The Chase Is On

• Jude Schirmer, Grade 6, Hackham West Primary School
• Short Story
• 2016

Excellence Award in the 'Top Secret 2016' competition

"Wow, this bush goes on forever." I grumbled unpleasantly, "Oh come on, it's beautiful," my mum told me "but I guess 15 year old's are grumpy about everything." She mumbled under her breath.
The bush was beautiful I had to admit, but it was so long, nevertheless it had a beautiful array of native and exotic plants, Overpowering trees waving gracefully with the wind over the top of small creeks were animals large and small would gather around to have a drink of fresh spring water.
I was looking down a steep hill at a silver glisten somewhat like metal, I started to walk away before I took a fumbled step sending me down the hill at amazing speeds, spiky and thorny plants pricked me as I fell along with rocks uncomfortably jamming into my limbs.
It continued on for a while before I crashed down at the bottom of the hill. I desperately looked back up seeing absolutely nothing but infinite bush-lands.
Suddenly a voice came from behind me saying "Smith, you're coming with us." I sprinted as fast as I could away from them, my legs were burning like a fiery inferno.
I ducked and weaved everything nature could throw at me, my stick was still firmly gripped in my hand that I had been whittling for the past few hours, it was as sharp as a knife, *BANG* I heard the last thing I would ever want to hear, gun shots, being fired at me!
Trees were falling and rocks were tumbling, surely I would've been shot if they were shooting at me, but they weren't, there was a large tree up ahead that was so old it looked as if it were going to break down, crushing anyone under it, that's what they were shooting at I couldn't take it any longer.
The tree started falling and I forced my legs to go faster, it was about 10 meters away from me and 15 meters away from the ground.
I made it to the other side but I didn't know I was standing on a thin fragile cliff and then the land started sloping with me holding on to a small but sturdy plant, I looked up, only to see a man pointing his gun at my hand but I couldn't let go, what do I do? He shot me in the hand creating a bloody mess. The agonizing pain stood out among anything I could experience in my life and I was falling, but everything around me seemed, slow, very slow and I was feeling... dizzy, the land started whirling and spinning and looping around, till I couldn't keep my eyes open for any longer.
"He's coming back," the man said "I know it." They ran away then disappeared.
I woke up sinking to the bottom of a rapid river about to push me across a wide and vast ocean, but just as I was thinking that I realized I was running out of breath. Desperately needing air I took it upon myself to get back to the surface, but how could I if I couldn't breathe in?
Swimming awkwardly and desperately, the bright light of the sun shone down to the glistening light blue colour of the water, I was close but drowning.
I burst free from the struggling depths of the water to find a place on the shore where I could rest.
I'm determined to get back home now...