Iron Man

Drift flapped down from the sky, covered the ground in an ever rising white barrier. kkkkkk--hhueuhh… kkkkkkkk….hueeehhh

Long, drawn out, purposeful breaths through the mask, interrupted only by the tick...tick…ticking of the rad marker. The snow washed waste stretched out before the metal beast as it sat in its decomposing recliner, acting as sentinel before the hatch in its yard. A holster rested on its hip, a magnum occupying the space inside it. Wrecked houses with warped trees growing throw them, a television running only static, a burnt and broken skeleton sitting on a corroded couch before it. Rusted cars with various logos and skeletons in various garb litter the street in front of it’s seat.The wind blew through the field of leveled houses and strange trees, depositing frost against the metal casing of the watcher. As the wind kicked up, a new sound filled the air. A clink against the exoskeleton of it. A golden locket, fashioned in the shape of a heart. It stared on through the field, keeping its watch. It scanned the field of broken buildings as the locket shifted in the wind. The wind whispered in its ear as it passed by. Through the metal it could hear the wind’s words.

“....can't save themm….” “...wasting your years…” “....monster…”

“.....already deaad….” “....too long….”

“...died… with..out...”

Its metal cased hand snapped up, clasping the locket. The metal of the suit moaned as it creeped downward to look upon the heart in its hand. It flipped open the locket with the thumb. The face of the locket opened with a crisp snap. The whispers in the wind ceased as it looked on the locket through the glass goggles on the mask. A sunset. Smiles. Children, a spouse, and its own face stared back up at it. The faded image of their day that once was. A day of joy and brightness. Underneath the armor, its face bent into a small smile.

“Why do you build me up! Build me up! Buttercup!”

The lyrics cut across the field, though still far away. It slowly looked up, tearing its eyes away from the locket. It snapped it close as the rumble of engines neared.

kkkkkk--hhueuhh… kkkkkkkk….hueeehhh

Its breath remained the same as it stood from the recliner, metal shifting and grinding against itself as it rose. tick... The vehicles crested over the horizon. tick... It reached down and rested its hand on its holster, snapping it open. tick...

I felt the tires cut through the drift as we passed the broken buildings. Breath is fogging up my mask. Kark, gotta fix that. I shifted in the passenger seat, my scarf and layers making it clumsy. The music pumped through the air from the other truck's speakers.

“Just to let me down (let me down) and mess me around

And then worst of all (worst of all) you never call, baby!”

“This place creeps me out,” I muttered. A venomous chuckle from the driver's seat.

“Reaaally? Thiss place is what gets youu?”

I side-eyed Rig, or tried to through the mask. His eyes were glued to the road.

“And it doesn't bother you even a little bit? All this old crap around here? Who knows what it could do?”

Rig turned his face to me and leaned over, his glass eye bouncing with the bed of the truck. “Fluke, let's be smart here. These look like houses from the old captures we’ve seen. So we can gather we're at a place where the people lived before. They didn't keep anything that could seriously threaten anyone where they slept.”

He turned back to the road. “Idiots” I heard him mutter under his breath. It made sense. The ones who came before weren't very defense minded. I gazed out the window at the crumbling structures. And look where it got them.

SCREECHHHHH

I flew forward.

A “WOOF” escaped me before I stopped with my face just in front of the board. Caught by my belt. I looked over. Rig was leaning forward and focusing on something up ahead.

“Rig? Why'd you pump the stoppers?”

He continued to stare, ignoring me. I followed his gaze.

“I need you (I need you) more than anyone, darlin'!”

It stood on the side of the road, one large metal covered hand on its hip. About 12-15 feet between us.

“You know that I have from the start!”

Had to be at least 6, maybe 7 feet tall. The other two cars and the van had stopped already.

“o build me up (build me up) Buttercup, don't break my heart!”

The back of the van opened and some people stepped out. I recognized Bling, kinda hard not to with their gold hand, and Reagan as they filed out with the other 3 or so. All armed. The other two cars' engines went silent. Doors slid open and the others stepped out. Puzzle trips on the seat but recovers quickly. I crack a smile. Gonna rib him about that later. We stared across the field, as the others stood by their cars, hands either resting on their irons or already pulled. I looked over to Rig and sighed.

“Well, we should get out there, shouldn't we?”

Rig looked over at me and turned off the engine.

“Suppose if we wanna get any of that guy’s parts we should.”

The doors opened with a click and my feet hit the drift with a crunch. Rig closed the door tenderly and strode up to my side. We approached Penance, leaning on the passenger door of the van.

