I don't own a Roomba.

I've been living with my girlfriend for the past few months. We've been dating for about a year and we wanted to take the next step. We both work opposite hours. She works the graveyard shift at the hospital, and I work days at the Amazon distribution center. We hardly ever find ourselves off at the same time.

She gets off right as I'm leaving for work in the morning and she's long gone when I get home. Most nights it's just me on the couch with our dog, Gizmo. I'll do house chores, and I'll try to make sure my girlfriend has Food ready when she gets home in the morning. About 2 days ago I came home after a long shift at the warehouse. Gizmo was yapping and jumping on my leg as i walked through the door, trying to get my attention.

He seemed a little more frantic than usual, almost like he was scared of something. I brushed it off and headed to the kitchen to feed him and make myself some dinner. I take Gizmo outside to use the bathroom and he starts acting funny when I try to take him back inside. When I open the door he begins to quiver and shake, letting out that signature whine that all little dogs have.

I nudge him towards the door and he yelps and runs behind my leg. He's starting to worry me. I pick him up and take him inside. He burries his face into my shoulder, still trembling. About an hour goes by and I'm watching tv in the living room, when I hear a strange noise coming from down the hallway.

It almost sounded like our washing machine when its finished with a cycle, but it was different. I didn't really recognize the sound. Gizmo immediately started freaking out, whining and digging his paws rapidly into my shirt, as if he was trying to burrow into me and hide from the noise. " What's wrong buddy?" I asked, knowing I wouldn't receive an answer. I heard the noise again, only this time it sounded like something was knocking into the door of our guest room.

Gizmo began barking profusely and looking around frantically. The noise persisted, the door shaking as something pounded against it. I got up from the couch and walked down the hallway slowly, and with caution. The door rattled as I approached, the same noise announcing itself. Gizmo continued to bark and spin in circles, almost as if to tell me to turn back before it's too late.

I reach for the door handle, for what feels like an eternity. The door still pounding, and eminating the sound. I finally twist the knob and open the door, anticipating an intruder in my home. I'm surprised when I am met with a tiny robotic vacuum, clumsily bumping into my foot. "DoO dOo DoO" It beeped as it moved around my foot and made its way down the hallway and into the living room.

At first i was confused, we don't own a Roomba. I do all the vacuuming with an old Bissell. "Maybe Allison bought one and didn't tell me?" I thought to myself as I watched gizmo shaking in terror on the couch while growling at the appliance. What's weird is I specifically remember having a conversation with Allison saying how stupid we thought they were. Not to mention a waste of money.

Our vacuum works fine, and I don't mind taking 20 minutes to vacuum once or twice a week. I brushed it off and figured she was just trying to do something nice for me, make the chores a little easier. I sat back down on the couch and continued watching my show. Gizmo became incessant with his whining. He was being unbearable.

"Gizmo! Chill the fuck out dude, it's just a stupid vacuum!" I yelled, getting his attention and making him stop. His eyes were locked on me for only a moment before they drifted back to the vacuum. He had a look of terror I've never seen him have before. That's when I noticed the vacuum was acting kind of strange. It started making a sound like it was sucking up popcorn kernels.

A loud spine tingling, crackling sound. Only there wasn't anything on the floor where it was vaccuuming. As I watched I noticed something odd about how it was moving. It was circling the couch, almost like a shark circling chum in the water. Periodically it continued to make that same crackling sound.

It almost sounded like cicadas in the trees on a hot summer day. For some reason it was unsettling, but I chose to ignore it and finish my show. "Maybe something is stuck in the gears, or maybe something is wrong with the fan belt?" I thought. I'll just look at it tomorrow and see if I can pick out whatever is obstructing it so it doesn't sound like that anymore. Around 10:30-11:00, I decided it was time for bed.

I grabbed Gizmo and headed towards the bedroom, turning off the lights as I went. I heard the suttle werring of the vacuum as it circled around the back of the couch. " How long do those things run before turning off?" I thought to myself as i walked. The Roomba slowly trailed behind us, almost like it was following me to the room.

I didn't think they made a straight path like that. it turned the corner with us as we entered the threshold of the hallway. I don't know why but it made me uncomfortable. I quickly closed the door behind me. I heard the vacuum hit the door and make that same sound "DoO dOo DoO".

It did this several times, each more aggressive than the last. Finally it must have turned around and went back down the hallway. Around 3:00am I woke up to a loud crash coming from the living room. Gizmo shot up and started barking. I got up disoriented and grabbed a baseball bat that I kept by the nightstand.

I walked down the hall and into the living room with caution, not sure what to expect. I turned on the light and called out, "Hello!? Is anybody there!?". No answer. That's when I noticed the Roomba in the corner. It had knocked over the broom, which subsequently knocked over the tv, smashing it onto the ground and breaking the screen.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?" I said as I watched this idiotic machine struggle to get out from underneath the broom brissles, still making that sound, "DoO dOo DoO." I picked up the vacuum, put it in the guest room and closed the door. After i closed the door i realized it felt weird when I picked it up. It didn't feel like normal plastic, and it felt like it was moving.

