Leo pulled the last mop across the tiled floor of the food court, a long, weary sigh escaping his lips. It was two o’clock in the morning, and the massive shopping centre was completely silent, a quiet giant of glass and steel. He worked the night shift as a cleaner, a job he usually didn’t mind because of the solitude. The only sounds were the hum of the ventilation and the distant rumble of the city outside.

He put his equipment away and headed for the staff exit on the lower ground floor. He slid his key card into the reader, but the green light didn’t flash. He tried again. Nothing. He checked the card, ran his thumb over the chip, and tried a third time. Still nothing. The red light just blinked stubbornly.

A feeling of unease settled in his stomach. Maybe the card was broken? He decided to try the main doors on the ground floor. He took the escalator up, his footsteps echoing in the silence. He tried the large glass doors at the main entrance, pulling on the handles. Locked. A cold dread began to creep up his spine. All the doors were locked, and his phone had no signal inside the building. He was trapped.

That’s when he heard it. A faint, dragging noise, like something being pulled across the floor, coming from the floor above. He froze, listening. The sound stopped. Maybe it was just his imagination. He told himself it was probably one of the security guards on their round. He decided to find another way out and hurried towards the service lifts.

Then the sound returned, louder this time. It was closer. He looked up and saw a shadow moving quickly behind a display on the second floor. It was too fast, too fluid, to be a person. Panic set in. He ran down an aisle between clothing racks and ducked into a small changing room, pulling the heavy curtain closed.

He held his breath, listening. The dragging noise grew louder, and he could hear a rhythmic clicking sound now, too. He pressed his back against the wall, trying to make himself as small as possible. The clicking and dragging sounds moved past the changing room and faded away.

After a few minutes, he slowly peeked out. The aisle was empty. But then, he saw it. Perched on a high-up security camera stand was a small, angular machine. It was about the size of a dog, with a cluster of red lights blinking on a round head. It had three legs, but one was twisted at a strange angle, scraping on the floor as it moved. It wasn’t an animal, but a robot. An automated security drone.

He realised why the doors were locked and why his phone had no signal. He wasn’t trapped by accident. He was a part of a new security test. The drone was hunting him. He needed to find a way out, and fast.

He spotted a set of emergency stairs. He knew they led to the basement car park. He began to run as fast as he could, the robot’s clicking and dragging sounds returning and growing louder behind him. He didn’t look back. He burst through a door and sprinted down the concrete stairs, his legs burning.

He found the basement door and pushed it open, stumbling into the vast, empty car park. He was safe. A single security guard stood next to a small desk, looking surprised to see him.

“What are you doing down here?” the guard asked, looking at his watch. “The drill has just finished. You were supposed to be in the main office.”

Leo’s chest was heaving. “Drill?” he asked, breathless. “That… that thing was chasing me!”

The guard laughed softly. “Oh, you ran into the new ‘Scout’ model, did you? The company has just installed them. They’re a bit clumsy, still working out the kinks in the system. Your supervisor is calling you. You were the first one to successfully evade it and make it to a safe zone. Congratulations, you passed the test!”

Leo simply nodded, too tired and shaken to speak. He walked out into the cool night air of the car park, feeling the breeze on his face. He had passed the test, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to work another night shift.

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Vocabulary Notes

Weary
Meaning: Feeling or showing tiredness, especially as a result of a lot of work or effort.
Example: “…a long, weary sigh escaping his lips.” This shows that Leo is tired after finishing his cleaning work.
Similar words: tired, exhausted, fatigued, drained.

UneaseUnease
Meaning: A feeling of anxiety or slight worry.
Example: “A feeling of unease settled in his stomach.” This happens when Leo’s key card doesn’t work, and he starts to feel that something is wrong.
Similar words: anxiety, worry, apprehension, discomfort.

Dread
Meaning: A strong feeling of fear or deep worry about something that is going to happen or might happen.
Example: “A cold dread began to creep up his spine.” This is a stronger feeling than unease and shows how scared Leo becomes when he realizes all the doors are locked.
Similar words: terror, fear, horror, panic.

Rhythmic
Meaning: Happening with a regular pattern of sounds, movements, or events.
Example: “…he could hear a rhythmic clicking sound now, too.” This describes the repeating, regular sound the robot makes as it moves.
Similar words: regular, steady, pulsing, recurring.

Heaving
Meaning: The action of breathing heavily and with great effort, often after physical exertion.
Example: “Leo’s chest was heaving.” This shows that Leo has just finished running very fast, and his breathing is difficult and fast.
Similar words: panting, gasping, puffing.

Story written by Gemini Pro AI.

Image created by aimagicx AI.

CC Music: Drifting at 432 Hz – Unicorn Heads.

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