Broken Things Read online

  Josh walked slowly to the sidewalk, dragging his feet all the way. It seemed like the place to start. He could go either direction, it wouldn’t matter. He didn’t know exactly how far Twin Falls was from Boise, but maybe he could walk. His parents went to Boise sometimes. They’d driven here to see concerts and to shop, but they’d never brought him.

  He only needed to find someone that would let him use their phone. He walked up to the nearest stranger, a man in a suit that appeared to be texting.

  “Excuse me,” he said, “But I need to call my parents. Can you help me?”

  “I’m busy, kid,” he said, turning his back on him.

  The next two people he approached responded much the same, though the last didn’t even bother to acknowledge him as he passed by. They don’t see a person, he realized, they only see someone’s discarded toy, and one that no longer held any value.

  A bright red station wagon pulled up next to him, and for a moment he felt hope. The little girl he had saved in the park sat in the passenger seat, gesturing wildly at him. Her mom, a young woman with her hair pinned up, quickly got out of the vehicle and came up to him.

  Were they here to thank him for saving the girl’s life? He wouldn’t ask for a reward, only a ride home. It would be the least they could do for him.

  “You attacked my daughter?” the woman shrieked, “Do you realize that you could’ve damaged her? Do you know how much I paid for her?”

  “What? No! I didn’t…”

  The woman grabbed him by his left shoulder, his injured arm, and shook him. He cried out from the pain but couldn’t pull away. She continued screaming. “How dare you attack my little girl! Where are your owners?”

  “They’re not here,” he said, “I didn’t hurt her.”

  “You’re lucky you didn’t or I’d break you myself. Stay right there. I’m calling the police.”

  With her free hand, the woman pulled her cell phone from her purse and dialed 911. He looked at the girl for help but she only shot back a look of spite. She could tell her mom that he’d saved her. Everything would be okay. He took a step toward her but the mother cut him off. “I said don’t move. Hello? Yes, I’d like to report a dangerous child… yes, it attacked my daughter… at the Julia Davis Park… yes I’ve got him right here.”

  With a quick jerk he pulled out of her grip. The park was huge, there had to have places to hide. He turned and ran toward the river. Trees grew thick along the water. It briefly reminded him of the mountains again. An asphalt trail ran alongside it and he quickly turned down the path. He could hear the woman screaming at him, but everyone ignored her too. Adults walked and rode bikes on the trail, some walked dogs. He didn’t see any kids anywhere. He ran as long as he could, desperately trying to ignore the pain of his arm. Once he was sure he’d gotten far enough away, he found a bench hidden in the shade of trees, facing the river. He could hear the traffic of the city but he couldn’t see them, and better, they couldn’t see him.

  Josh sat there, the events of the morning sinking in. He pulled his knees up to his chin and cried. He didn’t know how long he sat there, eventually the tears ran out, but he didn’t leave. He didn’t know where to go or what to do. He watched the ducks swim back and forth across the river, feeling once more utterly alone.

  “Excuse me,” a man said from behind him, “Are you lost?”

  Josh looked up at him with red eyes. The man had a friendly smile, though he seemed a bit twitchy. “Yes, I want to go home. I think my arm’s broken.”

  “Well come with me. I’ll take care of you. Are you hungry? Do you like candy? I’ve got lots of it at my house.”

  Josh nodded. The man wasn’t parked too far away.

  5

  James rubbed his eyes. Police had taped off half of the building and were questioning everyone. This wasn’t the type of thing Kidsmith needed. The three androids that had come in yesterday were missing, and worse, it looked like the adult android had killed Gus. He’d worked with Gus for years. He even saw him most nights on his way out.

  A security camera had recorded all three leaving Kidsmith last night, and the adult wearing Gus’s bloody uniform. Worse, upper management was going to have his ass after the police left. He’d left his office unlocked. His keys were dumped out in front of the kid rooms. He’d be lucky to still have a job after the day was through.

