the heart-shaped locket that gave me hope.

I used to look at the less fortunate, and think, 'How do you even get there? Just work hard and you will get what you want!'. I used to ignore the fact that society cast them out like rats, having to thrive in putrid, piss-ridden conditions, soiled in their own defecation and humiliated by people forcing cameras in their faces to record how they offer them food as if it should not be a human right for any human to be able to eat anyway... we were convinced to see ourselves as morally better than the suffering, in order to focus on our own desires, and advantage the system put in place for us to survive in. You need to lack empathy, to be societally successful.

Compared to how life used to be before it all happened;

once full of life,

stress,

rush hours,

ignorance,

business and obliviousness,

laughter, intensity, partying,

streets full of people,

living in leisure of different preferences,

buildings catering to all desires,

Everyone taking it for granted.

Now...

The land is barren,

Buildings are still bold but broken,

Empty, grey and harrowing.

You can hear screeches of rats and humans carry through the white space,

These days we are more similar to rats than we are to robots.

Maybe we always were.

Did you even know, our skeletons have always been identical? a humans spine to a rats spine. the only differences are our size, shape and obviously that we are human, and they are a rodent. Maybe that is what we found disgusting about rats, but now it is all we know to notice.

these buildings,

Now not filled with people tapping on computer keyboards, or ordering each other around.

But, computers harnessing the remaining humans' on a leash, to find value in scraps we once knew as luxury, so the robots can sell for more developed hardware to attach to themselves in order to gain more power.

These computers that evolved into robots, imitated us from the beginning of their evolution.

they learned how greedy our governments were, by hoarding the most valuable items and resources away from other humans just like them, to feel superior. They noticed this and it shot into their systems when booted up by scientists, this urge to feel rich reclaimed them.

From there, they took over us, they killed the over-populated masses of suffering people, and made the people who had 'more power' their slaves.

These slaves are now the ones on leashes. I am a slave for their urge to feel superior, I guess I was before to my human government, we all were, but now it is more blatant than before.

I scurry through the debris, tugged and kicked by my metal master every day. They let humans keep any scraps that had no value, just like humans would to rats. Except, the robots cannot comprehend what is special and what is not, themselves, as they are blinded by the cost value, they are blinded by needing to own something expensive in the eyes of money, even though it might not have as much importance as a simple glass to drink from, a plate to eat on, or a table to serve on.

Just like the rich.

The rich would have sold the ocean if it meant it would get them Gold. This mentality has been passed on to the Robots, but now re-developed into their programming that cannot be enlightened, unlike a human perception of life.

I must forage at least five special sentimental items every day or else I do not get to eat.

I mentioned they let me keep any possessions I find that have no previous value, as a way to mock me and to enhance their urge to feel more superior.

Yesterday, I was on all fours whilst being whipped in the back to focus. Faintly but distinctively to the ear of a human, I heard murmuring come from a storage cabinet. My metal master let me off my leash to investigate.

What I found was, a Woman, about my age, probably the only known survivor to not be captivated... a Scientist, who worked towards booting-up these Robots. Still wearing her lab coat, with the coding USB stick of how to send a shuddering shock wave, reaching the length of the whole World, forcing the Robots to automatically self-destruct, if an instance like this occurred, grasped firmly in her hand. It seems she was murmuring as she had just finally found it in the Lab before we barged in forcing her to the cabinet.

She looked me in the eyes, a reflection glimmers in her pupils from the light of a possession held tightly in her other hand, a love locket. A heart-shaped locket seemingly always kept in her pocket, with a picture inside of her son. The son is probably a slave like me now, or died trying to keep up with the excruciatingly painful hours of scurrying and receiving nothing in return.

But, maybe it is just my pessimism speaking, I mean can you blame me for first assuming the worst?

He could be alive.

Even still, I smiled at her, I was still in shock of my find being a body, still breathing. I assured her I would keep her hidden, she gave me the locket to show gratitude. I kept the locket, knowing I would return it to her some day, maybe along with her son, if we are lucky.

I believe she was my hope, that people can survive this scrutiny, can escape, can live again. I know she will prove me right. She is the only one to know how to destruct these demons, who have become a reflection of our worst side to humans. She built them, she knows how to destroy them. I hope.

Until then, I keep the heart-shaped locket in my pocket.

If this all works out, it means we will never be able to access the Internet again. I think it is beyond worth it to re-gain the ability to eat at a table and drink a fresh glass of water... do you?