Callidus Rising | Complete ✔️ | Book 1

7: Overheated

After I finally finish my fit of laughter, Lukas informs me that we had gone off route when escaping death by a Victim-asphalt sandwich.

We are around 15 minutes walking distance from the safe route, and there are no short cuts unless I want to encounter more starving Victims, so I start walking in the opposite direction that I had run.

The buildings around us here seem particularly... Skeptical.

I narrow my eyes and glare deep into each of the gaping dark shadows as I move by.

Lukas scans everything from then on, but that doesn't stop me from inspecting myself.

Despite the bright smoldering rays that surround me, the swirling darkness of the collapsed shells of a once-great civilization reach out to grab me.

Suddenly, I understand why we need to get back before dark. Because in the dark, you aren't covered on all sides like you are in the day.

Right now, the sun is creating a vivid painting around me, and anything that came out of the shadows would be exposed; visible and unable to vanish.

Just like the Victim had been. As soon as he came out of whatever hole he crawled out of, he became exposed and vulnerable despite his superhuman qualities.

We have been walking for a little while now and I did not realize that Lukas had begun to speak as I was daydreaming: "...that pace, we'd have reached the store in a mere 3 hours! But noooo, because walking is easier. Physical exertion won't kill you, at least not for a little while... You decided not to take any water, and that's just- " Lukas drones.

Should've kept zoning out. It's just on about something that doesn't even matter.

"Well, it's a good thing you didn't because how would you have known that you need to turn here?"

If Lukas could physically smile I bet it would be doing it right now. I roll my eyes.

Perspiration slowly rolls from my hairline to the point of my nose, and finally falls onto the road where it sizzles.

As I turn the corner, a burning sensation scrapes at the back of my dry throat, and I immediately feel week-kneed.

A sudden pain shocks my stomach and I stumble a bit until my shoulder hits the wall of the nearest building and I place my head against it.

I just focus on breathing and the soothing zzzzzzzzzzz of my mask as it filters my air.

My suit's lights turn red and a small beep emanates from it.

Lukas is already scanning me to see if anything is wrong.

"The suit is messing with my scanners. It's magnetic properties are making it difficult. Not to mention how hot it is in there. We need to get you out of the suit or you need to cool down, very soon," it informs me.

He sounds very concerned.

"Yeah," it said as it heard my thought,"we really need to get you cooled down."

I chuckle a little bit, but my throat isn't having it. My laugh soon turns into a short coughing spell.

"I guess I was right about that water. Surprise, surprise!"

I shake my head and lean against the building behind me.

Why is Lukas always right?

"Hey, Suit, tell me what's wrong," I rasp. The cramps are getting worse and the back of my tongue feels like someone just wiped it with sandpaper and then dried it with a cotton swab.

When it doesn't respond I hit a fist on the building.

I close my eyes as a wave of nausea makes me hunch forward a little bit.

Lukas whirrs closer and scans me again.

"The suit. It's overheated. It's temperature systems are failing. And so are yours," it says.

Taking this off will make me vulnerable to the
outside contamination.

"Yeah, but what's more likely to happen is your heat exhaustion turning into heat stroke, and then there won't be anything that I'll be able to do."

What? Heat Stroke? That's ancient. No one gets tha-

"They do if the suit they're wearing has a broken cooling system and built in insulation and, by scans of your book bag, they have brought no water along with them on a 4 hour trip because it would use the small amount of the purified that they have left.

"Now, take the torso portion of the suit off. I've got a plan, I promise," Lukas orders.

My eyes widen at his little outburst.

I nod in defeat. This is too painful to argue anymore.

I reach out my arms out in front of me, shaking all the while. I grab the fabric that clothes my burning hot fingers and pull at it.

I continue to pry at it until the entire sleeve of armor starts to spilt in half.

Slowly, it folds the gauntlets and the metal together as it crawls back up my shoulder and sinks under the open panel just over my shoulder blade. I do the same with the other sleeve until I am weakly standing in just my black long-sleeve and the original heavy-weight tank-top.

I am clutching my side and dreading what was probably getting all over me.

Lukas turns and begins to buzz away from me and I stare after it incredulously.

"You-you must be CRAZY," I yell meekly. I grit my teeth in anger and worry.

Did the heat do something to its motherboard or what? Lukas is supposed to protect me! Not leave me to die of some age old thing called "heat stroke".

~~~~~~~~~~

Hey! Sorry, I know it was kinda boring and a little bit mean to leave a little cliffhanger like that. I'll do better next time! Don't worry, the update will be really soon. This one was super long! Oh! And we're up to 44 reads! Keep it upppppp! Comment and vote :)
'Til then, thanks for reading!!
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