“He’s not movvviinngg.” Rig rasped in a sing-song as we came to a stop next to him. Penance slowly turned to look at Rig.

“It appears so.” he said as he turns back equally as slowly to look at the metal man. The man's breathing through his mask was slow and methodical, cutting across the field. Penance called out, “Mime, Doc, Reagan, with me.” and started trudging across the field.

"I'll be over at ten", you told me time and again

But you're late, I wait around and then (bah-dah-dah)!”

Mime shoved past me and the other two ran to catch up to Penance. I scanned the area. In the other construction there was a blackened skeleton sitting on a couch. A picture box blared strange noise with an indiscernible image on it. The skull seemed… wrong somehow. Bloated. Like it was… stuffed with something. A slap on my shoulder. Rig.

“Hey hey, they’re nearly to him, punch in.”

I turned my head and flipped on the talkie in my chest pouch. Penance’s low growl garbled through the receiver.

“Howdy, stranger.”

“I went to the door, I can't take any more

It's not you, you let me down again!”

Bling trudged up to us and leaned on the van to listen. The large man did nothing, said nothing.

“We’ve noticed the whole… graveyard you've cultivated here. We don't want to trouble you. We’ll just be through here. Any toll you have we’ll pay, provided it's reasonable.”

The man again said nothing, Rig leaned in closer to my chest to listen.

“(Hey, hey, hey!) Baby, baby, try to find! (Hey, hey, hey!) A little time and I'll make you happy”

“Wait wait,” I said, “it's moving.”

An arm slowly raised. Raised to point at Reagan. I saw Penance turn to Reagan and nod. Through the talkie I heard, “Give him the gun Reagan. Unloaded.” I heard and saw Reagan begin to protest before he sighed and purged the weapon.

Bling nodded. “Good call, don't wanna give him an active shooter,” as we watched Reagan hand over the gun.

“Pleasure.” Penance said as the metal man inspected the weapon and the shell cluster.

“Alright well that's that. Let's get ready to go.” Rig said as he pushed off the van.

We saw Penance turn to leave when through the walkie we heard Reagan’s voice.

“What's in that hatch behind ya there? Must be pretty valuable if you've sat here all this time.”

The world froze. Even in the wind stopped. But Reagan kept on.

“C'mon, freak, lets see what's in the-”

One metal leg stepped forward and both huge hands shot out and gripped Reagan's head. Before anyone could react, he crushed it.

“Oh sHI-” I heard Bling say before the field erupted. Gunshots fired erupted through the field.

Penance and Mime drew, but the man was faster. It ran its fist through Penance’s chest, his heart appearing in its hand before being swiftly crushed.

“Well shit.” Rig muttered as we both hit the ground, taking a prone position. I saw Mime raise his weapon when the back of his head exploded. Friendly fire. The creature drew its weapon. A magnum. It aimed as bullets plinked off its suit. I followed its gaze. Followed it to the strange skull. It fired.

“(Hey, hey, hey!) I'll be home I'll be beside the phone waiting for you!”

A white light filled the entire field. A ringing in my ear. Kark.

“FLASH, HE HAD FLA-” I heard Bling’s voice far off as the ringing continued. See. I could barely see. I was laying there. I could barely hear.

“hey… hey… HEY!”

Rig, it was Rig’s voice. My sight was returning. He was dragging me to the car. I shifted my head upward. Bling was dead up against the van, his brains splattered against the van wall. I could still hear the guns but not so many. I heard a scream, and a squelch. An arm flew over the top of the van.

“Rig.. RIG pick me… PICK ME UP!”

He rushed to my hand and pulled. I staggered and he caught me.

“Easy. We have to leave, leave now.”

I shambled to the truck, Rig already clambering in. I pulled open the door and managed to pull myself in. A man backed out from behind the van, firing as he retreated. “Well,” I said from the car seat, “nice to see we’re at least putting up a fight. That's good for my pri-”

A boom echoed across the field and the man’s head exploded. Rig didn't say anything, fumbling with the keys before slitting it into the tinder. Sights coming back. He turned the key. Engine sputtered. A metal boot slammed against the floor from behind the van. The engine sputtered again. I could see the full metal man now. Covered in gore. He stepped forward. Engine sputtered again. He raised his gun. Engine sputtered. I closed my eyes.

A click rang out through the field. Rig chuckled, which turned into a maniacal laugh.

“Empty” he whispered. He reached over and shook me, “GUNS EMPTY, FLUKE!” "Its not done

I watched as the creature simply re-holstered it and started approaching us. Slowly. Tromp… tromp... The engine sputtered again. I opened the door of the car, Rig didn't notice. I stepped down and slid my rifle off my back. The engine sputters again. I close the door and crouch. The engine sputters. I line it up in my sights. I take a deep breath. And fire.

