The Room

• Brianna Leeson, Grade 7, Tannum Sands State High School
• Short Story
• 2016

Excellence Award in the 'Top Secret 2016' competition

After fumbling with the lock, I was finally able to enter the dust filled room. On the floor in front of me, traced in jagged bullet holes as if it were connect the dots, were the words, ‘we had a deal.’
Suddenly my eyes caught a glimpse of a girl, no, a women, cradling a baby in the corner of the sunlit room. Her soft lullaby’s filled the air as she sang her small infant to sleep.
My leather boots made a discrete creak on the worn floorboards as I slowly stepped forward. The women’s swift music quickly stopped as my second foot crept next to my other one.
Her dark hair folded as she stiffly lifted her head. A worried look spread across her face the moment she saw the broken lock clutched in my right hand.
Her gaze turned from my hand to beyond the walls beside me.
“What have you done, what have you done, he’s coming,” Her destressed whispers filled my head.
Suddenly the echo of two heavy footsteps filled the air. Tears slowly started to stream down the women’s pale face as she lightly kissed her small child. Her eyes quickly turned towards the open doorway. A tall, muscular shadow appeared and was heading towards the door. Quickly.
The women held out her arms, the infant balancing on the end of them.
Trying to hold back tears, she spoke.
“Please take care of her.”
The quiver in her voice was only just noticeable over the heavy footsteps.
“Quickly.” She whispered, stepping forward slightly.
I nodded as I gently took the baby. I scanned around for a hiding place, under the table, behind the curtain. All useless, there was nowhere to go. That was until I saw the tall, thin wardrobe. I turned my head to face the door, the shadow was getting taller. I couldn’t wait any longer. I ran, ran to the tall cabinet and silently climbed in, still cradling the sleeping baby. I closed the rickety doors, me and the baby inside. That’s when I heard him. The man. His low, deep voice penetrated through the silence as he spoke.
“Where is she?” He bellowed.
“I don’t kn...”
“WHERE IS SHE?”
“I already told you, I do not know,”
The argument continued. The back and forth bickering about where she was, but who was she. My eyes suddenly turned to the baby, the sleeping baby lying in my arms. It’s her, I thought.
My eyes widened as I heard the hammer of a gun go down. I peered out of the small opening between the two doors. My eyes pinned on the women, shaking as she stared down the barrel. I couldn’t handle it. Slowly, I rested my back against the wooden panel. Scringing my eyes together, shaking my head, hoping it was a dream. Suddenly the bang of a Shot echoed around the room.
She was right, I thought holding the baby tight, what have I done.