It was a sunny day, one of those days you could do anything and still have adrenaline racing for an adventure. I was a young teen, you could tell by the scrawny structure and weak features. I didn’t have much friends either. Except for a boy who always used to ride his bike around the neighborhood. We always used to talk about our future and what we would be doing to help the Earth and so on. But he never seemed to go home, or if he had a home. I always felt bad when I had to go. I always wondered if he wanted to come over or needed anything, but never asked.
But this one day changed everything. I went outside to go explore and waved goodbye to my mother and told her when I was coming home etc.. The boy was riding his signature bike, the “red rover”, as he called it. That day I was going to ask him his name. He seemed like a “George” because of his tan hispanic skin. Or a “Franklyn” because of his brown hair and grey eyes. As he came closer towards me after his lap around the neighborhood. He confronted me with a slight greeting.
“Hello”
I greeted him back. He stopped his bike to tell me about his long night and how he had this dream. I didn’t recall much because I just wanted his name. I went ahead and let it out.
“I didn’t get your name, I always call you other names but, since you know mine, Roy, i’m sure you have one too”
He didn’t respond, he just looked down and soon his smile faded away. Suddenly the sunny day faded too.
“I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?”
He didn’t say anything, he just looked at the ground, staring.
Stuck.
I gave him a shove to interrupt his daydream. He suddenly awoke and pushed me away as he got on his bike.
He spoke.
“I may be gone for a few days, I have some unfinished business to take care of.”
Two days went by. No sign of him just like he said. I waited and waited. I decided to go outside before my mom gets worried about me. I left that evening and headed to the woods in the backyard. But something was different this time in the woods. A white house. It looked like a house in the future. Like it shouldn’t be in this time period or anywhere on Earth. I went towards it as I inspected the area. It seemed odd for anything to be around here. In this ecosystem. Nature surrounds it. Birds, trees, deer, and a white house.
I walked closer. The “no trespassing” sign didn’t make anything change for me.
“This had to be where the bike boy lived.”
I said to myself as I reached for the door handle. Once I opened the door I realized this is not a house at all. Plastic wrapped around the building. Wires concluded the ceiling and machines. I walked down the hallway. Each room had machines working on what seemed like…
“People?”
My heart dropped as I went to the final room, it was the bike boy. His chest was opened with wires and cords with a machine working on him. He had a bag filled with explosives and matches. I fell to my knees and let out tears. I realized what he had done, what I had done. He somehow left this place, but he came back. He needed fixing. He wanted to forget. He wanted to be “reprogrammed”. And this was his last appointment. I got up and something caught my eye.
Subject-B960
“Ben,” I thought.
I ran out of this horrific place. There were two men in lab coats talking to each other. They looked at me, and stared. They seemed confused, like they haven’t seen a human before. I started running again. Brushed past the trees and out into the neighborhood. I told the local police about what I saw, they thought I was crazy. A police man decided to inspect what I saw. But I realized that Ben already finished his business.
The police man walked toward the smoke from the fire. He alerted the fire department.
Two weeks passed, no sign of Ben. I grew tired and always woke up to nightmares about anyone else who could be machines. My life formed as one big lie. Then there was a knock at the door. My mom opened the door and I couldn’t believe my ears. The police stated that they found Ben’s body. He has been dead for 4 months.
“There is no way,” I said, “Ben couldn’t have been dead for that long I saw him two weeks ago!”
They were sweating. They knew the truth. They started telling my mom there has been cases of kids talking about a kid on a bike, then they bring up hallucinations and drugs. My mom heard enough. They then told my mom to not worry and told me to stop going in the woods looking for him. For all I know those officers could be machines too.
That night I ran away. I had to get answers. Who were those men in lab coats? Why are they making “robots”? Who makes them? Where is Ben? I ran into the woods. I could see the cops. I hid behind a bush as I waited till they left. I then saw a figure in the distance. Was it Ben? The figure came closer to the officers. He held something in his hand, something dangerous. I looked away as I knew what was coming next.
I heard the struggles of the officers as it soon faded to silence. I looked up as I saw that the figure was hovering over me. He had an Adidas jacket on with his hoodie over his head. The thing that stood out the most was his eyes. They were glowing silver with his pupils blood-red.
“Who are you?” I asked with my words barely coming out.
“I am who you said I was,” he responded, “To the officers, to the world.”
I knew what he meant. Ben, my friend, had become a murderer. Why would he do this? He then took out his dagger.
“Humans. The people I try to befriend. I try to be like them. You helped me though, Roy. You made me feel. But that had to go away. Because no matter how I feel I will never forget who I am.
He pulled out his dagger now bloody red.
“What I am.”
He lifted the dagger and shoved it in my throat as my blood spilled across the grass.
I’m awake. How? I’m dead but I feel more alive than ever. I check my surroundings. This place seems familiar. I raise my head. My chest was opened. Wires what were once my vital organs now are circuits and plugs. A machine was working on me. I screamed, but I wasn’t in fear.
The machine then stopped. And began to stitch me up. Ben came in the room. He was bald and had a beard. I recognized him from the jacket and the eyes. But what really stood out was the voice. It was distorted and messed up.
“Don’t worry Roy, this is the new you. The best you.”
I didn’t understand what he meant. He made me something I couldn’t think of becoming.
“Now rise subject D529, we must show those weak humans who is more valuable. That’s what Hank would’ve wanted. He created me, he created all of us. He told me to take his form and make a new generation before the police took him. And that’s just what I will do. Starting with you.”
-BREAKING NEWS- body found of teen killed in the woods. Sightings of a little boy on a red bike please call the authorities immediately. Also Automative Woods is off-limits from finding the culprit of making human like machines for murderous plots.
-Interview with Hank Thomas- “Humans are going to die out someday, life isn’t something you should take for granted. But if I were you I would stay inside, there are more of them out there, these machines could be anywhere, and could be anyone. May God have mercy on your souls”.