  They were interviewing others now. He’d moved to an empty office on the second floor while they continued with the investigation. He dropped his head into his hands with a groan.

  “What are you doing hiding up here?” He looked up as Tamara entered the office. He must’ve really been feeling sorry for himself to not hear her heels on the tiles. You could hear her coming anywhere in the building. They sounded like a hammer rhythmically hitting a board. Whack whack whack whack whack.

  “Your surprise is going to get me fired.”

  She grabbed a chair by the wall and sat down, legs crossed. She had very nice legs. He realized he was staring and forced himself to meet her eyes.

  “You look a little beat yourself,” he said, “How are you feeling?”

  “Not so well,” she said, following the words with a heavy sigh, “I was at the doctor this morning, before I got the call. It looks like my cancer is coming back. I’m starting to think that the cure is a lie.”

  He wanted to chuckle, but he just didn’t feel up to it. “It’s like my wife Shirley always says, there are those that have cancer and those that will eventually. It’s one of life’s inevitabilities. She gets cancer every other year. I think she’s had it everywhere now.”

  “I know the feeling. I’m going to have to waste another week of vacation to get rid of it again.”

  “Did you get your yearly cancer shot?”

  “Of course.”

  “I get mine every year,” he bragged, “Never gotten cancer.”

  “Good for you,” Tamara said, “It runs in my family though. I lost my parents to it before they cured it. I’m just so tired. I don’t want to go to the doctor anymore.”

  James leaned back in his chair. It squeaked every time he moved. He wiggled back and forth a few times to see if it would irritate her. She ignored it.

  “I used to love this,” she went on, “Kids were easy to work with. Now I’m just tired of seeing them. I hate their fake little faces, their fake personalities, trying to act like they’re real.”

  “We give them those personalities,” James said.

  “Of course we do! Because otherwise their just glorified dolls. I sometimes wish that they’d all just go away. I think the world is starting to feel the same way. Sales are at an all-time low this year. There’s even talk about closing down some of the overseas facilities. That’s how bad it’s getting.”

  “I wouldn’t trade my little girl,” James said, “She’s so much fun. She’s the best one I’ve ever owned.”

  “Maybe they’re okay for some people. I just don’t need them in my life. They take up enough of my time as it is.”

  “Have you heard what they’re going to do about the runaways?” he asked, changing the subject back.

  “Yes,” she said, “I’m heading out after lunch. I’ve got to bring them back. Corporate is releasing a statement this afternoon. I’ve had three threatening phone calls from Gabe this morning telling me why my job depends on finding them.”

  “What about the other? The adult?”

  “We’re Kidsmith. We don’t deal with adults. Officially, we never even found it. It’s someone else’s problem, maybe the police’s, I don’t know.”

  James let out a sigh of relief. He just might get to keep his job after all. “Can you track them?”

  “Just one. We have his Registration Number. If they stayed together I can get them both. I imagine they will, if the kid doesn’t break down right away. Either way I’ll have something to show. Dead or alive, right?”

  “What about the other one?”

  “Somebody has jailbroken his operating system.
He doesn’t receive any firmware updates, and therefore I can’t ping his location.”

  James took a sip of his coffee and smacked his lips. He’d poured it two hours ago and had hardly touched it. He pushed it away. “We haven’t seen much of that in a while, have we?”

  “No, thank God. Who knows what all people would do with them?”

  6

  Josh tried not to look too much at the man. He reached out and patted Josh on the leg, like he was trying to comfort him or something. He had sweaty hands. He’d introduced himself as Norman.

  “I like to go for walks on the Greenbelt,” Norm explained as he drove, “It’s peaceful down there. I almost forget where I am, that I even live in the city. I used to see kids down there all the time, skating, riding their bikes, but not so much anymore. Where you from?”

  “Twin Falls,” Josh said.

