I NEED A BREAK

• Nic Broadway, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2011

‘I need a break’ said the swimmer as his powerful but tired arms propelled his body through the water towards the finish line. As he reached it he glanced up and allowed himself a small smile as his name blared through the speakers all over the stadium. The sound from the crowd was constant, a repetitive chanting sound that carried easily to his ears ‘Tho-mas Ol-tima, Tho-mas Ol-tima’ then the strangest thing happened, the world started to bleed together as the sound of the crowd changed to a drone. Thomas opened his eyes for a split second before he was grasped and pulled out of his comfortable bed by strong unseen hands. He suddenly felt a small sting in his arm before his eyes closed and everything changed to black.
When he woke it was obvious he had been drugged on the way to this strange warehouse. He didn’t have time to ponder this as he was faced with a bright interrogator’s lamp.
‘WHERE IS THE MONEY!’ a man with an unkempt, messy beard shouted in his face with spittle flying everywhere. Thomas, still drowsy from sleep said nothing. As the bearded one sent question after question at the drowsy Thomas. He was surprised when a hand came out of nowhere and slapped him in the face. Thomas then decided he would avoid getting hurt by trying to answer these people’s questions. The first questions were easy, stuff like what is your name, but eventually Thomas couldn’t answer their questions because he honestly didn’t know. The questions were about ‘the money’ and some crime he didn’t commit. He kept asking himself why they were doing this but every time he could not think of a reason why. Then Thomas started shouting back, this took his captors by surprise so he leapt out of his chair and ran to the exit. He pulled open the door and found himself momentarily surprised by the cool night air and dark sky. This was quickly ignored as Thomas ran away into the woods.
As he continued to run along the path that wound through the strange woods he saw a clearing up ahead. As he ran to investigate the clearing seemed to be further away than he expected and just as he reached it more of the people who had kidnapped him surrounded him. Thomas backed into a corner ready to turn and run at a moments notice. Suddenly a team of darkly clothed individuals appeared out of nowhere and quickly knocked out all of Thomas’ pursuers. The leader of the group strode over to Thomas and said
‘Thanks for the distraction kid; we have been trying to corner those men for three days’ Thomas nodded weakly before he was asked why he was out in the woods alone. Thomas told them his story and after more talk he set off with his rescuers back to the suburb where he lived.