The Blaze Of Despair

• Albert Webster, Grade 6, The Channon Public School -
• Short Story
• 2018

Excellence Award in the 'Write Along 2018' competition

My airways are clogged with dense, grey smoke. My brain feels drugged.
BOOM!
The bare, hard ground all around me shudders as a great trunk smashes against the terrain. My sore legs crumble like paper cards beneath me.
Stuck on the boiling turf I scream for assistance but only an inaudible croak bursts from my hoarse throat.
Stars start to appear before my swollen and watery eyes. The edges of my vision momentarily blacken. I despair at my hopeless position and vividly remember nights spent by the swiftly running river in our safe tents.
Oh, how I would love to be there now.
Somehow, I drive through my ongoing misery and find courage and determination to escape from this horrifyingly surreal situation and return to the haven of the tents by the river.
Using my hands, I slowly drag myself away from the intense heat of the multi-coloured blaze. My heart races as the pressuring weight of the heat starts to lessen. Hope swells in my disparaged heart as I realise that there was a chance that this torturous nightmare was soon to be over.
My broken lungs heaviness starts to lift as the smoke contained within them shifts. The smell of scalding and destruction leaves my nose as I push forward with renewed vigour and put more space between myself and the burning monstrosity that has relentlessly terrorised me.
The tiredness in my legs suddenly disappears. I prop my peeling hands against the dead still ground and hurl myself upward with a mighty heave. Slowly the feeling comes back to my aching legs.
My feet pound ferociously against the dirt, my scorched legs aching. Hands balled into fists, my knuckles white from the strength of my clench, my frail arms swinging back and forth to form a rhythm in my whirling mind.
Dun, dun, dun, dun.
Dun, dun, dun, dun.
I start to make my way towards the water hole known to be due west of the landmark, Caraginda. Now that I know I'm safe, I can start to take my time and rest my limbs.
The moonlight filtered by the trees pours into my eyes, blinding me. I drop into a crouch as I hear footsteps nearby. As my vision recovers, I spot two points of light gleaming at me.
A shuddering rasp travels through the air towards me, filling me with fear. I take a few uncertain steps backwards, unsure but curious, of who or what this creature is and what it plans to do.
A rustle behind me alerts me to danger, but I react all to slow. A whistling sound fills the air and as I turn around I see a flash of silver speeding in an arc towards me.
Crunch.
Then all was darkness.