Log-Line

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, one government controls everything. Food becomes currency and the currency is food. And the streets are patrolled by artificially intelligent Soldiers.

Short Story

They say the future can be scary. With wars, famine, and outbreaks of diseases life can feel surreal. A time has come when I was truly scared for my life. Even though I had managed to live through World War III nothing could have prepared me for what was about to happen. After the bombing and everything going to shit life began to be very different. More than any of us could have imagined. When the debris cleared, the world's currency changed. There was one government, one power, one class of people…well two those to have and those who are ruled. And the majority was ruled and those in power knew just how to do it, by food. Martial law was in effect. For those of you who don't know what martial law is, it's when the military commander of an area or country has unlimited authority to make and enforce laws. But this was different because after there was a one-world government and currency the soldiers that roamed the streets, we were not human. They were artificial. Artificial intelligent soldiers.

Every day was the same. All we bottom feeders did was search for food. We weren't like rodents but that was the only luxury. No one cared about the new Apple Phone or Air Jordan's about to hit the market. There was none of that. We did jobs and our payment was food and how we paid for things was in food. So, either you eat your earnings, or you starve because that day your kid needed medicine, you pick.

The A.I. Soldiers had one rule: do not look at them in the eyes. If you did, they would kill you on the spot. Now I never experienced this, so I didn't know how true it was, no one did. Everyone was scared so we just did what we were told. On this day everything appeared to be normal, the A.I. Soldiers did their midday rounds patrolling the streets and this one guy who probably didn't get the memo walked straight towards one of them and introduced himself with his hand out like it was going to shake it back and maybe start a friendship. I've never seen fear in a man's eye until that day. The A.I. Soldier didn't hesitate it crushed him. Killing him immediately. Everyone stood still. This was the first time any of us had seen one of these robots kill someone. It was hard not to scream or stop it because we didn't know what would happen to us. At that moment we all knew how real this was and how bad it was going to be. How much worse can this world get?