That day started as any other could.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Or rather it started the way any other in my area could. I was out in the fields with my dog trying to hide from my mother to get out of doing chores...When one of THEM came after us.

It was something originally designed to help with harvesting wheat...But now it was instead a predator. "RUN! RUN! RUN!" I hollered at my dog, as we dove and weaved through the wheat trying to get away from it.

This thing had been showing up every day for two months, one of these days we were gonna get it, my dad always said. We were gonna get it. Unfortunately he said this a lot regarding a LOT...So I didn't believe it much.

My dog barked as we made it to the end of the rows bursting out continuing to run. "GET OUT OF THE WAY! IT'S BACK!" I yelled as the other people around me started to get ready. Running into their homes, grabbing weapons.

This time it was not getting away.

It too burst out of the wheat with a growl locking it's eyes on me and my companion. I gulped.

"RUN BOY RUN!"

I whistled as my dog barked. "Hey ugly!" I taunted it, feeling a bit brave for once...If this was the day...We would be able to get rid of it.

It snorted headlights on, angered as it charged. We took off running taking side street's, main streets.

My heart was pounding, my lungs burning from all the exercise. My dog was keeping up but just barely. I tugged on the line that kept him tethered to me. "Come on we can do this!" I panted in between each word, sweat stung my eyes.

But the heat of the engine I could feel just behind us was even more of a motivator.

I heard the sound of a rifle going off, felt it woosh past me and my dog….And shatter the headlight of the harvester. It swerved into an empty lot as I collapsed to my knees exhausted panting hard. My dog joined me. "It's okay Theo...It's okay…" I murmured running a hand through the hunting dog's short fur.

"Are you NUTS!?" One of my neighbor's shouted as more gunshots sounded off...And the sound of an engine dying.

"Well we got it didn't we?" I shot back wiping the sweat off my whined beside me.

He rolled his eyes. "Your gonna get yourself killed one day Andrew…"

"It's Andy!" I growled getting up. "At least I'm not revenge bent like that crazy in his house."

"No but you're hard headed enough to be."

"Oh shove off Filipe!" I rolled my eyes as I scooped up Theo with a bit of difficulty intending to carry him home.

Passing Filipe I glanced into the lot and shook my head. Already dismantling the once living harvester for it's parts. Sick yes but we had to take what we could...Besides seemed to keep other machines away if they saw a stripped vehicle on the outskirts. Showed our little town meant business.

Course none of us got the nuts to go after one of those living Machines...

It wasn't the fact that we couldn't physically do it, we could easily do it but...It was the fact that they were so human like...So alive, that it felt...Wrong.

Besides, it would be OUR village to take the primal route and go after one only to wind up with some higher ups out there to decide to just eliminate us all...And no one wanted to die. The harvesters, tractors and other 'working' vehicles were more like cows and bulls so it wasn't that bad. If we could kill a chicken cook it and eat it then we could at least kill and strip down one of those.

But there was a line and no one wanted to cross it.

I came to my house kicking the door open as the cool air inside hit me. I set Theo down in front of his water dish as he lapped up the cold liquid. Shutting the door I flopped on the couch.

It was quiet, the fan above me spinning lazily, but we had an air conditioner blasting so it felt good at least.

But something was missing.

"Olivia?" I called for my little sister, she was supposed to be here..

After a moment my little sister came into the room. She was a little thing, only seven years old, had curly brown hair that framed her face in ringlets and wore a plain sky blue T-shirt with a pair of jeans on and boots. She grinned and ran over to me. "ANDY!" She cheered hugging me. "I thought that mean old thingy got you!"

I shrugged ruffling her hair. "Nearly did til old man Jones shot it in the headlight!" I smirked.

She shuddered plopping down on the floor, as Theo walked over to her and plopped down beside her head in her lap. "Hi Theo…" She pet his head as he gave her hand a lick.

I closed my eyes, Olivia was so innocent...She didn't understand why our world was like this, she just accepted it.

She didn't find it irritating or boring to find cars and planes and all sorts of things on the television in our living room. She thought it was utterly fascinating. It kind of worried our mom some days especially since she was just like Dad..

Our Dad was fascinated by the machines too, he was always trying to figure out just what made them live.

Dad….Have you figured it out yet? I thought with a sigh folding my arms behind my head. "Olivia...Do me a favor and DON'T turn on that TV…"

"Why?"

"I don't wanna see 'em on TV."

"Your mean. Mom said we gotta be equal." Just to mess with me like she always did Olivia turned on the TV.

I sighed putting a pillow over my head listening to adverts for yet ANOTHER race this year.

"Come on this is cool brother! Look it's Lightning McQueen!"

"I don't care!"

"But come on…" She pulled on the pillow as I pulled back. "Give it!" She whined.

"No!" I growled until we heard something that made us both stop short.

"The big race will travel through previously unknown territory, are you nervous? There's supposedly still humans living there."

"Humans don't scare me, they're barely even seen!"

A map appeared covering the two cars conversing pointing out where the race was coordinated.

"Oh no…" I breathed feeling worried.

"Oh cool!" Olivia squealed not getting why this was bad.

The race was going to go through our town...OUR town!

They might tear down the crops to make way...No no no...This can't happen…

If they destroy our crops…

"The race won't take place for six months, the track is still being constructed."

If that map is right...It'll go right through the field...And Grandad's farm…

This wasn't bad now…

IT WAS WORSE!