Machete Girl Issue 8.4 Cyberpunk Short Stories

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laying around everywhere. Couldn’t
find a single piece of luggage in my
“Come on Jack, this is natural!”
initial ten-second search, so I grabbed
Unfreakinbelievable. I dropped
a trash bag and just started hauling his
the bag and bolted straight for the
someone else. Are they ever dying?
clothes in. Eddie just stood and stared
door, back to my car. They got Eddie
How can they be killed? Five after 48
at me, picking at his ear, and I peered
too? And the males were even trying
hours? At least five. Maybe more. If
up at him. “You coming with?”
to take other males? I guess that isn’t
each of those birthed another over
that weird. But Eddie?! Eddie has never
the next day, there would be ten, then
“Oh! Uh, well... You know,
shown any sign of being gay, so this
twenty the next day. And that’s if they
Jack, there’s something I should tell
was definitely not natural.
only birth one each. Maybe they get
you.”
many in a day. Who knows? How many
I hopped in my car and drove
are there?
My arms dropped. “Now?!”
off, no place in mind. Then I recalled,
an old friend lived out in the country
I stopped to get my neighbor,
He shrugged and stepped
about five hours east of here. Maybe
Eddie. He never watched the news. I
toward me, gesturing with his hand.
I could crash there. Had the infection
knocked on his door and he answered,
spread over there yet? I decided to give
hair all ratted up around his bald spot
“Well you know... Jack...” He kept
her a call.
like bozo the clown, standing in prob-
stepping closer, speaking in a sort of
ably weeks-old tighty whities and a
sympathetic tone. Was he finally going
“Leslie? It’s Jack, from St.
wife beater.
to apologize for all the times he locked
Xavier? Remember, the theoretical
himself out and had to crash on my
physics FAQ guy?”
“Hey man, I’m headed out of
couch? Even for three days that one
town. Have you seen the news? Heard
time...
“Jack with the painted beard?”
about the spawns?”
“Eddie, whatever it is, you can
That’s right, she did always say that
tell me later. Now, we gotta go.”
about my beard - how it seemed to
“The what?”
have formed its own outline, even after
“I know, but...” He waved his
I shaved it.
“Yeah, didn’t think so. You
hand through the air as to try and get it
should come with me.” I stepped for-
out.
“Yep, that’s right.”
ward partially as to enter and help him
“Everything’s cool, dude. Don’t
pack a bag, displaying the urgency of
worry about it. Just help me put your
“Ho… ly…. Wow, seriously?
the matter.
stuff together.”
How are you?”
“Wait, what’s going on?” He
He took a deep breath and
“Been better. Not sure if
scratched his head and turned aside,
placed his hand on my shoulder. Defi-
you’ve paid any attention to what’s go-
allowing me into his apartment.
nitely weird now. “Jack, you know, I...”
ing on over here in the city.”
He wiggled his fingers around as to try
“Spawns. People are having robot
and caress my arm.
“You mean the spawns?”
babies. They turn people into robots or
aliens or something that produce more
“Dude!” I yelped with a serious
“Yeah, so you did hear?”
robot babies. And they’re turning up all
tone and jolted back.
over the place.”
“Well I didn’t think it was real,
MACHETE GIRL ISSUE 8.4
“Hmph.” Eddie didn’t seem too
concerned, he never seemed worried
about anything. I saw him go to work
in the mornings, but the remainder of
his existence consisted of porn and
delivery pizza.
I scurried around to find a suitcase in
“Just, you know we’ve always
been real close,” he said.
I flung his hand off my shoulder
and he looked up at me. Straight
into my eyes. Really deep, like the
woman at the restaurant.
“What?! You’ve gotta be kid-
is it?”
“Yeah!” I nodded aggressively,
even though she couldn’t see me.
“Yeah they are, totally a real thing, I’ve
encountered a few already myself.”
“Are you serious? What are
they?”
“I don’t even know. Creepy,
his wreck of a home, garbage
ding me!”
and it’s hard to distinguish them from