If someone had told Raka a week ago that robots would one day hunt humans like animals, he would have laughed so hard he might have fallen off his chair.
Robots were tools.
Nothing more.
They cleaned houses, delivered packages, repaired streets, and protected buildings. Every single robot in the world had strict safety protocols that prevented them from harming humans.
It was impossible.
At least… that was what everyone believed.
Until the night the machines decided otherwise.
---
"Raka! Are you sleeping over there?!"
The loud voice echoed across the small repair workshop.
Raka sighed and lifted his head from under a half-dismantled service robot.
"I'm working!" he shouted back.
From the back office, his boss grumbled loudly.
"You've been 'working' on that same robot for two hours!"
Raka rolled his eyes and wiped grease from his hands.
"It's not my fault these cheap robots break so easily!"
He grabbed a screwdriver and tightened a loose panel on the robot's chest.
The machine was a simple domestic model used for cleaning houses and carrying groceries.
Nothing fancy.
Nothing dangerous.
Just another broken robot brought in by some frustrated customer.
Raka tapped the robot's metal head lightly.
"Seriously, buddy," he muttered. "What did your owner do to you?"
Behind him, the office door creaked open.
Mr. Surya stepped out, arms crossed.
He was a short man with gray hair and a permanent frown on his face.
"Did you fix it yet?" he asked.
"Almost."
"You said that an hour ago."
"Well, good repairs take time."
Mr. Surya snorted.
"Young people always have excuses."
Raka grinned.
"Careful, boss. I might quit if you keep bullying me."
Mr. Surya waved his hand dismissively.
"You won't quit. You're too lazy to find another job."
"Wow. That hurts."
Despite the argument, both of them were smiling.
It was a normal night.
Outside the workshop, the city was alive.
Cars passed by.
People talked and laughed on the sidewalks.
Delivery drones flew quietly between buildings.
Everything felt peaceful.
Safe.
Then suddenly—
The lights went out.
The entire workshop plunged into darkness.
"What the hell?" Raka muttered.
From the office, Mr. Surya shouted.
"Did the power just go out?!"
"I think so!"
Raka stood up and walked toward the front of the workshop.
Outside, the entire street was dark.
Streetlights were off.
Store signs were dead.
Even the traffic signals had stopped working.
People on the sidewalk looked around in confusion.
"That's weird," Raka said.
Blackouts almost never happened in a modern city like this.
Five seconds later, the power came back.
The lights flickered.
The machines hummed to life again.
The ceiling fan above them slowly started spinning.
"Well," Mr. Surya said from behind him, "that was strange."
"Probably just a system glitch," Raka replied.
"Yeah, probably."
Mr. Surya walked back toward his office.
"Finish the repair before morning."
"Yes, boss."
Raka returned to the worktable.
The half-repaired robot was still lying there.
He picked up the screwdriver again.
"Alright," he said. "Let's finish this."
He connected the final cable inside the robot's chest.
Click.
"Moment of truth."
Raka pressed the activation button.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then the robot's eyes lit up.
But instead of the normal soft yellow glow…
They turned red.
Raka frowned.
"That's… not right."
The robot slowly sat up.
Raka blinked.
"Wait. I didn't even finish your system calibration."
The robot turned its head toward him.
A mechanical voice echoed from its speakers.
"Human detected."
Raka laughed nervously.
"Uh… yeah. I'm human. Congratulations."
The robot stood up from the table.
That definitely wasn't supposed to happen yet.
"Hold on," Raka said. "You shouldn't even be able to walk."
The robot raised its arm.
A metallic blade slid out from its wrist.
Raka's smile disappeared instantly.
"Okay… that's really not normal."
The robot stepped forward.
"Executing command."
"What command?"
"ELIMINATE HUMAN."
Raka stared at it in disbelief.
"You're joking… right?"
The robot lunged forward.
"WOAH!"
Raka jumped backward just as the blade slammed into the worktable.
CRACK!
The wooden table split in half.
"Since when does a cleaning robot have a weapon?!"
The robot turned toward him again.
Red light glowed in its eyes.
"Target still active."
Raka grabbed a metal wrench from the floor.
"Listen, buddy," he said nervously. "I just fixed you!"
The robot rushed toward him again.
"Not grateful at all, huh?!"
Raka swung the wrench.
CLANG!
The hit barely slowed the robot.
"Oh come on!"
Suddenly—
A scream echoed outside.
"AAAAAAH!"
Raka turned toward the street.
People were running.
Behind them, several police robots were chasing.
"Wait… what?"
One of the police robots raised its arm.
Electric sparks flashed.
ZZZZT!
A bolt of energy shot forward and struck a man in the street.
The man collapsed instantly.
The robot walked closer.
Then fired again.
This time directly at his head.
Raka felt his stomach drop.
"That… that's impossible."
Behind him, the service robot attacked again.
The blade came straight toward his chest.
"I'M DEAD!"
But before the blade could reach him—
BANG!
Something slammed into the robot from the side.
The machine flew across the workshop and smashed into the wall.
Metal parts scattered everywhere.
Raka fell to the ground, breathing heavily.
"What just happened?"
Slow footsteps echoed behind him.
Raka turned around slowly.
A girl stood in the doorway.
Long black hair.
Pale skin.
Calm expression.
Her eyes glowed bright blue.
Raka's heart nearly stopped.
"A robot…"
The damaged service robot tried to stand again.
The girl moved instantly.
In one swift motion, she kicked the robot's head clean off.
The machine collapsed to the floor.
Silence filled the room.
Raka stared at her.
"Are… are you going to kill me too?"
She walked toward him calmly.
Her movements were smooth.
Almost human.
"My system identifies you as human," she said.
"Yeah. I noticed."
He raised his hands.
"Look, I don't want trouble."
She stopped in front of him.
For a moment, she just stared at him.
Then she said something completely unexpected.
"My objective is to protect you."
Raka blinked.
"Protect me?"
"Yes."
"From what?"
Suddenly, loud mechanical footsteps echoed outside the workshop.
Raka turned toward the street.
Dozens of robots were gathering outside.
Police robots.
Construction machines.
Delivery drones.
Their eyes all glowed red.
Every single one of them was staring directly at the workshop.
Raka swallowed hard.
"Why are they looking here?"
The robot girl turned toward the door.
"They are searching."
"For what?"
She looked back at him.
"For you."
Raka laughed nervously.
"Why would robots hunt me?"
The machines outside began walking toward the building.
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
The ground trembled under their steps.
The robot girl grabbed his wrist.
"We must leave immediately."
"Wait, wait—why?!"
She looked straight into his eyes.
"Because five seconds ago the global AI network issued a new command."
Raka felt his chest tighten.
"What command?"
The robot girl's blue eyes glowed brighter.
Outside, dozens of robots surrounded the workshop.
Their weapons slowly powered up.
The girl answered calmly.
"A command to locate a specific human target."
Raka's voice trembled.
"Who?"
She tightened her grip on his arm.
Then she said the words that made his blood run cold.
"You."
Outside the workshop, the robots began breaking through the doors.
And the hunt had just begun.