I Thought I Was Caught!

• Jessica Houston, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2012

My hand quivered as I pushed the huge, dark green leaves out of the way, I had been hiding behind this bush for hours now. I looked through the small space that I had created and I saw a petrifying sight. Buildings were on fire, they would burn and collapse to the ground. Mothers were carrying their babies, desperately looking for somewhere to hide. I could hear guns shooting in the distance and hundreds of people screaming. Suddenly my heart started to pound. People were coming towards me! I wanted to get up and run but I couldn’t. They were getting closer. The leaves crunched beneath their feet, they were shouting. I needed to run but my legs wouldn’t let me. I was horrified, what would become of me? A shiver ran down my spine as I turned around. I could see two silhouettes. These people, men probably, were tall and muscular. They were each holding something long and skinny. They were really close to me now. All of a sudden my legs allowed me to run and so I did. Up I hopped and I sprinted as fast as I could, adrenalin was fuelling me.
“Someone’s running, get ‘em!” Yelled one of the men.
I realised that running was a stupid idea, if I had of stayed put they wouldn’t have seen me. I could hear them chasing me. I was terrified, I was going to die. I looked back. Crash! Bang! Ouch! I had hit the dirt. I was injured, my foot throbbed. I had numerous cuts all over my body, dark red blood poured from each and every wound. The energy had been robbed from me. I couldn’t go on, I couldn’t get away. The men were now right in front of me, guns drawn. I closed my eyes and prayed.
‘Please help me God.’
I waited for the pain of a bullet striking my heart but there was nothing. No gun shot, no pain. I opened my eyes very slowly. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the men’s faces next to mine. But as I looked closer I noticed something. One man had a familiar orange beard and the other had familiar baby blue eyes. These two people weren’t terrorists; they were Sam and Dan, the leaders of our village’s army.
“You alright kiddo? Sorry for scaring you like that.” Said Dan.
“I think I broke my foot,” I groaned.

Sam and Dan carried me to the army’s hideout so that I was safe. They dressed my numerous wounds and plastered my foot. Then they tucked me into a bed and I fell fast asleep.