Vending Machine Lunch by Roadbloc Page B

shortcomings. We are version two. And you live in our
parts replacement facility system. They did mention a vermin issue.
And you have just saved me from having to catch some parts myself.
I can just use you. You’ll be compatible enough. So welcome.
Welcome to a world run by Copland. Welcome to the System.”
    There was a
loud bang. A gunshot. Jink flinched, tempted to scream out in pain.
But there was no pain. He hadn’t been shot. Jink glanced up to see
that there was now a rather large hole in the man’s head, which was
dripping a strange luminous green liquid. Jink felt the liquid
against his own face, the force of the gunshot had sent the man’s
internal objects and liquids splattering against Jink’s face. A
silhouette appeared in the shining headlight in the gap in the
man’s head. It was Jad. He was alive!
    “I, I,
I-I-I-I-I-I-IIIIII- am coooooool,” malfunctioned the man,
“E-e-e-enncroaching onnn mmmmy p-p-p-pppersonal spacccce-
I’dsoonerdiethandresslikethat. That.”
    And with that,
he collapsed to the ground, introducing the glowing green fluid to
the dusty tiles. Jad pumped the weapon.
    Jink was
totally lost for words. Jad had saved him. He’d left Jad for dead
and Jad had saved him, despite it being obvious that Jad’s ego was
inflated by Requiem, he hadn’t gone as far as Jink had. Suddenly,
Jink felt awful. What had he become? A monster. Worse than that.
Jink looked at his hands. They were practically see-through.
    “Whoa. Green,”
said Jad, who had now walked over and was poking the remains of the
supposed android.
    “I don’t feel
good,” said Jink, looking up at Jad’s translucent figure, “Can we
go home?”
    “What? No ya
can not,” said Jad, heading back to the wreckage of the car, “Come
on, let’s get our food. Look, we gotta move, it’s a wonder the
Requiem ain’t come for us down here already. Who was that guy by
the way? I’ll tell ya summat, he has green blood. Dunno how me
managed that one.”
    Jink didn’t
move, grabbing his hair, he was close to tears, “Some nut job. He
was going to kill me so thanks. Now please, I’m begging you we need
to just go home. Can’t you see what eating this stuff has made
us?”
    Jad paused and
turned back and looked upon the sobbing Jink.
    “I, never
knew,” muttered Jink, tears rolling down his dirty face, “I never
realised we’d become one of, them,” he looked back up at Jad, “We
need to go home because, it’s for our own good. Were addicted to
the Requiem.”
    “Shut it boy,”
snapped Jad, marching back to Jink, “So what if we’re addicted, its
great stuff and it keeps us alive. There is no food but the
Requiem. So get of ya moral high horse, put them pompoms down, wipe
the drool off your face and find us another vehicle. This one is
wrecked and I want feeding tonight. Ya want to starve to death, go
away and be my guest. I can survive by myself. You know you
can’t.”
    “You
don’t get it do you?” Jink snapped back, wiping the tears from his
face, “This stuff is driving us apart! We haven’t talked about
anything but Requiem ever since we started eating the stuff. And
don’t think I don’t know what you do to the female ones that
miraculously disappear from the stocks. You make me fucking
sick! ”
    A silence fell
between them. A nastily awkward silence. Planets collided in their
minds.
    “And I could
survive without you,” continued Jink after the silence,
“Easily.”
    “That’s the
Requiem talking and ya know it!” yelled Jad, spittle flying out his
mouth in a furious manner, “Now shut ya trap up and find us a
vehicle!”
    “Hit a nerve
have I? Good, I hope your disgusting actions haunt you for the rest
of your sad, pitiful life!”
    Jad stood
there, furious and lost for words. Jink’s brain began to hurt. He
knew what he wanted. He wanted to taste the flesh. He desperately
didn’t want to but desperately did at the same time. Just one fix.
Just one more fix. Then that will be it. Over. He