Lay Still

• Jack Mcgimpsey, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2019

As we stick our heads up to the sound of ear piercing gun shots I could hear the terrifying screams of the people of china. There was a strong smell of fear and gunpowder. We sat there still on the top of the hill waiting to pounce. I could feel ants scavenging through my fingers and u my legs. If there was time to move the enemies where finding their way up the rugged long grass coated hill. So we moved. It was time we went at them at them for ultimate confusion. We laid there still as can be on the side of the rugged path. “Gus it worked!” When they were fiercely marching away we took our shots.

Oh no our cover is blown! Go, go, go we ran down the back the hill, we had to take the drop off side otherwise we could of got shot. We leaped down and ran to a nearby bush and laid still praying to not get seen.

We crawled slowly out the back of the little bush patch as we try to archive to run to the out skirts of the jungle. When we made it to the out skirt, we called back up for the team. Enemies had outnumbered us by at least 500 troops. The four of us had out ghillie suits still, so we laid waiting for more troops. There was smoke in front of us! There is a griming bush fire. The heat was blistering.

It was forcing us to move out the back of the jungle. The fire was fuming, it was sweltering every tree, leaf, bush. Where getting pushed onto a paddock! Our ghillie suits are hopeless, they are green, and the paddock is brown. The fire is ferociously spreading onto the paddock, we had nothing to do but strode down to the beach. ‘‘there’s the chopper’’ ‘‘help, help’’ it flew straight past. We had no choice but to swim, there is no sand because of the bombs, so the sea water came straight to the paddock. We took off our boots and our ghillie suits. Our guns are water proof so where taking our guns. There are four of us at this point, we only have 3 inflatable life vest. The smallest troop shared with me, my jacket had the most air. The fire was right on our tail, we had to jump. Falling 10 meters down we hit the water and swam as fast as we could. We swam into a nearby dark bat infested cave. ‘’We should be ok here for now’’. We sat there on the piercing rocks inside the cave waiting for absolute silence.

The gun shots stopped! We could hear someone screaming in fear. We all wanted to go try help but there was no way to get back up the cliff, so we sat waiting in the cave. ‘Can u hear that?’’ an incoming plane! It’s so low to the ground. It’s getting closer. Watch out!