eIGHT || murdered by another lie
[Through observation only, Saya had decided early on that the "drones" of Mayfield, biologically human as their bodies were, lacked four of the eight basic emotions.]
[The day following this phone call, Saya woke up two hours earlier than usual and tip-toed into her sister's room. She found that the person who looked like Liz was sleeping peacefully, and shook her by the shoulders. "Hey, sis. Sis..."
"Wha - Saya is that you? Gosh, what happened - it's only three in the morning..."
"... I'm... scared. I think I saw something in the backyard."
"Don't be silly! You're such a big girl now - you don't believe in monsters - yawn go back to sleep, Saya..."
At that, she broke into whining. "Liiiiz! I know I saw something outside! I swear on it! Please come with me - pleaseeeee ~"
"Saya... no."
She had long prepared for an answer like this. "Then I'll sleep in your bed with you so that the murderer doesn't get me!"
"The what? You silly girl - ahh... fine. I'll find your monster if you promise to go back to sleep afterward."
Saya looked scared and "Liz" laughed and patted her head.
The drone that was her sister followed her downstairs and to the backyard. Once they were outside, she feigned fear and scurried behind the older girl, pretending to use her as a human shield from the unknown dangers that lay in the darkness.
A whimper. "... d-do... you see it?"
"See what? Where is this terrible monster, you little scaredy cat?"
"I think... it's there. There! That shadow - look over there, Liz! There!"
There was a rattle. A strange figure emerged slightly from behind the tree.
"Where?"
"Over there!"
A cheery laugh. "Where, silly? I don- "
Saya smashed the sharp edge of the knife into the drone's head. "Liz" stumbled forward and fell to the ground, her facial expression never changing. Now that the height difference was no longer a factor, she got onto her knees and and continuously pounded the cold metal against her skull, jutting into the crevices of the joining plates and she yanked them apart with her all strength, splitting open the drone's cranium until a flash of pink met her eyes. The body beneath her shuddered for a moment... before going limp. But a check of the pulse revealed "Liz" was still alive.
Green eyes lit up in vague interest. So she wasn't dead? Well... drones couldn't feel pain, anyway. Saya set down the knife, ignoring the crimson fountain sprouting beautifully from the fissure she created. She gently parted the field of yellow threads and dug her fingers into the crude hole, tracing her hand over the bumps, feeling soft, moist wetness on her fingertips. She dug further into the drone's brain, breaking nerves into threads, trying to see and find any oddities - a tumor, a lesion, anything that could explain the girl's missing emotions … ]
[Drones, Saya later decided, were incapable of feeling fear. It was fact. But she couldn't figure out why or how.
Nevertheless, that didn't change the reality that "Liz" had died with a grin on her face even after her head was resting on a pillow made of her own brains.
She went back to sleep, just like she promised. In the morning, Nadia might have said something, but Saya was quick to respond with a shrug and a small smile.]
[Several hours later, after school was over, Saya picked up the phone.]
...
Guys. I was just wondering but... why are people so intensely bothered when their friends are droned?
They come back within the next 24 hours... or a few days, at most.
I understand that people are sad because they miss their friends... but somehow, I think there's more to it than just that.
[The bone golem sat next to her on the bedspread, unresistant for once. Its mouth clacked several times, as if speaking. Saya sighed and covered the speaker piece.]
I know Fumi-chan... I wish I had my original body back too... it would have made life a lot easier...
[clack clack clack]
... I don't think you can feel nerve degeneration with a human appendage. I don't know. Maybe I don't know the human brain as well as I thought I did. Maybe other people can... there sure are a lot of non-humans in Mayfield.
[Saya smiled and pet the golem on the head just like her sister always used to do.]
Whatever the case, thanks for helping out. You were a great 'monster', Fuminori~
[The day following this phone call, Saya woke up two hours earlier than usual and tip-toed into her sister's room. She found that the person who looked like Liz was sleeping peacefully, and shook her by the shoulders. "Hey, sis. Sis..."
"Wha - Saya is that you? Gosh, what happened - it's only three in the morning..."
"... I'm... scared. I think I saw something in the backyard."
"Don't be silly! You're such a big girl now - you don't believe in monsters - yawn go back to sleep, Saya..."
At that, she broke into whining. "Liiiiz! I know I saw something outside! I swear on it! Please come with me - pleaseeeee ~"
"Saya... no."
She had long prepared for an answer like this. "Then I'll sleep in your bed with you so that the murderer doesn't get me!"
"The what? You silly girl - ahh... fine. I'll find your monster if you promise to go back to sleep afterward."
Saya looked scared and "Liz" laughed and patted her head.
The drone that was her sister followed her downstairs and to the backyard. Once they were outside, she feigned fear and scurried behind the older girl, pretending to use her as a human shield from the unknown dangers that lay in the darkness.
A whimper. "... d-do... you see it?"
"See what? Where is this terrible monster, you little scaredy cat?"
"I think... it's there. There! That shadow - look over there, Liz! There!"
There was a rattle. A strange figure emerged slightly from behind the tree.
"Where?"
"Over there!"
A cheery laugh. "Where, silly? I don- "
Saya smashed the sharp edge of the knife into the drone's head. "Liz" stumbled forward and fell to the ground, her facial expression never changing. Now that the height difference was no longer a factor, she got onto her knees and and continuously pounded the cold metal against her skull, jutting into the crevices of the joining plates and she yanked them apart with her all strength, splitting open the drone's cranium until a flash of pink met her eyes. The body beneath her shuddered for a moment... before going limp. But a check of the pulse revealed "Liz" was still alive.
Green eyes lit up in vague interest. So she wasn't dead? Well... drones couldn't feel pain, anyway. Saya set down the knife, ignoring the crimson fountain sprouting beautifully from the fissure she created. She gently parted the field of yellow threads and dug her fingers into the crude hole, tracing her hand over the bumps, feeling soft, moist wetness on her fingertips. She dug further into the drone's brain, breaking nerves into threads, trying to see and find any oddities - a tumor, a lesion, anything that could explain the girl's missing emotions … ]
[Drones, Saya later decided, were incapable of feeling fear. It was fact. But she couldn't figure out why or how.
Nevertheless, that didn't change the reality that "Liz" had died with a grin on her face even after her head was resting on a pillow made of her own brains.
She went back to sleep, just like she promised. In the morning, Nadia might have said something, but Saya was quick to respond with a shrug and a small smile.]
[Several hours later, after school was over, Saya picked up the phone.]
...
Guys. I was just wondering but... why are people so intensely bothered when their friends are droned?
They come back within the next 24 hours... or a few days, at most.
I understand that people are sad because they miss their friends... but somehow, I think there's more to it than just that.
[The bone golem sat next to her on the bedspread, unresistant for once. Its mouth clacked several times, as if speaking. Saya sighed and covered the speaker piece.]
I know Fumi-chan... I wish I had my original body back too... it would have made life a lot easier...
[clack clack clack]
... I don't think you can feel nerve degeneration with a human appendage. I don't know. Maybe I don't know the human brain as well as I thought I did. Maybe other people can... there sure are a lot of non-humans in Mayfield.
[Saya smiled and pet the golem on the head just like her sister always used to do.]
Whatever the case, thanks for helping out. You were a great 'monster', Fuminori~