A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter however it might be a little shorter then others! I'm going to try to experiment how Kara and Alice's route would change with you and Ralph included. Again, if there are any ideas you have or anything you would like to be included, don't be afraid to ask! As always, enjoy ~

chapter 3: something

You approached Ralph like one would approach a wild animal. "Hey dude, just like, ya know, don't do that", you sighed clasping his hands with yours and pulling away the knife, "You might hurt yourself...".

You let out a breath, hand now gripping his wrist. "Come on, lets get you out of here", you pulled him a bit but he stayed still.

"Why did (Y/N) stop Ralph?", he said, his voice radiating agitation. "Ralph has to do this!", he spoke, louder this time, almost a yell.

Your eyebrow twitched with a greater emotion. "Because it's loud and and I'm trying to sleep, and all your screaming is gonna wake up Alice", you spat. Sighing, you pulled Ralph back into the next room.

You sat against the wall parallel to the fireplace, pulling him down to sit beside you. You found your eyes gravitating back towards the flame. He was quiet.

"Hey um.. I'm sorry, Ralph..", you apologized, yet Ralph still refused to look at you. "Friends don't scream at friends like that. Anyways, you said you didn't know what you were doing?"

Ralph, opened his mouth and closed it a few time, perhaps trying to find the words, but nonetheless you were happy you decided to speak.

"Ralph doesn't know... the words come to him and tell him to write them, to show everyone", he wrapped his arms around himself, "The words tell him he will be free... every android will be free."

Was rA9 some kind of virus? Even the wall said 'I am alive', and in all honesty, Ralph seemed unquestionably more alive then any other android you've met. Even Kara had something to her you couldn't explain.

"Do you like music?", you had said after several minutes of silence. He turned to look a you, a hazel eye searching your face. You could nearly hear a small mechanical whirring coming from him.

"Music?", he replied, an eyebrow raised. "Yeah", you stuck your hand in your coat pocket, pulling out an old iPod. You had gotten the busted thing in 2022, your 11th birthday. Years later you're 24, and you've kept it ever since, refusing to throw it away despite the long and plentiful cracks across the screen.

"Have you ever listened to the Beatles?", you asked stupidly, to which he replied. "Ralph has never listened to any music.".

You let out a fake gasp accompanied by a couple laughs, shaking his shoulder. "You're totally missing out dude! These guys were extremely popular, like, a gazillion years ago! Here, listen!". You tapped your fingers across the old iPod's screen searching for the music app. Quickly pressing a random song, it started to play:

" Something in the way she moves

Attracts me like no other lover

Something in the way she woos me

I don't want to leave her now

You know I believe and how

Somewhere in her smile she knows

That I don't need no other lover

Something in her style that shows me... "

The song soon drifted to background noise as a sudden tiredness took over you.

"I've always like this song.. I've always thought it was so unique, or something like that", you spoke with a yawn. Pulling your knees to your chest you quickly dozed off.

"Ralph likes this song, too".

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The sun's rays filtered through the boarded window, hitting you in the face. Shifting uncomfortably, you opened your eyes and squinted at the uncomfortable light.

"What the shit...", you mumbled getting off up the floor. Your back hurt like hell, but now that you think about it, you probably shouldn't have slept against the wall like that.

Unsurprisingly, Ralph was gone and Alice was still asleep on the floor. The iPod sat dead on the floor. Huh. You must have forgot to turn it off.

Hearing steps come from the rickety stakes, you turned to face Kara. "Nice outfit!", you teased the android, "Looks like you found it in an abandoned house!". She hummed looking past you. Alice then walked over a small, a tired look on her face as she rubbed her eyes.

"Looks like someone's up!", you said, ruffling her hair, however Alice looked rather distance. Something really horrible must have happened to them to ignore your A+ humor.

"(Y/N) there's something very important I must tell you...", Kara said urgently, her worried gaze meeting your eyes. "There are people outside. I think it's time we leave.. I think maybe you should come with us..".

You were about to answer her when steps echoed in the room behind you. Turning to face them, you saw Ralph enter. There was something dangling in his hand.

"Ralph caught something for the little girl and the older human!", he cheered, lifting a bloody opossum in the air. "It's good for them... a present to make up for past misunderstandings!", he paused with a small giggle, "Ralph'll cook...".

"Ralph I don't think... we- we have to go..", you started but were soon cut off by him. "Go? Haha! No, you will leave once the humans have eaten! We will be together just like a family, you know...", he started at you, then Kara, then Alice as if he was trying to place your roles in a family. His gazed lingered on you a bit longer, however. You assumed because you were human. You were different, and others of your kind were mega assholes.

"We will do just like humans do... humans like burnt meat".

"Ralph we don't have tim-", Kara also tried to speak but she, too, was cut off by Ralph.

You could almost feel the rage radiating off of Ralph. "Ralph went through a lot of trouble to find something for the humans to eat... it wouldn't be polite for them to refuse....", he said in a testing way.

You turned to Kara and Alice, giving them a silent "trust me". You cautiously pulled up a chair and sat down, and the two followed.

Ralph smiled, letting out a happy giggle and throwing the opossum into the fireplace and tried his way of cooking it. "Succulent you'll see... succulent... succulent...".

Alice looked between you and Kara, a horrified look on her face. "I don't want to eat that!", she said, barely above a whisper. Ralph turned from the fire with a disbelieving look on his face, "What... did she say?". Kara looked at you with an urgent expression.

"They said they don't want to eat that!", Kara yelled at the broken android. Ralph ripped the charred animal from the flames and slammed it on the table. Dear god, you had to find a way out of this, and soon.

Ralph started rambling on some more but your attention was on the window. Getting up you stomped loudly looking out of it.

"Ralph! The bad humans are here! If we don't leave now something bad will happen to us.", you yelled at him, his shocked and angry expression turning to fear as he raised his hands to his head in panic.

"Anybody home?", a voice said as they knocked on the door. You looked at Kara and Alice and then back at Ralph, and then back at them again.

"Hey, Ralph, it's ok.. come on", you grabbed his wrist and turned back to the duo. "I can't just leave him here.. he was just trying to help.", Kara looked at Alice for a second, then nodded. The four of you ran out of the back door just as the doorknob wiggled.