The Wasteland

• Sally Pritchard, Grade 12, The Canberra College - Woden Campus
• Short Story
• 2016

Excellence Award in the 'Top Secret 2016' competition

An unnerving stillness blanketed the world outside of the car. The soft hum of the motor was the only thing breaking the silence as the clouds above converged over the vehicle, draining all colour from the desolate town and leaving it grey and lifeless.
The car slowed until it stopped completely in the centre of the town; leaving the teenage couple within waiting with bated breath as the world around them appeared frozen in time. A sudden clap of thunder the only thing to break the silence until an indistinguishable noise could be heard in the distance. With each passing second it grew louder and louder until the two boys could start to decipher it; a combination of feet stomping and dragging to an offbeat army march and groans of pain and hunger.
The two boys unknowingly slid closer together until they were huddled in the centre of the car’s backseat and it was in this moment that the source of the noise made itself known. A pair of bloodshot eyes appearing from an alley way directly across from the car, staring at the couple as if it could see through the tinted glass of the car window. Even in the dim light cast from the impending storm one could make out the pale face as the creature approached and if one was brave, or perhaps just stupid enough, to get a closer look at the creature they would see pale flaking skin and a maw filled with rotting teeth and covered in blood.
The creature stopped abruptly as it reached the edge of the pavement lifting its head, sniffing the air before locking eyes with the boys and letting out a long pitiful moan before continuing its torturous march. Soon enough more creatures appeared from the shadows, each more grotesque than the last. Most of them were humanlike in shape although their limbs seemed either disproportionate, deformed or were even missing completely and large sections of their bodies were covered in open wounds that oozed a tar-like substance, some of which were deep enough to reveal the bone beneath.
Slowly, the ever increasing mob of distorted figures advanced on the car surrounding it completely. The boys watched in fear as the creatures began to clamber on to the car leaving behind trails of black goo. The sounds of pain and hunger steadily growing louder and louder as they became more desperate to enter the vehicle.
The boys were startled out of their fear as the car began moving forward, running over any of the creatures unfortunate enough to remain in its path. The sudden crackle of the radio turning on caused them both to start in fright again before a rich voice began to speak.
“Welcome to the Wasteland. Please keep your arms and legs in the vehicle at all times and enjoy the ride.”