The Chase

• Eli Harding, Grade 5, Farnborough State School
• Short Story
• 2016

Excellence Award in the 'Top Secret 2016' competition

I walked out of the grocery store and onto the streets. I looked around and I noticed a very suspicious man staring straight at me creepily. And then he ran at me so I ran too. I barged into the door of a skyscraper and started pounding up the stairs, pushing people out of the way. Sweat was streaming down from my forehead like a waterfall, than I reached the top. I looked over to the next building and then after that building there was no more buildings but instead there was a lake I kept running. I saw the ledge.
Time slowed, seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours. All because of one decision, should I jump or fight?
I jumped.
I flailed my arms and legs. There’s no way I can make it to the roof I thought. With the last of my hope, I leaned back and started kicking my legs in case I hit any glass. ‘Please break the glass,’ I thought.
I closed my eyes. I hit the glass. It didn’t break.
I started falling and I got hit in the head by someone’s balcony.’ No I will not lose my consciousness,’ I thought to myself. I gripped on to the last bit of consciousness I had left and grabbed on to another balcony. I tried to stay conscious, knowing that if I didn’t, I’d die.
I crawled over and I kicked into the glass and it smashed. I ran through the hallway. I reached the end of the hallway and without thinking, I shielded myself with my arms and jumped out the window in front of me. I knew he had just jumped down after me, I could hear him.
I dived for the water. I was traveling extremely fast and then I hit the water. I’m swimming for my life not knowing when or where it would end. I kept going but I knew I would black out real soon. I’m 5 metres away. I scrambled onto land, trying to run as far with my bruised and cut body as I could. But in a moment’s notice, I blacked out.