Short stories!

The End

It is the year 2090. Robots have taken over the world, while humans live undergroud in fear of being cought and killed. Every year, one person from each shelter is selected to go out and get supplies from a secret base. Nearly everyone who goes dies in the end...

Hello.

My name is Liam. Just Liam.

You may not know me. Or my story.

But that is why I am here to tell you it.

I remember that day like it was yesterday. I woke up, staring at the dusty grey ceiling. The only other person awake was my younger sister, Evelyn, who was reading silently. Trying not to wake everyone else (my mom, dad and the other families with us), I pull my shoes on and grab my backpack, before climbing up the ladder leading out into the world.

This year, it was my turn to steal supplies from the robots. My brother had failed last year; the robots had captured him before drowning him to death. My parents still hadn't gotten over Jacob's death.

I poked my head out of the hole, checking to see if anyone was around. There wasn't a robot for miles. Good. I pulled myself up and brushed the dirt off my already falling-apart clothes.

I began to walk, observing the piles of dicarded metal and scraps of materials around me. One thing that always confused me was how humans could invent something that could and would overthrow them? Didn't the people before us think about what might happen if we promoted this invention? Now look at us.

Suddenly, I heard a a scraping sound behind me. I spun around, my eyes quickly scanning the area. There was no one. I carried on walking, keeping a guard out. The sound came again, louder this time. I decided not to take my chances and ran behind a pile of rubbish, hardly daring to breathe- some robots were known for super sharp hearing.

I peeked around the edge slightly in case anyone was drawing closer. Out of the blue, a voice said behind me, "Hello, human." 

I nearly jumped out of my skin. My heart thudding like a drum, I turned around. A tall robot with steel eyes was staring at me intently. "Hello human." it repeated.

"W-who are you? I stuttered, trying not to shake in fear.

The robot put a metal hand on my shoulder. "Do not worry, human. I am a good robot. My name is 077."

I gulped, still not trusting the robot. "Hello 077. What are you doing here?"

"Finding metal for our leader 446, but I don't like him. What are you doing here?"

Hmmm... hitdidn't like hits leader? Maybe it could help me. "I am retrieving supplies from our base."

The robot remained imapassive. "I shall help you. But first, I will take you to my leader. All humans must be eliminated."

Oh no. I hastily scrambled out of the way, getting to my feet. I was so frustrated with myself: trusting too easily had always been my fatal flaw. Now I would have to pay for my foolishness.

I began to run away, but the robot caught up to me at the speed of light and grabbed me by the scruff of my neck. Wordlessly, ot began to walk to a huge, triangular building in the distance- most likely where its leader was.

                                                              ☆☆☆

We arrived at the building, where two guards stood. They nodded briefly at the robot holding me, as if to let him in. It walked in, and before I knew what was happening, it threw me into a dark room with barred windows, almost like a prison cell.

It stared at me for a moment, before backing away. "I hope you enjoy your time here." And aith that, it slammed the door and walked off.

I sat there for a few minutes, trying to make sense of what had just happened. How could I have been so stupid? Now I had no chance of getting out, let alone stealing the supplies. A small part of me blamed everyone else on our shelter: who in their right mind would send a 12-year-old into an enemy zone?

Suddenly, an familiar voice jolts me out of my thoughts. "Liam? Why on earth are you here?

A wave of happiness, shock and relief rolled over me. "Jacob! Is that really you?"

My brother, who was thought to be dead, was staring at me. "Yes, it's me. Don't talk too loudly- we're going to get caught!"

Before he can say anything else, I hug him. "Everyone thiught you were dead!"

He grinned. "You believed what they said, huh?"

I rolled my eyes. Typical Jacob. "Anyway, how do we got out of this place?"

"I've been thinking about that. We need to wait until they open the door, then make a run for it."

I nodded. "Okay. When do they open the door?"

He looked sheepish. "That's the hard part: I dunno."

Why am I not surprised? I got up and walked over to the door. "Do you think we could push it open somehow?"

"I've tried. Nothing works."

"Great."

I began to feel around the door, as if there were something that could open it magically. Just as I was about to give up, my hand brushed over some sort of button. It was dusty and I could tell it hadn't been used for ages.

"Hey, Jacob, come over here. I've found something."

He came over. "What is it?"

"A button. Shall I press it?"

"Go ahead. The worst thing it could do is kill us, so what's the problem?" he said sarcasticly.

I ignored him and pressed the button. If we don't get out of this alive, I prayed silently, I hope everyone else does- especially Evelyn.

I pushed the button and for a moment all I can hear is metal grinding. Then out of the blue, the ground opens up and swallows us whole.

I could only remember one thing:

We were falling.

Falling.

Falling.