Disassembly Delayed | Murder Drones LBF AU

AFTERDARK - 2

Like an upside-down ravine, there's a hole in the roof of the loading dock. One drone pats another on the back and points to the opening outside. "I'm assuming you have the uhh... Ladder- Bot... 5000, right?" He nervously chuckles after claiming his assumption. The overworked drone rolled his eyes and gripped the handle of his toolbox. "Yeah. Just... Let me finish the job, please." The other drone waves to his professional and exits the loading dock. "Just keep the lights o-" Before he could finish his yelp, he's enveloped in the darkness, the opening above him acting as a spotlight. He lets out an annoyed grumble and places his toolbox on the small step ladder next to him. He takes out a flashlight and presses the button. It blinds him at first, but he averts the torch away and quickly regains his vision. He looks up at the damage and pushes the step ladder using his boot to better look at what he has to do.

Before he could feel a snowflake drop on him from the opening, he hears scuttling against the concrete. He stumbles forward and looks behind himself. His light illuminates the crates and shelves, trying to find the cause of the noises. He hears a violent metallic crash behind him, making him drop his toolbox and look behind himself immediately. He lets out a yelp and shakily checks for where the source might be. He searches around his radius but stops on a shipment crate. The body next to him was gone. He hears a pulsing heartbeat and sees a ribcage in the large metal structure. He nervously ventures into the path, hearing teeth chatter and the low groans of a predator. He takes a glance at the corpse, and he notices a small crab-like heart in the middle like it was preening itself. It quickly flashes a bright beacon at him and causes a symbol to stamp against his memory, like branding a cow. 

He drops his flashlight and turns around to make a run for it, but he's met with a strange claw-like tentacle pulling him back. His calf gets punctured and oil trails along his injury back into the creature. He screams and reaches for at least a surface that could give him an advantage, but the loud screeching sound of the final blow silences him and puts his limbs to rest.
Their screams have a delectable taste.

405 words