Machine Man (serial)

Something blew through me in a gust, like wind made of needles. My legs twitched. My ears rang. And that was it. The house was silent. I looked at Lola and she looked at me and we both seemed to be okay. Lola said, “Are you…” and so did I. She took a step toward me, and, when nothing bad happened, took another. We smiled. I held out my arms and she ran into them.

“Oh, Charlie. I was scared.”

“It’s all right. We’re all right, I think.”

“What was that?”

“Something that didn’t work.” I kissed the top of her head. “I guess.”

“I thought you were going to die.” She shuddered. “I thought I was going to kill you.”

A moment passed. There was an odd scent in the air: something acrid.

Lola looked up. “The dogs are quiet.”

We listened.

“We should check on Angelica.” Lola reached for the door handle. I went to step out of the way, but didn’t. I tried that again.

“Charlie?”

That scent was familiar. It was the smell you got when you plugged a circuit into a power supply it wasn’t designed for. The smell of fused transistors.

“Charlie?”

A digital clock radio sat on the bedside table: its face had gone dark. On a shelf, a small stereo that normally glowed red from its power button: nothing.

“Are you two okay?” Angelica’s voice floated toward us. “The power’s gone out!”

Lola touched my arm. “Charlie?”

“No,” I said. “No, no, no.”

“What is it?”

I opened my mouth and closed it again. I couldn’t say it: You killed my legs.

118.