The Bullet cracks off the breast of its armor. I take another shot as it still approaches and the engine sputters. PLINK! It bounces right off. I take another. PLINK! And another. PLINK! Each one bounces off the armor as it was nothing. It still approaches.

A form rises up from behind the van. The The creature doesn't notice.

I see a knife in the form’s hand.

Its Puzzle.

The tromp tromp of the metal man's boots continues as it walks toward, almost relishing that it was giving us time to contemplate our deaths. That was its mistake. The creature was right on top of me now. About 6 feet. I aim. The man raises its arms. I fire. The bullet penetrates the eyehole of the mask. The creature lets out a scream and staggers back, right into Puzzle. She jams the knife into the space shoulder plate and torso. It screams, this time in rage, and swipes at Puzzle. She ducks. Jams the knife into the space between the knee plate and the rest of the leg. The knife jams there and Puzzle dances back. The man screams, but the sound is drowned out by the sound of the truck engine turning over. I snap my head over to the drivers seat. I see Rig’s eyes crease through the viewport in his mask as he screams “PUZZLE, MOVE!” He slammed on the gas. Puzzle jumps out the way. The metal man turns just in time to see the truck ram straight into it. It pushes him, the tires squealing as the truck smashes the metal man into a tree near the recliner. I collapse, back on the ground and let out a huge sigh of relief. Puzzle runs over to me. Her forehead is leaking blood and she has a crazed expression on her face.

“Did you see me Fluke?? DID YOU SEE THAT??? I AM A LEGEND!! I'M CRAZY” Puzzle looked up to the sky and let out a primal scream. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”

She looked back to me smiling, “C'mon let's go get rig and our shit, and then let's check out that hatch.”

I look at him from where I'm still on the ground, confused. “Hatch?”

He smiles wider but her voice takes on a more exasperated tone, “Yeah, duh, the hatch. The thing that set this guy off that much in the first place. Must be something pretty good in there to make him this angry.”

The sound of a door opening, and Rig falls out of the cab. He stands and shambles over to us as I stand on shaky legs.

“I agree with Puzzle,” Rig says in a quivering rasp. “May as well find out why we all almost died.”

I took a tender step forward. “All right. Let's go check it out.”

We twist the hatch. By we I mean Puzzle and I. Rig deserved a break after nearly dying crashing the truck. It was rusty but we got it turning. It opened with a long creak. A ladder leading it down to another hatch.

“Ahhh kark.” Puzzle said as I grasped the ladder descended the rungs. The second hatch is pristine, and I twist it open with ease as Puzzle and Rig clank down. I descend the second ladder and I'm instantly transported into a vignette of days past. Pristine furniture, a working picture box, and even a box of what I heard called “cereal” in what I can assume is the kitchen. I climb down gingerly, lowering my feet onto the floor slowly. I cant believe it. A "living room" is what I've heard this called. Rig called down from the top of the hatch, "Well? what's down there?"

I can see a large yard area through the glass door in the food kitchen. A large, perfectly preserved before person house underground. Puzzle climbs down the ladder after I don't say anything.

"Nice place," She says as she jumps down from the ladder. She looks at the kitchen, then back at me with. I can tell she has a smile on. "Before people have stainless steel." She dashes into the kitchen and starts rummaging through the drawers. Rig plops down from the hatch, forgoing the ladder all-together. He looks around, eyes landing on a pile of music discs in front of the TV. I take a seat in one of the chairs and nearly sink into it as Rig strides over to the discs, inspecting them. He plops one out as I shift around in the much too squishy seat. "Man how did old worlders deal with these?" I say as Rig places one of the discs into the player under the tv. "Different spines I think?" Rig said as he watched the player eat the disc.

"Wouldn't it be nice if we were older

Then we wouldn't have to wait so long!" played from the speakers and Rig started to sway back and forth as I continued to sink into the chair. I shifted back up with no small difficulty and stood.

"Im gonna go check out the rest of the rooms, you have a good time here Rig."

"And wouldn't it be nice to live together

In the kind of world where we belong!"

"Oh don't worry about me," Rig said as he began to move more intricately. "I'm perfectly fine here."

I stepped out of the door and into a hallway. The lyrics dampen as I step into the hall. I open a door to my right. Old washroom, still stocked with a little soap and paper. A smile overtakes my face.

