Never Going Back

• Dylan Tracey, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2017

Never Going Back

I stumbled down the cobblestone path, my feet hurting every time the odd sharp stone pierced through my fragile pale skin. I knew it was worth it though; I was not going back to the facility, never again. I looked ahead of me, the cobblestone looked like it stretched on for miles and miles turning and twisting like a snake’s tail. The more I went down the path the foggier it got, I felt grateful, as it would make me less visible, harder to find.

I finally reached the valley, the surface of the water as still as a pane of glass, the jagged mountain tops hard to make out. The edges of the valley infested with moss. Nevertheless, it was still there, the cabin was still there. I approached the door, the cold water stung as it met my feet. It was intact, barely; its rustic hinges held it crooked. I slowly opened the door, reducing as much sound as possible. The cold water came up to my knees, my legs felt numb I could barely move them. I looked forward at the old wooden cabinet and stared. I forced my finders over to the handle, I knew what was in that cabinet and I knew it would come into good use

I opened the cabinet; the rusty, weathered gun lay in front of me. I could not bring myself to pick it up; my mind fixated on the memory of the last time I picked up that gun. Suddenly I hear voices in the distance; I duck down and get a short glimpse. It was three armed men wearing bright yellow hazmat suits. I panicked, they must have been form the facility, they must have been here to find me. A billion thoughts flew through my mind, until I can across one simple idea. RUN

Without another second to spare I run, I hear the men scramble behind me. I could hear there muffled voices in the distance but I could not understand. I hear them stop. “Finally” I whispered “I am free, no more suffering, no more pain. Then I fell and I felt the stone hard ground meet my head. I tried to get up but I was too weak; I turned to my left, my shoulder pierced with a long dart. A small stream of blood flowed out of my shoulder making the rest on my body feel numb.

The men surrounded me and one of them was saying something but I could not understand. The whole world started spinning as they lifted my almost lifeless body up. I did not want to go back, no more experiments. I took control over my body and gave a hard kick to the man on my right. I stumbled to the ground, my vision was taken away by a white screen and in my last thoughts, I hoped that I would never have to wake up again.
By Dylan Tracey