No one met me at the door. I’d been on these late night calls before and even though time don’t matter to a busted bot like it does for a dying human, usually a human would be waiting to usher me in, rushing over with flapping hands, “She just… it just stopped… hurry, quick.”

“Dr. Green,” I called out. “Dr. Green, you called about a mechanic.” Nothing but echo. Humans sure did like their empty rooms.

I shut the door behind me and made my way upstairs where I thought I’d find a bedroom. The staircase was wide and wound around so that I’d spun around a full circle when I reached the top. The upstairs hallway had six doors, only one of them ajar.

“Dr. Green?” That open door had the flicker of firelight behind it. “Dr. Green, I am the mechanic you called and I am coming in.” I pushed open the door.

An old man sat, legs crossed, in a wingback chair.

“Dr. Green? Where’s your wife?”

“I don’t have a wife Trey. What I have is a proposition for you.”

Aww damn.