Eat

• Kurtis Amrein, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2013

My eyes open. I hear something behind the high whistle of wind rattling my windows, almost like a muffled scream. Could it have been just a dream? Rolling over, I pull my phone off charge, and click the button to check the time; my eyes are flooded with burning brightness. Closing one eye and squinting with the other; I notice 2:45AM. I turn my phone off, close my eyes and prepare to get to sleep again.
Dozing off, I hear something break the stillness in my mind, it’s the scream again. Frustrated, I pull myself out of bed, march over to the window, and pull the blinds apart. My tired face stares back at me through the dark surface of the rain splattered, wind shaking window. Pushing my hand up to the icy glass, I peer through the misty surface into the empty ghostly street. Is my mind playing tricks on me? Scanning the street, I don’t see anything amiss, but just as I look away, something moves in the corner of my eye,
I quickly glue my face to the window again; directing my eyes to where I thought I saw movement. In old Mrs Sterk’s garden there is someone there, a dark shadowy silhouette under the heavy sheets of rain falling rapidly from the sky. The figure suspiciously seems to be kneeling over something. It’s impossible to get a proper look at what is going on. A loud crack pierces the night air and everything is covered in a quick flash of lighting, but in that time I see something I would much rather have not. The light falls upon a figure covered in blood, feeding off old Mrs Sterk. The blood is illuminated dramatically by the split second of light. My heart begins racing, bashing against my rib cage trying to get out.
Questions in my mind start jumping up and down like balls in lottery machines. What do I do? Peering outside my window again I’m drawn to the zombie like figure, who seems to still be feeding. Suddenly my ‘Gangnam Style’ ringtone starts buzzing loudly. Every nerve in my body tightens. My phone starts glowing brightly, as another flash of lightning fills the air. The zombie looks up and stares straight at me. Snatching my phone to turn it off, I fumble and drop it. Diving to the ground, I cup it in my hands before turning it off. Closing my eyes, I hear my heartbeat drumming acoustically inside my ears. A loud bang erupts from a crash at my window. I see the man approaching, misty eyed with skin as brown as old paper and blood like shining red rivers leaking from wounds. Silent tears slide down my face as jaws clamp hard on my shin. My mind goes blank...
Opening my eyes I’m no longer me… I’m dry and as brown as old paper, my eyesight is foggy and I have a gaping wound on my shin and only one objective. Eat.