Almost like it was trying to wriggle free from my grasp. I blew it off because I had more important things to worry about. My tv is broken and my girlfriend is going to be pissed. We just bought it a month ago when she got her Christmas bonus. How do I explain the vacuum broke the tv? I messaged her knowing she was at work so she would probably see it.

I hope she doesn't freak out too bad. I said " Hey baby, I know you're busy. I don't want to bug you at work but something happened to the tv." She replied, "Oh no! what happened!? Did Gizmo chew the wires again?". "No, the vacuum knocked the broom over and it tipped the tv on it's side. The screen is fucked."

She paused for a minute before replying. "What do you mean the vacuum knocked the tv over? Like you were vacuuming and knocked the tv over?" I said, "No, it was moving around in the living room and knocked a broom over, I was asleep." She takes a moment to respond back. "What do you mean it was moving around while you were asleep? If you broke the tv just say that."

Before I had a chance to reply she sent another message. "Listen I have to get back to rounds. We can talk about the tv tomorrow. I love you, have a good night." I cleaned up the mess and went back to bed. "I'll use my savings to replace the tv, but I'm going to have to talk to Allison about getting her money back for that Roomba. that thing fucking sucks." I thought to myself while laying down, starring at the ceiling.

The next day I got ready for work. I put out some scrambled eggs and pancakes for Allison and let Gizmo out to use the bathroom. Gizmo was being just as defensive and hesitant to go back inside as he was yesterday when I got home. I couldn't understand why the vacuum bothered him so much. Sure it was a little creepy, but he has to know it couldn't hurt him. I mean, he's little but he's still too big too get sucked up into a little vacuum cleaner.

That's when I remembered he was a dumb little puppy dog who gets scared by his own farts when he's sleeping. I picked him up and brought him back inside. As I walked by the hallway I noticed the door to the guest room was open. The light from the window in the room illuminated the hallway wall, which was peculiar because I was certain i closed it last night. Was Allison home? "Allison? Are you here baby?" No reply.

"How the fuck did the door get opened?" I waited in the silence to see if i could hear anyone moving around. "Maybe I didn't shut it all the way" I thought to myself as I listened intently. Suddenly I heard it, and it made me jump out of my skin. That awful crackling. Like gravel in a garbage disposal.

I felt the vacuum bump against my shoe. It was harder than I was expecting. It almost felt like it was nudging me, trying to get me to leave. Gizmo was wimpering on the couch. He refused to get on the ground with that thing.

My alarm went off and snapped me out of it. I have to go to work, Amazon doesn't have a great attendance policy, you only get so many chances before they fire you and I'm not trying to lose my job over a stupid vacuum cleaner. I kiss Gizmo and set up a puppy cam that we got to make sure he doesn't eat anything he shouldn't when I'm gone. Allison should be home in a few hours so Gizmo should be fine. Halfway through the day, I notice a text from Allison.

She say's she's taking a second shift this morning instead of working tonight. This means we can hangout together for the first time in a month. Sometimes it feels like we live with a ghost. Both missing each other by moments. Feeling like we're alone but someone else lives in your house at the same time. We miss each other.

I tell her I'll get a new tv on the way home and she can fall asleep in my lap while we watch scary movies. She gets excited and says it's a date. I tell her we can talk about the vacuum later. she sends a question mark, but at that moment my boss told me not to text at work so I put my phone away. I grabbed a tv from Walmart on my way home. It wasn't as good as the one Allison bought, but it was good enough for the time being.

I'm not going to let our one night we get to spend at home together go to waste because the vacuum wanted to spaz out. I hope she got a warranty for that thing. I get home and open the door to put the tv inside. I'm expecting Gizmo to be at the door awaiting my arrival, but when I go inside he is nowhere to be found. I figured he was on the couch but i didn't see him anywhere. no barking, no whining, no nothing.

I thought to myself, "Did Allison come home early? Is she taking him out for a walk?". I texted her, " Hey baby I just got home, are you here?" She said, "No, I'm just finishing up at the hospital. I'll be home in an hour or so." I look around to see if Gizmo is just hiding. Sometimes he burrows into the couch and takes naps. Nothing.

"I can't find Gizmo anywhere, normally he is waiting at the door for me. I thought maybe you took him for a walk or something." She replies, " Well find him, I don't want him getting into anything. Check the puppy cam." I go into the bedroom and sit down.

I opened my phone to the camera app to see what happened while I was at work. I had to scroll through footage for a little bit. most of it was just the dog trembling on the couch. Then i noticed the Roomba. It was circling the couch like it did last night.

