Charlie fell to all fours. She had gotten stuck behind a row of electronic games in a narrow gap between the consoles and the wall, while tangled electric cables and useless sockets filled the space beneath her feet. She was trapped; the only way to escape was to run through this thing – and she wasn’t fast enough to make it. She saw it lurking, catching small movements in the gaps left between the games. There wasn’t enough space to move, but she tried to crawl backward. Her foot got tangled in a cable. She stopped and carefully turned to free it.

She heard the sound of metal scraping against metal. The furthest console wobbled and hit the wall. It struck her again, broke the screen, and attacked the next one. It shattered them one after another almost rhythmically and destroyed the machines as it approached. I have to get out of here, I have to! Panic didn’t help; there was no way out. Her hand hurt and she felt like crying. Blood had soaked the tattered bandage, and she felt like it was draining from her body.

A console a few steps away from her slammed forcefully against the wall, and Charlie jerked up suddenly. It was getting closer; she heard the creaking of gears and the rattling of mechanisms louder. With her eyes closed, she could still see the way it looked at her, see the tangled fur and the exposed metal beneath the synthetic flesh. Suddenly, the console in front of her was forcefully pushed away. It flipped over like a toy. The power cables slid away beneath her hands and knees, and Charlie slipped, almost falling.