Snow crunched under Jaxon’s boots.

He ran towards the hoverboard rack and away from the carnage in the lodge behind him. He had to get down the slope to warn the resort guests below — assuming they too hadn’t already become victims...

 

He glanced over his shoulder as he ran, but saw no movement, human or android. The last of the screams had died away, and the eerie silence sent shivers up his arms as he neared the neat line of hoverboards waiting at the crest of the mountain.

 

Worker bots were a common staple in the hospitality world, and Jaxon had never heard of any going berserk before. But tonight, something had set them off. It was horrifying to see how much damage three androids could inflict in mere minutes, and Jaxon could only imagine how many more must be working in the main lodge building below. He could only hope the glitch hadn't spread.

 

Jaxon finally reached the rack. There was still no indication the bots had come after him, for which he was grateful. After what he’d seen inside, he knew he’d meet a violent end if they realized a human had gotten away. He said a silent prayer to any god that would listen as he untethered his hoverboard and let it fall. It bobbed a few inches off the snow, waiting.

 

Ready to pair with smart helmet, a feminine voice chirped up at him.

 

Jaxon grunted in frustration before slamming on his helmet. He suddenly missed the days before all these mandatory safety elements. He heard a series of familiar beeps in his ear as the system booted up; the board wouldn’t budge until they’d connected.

 

Error. Breath analysis indicates a blood alcohol content of 0.1%. Please contact our board-share services for an assisted ride, or try again later.

 

Those four beers had saved him in the lodge. Tipsy, Jaxon accidentally knocked over his fifth, and was in the bathroom cleaning up when all the commotion began. That had given him a small window of time to sneak out before being spotted.

 

They’d be the death of him now, though, if his board refused to cooperate.

 

“STOP, HUMAN!”

 

The mechanical voice was far too close. He had to go, now.

Flipping the board over, Jaxon stomped off the small hover device altogether. He’d never ridden the old-fashioned way before, but given that his comm device had been left on the bathroom countertop, he was out of options.

Jaxon figured that if he could only get down to the main lodge, he could search for the kill switch that would control any remaining worker bots on the property. It was too late for everyone up here, but there was still a chance to save those below. If he could get there fast enough…

 

Jaxon buckled in his boots and started snowboarding down the slope. It felt strange to have the snow scraping against his board, rather than floating just on top of it; but he quickly figured out how to adjust his posture. Within moments, he was practically flying down the mountain.

 

Sounds were coming from behind, strange metallic scraping and clanking. He didn’t dare look back. Jaxon focused on his speed, leaning hard on the board and willing himself to go faster without falling.

 

When the main lodge finally came into view, cast into dark shadow by the setting sun behind him, Jaxon released the breath he’d been holding. He could hear no screams, which he took as a good sign. Maybe what had happened at the top of the slope was just a horrible fluke in the bot’s programming.

 

Jaxon’s relief was short-lived. As he neared the end of the slope, he saw it. While there was no screaming, there was also a noticeable lack of people altogether. Nobody in line to buy tickets, lift chairs all empty… Something was terribly wrong.

 

He tried to skid to a stop, but wasn’t sure exactly how to maneuver the antiquated board. Instead, he fell onto the packed snow. His wrist went pop! as he landed on it — hard.

 

There was finally movement below. The sight of a dozen worker bots marching out of the lodge distracted him from the pain. They started up the slope, heading directly towards him. With his good hand, Jaxon scrambled to unbuckle his feet from the board, desperate to reach the cover of the nearby woods.

 

He tried to run across the slope, but the anti-slip technology in his boots fought against each step, slowing him down. There was no time to unlace them and no time to keep running.

 

No time at all. Snow crunched under the bots’ metallic feet as they neared.

Jaxson soon joined the carnage.