Age of Metal

I’d grown to become used to the metallic hum that echoed throughout the upper world. Grown used to the quaking earth caused by the tons of metal crashing against the earth. Grown used to the thunderous beasts who roamed the surface. Beasts of metal who had no human emotions. Ones that killed without mercy and lived only to rule over humans; except for

“Annie”37, my mother. Her actual title being, AI37 for artificial intelligence from science’s 37th attempt to produce a perfect android. Let’s say she was a perfect failure because her human traits overtook her mechanical functions, making her almost too human. But let’s start from the beginning.

My name is Paxton; yeah I have no last name or middle name, but when it’s an apocalypse some things can be forgotten. Robots had become advanced, learning to perform tasks for humans. Things started getting out of hand though and robots and people switched places. Humans performed tedious tasks while the machines lived leisurely lives. Then the savages tore up the nations. Machines lost their human emotions and grew powerful. But, most importantly…malfunctioned; turning into savages. The human race was almost wiped out and, like cowards, hid from the very beasts they’d created. Entire civilizations grew beneath the surface, people slowly becoming accustomed to this new way of life. Families lived new lives in the very soil they’d once lived atop of. I never knew my biological family, never knew what happened to them, but I did know AnnIe37.

AnnIe37 is a special kind of machine, she’d never lost her human personality and fought against her own kind to protect me. I was like an adopted family to her; she like my mother and me like her daughter. I loved her and she loved me, that’s all we needed to feel like a family. She used to go out to scavenge, but time was beginning to take its toll on her. Now, I take care of myself when she’s unable to. I am fifteen after all. I need to be capable of taking care of myself, for when that dreaded day comes. That day when Mother doesn’t turn back on after a malfunction. Which brings me to the problem I am currently in.

I zigzagged between crumbling columns, desperately trying to dodge the searchlights. My unkempt raven black hair constantly blew in my face (even though I’d cut it above my shoulders to keep it out of the way) from the wind caused by the monstrous flying machines. Their beams of light illuminated the hidden crevices deeper in the collapsing building. Adrenaline pumped in my veins, would I make it home or would I fall to the rise of the age of metal.

Screeches pervaded the air as the machines’ metal legs grinded against their underbelly. Years of not being oiled had begun to damage their metallic shells. My breathing quickened, they were getting closer. Silence suddenly filled my ears like typhoons flooding the mainland, generating the horrendous ringing that stabbed at my eardrums. Rolling thunder was barely audible from where I stood, but the small droplets that speckled the dry earth told me the storm I’d been trying to avoid was above me. The dropping temperature caused my breath to glitter like diamonds.

Where were they? Why weren’t those blasted machines advancing farther towards me? I thought this as fear gnawed at my chest.

Blinding red light shone into the uninhabitable room I’d been hiding in. This was followed by their dreadful alarm; a mix between what sounded like a trumpet and bass on an electric guitar, but much much more bone-chilling. I could feel the beads of sweat beginning to accumulate. This was something everyone feared, Death’s arms of decay clawing at your soul. Prodding it until you gave in. Gave in to the machines that piled carcases in groups like prizes. Gave into the machines that still had crimson splotches on them where they’d massacred hundreds. Gave into the cruel and cold, black, swirling abyss of death.

I couldn’t let that happen. With agileness over years of practice I sprinted through the labyrinth of the ruined building. Clanking of metal alerted me towards the savages taking chase. I could feel the pounding of my heart in my ear, the stinging and aching of overused muscles, and the pieces of debris stabbing into my blistered feet; my red sneakers almost threadbare from excessive use. Time slowed when a bloodthirsty robot broke through the wall beside me. My arms instinctively raised to shield my tophalf from the sheetrock that pelted the rest of me. This, however, did not slow me down. Instead, I used the fear to power me on.

Colors from the bleak structure blurred as I raced towards the exits, any exit would be helpful at this point. Reaching a metal gate promoted me to skid around a bend in the building, leading down a worn down and unblocked hallway. The sounds of metal slamming into metal and the light from sparks told me the robot had not been so lucky. Screeches from an angered machine echoed eerily throughout the abandoned building before it continued chasing me on all fours now, slightly slower from its collision with the gate.

I was slightly creeped out; anything that wasn’t supposed to be running on all fours, actually running on all fours always creeped me out. It didn’t help that the savages’ faces were always damaged from battles, resulting in a much more disturbing monster.

Wind ripped through a hole in the side of the building, a close exit. With the savage hot on my heels I would be taking any chance of escape that came my way. I could almost feel Life’s arms reaching out to save me, the thought of her warm embrace making me speed up. Without a second thought, I leapt out of the hole. Unfortunately, the speed I was going caused me to hurtle uncontrollably out into the not so warm air; the inhumane machine careening out into the open air soon after.

Straightening myself, I landed on the filthy and muddy ground. My body screamed in pain when I didn’t roll quite right, but I hopped up anyways and kept going. This was not the time to stop and assess my injuries. The robot did not land as gracefully as I did, however. Its metallic figure clanking against the earth and its once glowing eyes faded, indicating it was now an empty husk. I couldn’t help the sigh of relief that escaped my chapped lips, Death was not going to catch me today.

My victory was short lived when a new enemy emerged. Flinging itself from the dirty heaps of garbage, its claw like fingers gleaming in the darkening day. Lenses of a crimson red glowed menacingly as a heart wrenching shriek emitted from its voice box. Its metal shell had dents and stuck out in places where it’d been nearly ripped apart, rigid and razor sharp weapons.

Metal broke the skin as the new savage slammed into me, causing blood to drip from the slashes. Using its momentum against it, I threw it off me and into a rusty, overturned water truck. It didn’t do much, unfortunately, and instead infuriated it further. I’d crossed into its territory and would pay dearly for it. Steam rose off of the machine’s overheating form and glittered in the chilled air like fallen snow. A disgusting howl reverberated throughout the crumbling city. Then, it charged, streaking towards me like lightning.

As if on cue, lightning flashed and thunder rolled and the rain dumped heavily on the parched land. I would not be making it home. My sweet, sweet home. Where warm flames shone in the fireplace and the smell of food drifted around the bunker. Time slowed once more, moving like molasses, and I could feel the tears streaming down from my bright blue eyes. The monster pounced, causing my ribs to crack under its unbearable weight. It seemed it wanted me dead fairly quickly, but quite painfully.

Taking my matted hair in its cold, metallic fingers, it began slamming my head into the asphalt we’d landed on. Blood began trickling from my skull, my vision blurred beyond recognition, my ears rang, and sharp pain zigzagged throughout my limp form. It would be a torturous death.

Only when I felt my life beginning to ebb away did my ears pick up a soft clanking noise. Then, swift like a river, another machine joined the battle. It body slammed into the first robot and caused them to skid on the cracked asphalt, making a horrible screeching sound everytime the metal slid across the ground. Pain throbbed in my bones, and when I reached up to feel my aching head, my eyes found something that made me freeze. My usual crimson blood was now a pale blue mixed in with oily silvers, dark blacks, deep ocean blues, and cool purples. It was most likely a hallucination, I was losing blood and my eyesight spun along with my head. Finally, the dark skies faded away into a swirling black abyss of sleep.