My Smart Home System Locked Me In because It Detects an Intruder. But The Cameras Show An Empty House.

My Smart Home System Locked Me In because It Detects an Intruder. But The Cameras Show An Empty House.

​I bought the "Sentinel" smart home system because I live alone in a large house at the edge of the woods. It promised state-of-the-art security: AI-driven motion detection, auto-locking doors, and steel emergency shutters for windows. It was supposed to make me feel safe.

​Tonight, it is doing the opposite.

​I was watching a movie in the living room when the lights suddenly flashed red. The TV screen cut to black, displaying the Sentinel logo.

​A pleasant, synthetic female voice filled the room. "Alert. Intruder detected in: Living Room. Threat Level: Severe. Initiating Lockdown Protocol."

​Before I could react, heavy metal security shutters slammed down over the windows with a deafening crash. The front and back door bolts slid into place with a loud thud.

​I jumped off the sofa, heart racing. "Sentinel, cancel alert! It’s just me!"

​The voice responded calmly. "User identification confirmed. However, a second biological entity is detected in close proximity. Lockdown cannot be lifted until the threat is neutralized."

​I froze. A second entity?

​I looked around the living room. It was an open-plan space. The kitchen island, the dining table, the sofa. There was nowhere to hide. The room was empty.

​"Show me the camera feed," I commanded, pulling out my phone.

​The app opened. I saw the live feed of the living room. I saw myself standing by the sofa, looking terrified. I scanned the rest of the screen. Nothing. No one was behind the curtains. No one was under the table.

​"Sentinel, there is no one here. Override lockdown."

​"Negative," the AI replied. "Thermal sensors detect a biological heat signature. Location: Two meters behind you."

​I spun around. Nothing but air.

​I grabbed a heavy vase from the table as a weapon. "Where? I don't see anything!"

​"The intruder is standing still," the voice said. "It is currently observing you."

​Panic began to rise in my throat like bile. Was the system glitching? Or was there something here that the naked eye couldn't see, but a thermal sensor could?

​"Sentinel, describe the intruder."

​There was a pause as the processor calculated. "Entity height: 7 feet 2 inches. Body temperature: 45 degrees Celsius. Heart rate: 10 beats per minute. Anomaly detected: The entity has no facial features."

​My blood ran cold. 45 degrees? That’s burning hot. 10 beats per minute? That’s barely alive.

​I backed away until my back hit the wall. "Unlock the doors! Let me out!"

​"I cannot allow the user to exit while the threat is active. It is for your safety."

​Suddenly, the lights in the room began to dim. Not all at once, but one by one, starting from the far end of the room and moving toward me. As if someone was walking past the switches.

​Then, I felt it. A wave of heat. Intense, radiating heat, like standing next to an open oven door. It was coming from the empty space right in front of me.

​My phone buzzed. It was a notification from the Sentinel app: Motion Detected.

​I looked at the phone screen. On the thermal camera mode, the screen was a wash of blue and cool colors. But right in the center, standing less than a foot away from me, was a towering, burning red silhouette.

​It was shaped like a man, but its limbs were too long, and its head was tilted down, looking straight at me.

​I looked up from the phone into the empty air. I couldn't see it, but I could feel its heat blistering my skin. I could hear a slow, wet heavy breathing that wasn't coming from me.

​"Intruder is approaching the user," the pleasant voice announced. "Would you like to call emergency services?"

​"YES!" I screamed.

​"Calling 911... Connection failed. Line severed."

​The heat is unbearable now. I can smell burning hair. Something invisible is reaching out. I can feel the pressure of fingers wrapping around my throat.

​The last thing I hear is the Sentinel voice, cheerful as ever.

"Threat neutralization failed. Goodbye, User."