Creature Of Darkness

• Ivan Marjanovic, Grade 7, Balcatta Senior High School
• Short Story
• 2022

Excellence Award in the 'National Treasures 2022' competition

Snow raged on from smoky clouds blurring Nick’s vision and winds whipped through the air so heavily that Nick was in danger of tumbling over. Nick stared fixedly at a towering, stone mountain where the colossal, metal door - which guarded the creature that was born from, as Nick was told, the combination of the darkest magic, which developed it sentience – was situated. Magical defences ensure that the beast is locked away, but critical harm has been found on the defences, which reveals the creatures growing stronger, so Nick has been tasked to venture down and slay the beast, but… Nick isn’t sure he’ll survive.
Suddenly, a booming voice filled Nick’s ears, “Ready, Nick?”
Nick forced himself to be stony-faced, to conceal all fear he had inside. He whispered, “Ready.”
The door started to creak open slowly with a low grinding noise. Nick could see magical barriers in the tunnel fade away and, with a loud clang, the door finished opening. Nick lowered his hand to his pocket and took out his wand, then slowly extended it towards the door and shot forward through the dark, grimy tunnel. Nick soon came to an abrupt halt at a cliff of a cavernous cave that looked as if it was scraped away by someone’s – or something’s – giant claws. Nick peered down and saw what looked like a giant black, gooey mess. However, he realised, with a shudder, what it truly was. Lying at the bottom of the cliff lay a pure black, humanoid creature with scales like a snake; it had a long tail, its scales were covered in blisters, and it had a giant, reptilian head like a T-Rex. It had the smell of a thousand rotting humans, and it was sleeping, it’s snoring filling the entire room. Nick understood immediately that he would not possibly kill the creature without awakening it, so, with shuddering breaths, he pointed his wand to the creature and croaked something. A flash of green light burst out of the wand and hit the creature’s steadily rising belly…
A roar exploded within the cave, making Nick cower. Suddenly, a flash of black. With a gasp of horror, Nick felt something close in around his ribs. Then, he was propelled forward at speed. He hit something hard, and he felt warm blood ooze. Then, Nick’s blurry vision managed to focus and saw giant, black teeth coming towards him…
“ADVOLO!” screamed Nick.
Nick shot upwards, narrowly missing the creature’s giant mouth that had collided with the wall. The creature snarled and looked up at Nick and tried to swoop him down with its giant fangs but continuously missed. It tilted its massive head upwards and roared. Nick peered down it’s throat and saw it…the creature’s swollen, beating heart. Nick gave one shuddering gasp. This was how to slay it…slaughtering the producer of its darkened veins. Nick let the arm holding the wand fall limp towards the heart and he whispered, “Occidere.”
The creature was finally dead.