Changing Channels

Chapter 4

Remote was emotionally exhausted. She was terrified of the giant monsters, screaming at each other in front of her. She had never realized how tall they were until now! Beepy's not here anymore, it's all up to me. The monsters would attack her at any second, oh, she just knew it! The beating in her ears grew louder and her head began to sink down. They were screaming about a "Sea-ee-oh" now, and whatever that was, Remote did not want to wait to find out. Maybe it was a different breed of monster they would summon to come and attack her. She let out a loud whimper that went completely unnoticed by the beasts in front of her.

I have to escape! She thought determinedly. They thought they could fool me, but I'm too smart! Once they summon the Seaeeoh, they're going to eat me! Her eyes went from Benny to Emma, right back to Benny. Why else would they bring me to such a dark place? So that they can tear right into me and eat me alive, and nobody will ever find my body and I'll be dead forever and they can slink away into the shadows and-
Her body started shaking harder and harder. It's fine, it's gonna be fine, Remote, you've just gotta escape! If they can't catch you, they can't eat you, right? Remote looked up at the sky as she tried to pull herself together, feeling very uncertain.

She sighed. She'd thought these people were her friends. They'd sure acted like they were her friends! Her eyes went from Benny to Emma and back again as she watched the faces she had loved from the very beginning twisted into expressions of pure anger.
"IT'S USELESS, EMMA!! LOOK AT IT!!" Benny gestured towards her and Remote flinched as if he had struck her. Remote began to back away, ears lowering, paws shaking.

She turned and ran. 

Remote could hear Emma and Benny chasing her, she could hear their screams. Her eyes overflowed with tears, her paws were shaking The forest behind her was dark and horrible and  Remote hated it but she didn't care anymore. The yelling was beginning to stop, she was beginning to win the race against the monsters. She was going to live!! For a tiny fraction of a second, Remote saw a tiny glimpse of hope on the horizon. 
And then she stopped running.

Remote looked down at her legs. Huh? Remote studied her navy paws. She hadn't told them to stop running, so why were-
Oh. Oh no, oh no oh no, not now...please, I have to- 
Remote tried to reach out towards the dark, looming horizon. It seemed as if there was a force between them, one she was not strong enough to break. Tears streamed down from her eyes as her legs brought her, at a running pace, back to Emma. Remote looked up at her and saw nothing but scorn. 
"I told you we didn't have to chase her. Remote, remember?" she brought a gray metal box up to her head and shook it. She scoffed at Benny. Remote tried to move her paws again. She turned her head, the forest was still right there!! But her paws seemed lasered to the floor. 

Shaking, she looked up at Emma. "I-I'm not gonna let you eat me up!" she screamed in her bravest voice. "Even if my legs won't listen I'll-I'll" Remote's eyes were filled with static and tears now. 

Her words seemed to go unheard. Benny groaned. "Emma, just look at her. That is not  gonna need another surgery on this one. It's useless like this."

Emma sighed. "You don't know how expensive that surgery was, Benny. They told me either she works, or she works. Problems are not an option."
Emma's gaze softened and something inside Remote began to panic. She backed away, wait...

My legs belong to me again!!!  I can run!! I can- 

"Oh, no you don't!" Benny grabbed Remote as soon as she sprang forward. Remote panicked. He had all her paws pinned down. She was stuck, helpless, in the clutches of the beast, the monster had his paws on her fur, she shuddered every time his skin touched a new part of her fur. 

No, no, no, no, no...

Emma sighed. "Whatever. It's too panicked to be of much good right now, anyway. Let's just go back, and"

Remote caught sight of her cage and her panic went from ten to a hundred. "NO!" she shouted, wriggling in the monster's grasp. Must...escape...
Benny struggled to retain grip of Remote and they both fell to the floor.  Remote ran off yet again, in a flash of pure happiness, only to find Emma blocking her path. Remote reared up onto her hind legs, trying to make herself bigger, claws out to try and scare her new foe away. Emma scoffed and pushed something on the metal box. 

The paw Remote had meant to scare Emma off ripped towards Remote, slashing her flesh open as blood poured over her right eye. She slumped to the ground, her mind exploding with pain as she whimpered, crying to herself.

"Why the hell did you do that? You damaged the prototype, now everyone's going to be asking questions!"

Remote's vision was fading fast, its brightness seeming to darken with each breath. 

"That stupid thing was getting too feisty. Nobody has to know, we can say she dove into some brambles trying to kill a stupid bird or something. And you're with me, so you can't say anything or else you'll lose your job too."

Remote's tears were beginning to be devoured by the stream of blood pouring down from the three slashes going through her eye. This was the worst pain Remote had ever felt, her whole eye burned, she couldn't even get up.

"Besides. It needed to be taught you don't run. It'll know for sure now!"

Remote's whimpering and cries of pain stopped. She let herself go.

Now all Remote could see was black.