’t cry anymore, it all started up again. Maybe he could at
least reach the lake before night fell again. If there were people around, the
creature should stay away. He had to hope it would.
Josh found his one last can of soda and drank it quickly for
breakfast, and thought forlornly of all of the treats the animals had stolen.
He tried to take down the tent but gave up quickly, leaving it in a jumbled
mess. He couldn’t sleep in it another night anyhow. He would never sleep in a
tent again. He looked around for anything to take, but he had nothing.
That’s good, I’ll get where I’m going that much faster. He
needed to conserve his strength. He didn’t know how long of a walk it would be.
Maybe he would find other campers, and other campers meant food.
The cold morning quickly turned hot and muggy as he set out.
Heat radiated from the road as he walked and he wiped the sweat from his
forehead with the bottom of his dirty t-shirt. Hunger and fear pushed him on,
the desire for shade from the sun a distant second. He wished for clouds. If
the day were cooler, he could travel faster, and leave whatever lived here far
behind. He trudged on, constantly keeping an eye on the embankments, looking
for signs of his family’s vehicle where they might’ve gone off of the road, or
signs of a monster hunkered down in the brush, waiting to pounce.
Maybe the creature had gotten his parents too.
A giant black fly landed on his arm and he brushed it away
hurriedly. The big fat ones bit. It swarmed around his head angrily before
landing on the back of his neck. He swung his arms wildly and jumped up and
down until it finally left him alone. There were mosquitoes too, but for the
most part they didn’t bother him. They, at least, didn’t like his taste.
A giant shadow passed over him. He looked up to see large
billowy clouds rolling in over the mountains, blocking the harsh sun. Finally ,
he thought, a break!
The clouds brought some relief, but they grew steadily
darker as they spread across the sky,
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