  “You’re a long way from home. I used to have cousins that lived there. Not sure where they are now. I think they moved to Arizona or something, they were always complaining about the winters. I don’t stay in touch much anymore. What happened to your arm?”

  “I got in a fight.”

  “Some people like to hurt kids. There’s a lot of bad people out there, Josh. You got to know who you can trust. Take me, for instance. I love kids. You can trust me. You’re lucky that I came along. You’re safe with me.”

  “I’m glad. Can I call my parents yet?”

  The man shook his head. “Not yet, I want to make sure you’re someplace safe first. When you’re home. When you’re at my home, that is. I bet they’re terribly worried about you. I know I’d be.”

  Norman drove along for about twenty minutes before they arrived at his house. It was a small, modest place, and he took an obvious pride in its appearance. “Well here we are, home sweet home. Let’s get you some food, shall we?”

  “Then can I call my parents?”

  “Soon. Very soon.”

  He led him in. Josh sat down in the living room and Norman turned on some cartoons before excusing himself to the kitchen to make peanut butter sandwiches for the both of them. The cartoon was of a mouse torturing a cat in one creative way after another. Norman returned with two plates, and set Josh’s on the end table. “I cut the crust off of yours. I don’t meet many kids that like the crust. Hope you don’t mind.”

  “No, that’s good,” Josh said. He eyed the sandwich warily. It looked good, but his skin crawled every time Norman looked at him.

  “I’ve had many kids stay with me over the years. We’ve had a lot of fun. I get so lonely when they’re gone. I’ve never found grown-ups to be as good as company as kids.”

  “It’s a long drive for my parents,” Josh said, “I’d like to call them now.”

  Norman ignored him. “I’m afraid I’ve got to leave you for a bit. I only have an hour for lunch. I’d call in if I still had the sick days. I’m sorry about that. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

  “Please, can I use your phone?”

  “You’ll need to play in the basement. I can’t have you breaking things while I’m gone. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but I had a kid break things once. I don’t normally lose my temper with children, unless they break my stuff.”

  “I don’t want to go in the basement. I’ll be good, I promise not to break anything. Can I call home yet?”

  “Stop asking for the damn phone!” Norman suddenly screamed, spit flying from his lips. “I told you later, so stop pestering me! If I get in trouble at work because you made me late I’ll smash your little brat brains in. Get in the basement now before I do something we’re both going to regret.”

  7

  Tamara pulled her black sedan up in front of Norman Finkle’s house. She kept the windows down and longed for a breeze. The vehicle stunk something terrible from the adult android. The smell, once isolated to the trunk, had seeped into the cab. She would have to air it out by leaving the windows down for a week. She wished she would’ve taken her own vehicle, but the company wouldn’t spring for the gas. Her records showed that he’d been a repeat customer with Kidsmith, and had purchased three kids over the last fifteen years. None of them had been returned to the company. That wasn’t in itself unusual, but they liked to track repair work too. Maybe Norman was jailbreaking androids.

  She watched the house for a few minutes, and checked her phone for messages. There was one from her boyfriend, Tom, and one from her doctor’s office trying to reschedule. She ignored the doctor’s call and listened to Tom’s. She considered him to be her boyfriend, regardless of whether the feeling was mutual. He was a paramedic. After her divorce almost six years ago, she’d avoided anything that could develop into a relationship. Not that she wanted this to develop into anything, heaven forbid she get married again, she would never make that mistake a fourth time. But it would be nice to have someone around again.

  He’d been dating Pam, one of her long-time girlfriends. But Pam had taken a job in Salt Lake City, and Tom had stayed behind. The two had always enjoyed each other’s company, and things just naturally happened on their own. She’d never told Pam that they were sleeping together, but she hadn’t talked to Pam for a few months now anyway.

  The message was sweet, Tom wishing her a good day, and a promise of a night out. He had a way of knowing what she needed. That was the kind of thing that eventually went away with all of her previous marriages.

