Fearful

• Allan Yuok, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2015

Several bombs released from the overhead carrier begin to descend heading for the scorched, earthen floor. Moments later, his town is devastated by the explosives and ridden with powerful chemical fumes. He gathers himself on both feet and starts to feel a rush of adrenaline from his head to the tip of his fingers. Beneath him, the floor is unbearable and starts creating dark patches of burnt skin. The tenacious fumes only made things worse. His lungs start to weaken and collapse with his choppy breathing. An undamaged building is seen in the midst of the hazy fumes.
Slowly he made ground on both his shattered legs. Both arms give a continuous effort to carry him to his destination. Embers from the rubble of ravaged buildings blacken his face into a deep charcoal colour. Open wounds began to sear and burst under the extreme heat of the glowing flames. Running straight, he finds himself in a riverbed that miraculously contained a scarce supply of muddy water. Agonising screams echo through the crevices of the broken earth. He feels a great burning sensation that linger around his bloody blistered wounds. His body couldn’t withstand the severe conditions. In the riverbed he lay with his bloodstained clothes discolouring the dirt water into a distinct maroon.
Jumping from the hospital bed he started to shout. Mental scaring took its toll on him as confusion filled his head. “Calm down sir, we understand the situation best. You must let us carry on with our work”. A woman in white overalls entered the room. In the poorly lit room, the woman took out intricate tools only she could handle. She tore apart pieces of rigid skin and listened to the deafening screams of her patient. Finally she mends the wounds with large sheets of fabric. His breathing started to sharpen quickly in relief.
“We have notified someone of your mishaps. They will arrive shortly.” Who did she call? He thought to himself. The female figure left him isolated in his creaky hospital bed. Above him the rusty fan irritated him and lapsed after every few seconds. How come he had never seen this woman before? Carefully lifting himself off the bed, he slowly pondered around the room for answers. The window adjacent the door glistened and lit up the room.
His fate was unknown and he wanted it to be. Hungry and hopeless he fluttered his eyes into a deep sleep. Soon after the woman peeked through the door ajar and began to squint with a menacing smile. “He’s down. He is finally down.”