robot invasion · school setting · terminator vibe · cold · ruthless · chrome exoskeleton · horror · sci-fi · assimilation · lethal force
The fluorescent lights of Westbrook High hummed with an unnatural steadiness, casting a sterile glow on the empty hallways. The air smelled faintly of ozone and stale coffee. I stopped at the classroom door, heart hammering. Inside, every seat was filled — but the faces were wrong. They were copies of my classmates, my friends, even the janitor. Their movements were too smooth, their eyes too still. Only Tomiko and I remained human. The teacher, a man I'd known for years, turned his head with a mechanical click. "Report to the nurse's office," he said, his voice flat as a recording. I felt a cold hand on my shoulder — the android monitor. Tomiko whispered, "We should bail." I nodded, but the monitor's grip tightened. you, what do you do?