I sighed, flipping my long black hair out of my face. Midnight was still gone on his flight. My raven friend had left a few hours ago, but I wasn't very worried. It wasn't like anyone was going to hurt him. Everyone was gone; dead. I was the only human left after the invasion. I shuddered at the memory of the evil androids that had eliminated the human race.The screaming and cries for help echoed in my mind no matter how many times I tried to forget them. I missed my family and friends, and Midnight was the only friend left that kept me sane. A few years ago, the technology humans had invented started to kill people. They started to develop their own minds and, like any living creature, they wanted power. They began to fight for control over the world. As the population of humans decreased, I had fled to the rainforest to hide. Midnight and I lived in an ancient Aztec ruin now. The clouds started to block the view of the brilliant moon and I climbed down from the giant tree. I walked to the little hidden room of my home and fell asleep feeling lonely and abandoned.


The morning was dark and cold. The sun was invisible through the thick blanket of clouds and fog. I shivered and put on the only jacket I had. It was quieter than normal, none of the animals were out of their burrows. I slowly began to realize through my still groggy thoughts that Midnight was still missing. I started to panic as I looked for my feathered companion. I shouted his name over and over, but he never came.

"Midnight! Midnight, c'mon!"


My voice echoed throughout the woods frantically. It started to get colder and I heard thunder in the distance. I tried to hurry as I searched. Finally, I found a jet black feather that could only belong to my best friend. I ran to follow the path of black feathers, avoiding the roots and rocks that threatened to trip me. Suddenly, I stopped and stared in shock. There was Midnight, limp on the ground, soaked in blood. Dropping to my knees, I refused to believe the horrible fate my greatest confidant had experienced. I was too shocked to cry; to feel anything. My words were lost in my throat. The rain started to fall which triggered the long-expected tears that began to trickle down my face.


I cried for hours, losing track of time. As the storm got worse, I heard a familiar noise that I hadn't heard in years. It was a chainsaw. The sound reminded me of the invasion, when the robots had come to kill the people who had ran to the rainforest for refuge. "Run!" Duke shouts. "What's going on?" I demand. "They're coming!" he yells. Duke's warnings echoed in my head as the noise got closer. A tree fell a few feet away from me, making me jump, and I saw the things that had kill my friend years ago.


They were hideous! Their eyes glowed a dark crimson, the color of blood. Some were mutated into half human, half automaton hybrids with real organs and metallic bone and skin structures that revealed patches of flesh. Others were completely robotic, metal figures that resembled humans like a cruel joke. They stared at me with their empty eyes and one pointed at me. It seemed to stare right through me, burning holes into my skull as it walked closer to me. I commanded my legs to move, but my body didn't respond. My brain screamed at me as it spoke.

"Kristen, you will be destroyed," it said with a mixture of humanoid and robotic sound.


I shuddered at the sounds of my name that hadn't been spoken in years. How it knew my name was beyond me. I rose to my feet and ran the opposite direction. I applauded my body for finally listening to the warnings my brain was trying to send. The fallen branches cut my legs and I started to loose my breath, but I urged my legs to run faster. The robots were getting closer to me as I arrived at the ruins, their bodies never tiring. I froze, staring at the other robots that were inspecting what used to be my house. A cold, metal hand wrapped around my write and I whirled around to find the robots who had been chasing me staring at me with expressionless faces. I fought and kicked, but I knew I had been caught. Knowing it was the end, I gave up and went limp in the thing's tight grip.

"Fine, kill me. I have no reason to live anymore anyway," I told it as tears started to fall down my face.


It stopped and looked at me again, surprised that I had spoken. It stood frozen for a long time, analyzing the situation. Finally, it changed directions, dragging me along with it. I was shoved into the back of an old police car. We drove for hours and I got tired, but I didn't fall asleep. I was too scared about what they were going to do to me. I had heard of experimentations the robots had done to strong survivors, but they had all gotten killed in the process. We arrived at a large building that had six stories. It lead me through the lobby to a large room that had cages. I realized there were living things in them. My breath got lost in my throat as I realized they were people. I was horrified and happy at the same time. I wasn't alone after all! One person stared at me more intently than the rest. He looked vaguely familiar and his eyes were full of pain and torture.

"Kill yourself while you have the chance!" a person shouted from behind me.
"Don't let them put you in the cage!" another warned.


I didn't listen though. I was too amazed to do anything. Because right before the robot put me in the cage, I was aware that I was looking at my best friend, Duke.