Awaken September's Gods: V

V

Feelings Lorcan did not understand niggled at his brain. After he had gotten Niamh back to the dwelling a sadness had washed over him. He looked into Niamh’s deactivated eyes, unable to close them, and saw something glittering he did not comprehend. If pressed he would describe it as anger mixed with one part sadness and two parts insanity. Mixed emotions and mixed drinks clearly confusing themselves in his head.

He could repair Niamh. He could alter her so that she would never leave him. He could sell her to a machinist and flee this place for another. He could do any number of things; after all, he was uninhibited now. Nothing could touch him.

He paced for an hour, walking past Niamh’s lifeless body half a dozen times before he finally carried her to the bedroom. He removed the human clothes they had stolen and looked at the open cave of her chest. He hadn’t destroyed anything. Everything was intact. He only had to repair the circuit loops and reattach them.

Gently, he closed her chest and covered her nudity with a blanket. He had already done enough damage. He would not violate her further by satisfying his curiosity. Perhaps a human would have some insight, some advice on what he was feeling? Can humans explain feelings? Could he find one that could make some sense out of the twisty, knotted, feelings in his stomach and the ache in his chest?

Building a fire in the fireplace, to keep Niamh warm, he left the house in search of a telephone.

He found a payphone on a corner down the street, but had no coins to insert. The concept of currency was still lost on him and anything he needed he had simply taken. That wouldn’t work on the payphones, which demanded tribute before working. He looked around the payphone, searching for a bit of silver, finding only dust.

A man, in woman’s clothing, took pity on him and gave him a quarter and a dime. He then gave him a kiss full on the mouth before walking away. Lorcan found the encounter fascinating, almost forgetting about Niamh and the knots in his intestines. He had never kissed a man before, never kissed anyone besides Niamh, and the idea intrigued him. Would it be like kissing a mirror? Should he practice kissing the mirrors at the dwelling?

He took a step toward the man, intending to follow him, when he caught a glimpse of the payphone. Remembering what he was doing he turned back to it. Now that he had currency, who should he call? He did not know any humans intimately enough to have acquired their numerical. Digging through his pockets he found the silver eyed girl’s number, which he quickly punched into the phone.

“Hello?” said a soft and lilting voice. It held a slight accent, warm and smooth.

“My name is Lorcan; we met at the football field.”

“Ah, yes. Hello. I wasn’t expecting a call this soon.” She sounded so calm, her voice becoming like a honey balm pouring over his skin.

“I am in need of assistance.” He said, not sure what else to say.

“Is that a come on?” she asked, tentatively.

“I am not sure what you mean by ‘come on.’ I only know I need assistance.”

“Where are you?” she asked.

He explained his location and sat down to wait for the girl with silver eyes to come.