Unreal

As Leo looked at Katy sweeping the floor, an enigmatic aura seemed to engulf the room, he felt uneasy looking at her, he couldn't decide whether she was a real woman or just a robot.

Robotic helpers were the trending thing and he had decided to dive into the trend seeing all the good reviews online, his mind was unsure whether he needed the robotic helper but the novelty of the product struck him and he decided to try it out.

Katy struck him as odd the day she arrived, he mistook her for a real woman and was confused how she knew his name even though he hadn't met her before, it had been a month since she had arrived but he still felt uneasy with her presence.

His home didn't feel his anymore, it no longer was sweet and warm, also it was no longer a familiar place, it had an eerie vibe to it, the fact that he lived alone made it even harder for him to accept Katy's presence.

She didn't let him do even the simplest tasks, making him feel more irritated and bored, he felt a sense of control was slipping from him each day and he didn't know how to get it back, everytime he saw Katy head to the roof to charge herself using solar energy he felt a question nag him, was Katy really a robot or a real woman masquerading as a robot?

Whenever that question nagged him, he found himself lost in a spiral of thoughts, what motive did Katy have to pose as a robot?, was she sent by an enemy to harm him?, or was she a serial killer who was studying him before killing him?

His anxiety increased everytime he got lost in those thoughts, he couldn't sleep all night and felt silly that he thought this way. He noticed one day there was dust in the cabinet, he wanted to point it out to Katy but he felt hesitant, he could not understand why he was so hesitant, did Katy scare him?, he knew the answer was yes deep down but didn't want to admit it.

He surfed the net for negative reviews but strangely there were none, making him feel more weird, it was impossible he thought, every product had it's shortcomings, then why did robotic helpers had none?, were they perfect?

There was no such thing as perfection in this world, he had known that as a perfectionist himself, no matter how hard one tried they could never reach perfection and even though Katy was efficient, she did have her own shortcomings, the chores weren't always done perfectly but he choose to ignore it most of the time.

He noticed that the stress was making him ill and he thought many times to return Katy but he just couldn't do it, he didn't know whether he had grown attached to Katy or he was too scared of her, and he didn't know what excuse he could make for returning her, he didn't want to seem like a stupid man who got scared of his robotic helper.

He was sure all the influencers who couldn't stop talking about the robotic helpers and how amazed they were with the technology and how it was so sophisticated and advanced, would dedicate a whole video to mock him, the fool who couldn't differentiate between a robot and a real woman.

The anxiety and dilemma got worse with time, he liked that the house was spotlessly clean, he didn't have to be occupied with the chores anymore leaving him with free time but he also felt a loss of freedom, an eerie presence haunted him, it was like he enjoyed the comfort but at the same time he was uncomfortable.

Katy walked up to him, he couldn't understand why she was standing near his bed, before he could ask her, she slit his throat with a knife, a sharp pain overtook him, he couldn't scream, he fell panicking, he could see his blood rushing through the sheets.

Suddenly the alarm rang and he woke up with a gasp, he was covered in sweat, it was six in the morning, he realized he had a nightmare, he trembled as he tried to forget it but his mind wouldn't let him, making him miserable.

Seeing katy prepare breakfast made his stomach churn, he didn't want to eat whatever she was preparing, no matter how delicious it was, his hunger had died the more he thought about the nightmare but he was too meek to refuse the breakfast and ate it as quickly as he could.

The nightmare, the panic he felt, the blood, all of it clung to him throughout the day, he couldn't focus his mind on anything else, he wanted to return Katy so badly but at the same time he felt helpless, he felt he was gripped by an unknown presence that hindered his decisions.

He woke up to see Katy standing near his bed, it was just like the nightmare, maybe the nightmare was a warning, without thinking much he grabbed the lamp and swung it at Katy, she faltered and fell to the ground.

"Katy-Katy-Katy-Katy!"

She kept on saying repeatedly and twitching, he realized she had hit her head and malfunctioned, the sound annoyed him, he felt it getting on his nerves, he didn't know how to stop it.

"Shut up! Just shut up!", he screamed covering his ears.

"Leo-Leo-Leo-Leo!"

It had changed to his name frightening him even more, fear seemed to engulf him, his mind told him to end it all quickly, he felt he was going insane, he grabbed the lamp again and hit her repeatedly till she stopped saying anything, he kept hitting till he could see her broken arms and the wires that bound them, she was a mess, a mess with exposed wires!

As the sound stopped, he felt he was regaining his senses, he stepped back terrified, throwing the lamp away, he looked around to see a broken teacup, he bent down to look at it closely, something was spilled around it, realization hit him making him feel guilty and confused at the same time.

"Morning tea?", he quivered.