Volume 1, Chapter 11 – Dude, You’re Weak, Just Lie Down
The creepiness returned. Sure, they're Soldier-functions, but that doesn't change the fact that they're robots with perfect physical conditioning, in full gear, with a void under their helmets. I feel like one of these Soldiers could run a marathon around the world and not even break a sweat.
"Alright, let's go, show me how to shoot," I tried to snap back to reality and just think of them as expendable resources.
We headed toward the forest. I walked, staggering, as if walking a dog on a leash that keeps pulling me — except instead of a dog, it was the rifle. And the Soldier walked calmly, rhythmically tapping his boots on the ground, kicking up dust.
It was hard to even call it a forest — a couple dozen lush trees in one spot next to a small pond, surrounded by endless fields. As if God knew what a person needed to start with, and sent him to exactly this "ideal" place. But he didn't account for the fact that this was some duke's territory, who had forbidden me from building here.
I walked under the canopy of trees, partially hiding in the shade, but the rays still pierced through the green clouds.
"Hoo-oo-oh!" I was completely exhausted from just one minute of walking with the rifle at the ready. "How do you shoot this thing? You press it against your shoulder, right?"
I tried to lift the rifle and aim it. Which sight should I look through — the big one or the little one? I think the big one, since the other one is on the side, and I'd have to turn the rifle for that.
"In your current condition, I recommend a prone firing position," the Soldier advised monotonously, not moving an inch.
It sounded like "dude, you're weak, just lie down." But at the same time, it shows that these Soldiers assess my weaknesses and won't let me do anything stupid. It feels both good and bad at the same time.
And that emotionless voice in this little forest sounded absolutely terrifying — as if I'd stepped into the uncanny valley, right into the spot where robots appear.
Fine... Better to actually lie down, my shoulder's already chafed.
"Can you step back a little... Please," I said to the Soldier, feeling like a little boy who'd been led into the woods by a maniac who's about to kill him.
The Soldier stepped back two paces. The echo of his footsteps bounced off the trees like a ping-pong ball. The birds scattered from the forest again, creating a pretty eerie atmosphere. Me in a dark place with a Soldier-assassin. What could be worse?
Trying to snap out of it, I lay down on the cold ground. The grass tickled my arms pleasantly, and ants scurried nearby.
This feels so good... My back doesn't ache, my shoulder can breathe freely and move like before. The sun fell in thin strips onto the ground and my legs. I kept glancing at the Soldier, and each time it only made things more tense. He seemed to have deliberately stepped into the shadows, and his face — already faceless — began to play tricks in the darkness, planting creepy thoughts in my head.
"Can you just disappear?" I gave in to the silent pressure in the darkness.