Home Time

• Louis Emerson-Elliott, Grade 9, Ashfield Boys High School
• Short Story
• 2022

Excellence Award in the 'Unleashed 2022' competition

The lights began to flicker as the power returned. Ruby glanced back toward the corner of the corridor. Torch beams bounced around the lino walls, flying up and down the wall as the heavy boots closed in. Ruby’s heart slammed against the wall of her rib cage. Never had she expected to make it this far. With a little hesitation she barged through the heavy iron doors. Ruby was in awe. Golden glazed rays of sun splintered through the brambles of tall pines onto the soft bed of crispy autumn leaves. It was unlike anything the box television in Ruby's room could have shown. The smell of the citrusy pines, it was a sensory overload for Ruby. For a split second she’d completely forgotten her situation but the sound of distant yells reminded her of her harsh reality.
Ruby's bare feet crunched onto the brown leaves and the graceful sun beat down on her pale skin. Even in her dire circumstances she couldn't help but smile as she scampered through the winding forest. Excruciating pain bolted up her leg, Ruby shrieked and clutched at her foot. Warm blood oozed from a large gash that rang along the ball of her foot. Her teeth sunk into the webbing of her hand in order to stop an outcry. Being trapped in a cement chamber for most of her life had left her pretty sheltered from the dangers of the natural world. The sound of rattling armour closing in gave Ruby an unmistakable feeling of dread. Ruby grasped the hem of her gown and with all her might tore a strip from the bottom, she was going to attempt something she’d seen in the countless months of TV she'd watched. Squeezing the two separated chunks of skin together she tightly wrapped the piece of cloth around her foot. Suddenly the foreboding feeling of the angry men forced Ruby to find an alternative from running with her injured foot.
Using a boulder to her advantage she leapt onto the lower branches of a pine, braving the sharp pieces of bark digging into her skin. Blood seeped through her fingers as she watched the stone faced militia sweep the ground below. Breathing as quietly and carefully as possible, her heart beating loudly in her ears, Ruby watched in increasing awe as a steady stream of about fifty or so soldiers moved underneath the pine. Finally the last soldier was passing below, Ruby began to move from her spot, it would not be long until they found her there. Immediately Ruby froze petrified, a single drop of blood left her hand and began to sail towards the soldier. It landed right on his nose, at first he wiped it off and thought nothing of it, but when he looked down at his palm and saw the colour of this dew, he raised his head. He was greeted with Ruby’s last resort.