Premonitions

I watched the mewling form inch away. Reaching out with vested desperation, it groped for an anchor. Something it could hold onto for escape. It's clammy hand flailed in the air briefly, before clinging to a chair leg. It slipped and fell to the floor, painting the shiny metal a rich crimson. The other hand was battered beyond recognition,  torn flesh and shards of bone swimming in a pool of blood under the florescent office lighting.

With a boot to the chest, it flopped over onto it's back, heaving. It's purple shirt was soaked maroon,freshly spilt blood still streaming down like a polydactyl octopus. Above the collar was a mangled maw, it's teeth and gums broken apart like a lobster's mandibles. It's tongue lolled between the split jaw. A little further above was a button nose, mushed in by a few stomps. It frantically blew red bubbles from whatever passage from the mouth to the nostrils remained, bursting as soon as they were made. Above were it's eyes. Loose-hanging flaps of skin  hung over the left eye, one side as white as a bride's veil and the other glowing red and radiant, purple veins visible in the office's light.

The other eyeball was obscured by a broken eyebrow, giving it a deflated appearance as it was pinched between bone. Whether it was red because of stress, or the wine-like substance draining into it like a chalice remained to be seen. Tears streamed from between the bone. I stooped down and clutched it's collar, staring intently into it's eye. So it would be sure I would be the last thing it ever saw.

"Wuh-whey?" it gibbered and gurgled. It's tongue writhed pathetically to form this question, falling into the throat on the final consonant.

I brought down my tire iron to what remained of it's right eye socket. It's form stopped squirming as a hearty, wet sound splashed through the hallways.

I stood up, looking at my handiwork. I found a certain sense of fulfillment from watching it die. No matter how many times I've done it before, the adrenaline is never dulled.

Before I left the restaurant, I stopped in front of the stage and looked up at the robots standing on it. I thought about the thing's question.

"Because it's the right thing to do," I said.

The robots continued to stare into the darkness. Their eyes never blinked and their mouths never breathed. They remained still.

 Inert.

Lifeless.

I left the door open when I left.