The coffin-sized box was left in my kitchen, groceries too. The top of the box read, "C.U.T.E" standing for, "Companion Under The Epidemic." Basically, a robot that's been issued by the Government to keep us from going crazy during isolation. According to them, it's based on those genealogy tests that everyone did years ago. A perfect individualized match, supposedly.
"Alexa turn on the kitchen light, powder blue," I say, walking closer to the box.
I've adapted to the isolation pretty well. Hard to believe it's been 3 years since this all started. A few months ago the state ordered a total lockdown, human contact is banned aside from whoever lives with you, and if you live alone like me... well, most people have taken to online dating to fill the void when they can't have another's warmth.
I'm good on that though, and honestly, I needed time alone. I broke up with my boyfriend right before the pandemic hit. We weren't together super long. He was smart, handsome, and a surgeon... way too clingy though, wanted to rush into marriage. I decided to stay single for a while and take some space after being threatened with marriage. I just didn't think I'd be taking space from my friends, family, and the entire fucking human-race too. Whatever, let's see what my government-mandated sex doll looks like.
I lift the lid off the box to reveal what appears to be a tall man. Its head has some sort of wrapping around it, exposing only its closed eyes.
I unravel the robot-mummy. Its eyes open, and it sits up slowly. "Guess you're already on?" I ask, not exactly expecting an answer.
It turns its head to me, and the eyes focus on mine, "You can refer to me as Cute, please change my name if you prefer."
"Yeah, we'll have to change that at some point," I say, taking a closer look.
Tall, dark, handsome. I'd say he's my type. Actually oddly specific, it has a faint familiarity of a few men I've dated. Definitely attractive (Is that weird?) I guess those DNA tests can predict a lot, makes me feel a bit less human. Its face still dips too much into the uncanny valley for me. Robots always do- cheekbones too perfect, jawline too strong. Like those people on Dr. Phil that obsess over surgeries to change their face to look like some celebrity.
Let's see what it can do, "Cute, put away the groceries for me?"
"Of course, Laura." The robot-man smiles, and then stands up from his box.
"Alexa, open the refrigerator," I say.
I watch and spout orders as he cleans up my entire house room-by-room. He walks a bit slow, and every now and then asks me where something goes, "Location saved," he'll say and continue. Pretty legit.
I'm just about to sit down and catch up on the internet when my phone rings. It's Cathy, a close friend that I still talk to all the time.
"Sup Cat," I answer the phone.
"Hey Laura, chillin, whatcha up to?" She replies.
"Relaxin while my new robot cleans the house for me, it's pretty dope," I say, watching it clean up the kitchen, and throw some crap in the trash.
"Oh, you like it? I thought I saw one in your dumpster, I figured it pissed you off already and ya threw it out," She laughs.
"Trash?..." The kitchen trash steals my sight, it makes me nauseous, like it doesn't belong.
"In my dumpster? ... Must have been someone else," I say, still staring into my trash-can, entranced and dizzy.
-Red-
There was a red stain on the head-wrapping that I hadn't noticed before.
"Yeah, I drove by earlier. Saw the same exact dumb robot-man that got delivered to me, guess someone wasn't into it." She says.
The same?
I can feel my hand start shaking, something is wrong. "Hey, Cat, but... they look really life-like right?"
"Lifelike? They all look like Muppets to me... hey is everything--" The phone slips from my shaking hand, Cat still speaking as she falls. Footsteps approach from behind. Anxiety grips my chest and locks my lungs. I can feel his body heat.
His voice commands, "Alexa... lock the doors."
