Left Behind

• Peta Frew, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2010

The day was dark, misty and grey. Rain from the sky; I looked out the classroom window. High school students running up and down the paths trying to get to the classroom quickly. We were going to go on a school excursion today to the shops, but I don’t think we will because it is so windy, and someone will get lost.
I couldn’t wait until we go to the shops, but, it was a long 30 minutes away! Mrs Rees was starting to call out the role, Bobby Gray, Christen Shamozzems..... Peta Frew, Rachel Aran........... Joel Baynton, Elyse Heston. After she finished the role (there was like 40 kids) she asked if everyone had what they needed and of course everyone said yes. So we hoped on the bus...
When we got to the shops the teacher said “everyone got their money”. And we replied “yes miss”. The teacher then said off you shop, shop till you drop make sure you stay in pairs”. So Christen Shamozzems and I went to a lot of shops which were Gloss, Supre, Jay jays, City beach, Target, K-mart, Chinese boutique, Fashion fair, Ses and Big W. We got heaps, there were sales everywhere. The teacher called everyone to the bus it was 6:30pm.
We had to get to the bus bay quickly because it was becoming dark. I wanted to get on the bus before the black night was here. As we had started to walk to the bus bay I felt eager to run but I could’ve injured myself or Christen. I didn’t want that to happen. We saw the bus starting to leave so we ran after it, but it was already down the street and I ran out of breath. So I said ok I will just ring the teacher and let her no she forgot us. So I began to ring her on my cell phone, but it had no reception. ‘Of course at a time like this nothing else could go wrong’ I said.
There was the black night starting to surround us. I was getting really scared and no doubt my friend was to, so I said ‘let’s just start making our way to school, they will figure out that they forgot us soon and come back’. Christen looked really worried so I said “here call your mum”. Christen said ‘thanks’, but before I could even give her the phone she dropped to the ground and that was when I heard it.
BANG!!!!
The noise behind me gave me a fright, it sounded like a gun shot. I slowly turned around...5 men where behind me, each of them shot their guns up in the air. My face went blank. So I went straight to my heads first choice, “grab the phone, drop the bag and then RUN!!!!!!!!!” I ran as fast as I could, so hard that after 10 minutes of running I was panting for breath. Then as I was relaxing in a brush, I noticed no one was following me, so I slowed the pace that I was running at.

After a minute or so I had realised that I’d gone the wrong way and was heading for a dead end! Luckily I had gone the wrong way here before, so I knew that there was a little alleyway to get me on the right track again. I waited a moment to think should I take the alleyway or go the long way from here. I decided to go through the little alleyway. As I turned the corner of the alleyway I knew that I could not turn back.....
I was trapped there were 2 men in front of me and 3 behind, the same men who had killed my friend just moments ago. They ran in together and grabbed me; they held me so tightly I could barely breathe.

The men shoved me into a garbage bag, then through me into the back of their truck. The ride was a bumpy one; I was moving everywhere I hit the side of the boot, then hit the roof and then hit hard on the ground again. I was battered and bruised; I felt like crying and trying to unlatch the door of the truck. But I knew that the truck door can only be opened by the outside. I started to cry so hard that I couldn’t hear myself think up a plan.

About half an hour went past, the men were still driving the truck and I was still crying while hitting every side of the trucks walls. I couldn’t see anything but black as I was in a garbage bag. I thought that the garbage bag was there so that I could not run off when they opened the doors of the truck. Suddenly my cell phone went off; hallelujah! It was my MUM!!!!!!
She started asking her where you are in a very, very, very angry voice. As she was talking I butted in and said the whole story of what had happened. She didn’t believe me until I got disconnected by the truck bouncing me everywhere! I rung her back and she had said to lean on God and say sorry for all the bad things I have done in the past and today. And ask him to set me free from this evil group of people. I did it without thinking because my mum’s advice always seems to help. Then on the phone she said that she would ring up the police and track down the Number plate that took me away.

As I was praying everything stopped. No bumping around, no feeling new pain and no noise to show that the truck was on (that is because truck are so loud in the back.) Then I heard some people talking about what they’re going to do with me, because I was just a bit of fun. I could tell they had unlatched the door because I had heard the door open.
One of them had said that she would wriggle so get out some rope; another had said she would scream so take her out of the bag straight away, and then put on some gaffer tape. The other ones were just muttering to themselves. They grabbed me I didn’t wriggle or make any noise at first to trick them. They all just stopped moving, and then they undid the knot of the top of the garbage bag to let me out. When they opened it they said ‘is she dead?’ They said that because I did not move a muscle.

Jesus was there with me helping me not move, I could tell. One of them dumped me on their drive way and walked off so did the others! Jesus quietly said don’t move, but I didn’t listen. I got up and had started to cry again. Someone grabbed me from behind, and had called out to his mates hey! She is still alive, they all ran right up close and pulled me inside.
Inside was extremely cold; I had no clue where I was then and there. They strapped me to a seat, and started asking all these questions, I had to answer because one had a gun and put it to my head. Some of the questions were like, where do you live and what’s your complete name? I told them all sorts of lies about my name and where I live so that I could be saved.
Next, they strapped me to a lying machine so they could see if what I was saying the first time was true. All the questions I was lying about appeared true. I was shocked in my own belief that they were appearing true as I was shaken up and I had a squeal in my voice. God was on my side.
Maybe they understood that I, well I was extremely scared. As they are armed grown men who can kill me asking me questions on the lie machine!

Then something strange happened. The men told me their names; their hometown; where they live as in street and no. And they even told me where I was and to go into this room with my phone and ring up my mum and the cops if I wanted to.
So I walked in to a soundproof room and called em up in half an hour the men were arrested I was safe at home and the chance to kill me wasn’t taken, I was confused!
Then I heard mum say, “Morning Lizzie, I hope your dreams weren’t too scary.”

I woke up all right!

Then that arvo I asked my mother to explain who god was and how I could become a Christian! It was amazing now that I know a lot about god and if I get into a situation like that I can pray and he will help me.