Deeming Cove currently useless, I plastered a suitable 'caught' expression across my face, deciding to go with the story we'd told Mattie. "Look," I admitted, "we don't….actually know." I tried to recall what we'd already told Mattie. "Our parents weren't around, and no one else cared. When we got the chance, we decided to ditch home and see the world ourselves. To see if there were any others."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cove make a slicing motion at me with his hand, signaling for me to stop talking. Feeling like I was laying it on a bit thick anyway, I did.
The mayor laughed. It was a cruel, grating sound that deepened the shadows on his face. "I'm grateful you lied to her, but there's no need to lie to me. You must be curious about the robots."
I side-eyed Cove, trying to keep my face from revealing my panic. Cove was statued next to me, frozen my fear of his own. I'd misspoken somewhere, but I wasn't quite sure where. I cursed Cove. What hadn't he told me? What was I missing?
When neither of us said anything else, the Mayor pressed a hand on the atlas, standing up to loom over the desk. "The outside world may have accepted technology and started rebuilding, but technology is what caused the problem in the first place. Technology is evil, and those demons we call robots that roam the nearby city are what keep people like you from forcing your views on us. We don't need your help, and we don't want it."
Reality crashed around me, and my temper flared. I shot a glare at Cove. This information would have been useful to know before I opened my mouth. He met my eyes and had the presence of mind to look a little ashamed.
"Don't look so surprised! Outsiders have been here before. I told them the same thing I'm going to tell you. Do not speak of the outside world to the people here. They don't want to hear it, and you don't want the consequences. You can stay here for the night, but you must leave at dawn tomorrow.
Oh, so this was one of those stories.
"Of course," Cove said, closing down his expressions. Hesitantly, I nodded once to show my agreement.
The mayor's smile widened, showing his teeth. "Then we're going to get along just fine."
Cove and I gave fake smiles in return. The mayor stood up, leading us to where Mattie, our cats, and her father stood, waiting. Mattie's foot tapped on the floor impatiently while her father nervously avoided her icy gaze. As our shoes entered his eyesight, her father jerked his head up, looking past us to the Mayor. Whatever he found on the Mayor's face had him nodding.
The Mayor gripped Cove and I's shoulder's tightly. Cove's hand twitched at his side, his fingers curling then unfurling as he made some kind of decision.
"These lovely lads will be staying the night at your place. They'll be leaving early in the morning. I hope it's not an inconvenience for you."
Mattie's face conveyed relief and smugness simultaneously; her father only had nervousness and fear. "O-of course, sir." His eyes moved jerkily to rest on Mattie, who turned to face him curiously. "Go ahead and lead them home; I have a little more work to do. I'll be home soon." He gave her a weak smile.
Mattie's eyes crinkled with a grin. "Sure thing, Dad!"
The mayor released our shoulders and then followed with a hefty pat on our backs. Cove absorbed the blow like the unmovable force he was, but I buckled under the pressure.
"Go on ahead. I need to speak with your father." The Mayor ordered, spinning on his heel to enter back through the heavy wooden door of his office. Mattie bounded down the stairs cheerfully, her footsteps thumping as she skipped a few steps. Cove followed her one step at a time. I paused at the top, turning back once more, catching sight of Mattie's father's pale and terrified face. His Adam's apple bobbed as his feet crossed the threshold. The door slammed shut, cutting them off from the rest of the world.
As I caught up with Mattie, my thoughts lingered on the Mayor and her father's palpable fear.
Ani and Ranch were at our feet as soon as the front door opened, depending we repaid them for the audacity of dropping them off outside.
The outside air was light and fresh, with the barest hint of a breeze rustling the greenery. The sky was mostly black, with only a faint twinge of a lighter blue left where the sun had vanished below the horizon. Cool air came with the darkness, sending goosebumps up my arms. Flickering lanterns cast an eerie red glow over the city, and the Mayor's mansion loomed on the hill behind us.
My spine tingled, and I got the feeling we were being watched. I flung my gaze around, looking for the source, and noticed Cove doing the same. Behind us, a curtain in the mansion's window rustled, and I shivered.
Shaking the unease off my shoulders, I asked, "So your father works for the Mayor?"
Mattie turned to look up at the sky, where stars were beginning to peer out from the cover of darkness. "Yeah. He worked for the previous mayor too. As far as I know, it's the only place he ever worked." She bit her lip. "I'm going to be in so much trouble when I get home–we're not supposed to ever go to the city."
"Because it's too dangerous?"
Her ponytail beat against her back as she nodded. "That, and because of its association with evil technology."
I tilted my head, recalling out adventures in the sewers. "But don't you have a flashlight?" My voice boomed across the street.
Mattie flinched, her eyes flailing around to make sure no one heard. In a hushed voice, she whispered, "Shhhhh. I found it and the batteries in an old electronics store. I'd have to get rid of it if anyone found out I had it."
My eyebrows shot up above my forehead. I whispered back, "They're afraid of flashlights?"
"Yeah. It seems pretty stupid when I think about it." She said under her breath.
"No kidding."
Instead of taking us back on the same path we took to get to the Mayor's from her house, she led us off on a side path, bringing us to a sketchy-looking basement door at the edge of town. She rapped her knuckles twice on the door, paused, then knocked a third time. A peephole slid open at the top of the door, brown eyes peeking out before slamming it back shut and unlocking the door.
It opened silently into the darkness. The three of us, plus Ani and Ranch, walked in, trying not to stumble over the entry as our eyes adjusted. A shadow moved behind us, and someone slammed the door shut.
Boots scuffled, and metal clanged against itself before a flame sparked in a lamp, illuminating a face from below.
If you've never had someone randomly light up a flashlight in the middle of the dark underneath their face, it's an uncanny experience. It was made ten times worse with the flickering flame of an old-fashioned lamp. Cove and I jumped.