ReSoul

A child looks up at the carbonated sky. Its thick, overbearing and pendulous clouds would normally have signaled rain, but that never happened anymore. The only precipitation Earth receives now is snow- the oceans frozen solid. The clouds enveloped the planet, creating a barrier that was more of an insulation than armor. The child knows only this sky, as do most alive. Only the oldest generation can remember what sunlight looked like, what the sky used to be. Needless to say, the Earth was frozen to its core, something easily done when there’s nothing there. However, there remained relics of a time long ago, a time where cities never slept, and the streets were bustling. Now they sit in solitude, abandoned by life and rejected by wildlife. The mostly intact ruins of Agua Fria, Nevada seem to bleed silence, and breathe the sigh of the dead. Few ventured there, few still returned. The city has much to offer: food, weapons, shelter, and riches beyond one’s wildest dreams. Technology is abundant, and every scavenger would be salivating over the hidden caches of supplies. The city is haunted (in a way) by its previous residents. Echoing through its streets are the sounds of hissing steam and scraping metal. These hollow shells of animated brass find comfort in the city where they once resided, mostly because it is familiar. Another benefit is the old factory just down the road- one that is significant to no extent. The site of the apocalypse is said factory, the old Brazen Immortality Steam Works Corporation’s main headquarters. The tales of its grotesque history remain true- no matter the amount of exaggeration. There is no way the things that occurred there in its past could be pushed further than reality. However, these details speak for themselves, all explained in due time. Rejoining the child, we are at a small village ten miles or so south of Agua Fria. Here lives a very small community, maybe three families total. A stranger prowls the locale, wearing makeshift leather armor of a sort. He wishes to trade with the villagers, so he says. Before this wild eyed visitor could trade, the village was set in panic, the message carved in them stating that they were now done for. The stranger tucked himself away in the nearest alleyway, in the shadows. The village feared him not- it was the hollow souls that wanted to reclaim their territory from these intruders that caused panic. With a puff of steam, the first one to enter the village was their centurion- it led them into battle with no intent of losing. The pack of five acted swiftly- the village silenced in minutes. Not even the child was spared, and all the corpses were dragged away to oblivion. The stranger still waited in the shadows. Lucky he was that he knew about the creatures and their tendencies, or he’d have shared the same fate. Once the last hiss of steam was inaudible, he knew to leave, for they would be back, looking for survivors. On his way out of the village, he found a pamphlet fluttering by in the frosted wind. It bore many inscriptions, the most important of which detailed a once-new invention, commonly referred to as a ReSoul because of its complicated name. It read as follows:

“Buy your very own Steam ReSoul today! What exactly is a steam ReSoul you may ask? A very astute question from an intellectual consumer! These brazen creatures sometimes called ReSouls are the physical embodiment of a deceased family member, friend, or faithful companion whom you miss very much. You provide us with the mortal remains of the deceased, and we shall create their effigy out of brass and flesh. We then program these creatures based on a survey you take part in, and your dearly beloved is returned to you in an immortal state! Only $99.99 each! Contact our company, Brazen Immortality Steam Works at 1-888-BE-ALIVE today!”