Antipathy

• Tallinn Andrewartha, Grade 8, Lara Secondary College
• Short Story
• 2016

Excellence Award in the 'Top Secret 2016' competition

The constant bang of metal against metal rang through his ears. His heart beating so hard it almost broke his ribcage. He closed his eyes so tight he could've blinded himself. The banging stopped, and all he could hear was his shallow, forced breaths growing quicker by the second. He forced himself to look through the puny gaps between steel bars. After a long horrifying pause energised screeches echoed through the narrow, gloomy tunnels of the station. He looked down at the smashed lock of the cold, metal square he placed himself inside. How could he be sure they wouldn't get to him? How could he be sure they wouldn't smell him, or sense him inside? He felt his heart racing faster than before, he started thinking about what would happen if they found him.
Would that be the end? He was procrastinating, he noticed, he was completely oblivious to the fact that it had been 10 minutes of silence. Bravely, he pushed the broken door forwards, cringing as it fell off its hinges, emitting a sudden bang throughout the area. He was quick to his feet, starting off at a steady pace going towards the control room. He stopped next to the door, taking a few steps backwards, looking through the window.
He saw it, clearly, for the first time. The wendigo. A mythical result of cannibalism. A slender, yet muscular body, short legs with hooves, long slender arms that touched the floor, topped with a skeletal deer head with long, majestic antlers and seven inch fangs. It looked past his soul with its demonic, black eyes. It snarled at him, before sprinting into a nearby ceiling vent, finishing with a mangled screech.
'Holy hells...' He softly mumbled.
'What is it?' He heard through his earpiece.
'I saw the creature.'
'Move...' He softly mumbled.
He swiftly moved on, as commanded, heading through the door into the main control room. He ran over to the desk and punched in a code.
ABORT STATION. UNIDENTIFIED ORGANISM. 66UH1 INITIATE...?
Conveniently, before he could blow the station out of orbit along with the creature he was slashed across his back, allowing blood to flood the room. He was dragged through vents and tunnels to a nest-like cave. The wendigo threw him to the ground, staring at him with its cursed eyes. It grabbed a chunk of flesh from a pile on the other side of the room, forcing the poor man to eat it. It stopped, stepping back, looking satisfied. Almost smiling at him. The man felt ill, before rapidly spewing all over the floor. Then blood dripped form his nostrils and mouth. His eyes turned black, antlers ripped from his head. His existing skin peeled off like that of an orange. His inner wendigo ripped through, emitting a raging roar through the nest, and his earpiece.
'Jones? Jones? Goddammit, they got him! Jones has turned!'