Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground

• Armand Gumera, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2015

I felt heavy.
I woke up gasping for air inside what felt like a coffin. I was numb and could not feel anything. My body was coated with a dense substance that filled the coffin halfway. I was confused and felt very cold. My heart was palpitating. I tried to calm myself and attempted to recollect memories of how I got trapped in here, but I could not do it. My senses recovered a few moments later, the substance was gooey, the putrid smell made my nose sting tremendously that it made me tear up. I tried pushing the coffin open but it would not budge. The fear of death stabbed my mind. My skinny body shivered relentlessly. I started to lose consciousness. All of a sudden the coffin opened, opening slowly while emitting a steam hissing sound. A surge of relief rushed through my aching and quivering body.
Escaping was the only thing on my mind. I did not care if anyone was waiting, fear got the best of me. So, I jumped out without hesitation. I fractured my nose when I landed face first on the hard concrete floor. I slowly stood up in pain and wiped away most of the sticky blue slime and blood, from my frozen face, coughing up chunks of it with a disgusted look on my face as if I had eaten a wet and sour earwax.
The coffin was not what I thought it was, it was a time capsule. On the side of the capsule was a screen, it read: ‘Damian Torsky – Status: Awakened’. Through the collapsed roof, I saw the dark afternoon sky. A droplet of water hit my face; it had started to rain. Fragments of the roof were on top of the capsules, destroying some. While advancing to the exit, I recognised something that caused an already distressing scene to become worse. On every capsule read: ‘Status: Dead’.
Everyone…dead. The place gave me an uneasy feeling and so I dashed to the door. Corridors were trashed. Walls were demolished and vandalised. I was freezing, anything that will keep me warm would suffice, as I had only a white singlet and white nylon shorts. This place was a mess. I went outside hoping to find somebody who would assist me.
My heart sank when I stepped out of the building as I saw something that I would never forget. The city was deserted. Noiseless. Buildings were destroyed and the streets were empty, the roads leading into the darkness beyond. I sat down with feelings of despair on the footsteps, thinking to myself in the rain.
There was nothing left. No family. No friends. No purpose. No life.
A few days has passed and I had sank deeper and deeper into depression. My sadness was like sitting in a dark corner while screaming my lungs out; crying out to God, for freedom, from this dreadful pain in my heart.
I softly said to myself with confusion and disappointment, “Why?”