Page 57 of Dustwalker

“Good afternoon, citizen,” a bot said in a flat voice. “I am here to c-c-complete your regularly scheduled home appliance m-maintenance.”

“Not a good time,” Ronin replied. The door creaked, but the sound cut off with a dullthunk. She could almost imagine the metal foot that had stopped it.

Lara’s heart thumped like distant, rolling thunder in her ears. What if it was a gearhead, here because they knew who she was? What if Warlord wasn’t done with her yet…

“It is my o-o-obligation to inform you that it has been s-s-s-sixty-five days since your last appliance inspection,” the maintenance bot said, voice dropping to a deep slur as it stuttered. “Regular maintenance is integral to the continued f-f-f-functioning of your home appliances.”

“Another time.” Was that edge back in Ronin’s tone?

“It is m-m-m-my obligation to?—”

“Come back next month.”

“N-n-next month, okay! P-p-p-please have a w-wonderful afternoon!”

The door closed, and the locks clicked into place. Ronin was halfway to the kitchen when Lara, forcing her breathing to slow, stepped into the entryway. They looked at one another for a time. His expression wasn’t entirely blank, but she couldn’t read it.

“Give me a few hours,” he said. “I’ll try to find you something to do while I’m gone.”

“What if they come back?” Would she have to hide out in the attic,like the last human who’d lived here? The undisturbed dust suggested that the maintenance bots never went up there.

“They won’t.”

“How can you be sure? If not them, what about the gearheads?”

“There’s the attic, and a crawlspace hatch under the stairs. If you get frightened, hide. Keep the pistol with you.”

She growled. “I wouldn’t be frightened if you’d just take me back to my shack. And what good is that pistol, anyway?” She gestured toward his abdomen. “Guns don’t seem to do shit to you.”

With his pointer finger, he tapped beneath his eye. “Aim for the optics if you need to shoot. That’s the most vulnerable point on most bots.”

“Fine!” She strode past him toward the stairs. “I’m just some expendable human, anyway. So, if you find me dead when you get back, don’t say I didn’t tell you so.”

His hand darted out, catching her upper arm before she could reach the first step. His grip was firm, but not painful, and his skin was pleasantly warm. He spun her to face him.

“If you feel as though you’re not safe here, considerthis”—his gaze dipped to his hand—“grounds to end our agreement. But we both know there’s nothing waiting for you back there. No one to go home to. No food or clean water. I’m not your Tabitha, but I’m doing all in my power to keep you safe.”

With each of his words, her anger cooled, and sorrow swept into its place. Her eyes stung with gathering tears, and the sting intensified when she blinked them away.

She knew he was right, but that didn’t make it hurt less.

“Bastard.” Lara yanked her arm out of his hold and hurried upstairs. She made sure to slam her bedroom door behind her.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

As per her usual evening routine, Lara showered—it was addicting, and she struggled to keep from doing it more than once a day—and walked downstairs. Ronin had already covered his part of the routine, having laid a variety of food out on the table for her to choose from.

Normally, they talked as she ate, but conversation didn’t come easily tonight. It wasn’t because of her dreams or their earlier argument. Her mind kept going back to what she’d seen in the mirror. To what she saw now, when she looked at her hands.

They were soft. Clean. Her skin had a healthy glow she’d never seen before, and her bones were a less prominent. The changes were subtle, but she couldn’t help noticing them. She ate two, sometimes three meals a day, and there were no more hunger pains.

Was Tabitha experiencing the same thing? Was that why she’d agreed to live with a bot? She deserved comfort, especially after all her years of selflessly caring for Lara.

I really was just a burden…

Guilt gnawed at Lara. No matter how hard she’d tried, it had never been enough. Scavenging, bartering, dancing…she never earned her share. How many times had she lied to Tabitha, claiming she wasn’t hungry, just so her sister had the extra portion? And the one time Lara had stepped up, had broken out of her rut to provide for Tabitha…

“You’re quiet tonight,” Ronin said, his deep voice jarring Lara from her thoughts before they could take that dark turn. She looked up athim. He was sitting across from her, staring at the uneaten food on the table.