Four Walls

• Natalie Haryanto, Grade 07, All Saints Catholic College
• Short Story
• 2016

Excellence Award in the 'Top Secret 2016' competition

Four Walls.

I woke up, dizzy and confused. How did I end up here? I’m sitting on a metallic industrial chair, all I remember is my name and age. My natural instinct was to grab my head where it was pounding. I retrieved my hand in horror, eyes widened at the blood dripping from my fingertips. I squinted in the blackness, trying to adjust my eyes. Light refused to enter the room, leaving me in total oblivion.

All of the sudden something from my back pocket buzzed. I stood up in the darkness and fished out a small rectangular box that had a glowing screen with the time, date and a text message. Who could this be? I read the contact name which was ‘mum,’ I suppose this would be the woman that brought me into this damned world…

But I guess it’s not her fault I’m in a pitch black room with a metallic industrial chair and the only thing providing light would be this… a phone. I guess this is a phone, I mean my mum texted me to pick up my ‘phone.’ I was just about to text back when the phone died. Of course, it has to die when I’m about to text back. This reminds me of every cliché horror film, but I doubt that I’m a victim about to be murdered by some psychotic murderer that finds pleasure in killing every single living thing on earth.

My mind drifts off onto another issue, my memories. I swear that the rest of my memories are there right in my head. I’m trying my best to grab onto them and remember, but they are just floating around the back of my head, not revealing themselves to my muddled brain. I guess I’m alone with my thoughts in this dark room which consists of four brick walls, a chair and a phone which is now dead.

I wander around, it’s a small space.. My head slams into something hard.. I touch the surface in front of me, a rough surface.. Probably a brick wall. I slammed my hand onto the wall in frustration. I want to scream, shout or even cry for help but I know it would be useless because nobody would even hear me anyway…

I decided to scream anyways however there wasn’t even the slightest glimmer of hope. Screaming was useless, it only made my vocal chords raw and sore. I screamed again, I screamed and screamed and screamed. I bang my fists against the walls causing the skin on the side of my hands to rip off a bit. My hands bloodied even more.

I should’ve not screamed because now my throat feels raw and I don’t have any water with me. What was the objective of the person who kidnapped me? Why me?! Being in captivity in these four walls did not benefit anything or anyone! What was the purpose of all of this madness?! What am I supposed to do here?! Do I even exist?!