  Would Tom go with her to Boston?

  She had a sudden fear of showing up to her date smelling like the car. The house didn’t have a garage, and there weren’t any cars outside. His profile showed that he’d been at the same job for twenty years, at a local investment firm, and that he was single. She pulled her tablet out of her briefcase and pinged the boy’s location again. Yes, he was definitely in the house.

  She got out and took a deep breath of fresh air, put on her business face, and approached the house. She didn’t have any real authority, but if this man had the kids she could call the police. Most people were cooperative, but she dealt with all types. She rang the doorbell and waited, but as expected, nobody answered. Things like this ruined her day. She’d have to wait for hours until Mr. Finkle came back from work, and that meant being stuck in that smelly car. She thought about getting some other work done, but thought better of it. Her bosses were wound up over Gus’s death. It didn’t bother her so much, she’d hardly known him.

  She walked slowly back to her car, hating how cruel life could be. If Mr. Finkle didn’t return at a reasonable time she’d end up missing her date with Tom.

  She sat behind the steering wheel, looking up and down the street. She blamed the kid for this, being stuck in a hot car in the middle of September with the constant stench of rot. If she didn’t know better she’d almost think it was still in the car with her. How the Hell had the boy escaped? He seemed hardly functional, nearly shutting down from whatever abuse he’d suffered.

  “When I find that kid I’m going to shut him down myself,” she muttered aloud.

  Seriously, her stomach rolled from the stench. The windows didn’t seem to make much difference. She glanced in the rearview mirror to check her make-up. As she adjusted the mirror, a reflection of something behind her caught her eye. Dark eyes in a corpse-like face stared back at her, its mouth frozen in a rictus grin, teeth filthy with dried blood.

  She managed a brief scream before the thing lunged forward, hands grabbing her neck and choking off breath. She dug her fingers between her skin and his hands, fighting to break its hold. How could the thing be so strong? It was unreal! Futilely she struggled, but it yanked her back hard against the seat. She couldn’t pull her eyes from the thing’s, the frozen expression of its face gave it the appearance of morbid glee, and its fingers tightened a little more.

  Its breath and deathly rasp came loud next to her ear, as it pulled her head back toward its own. She felt the blood fight to pump to her head, pounding in her temples. She couldn’t seem to keep her tongue in her mouth.

  W
ith one more powerful yank, it dragged her over the seat by her neck. She struggled, but it held her easily with one hand as it reached down on the floor with the other. It returned with her hammer. It raised it over her face as it sniffed the tool. Terror swept over her as she realized that it had no intention of choking her. Fate was cruel, she remained conscious for what felt like an eternity as the thing left her unrecognizable.

  8

  The basement was unfinished. Aside from a few dusty cardboard boxes, a single bed, a folding chair, furnace, and a water heater, it was empty. Josh wandered through the room trying to find something he’d missed, maybe a window he could crawl through. Nothing broke the completeness of the concrete foundation there were no windows to provide any hope.

  The promise of home seemed as far away as ever. Despite Norman’s promises, Josh had the sinking feeling that he didn’t plan on helping him, and that he didn’t want to be here when the man returned. He tried the door several times that first hour, in hopes of it magically unlocking itself, but eventually gave up.

  His arm throbbed horribly. It hurt from his fingertips clear up into his back. It had grown worse, and he couldn’t move it at all. It hung limply at his side.

  A single bulb lit the room, providing plenty of light in the middle, but left the rest of the room in deep shadows. Thick cobwebs plastered the walls and ceiling, and the few spiders he saw were large enough to encourage him to give them plenty of space.

  The day passed slowly by, and though he grew tired, he didn’t dare rest. He needed to be awake and alert. When he heard a door open upstairs, the hair on the back of his neck rose. He quickly made another loop around the basement, but there was nothing more to discover. There wasn’t even anything he could use as a weapon. Tears welled up in his eyes. He had no place left to run.