Tech Co.

• Tahlia Kloprogge, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2009

The cool September air swept Julia’s hair into her face. She brushed it back into place and sighed, glancing at the watch on her left wrist. It was nearing nine o’clock. Her father was late yet again and she was growing impatient. She wished she could just go home, but she lived a long way away and as chairman of Techco, her father had to be present for all potentially dangerous experiments. As Julia observed her surroundings, she noticed a trapdoor in the ground ahead of her. Curious as her nature was, she only hesitated momentarily before closing the distance separating them. She wrenched the door open and drifted into the heart of the odd room that greeted her. It was about the size of a large bedroom, with two bunk beds in the corner and a table in the middle - which held a radio on its edge. She was in a fallout shelter - a chamber built into the ground to provide protection for people from leakage of poisonous gases and nuclear bombs. The door swung shut and she heard the lock click. However, she didn’t have time to feel trapped, for a resounding boom followed quickly. The earth shook around her, causing her heart to stutter and her eyes to widen as she freaked out. Tentatively approaching the door, Julia unsecured the lock. With a deep breath, she stepped out into the open. A thick, brown haze filled the air. Squinting, she could see a silhouette of a man limping towards her. Her stomach cramped uneasily, and it was then that she realised that something was horribly wrong with him. He looked almost like...a zombie. Then everything clicked; the experiment had been defective. Scared stiff, she froze as the man came closer. All she could manage was a scream as he gripped her. The sound pierced the silent air, before it wavered and disappeared into a distant memory. In her last dying moments, Julia caught a glimpse of the man responsible for such an act. ‘Father!’ She gasped in horror. Then she fell limp in his arms.