To Stand Alone

• Cassandra Cornish, Grade 10, Blaxland High School
• Short Story
• 2016

Excellence Award in the 'Top Secret 2016' competition

The girl hummed quietly to herself, the only thing heard on the abandoned platform. The music that streamed into her ears was low, the beats fed to her in whispers. But she didn’t mind.
Her arms were folded, fingers tapping to the song only she heard, her eyes flickering from left to right as her head bobbed up and down in timed rhythm.
Her train was late. That was the only thing that was going through her mind. The voices of her thoughts silently screaming at her, begging her to take the bus instead, for her train was never late.
But she made no attempt to head for the exit.
It could just be delayed, she told herself reassuringly. But half an hour seemed too long to be a simple delay. She wasn’t quite sure why she was waiting so long for her train, there were plenty of buses above her, waiting for her to pay the fee and take a seat. But the fact the train wasn’t there, wasn’t the only thing that set her on edge.
It was the fact her once bustling platform currently stood completely empty. The occasional piece of rubbish rolling across the peculiar scene.
Shutting off her music, the girl turned, scanning the underground station for any signs of life. But there were none.
No pointless chatter of humans as they hurried to catch their train in fear of being late. No tiny squeals of the rats that snacked on forgotten meals.
Nothing.
Her stomach churned as uneasiness set in, the girl’s heels already clicking across the cemented floor, the girl making her way towards the information desk.
Arriving swiftly to the window, the girl knocked on the clear glass shakily, calling out for an answer.
“Hello?” She felt her bottom lip quiver. She hated this feeling. Fear. The emotion that isolated her, the emotion that stole her senses rendering her numb and helpless.
“Is anybody there?”
But no answer came, no man appeared at the window. Her breath caught in her throat, her head spinning.
It was then when she heard it. The first sound to be heard on the darkened platform; and it wasn’t pleasant.
The scream ripped through the stuffy air, the girl acting quickly as her hands flew to her ears in hopes to lessen the noise. But to no avail. The horrifying screech pounded against her skull, showing no mercy.
The pain it caused was astonishing causing the girl to wince harshly, her eyes lifting from the dirty ground as she tried desperately to find the source. But once again she fell blind.
Then suddenly, out of the blue, the scream was cut off and after the echoes faded, the girl was plunged back into eerie silence.
But the silence was short-lived. For out of the shadows, a voice called out in heart-broken sobs. The air filling with echoes once more.
“Kathy,” the voice whispered lightly. “Please. It’s been 4 weeks. Come back to us.”
“Kathy, please wake up.”