Machine

She gets away from the party, steps outside for a fresh breath of air and spots a vending machine in the distance.

Akira pushes in a wrinkly dollar and the machine hums and chokes. It works for a second and then it stops. She taps, shakes, and nudges the machine.

She gives it a hard kick and slowly something rattles in the collection area. She picks up her soda and leaves.

Something flies past and lands onto the ground with a loud clang. A soda can. She hears a rattle, a low hum as she turns around to see the vending machine shaking. It launches itself at the protagonist.

She bursts into a sprint. The vending machine is coming at her with loud whirring sounds, more cans are being launched at her.

“What is your problem?” she yells.

One of them hits her and she falls. As the world spins, she grabs a broken road sign nearby and hits the soda cans back at the Machine. It begins to throw coins and shrapnel of broken cans. It cuts her face, her make-shift racquet is now in two pieces. She throws the raquet at the rogue machine, successfully distracting it, she dives into an alley and runs.

There was a Wall. Dead-end. The whirring sounds are getting louder and closer. She feels sweat trickle down her back. The wall is too high. Nowhere to go. Her heart slamming into her chest. The whirring gets louder, its close, it knows. She dives behind a dumpster.

The machine is few feet away, she notices a power panel at the back. If only she could destroy it. She looks around and finds a broken chainsaw. She launches herself and sinks ther weapon into the power panel and scoops out some wires. The machine sputters and crashes onto the ground.

She steps away wiping her face of blood. It beeps and a screen light up.

“Round 3

Defence test: Pass

Welcome to the team, Akira”

The message disappears and a receipt slides out with an address on it.

She smiles up at the sky and dials her phone.

“Hey ma?

I got the job.”