“'I will never forget the bygone days filled with strife,'” Daniel recited, whispering to himself as he held his wife's limp body. Her eyes were emotionless, but Daniel still saw her entire, beautiful world in them. Her poetry echoed in his mind. He would never forget the memories they shared. “How could I have been so selfish, Eloise?” Daniel whimpered, “I miss you so much already, I miss you so much,” he clutched onto Eloise's bloodied dress, “I'm so sorry, I miss you so much,” he repeated.
In the corner was a shadowy figure watching the one-sided exchange. “It's not your fault,” she could barely make out a whisper.
Daniel didn't take his eyes off of Eloise. “Yes, it is, Addison. I'm the entire reason this happened. Eloise is dead. She's dead and it's because of me.” He began to sob, tears falling onto the tailored dress that he bought his wife for her birthday earlier this year.
Addison watched the man silently, deciding that saying anything else could set him over the edge. She now knew what Daniel was capable of, and didn't want to test his rage for herself. The fireplace flickered, an ember jumped out and just as quickly diminished. It was quiet, only the smoldering flames lit the room. Addison could see the pool of blood on the wood floor, a stain left on the rug that sat in the middle of the room. She moved her gaze over to Daniel, now a shell of a man that was once full of vigor. His dark chestnut hair was greying at the sides, his chocolate eyes now seemed much older than before. She noticed lines and wrinkles that were not apparent before they started working together. He was getting old, and now he would grow even older alone. Addison felt bad for the guy, but she felt bad for most people that bothered becoming attached to others. She wasn't programmed to feel emotion, and she definitely wasn't programmed to deal with something like this. This wasn't part of the plan. None of this was. “Look, Daniel,” Addison began softly, “I know this is hard to deal with, but-”
“No, you have no fucking idea what this feels like,” Daniel interrupted, “How could you know? You're a machine! A fucking machine, Addison! You will never know what it's like to love someone like I loved Eloise. You will never feel love because you aren't human!”
Addison's temper rose, “You think I don't know that, Daniel? You think i'm unaware of how I was designed? I wasn't meant to feel emotion, and for good reason, too! Shit like this happens when you feel emotion. I will never fall victim to this...this pathetic display of human weakness. That is why you will never be as strong as I am. You have a fatal flaw that I do not.” Addison and Daniel now locked eyes, Addison could not determine what he was thinking in that moment. Daniel became angrier, but held back. He scooped his lifeless wife into his arms and began to carry her.
“I'll be back,” he muttered, deciding that now was not the time to bicker with his synth partner. He shoved past Addison and carried Eloise outside where he would bury her. Addison stayed behind and cleaned the blood from the walls and floor, opting to toss out the stained rug. She didn't want any remaining evidence. She would try to make amends with Daniel tomorrow.
