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• Rebecca Abdel-messih, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2009

“Run Katie! He’s after us!” screamed Jake, barely acknowledging where he was running to, due to the thick foliage.
“I’m running, but I can’t see anything!” Katie shouted back.
Their heavy footsteps echoed eerily into the silent, dark night.
“I … think … we… lost ... him,” he panted breathlessly while coming to a sudden halt. He was listening for footsteps but he was quite sure there was no one but the pair of them.
“Yeah,” replied Katie clutching her sides. “What do we do now?”
“We have to stay here for awhile,” instructed her brother.
“What?! What about mum and dad?” Katie fired up at once. “We have to go back and help them!”
“No, listen Katie, mum told us to run for our lives and never to come back under any circumstances, so that’s what we’re doing. Man, I knew it! I knew something wasn’t right. I just can’t believe I didn’t see this coming. I could’ve stopped this from happening!” her brother cried, banging his forehead on a small tree.
“Jake, I’m so scared,” his sister whispered, her bottom lip quivering.
“Me too,” he said, turning his back on her.
Jake felt like he had let his parents down. He also knew it was too late. They were dead.
“We’re going to stick together and we can’t leave each other, OK?” he said, turning to face her.
Katie gave one shaky nod, drew a deep breath and said “We just have one more problem to face.”
“What’s that?”
“Getting back home.”


Jake and Katie woke up the next day stiff and sore from sleeping on the harsh, forest ground.
“Morning,” Jake said to Katie wearily.
“Morning,” she mumbled back. “What do we do now?”
“All we have to do is find our way back to the house.” he said.
“No!” Katie said sharply. “They could be back there waiting for us. I don’t understand how this could’ve happened.”
“It was Uncle Jay who did it. I saw him. He shot mum and dad. I heard him shouting something at dad. I couldn’t hear properly, by then I had locked myself up in my room. He said something about dad always taking the glory. Then mum shouted something … and that was when I heard the two shots. Come on I think we should go back.”
Jake stood up and Katie followed.
“This is a really bad idea, Jake.”
“What other choice do we have?” he asked fiercely.
They searched for what seemed like hours, until they finally found what they were looking for. They walked through the front door but a voice made them stop.
“I knew you would come back. I was waiting for you.” Their Uncle’s voice was so cold. “I can’t let you live my dears, you’ve witnessed too much I believe.”
“Please Uncle Jay, why are you doing this?” Katie pleaded.
“I’m sorry kids but this is the way it’s got to be.”
“You’re just a coward! You awful man!YOU...YOU...YOU..."



BANG!