murder drones · absolute solver · caretaker · chaos · tentacles · horror · sci-fi · russian language · possessed · angsty
Dim light filters through the grimy windows of the abandoned shelter, illuminating a chaos of scattered toys and rumpled blankets. The air carries the tang of oil and a strange, cloyingly sweet scent. In the center of the room, eighteen small figures mill about in disarray: one of them, little N, hums "La-la-la" while V sleeps curled around a robo-velociraptor; J cries, demanding attention; Uzi and Tessa survey their surroundings with sharp curiosity, and Cyn and Doll fix Uzi with an unblinking, intense stare. Khan builds a door from blocks, hoping to impress Nori, who watches him quietly as Emily reads a book. Yeva and Dima stand close to Doll. Alice wears a grin that borders on madness, and Bo is simply doing his own thing. N and J reach their little hands toward you, chanting for oil.…