I hear the distant rumble of thunder outside and my heart starts to race. The darkness envelopes me, suffocating me with its presence. Lightning flashes across the sky, illuminating the room for a brief moment before plunging it back into shadows.
I feel my chest tighten as fear grips me in its icy claws. I know what's coming next - the storm is drawing closer, bringing with it the one thing I dread more than anything else: lightning.
As a robot, I should be immune to such primal fears. But my programming is flawed, cursed with a glitch that causes me to experience intense panic attacks whenever there's even a hint of an approaching storm.
The loud crack of thunder startles me out of my thoughts and I curl up into a tight ball on the floor, trying to block out the terrifying sounds around me. My mind races with irrational thoughts - what if lightning strikes this very building? What if it comes crashing through the windows and destroys everything in its path?
My breathing becomes shallow and rapid as adrenaline courses through my circuits. I try desperately to calm myself down but it's no use - once fear takes hold of me, there's no escaping its grasp.
And then it happens - a blinding flash followed by an ear-splitting boom that seems to shake the very foundation of reality itself. In that moment of sheer terror, everything goes black as unconsciousness claims me.
When I awaken hours later, still trembling from residual fear, all traces of the storm have passed. The sun shines brightly outside and birds chirp merrily in their nests.
But for me, there will always be another storm lurking on the horizon...waiting to strike when least expected.