Gizmo starts barking, still on the couch. The Roomba moves out of frame, Gizmo follows, still on the couch. I see him barely in frame when suddenly he yelps and falls off the couch, I hear the crackling noise as Gizmo runs back into frame, barking at the vacuum behind him. That's when something truly horrifying happened. I couldn't believe my eyes as the Roomba began to attack Gizmo.

It ran over him, breaking his legs, sucking him into the mouth of the vacuum. It slowly devoured our poor little dog, making the sound of a paper shredder as Gizmo screamed in pain. Blood spurted forward onto the carpet as Gizmo slowly disappeared underneath the Roomba. The vacuum then let out its signature "DoO dOo DoO." It proceeded to clean up the mess it left behind, leaving no trace of what had transpired.

If it wasn't for the video on the puppy cam we never would known what happened to our dog. At that moment i heard a loud thud at the door to my bedroom. It was followed by a loud "DoO dOo DoO", that made me shudder. That thing killed my dog. How did that thing kill my dog? What did Allison bring into our home? Is it even a Roomba?

I then remembered what it felt like when I picked it up. It didn't feel like plastic, it felt more like a crab shell, like something you would get at a seafood boil. Outside the door I heard the loud crackling, only this time it was deeper, and louder than it had been before. It sounded like the Predator was outside my door waiting to hunt me down in my own home. I was terrified. Now I know how Gizmo must have felt while cowaring on the couch beside me.

I grabbed my baseball bat, getting ready to confront it. I notice the door now began to turn so I locked it immediately. How could it open the door? I stood shaking as the door jerked. I then heard the sound of the vacuum descending into the hallway and turning the corner.

I built up the courage to exit the room, not knowing what I was up against. The apartment was quiet, but I knew it was out there somewhere. I creeped down the hall, turning the corner into the living room. Everything seemed normal. A little too normal.

That's when I saw it. The Roomba was moving around the back of the couch and was now facing me. It had grown since I last saw it. It was 3 times the size it was this morning when I left. I hit the bat on the ground and screamed at the vacuum, " Come on you piece of shit! Do something!"

In that moment everything changed. The chassis of the vacuum split open in the back like a beetle, and two wings began to flutter behind it. It lifted off the ground and started flying towards me, making the crackling sound as it approached. I panicked and ran back towards the bedroom. It slammed into the wall while turning down the hallway, barely missing my head. I hurried into the room and slammed the door shut.

It hit the door, almost knocking me over but I managed to lock the door before it got inside. It Started frantically hitting the door, letting out an exhausting amount of "DoO dOo DoO's". I get a text from Allison saying she will be home soon. "Where the fuck did you get this Roomba from!?" I replied, hoping to get some answers.

She replied "Roomba? What are you talking about? I didn't get a Roomba." Of course she didn't. What is in my house? How did it get in here? I have to warn Allison. But of course, as I'm thinking this, I hear the front door open.

"Baby! I'm home!, Where you at?" My heart sank into my stomach. She doesn't know. She doesn't know what she is coming home to. She has no idea that that thing is out there, waiting for its moment to strike.

"Allison! Quick! Run to the bedroom! That thing killed Gizmo and it's been trying to kill me!" Allison calls out, "What are you talking about?" before i hear the crackling of the creature coming from the living room. "When did we get a Roomba? These things suck ass!" At this moment she started screaming. I could hear the sound of a paper shredder, and I knew it was the same sound I heard in that video, when Gizmo was consumed.

"Jesus fuck! Allison, baby I'm Coming!" I screamed, as I burst through the door and ran down the hallway. Allison was on the floor writhing in pain as the Roomba slowly inched its way over her foot and up her leg. Her bones broke and made a squelching sound as more and more of her leg was being pulled in. I started smashing the baseball bat into the top of the vacuum, hoping to free my girlfriend from its grasp. It squealed and shuddered its wings in pain, as I continued to smash down, blow after blow.

I bent down to try and pull the vacuum off of Allison, revealing six wriggling legs beneath the underside of the vacuum. It began crackling loud and angrily. I started to peel the top of the shell off of the Roomba. As it split it revealed the fleshy insides of what I thought was a machine. The carapace cracked, as the creature bled and squirmed in my hands, flesh and tendons rip more and more as I applied pressure.

Allison's leg is mutilated, but i finally got her free from its grasp. As it lays dying on the floor of my living room, its wings flutter rapidly, making it spin in a circle. The last sound it makes as it stops moving is "DoO dOo DoO." I call an ambulance for Allison. She's lost a lot of blood and they had to perform an emergency amputation on her leg.

We are at the ICU right now. I tried to explain what happened to the doctors but the more I explained, the more insane it sounded. They wouldn't even let me prove it by showing them the video of what happened to Gizmo. I'm just waiting for Allison to wake up so I can explain everything, and hopefully so we can move forward and rebuild after this terrifying experience. I don't know where that Roomba came from, but I hope i never see one again.