"Well hello beautiful," I say as I step forward into the room and take the paper from its holder by the toilet. I stuff my pouches with as much soap as I can hold. I step out and push open another door. A much bigger room, with a large green table in the middle. Multicolored balls sat collecting dust on the table and two large sticks sat on the floor. I cross the threshold of the room and I see three large boxes in the back. There are posters of old world heroes and villains in here, as well as who I can assume made the discs. I read the names on the posters as I cross the room.

Iron Maiden, Sonic Youth, Weezer, Mitski, The Cure, The Misfits, The Garden, The Drums.

I turn away and nearly bump into the large boxes. They have strange art across them. One has a yellow circle with a piece missing, like a pie and some strange sharp looking half circles being chased by it. Another has old world design of a ship on it and the last has two men in fighting position with a giant lizard in the background. They have control panels on them, a large lever with a massive red dot, like an old world clown's nose and some multi-colored buttons. I reach out and flick the lever. The screen erupts in noise and I stumble back, drawing my gun. I point at the machine as two men appear on it and start fighting. "Test, your might!" it tells me as the two men continue to fight and a tune plays in the background. I slowly slide my rifle back over my shoulder and step toward it. One man seems to win and blows frost at the other man, completely encasing him in ice. I watch, fascinated, as he completely shatters the ice and the man, as the word "FATALITY!" flashes onto the screen.

"Sub-Zero wins!" the machine declares. I make a mental note to come back here with a party and clean this place out as I walk out and close the door behind me. One door left. At the end of the hallway, sleep place I assume. I tried the door, but it's jammed. I push harder.

“Wonder why this place was so valuable to him." I mutter as I push on the door. "Lots of good stuff sure, but its not like he was living down here.

I ram the door with my shoulder and I stumble through as it pops open. And then I understand. A skeleton sits on a fluffy seat near the bed. An adult, two more sit curled up in the bed. An attached bathroom is there. I open it. Lying in the tub is a slightly less decrepit skeleton, in a tub full of reddish water, a razor crusted to the floor in the dried red liquid. I look at the wall. A picture of a family. A sunset. Smiles. Children, with two happy parents. A large burly man and a beautiful woman. "I see." I mutter to myself. I walk over to the bed and stare at the skeletons.

"Your friend sucked." I say as I stare into the long empty eyeholes of the skeleton. I turn back to the door and leave the room. Down the hall. I see Puzzle and Rig, getting ready to climb the ladder, Rig with a bunch of old world food nearly bursting from his pack and a collection of disk strapped to his belt. Puzzle had some shiny new knives strapped to her bandolier and was holding a magazine with a woman on it with a smile on her face.

“You guys go on up ahead of me, I wanna see something.” I say as I step forward to see another picture of the family hanging in

“Alright, we leave in 5 minutes though, this place creeps me out.” Puzzle said as she began ascending after Rig, who had already climbed up the ladder. So this is what you looked like, I thought to myself as I stared at the picture. After a second, I spat on it. “Good riddance.” I say as I tale one more look at the place. I begin to climb the ladder. I can see the sky, the sun is perfectly above, and we’ll be returning with a bounty of old world things to sell to the collectors. My hand clasps the top rung. Puzzle leans over to reach for me, blotting out the sun. I reach for her hand.

And then her head falls off.

Puzzle's body falls through the hatch nearly knocking me off with it as it lands with a thud in the living room. I look back up and there it is. The Iron Man. I don't scream as it's cold hand claps mine, crushing it. I don't say anything as I am lifted from the hole before him like a ragdoll as he brings me up to his face. Blood leaking from the eyeball where I shot him, covered in gore from my fallen comrades. It looks me in the eye and grates out some words, as if it physically hurt to speak.

“You. took. Everything. From me. I had. Hope. And now I have. Nothing.”

I see his fist go through my torso, and I feel a pain in my chest. All goes dark, and then I feel no more.

Epilogue

It tenderly washed the locket in the snow, removing the gore from it as one would wash a prized piece of clothing. It stood up and reviewed its place. The wind began to whisper again, harsher words now.

“….Useless…. “ “couldn't protect them…” “...terrible parent…”

“...alone forever….” “...you FAILED them all..”

The whispers continued as it walked toward the one vehicle it had not totaled, an old pickup truck with the group's supplies in the back. Before it entered, it picked up the helmet of one of the dead men and observed the logo. A large gear in the center of the helmet. It grabbed one of their walkies as well. It stowed the helmet and walkie in the passenger seat. The key was still in the tinder. The engine started, and the metal man pulled out, crushing the body of one of the men as it did, and driving off towards the direction they had come from.