"Jude… Jude… Jude," Rune kept calling his name.
Jude stirred as he turned to the other side, trying to ignore Rune, who had been attempting to wake him up. He rarely ever had good sleep, and now Rune seemed determined to take even that away from him. He sighed, turning his face to the side. Was it because he had eaten that pizza? For once in a long time, he finally felt full while sleeping—unlike the usual nights when he woke up at midnight, hungry, unable to sleep, which left him angry and annoyed.
But this was different. He had eaten, and even though it was midnight, or maybe early morning—he finally felt like he was having a restful sleep. Why was this robot disturbing him now of all times?
At first, he had tried to ignore the constant calling of his name and the pushing of his shoulders, but it seemed Rune was not going to give up at all.
"What… what?" Jude finally spoke, opening his eyes. The veins on his neck were already popping out, barely contained. Rune held back his laughter.
"Remember, we have training to do. Get up now," he said as he waited for Jude to stand. Jude immediately regretted yesterday's words. He hadn't thought Rune would take them seriously. Even though he had meant what he said, he hadn't realized it would take this much strength just to get up.
"Bro, forget it. I made a lot of mistakes yesterday and said a lot of things. Today is my time to make it right," he said, closing his eyes again to continue his sweet sleep. He wasn't sure if it would be as sweet as before, but he hoped it might.
Rune stayed silent. He knew Jude's words were just attempts to convince him.
"Very well then" Rune finally said as he walked to his seat and turned on his laptop. He typed in the password, opened his writing app, and posted two chapters he had saved before shutting it down.
Meanwhile, Jude was glad the annoying robot had left. Thankfully, his pitiful and
Motivational words had worked on him—or so he thought. But then, a sharp, chilling wind slapped his skin, and his body shivered in shock.
He sat up, teeth rattling, caught off-guard by the suddenness of it all.
"Bro, the fuck?" he raised a brow, his voice annoyed. "Why are you opening the door?"
Rune shrugged, a wide smile on his face.
"I realized I made a lot of mistakes in the past by not asking you if I should put the door. Since you've always been living doorless, I could simply make things right today."
It was then Jude realized Rune was about to rip out the door.
"Don't you dare," he snapped, standing up from the bed. He couldn't believe this robot was using his own words against him.
"Fine, I'll come, just leave the door," he mutteredas he could not believe this robot strategy. The robot gently shut it. Only then did Jude notice Rune actually looked human, thanks to the hood and pants he was wearing. But why was he wearing them?
"How did you get those?" Jude asked. He had planned to buy them today.
"There's a word called 'online sale.' That's what I did. I bought it and paid extra for quick delivery."
Jude raised an eyebrow.
"And who did you tell before you ordered?" he asked, giving Rune a pointed look.
"Who else would I have told? You were sleeping like a dead goat, enjoying the time of your life. And now you're asking me this? You, who couldn't wake up when I called you earlier?" Rune deadpanned.
"Bro, dead goat? Is that what you take me for?" he asked, surprised at the insult.
"You two look alike," Rune said casually.
Jude could not believe what he'd just heard from the robot.
"Let me give you a tip of the iceberg—you don't insult people like that here, unless you want your head used as a ball."
"Nothing will happen, trust me," Rune said, walking to the door. But then he stopped, turning when he noticed Jude following.
"Do you think this is a joke? We're having serious training today, and I am not starting from basics. Basics are for weaklings" He spoke as he eyes jude's cloth.
"There's nothing wrong with my clothes," Jude muttered, glancing at himself.
"Don't be foolish. Check on top of the pavement in the bathroom. You'll see a package bag. I bought clothes similar to mine. Yours is blue, mine is black."
"I know yours is black, you don't have to rub it in my face," Jude clicked his tongue irritated, heading to prepare. He had almost forgotten about the cut mark on his face.
After three minutes, Jude stepped out, his face cold and calm.
"Bro, seriously, why this? Why not get me the black?" His tone was annoyed. The blue he expected was a dark shade, but this one was loud and sharp, reflecting light as if it had been polished.
"You have to be kidding me," Jude muttered again. Thankfully, the sun hadn't risen yet, and by the time it did, they would already be done as he knew if the sun did he would be shining bright like a diamond.
They walked out, the cold air hitting him once more. But thanks to the hood and joggers, it wasn't as bad as before.
"I will be handling the expenses from now on," Rune spoke, giving no room for argument.
"What do you mean?" Jude asked, surprised by the order. "Bro, you just did a small trade and got some gift, and now you're already acting high and mighty. Chill."
Rune showed no expression as he replied,
"This is all the more reason I should handle it. I'll get whatever you want. We have enough—even your dumb brain has no idea how much we actually have."
Jude fell silent, having no words to argue back.
For the first time as they walked, Jude noticed the tall buildings weren't as bright and ethereal as usual. It surprised him deeply. Even though the lights were out, the TVs, billboards, and ads were still working.
The clouds were a dark purple, tinged with the first light of dawn.
"Where are we heading?" Jude asked, wondering if this robot even knew its way around the city.
"To the tree area, the place for jogging," Rune stated simply.
They walked past the high buildings, but something felt odd. Normally, regardless of time, people were always passing by, and at night, the lights were beautiful.
"Rune, what time is it?" Jude asked curiously. Rune turned to him with a raised brow, his hood covering his head, hands tucked nonchalantly in his pocket.
"I don't have a phone. And did you see me with a wristwatch?" Rune replied.
"Are you not a rob… never mind," Jude waved his hand dismissively. Rune looked at him like he wasn't making sense.
Jude guessed it was around six o'clock am. The only lights came from the giant screens on the high-rise buildings and the cars below. The rest of the buildings were dark. It was confusing, seriously.
Just then, all the screen ads changed to breaking news:
"Breaking News
"A tragic incident occurred last evening when one of our greatest scientists, Mr. Brentford, accidentally shattered a future experiment of his. This caused a widespread outage in lights and electrical systems.
We sincerely apologize, but that is not the only tragic news. Unfortunately, there is no immediate remedy, as the experiment was designed for the future. Nations are now coming together, as the issue is not only affecting us but is also spreading across regions.
Although the situation poses no direct harm at the moment, it may have serious consequences for the world. Authorities advise everyone to cooperate, as a strict curfew has been enforced. All residents must remain indoors from 6:00 p.m. to prevent any potential disaster. "
Rune's eyes shifted to the boy still staring at the screen.
"Aron," Jude finally said quietly. Rune raised an eyebrow.
"Aron what?" he asked half-curiously, though he already knew what Jude was talking about.
"The leader of the gang—the one who kicked me yesterday on the face," Jude spoke softly, finally turning to Rune.
"The scientist… is his father."
There was a brief silence.
"Karma is real," Rune said with a slight curl of his lips as they continued walking.
Finally, everything was falling into place.