The Dark Plague

• Xavian Turner, Grade 4
• Short Story
• 2022

Argh! I hit the ground with a hard thunk. ‘Take that, loser,’ laughed Jakob in his cruel way and he walked away. I pushed myself up and limped away from where I had fallen.

Every day since I came here I have been bullied. I have never been popular but I had never been beaten like this. You see, I am an orphan, which is really hard. My parents were murdered in a mobbing for the paper in their wallets. The afternoon bell rings and I walk inside. Back at my foster home my foster Mum made mac and cheese for dinner and I went to bed in my small beige room.

Five weeks later, there was a rumour that something was happening all around the country. Over the next few days strange news was coming from the West. The next day, whilst I am walking home from school, I hear screaming. I run towards the source and see them. Horrible, gory, heartless zombies. Hundreds of them. They are trudging along in their torn clothes. I turn and flee. More and more people are being infected which in turn makes more zombies. It is a terrible disaster.

When I arrive home I find that my foster family, the Barkings, have already left. So much for family, I think. I rush inside and find the old banged up radio that my ‘family’ had kept in the living room! When I turn it on I hear a scared voice speaking, ‘If you are still alive and listening,’ it said, ‘This is what we know: an evil scientist let the plague into the UK. All survivors MUST GO WEST to find other humans… wait! How did they get in here?! ARRRGGGHHH!’ The radio went quiet. I felt sick. I need to get out.

Argh Argh ARGH! Zombies, lots of Zombies at my door! I feel my heart sink. There must be hundreds of them. I run to my back door and flee outside where it is still chaos. Then I see it: hundreds of metres tall with matted hair and a misshapen face. It is a giant zombie! I feel terror in the pit of my stomach. Then I see him. A small boy surrounded by the hideous undead. I sprint to him, pick him up and run away. I set him down and said one word: ‘Run!’ And he dashes away. When I knew he was safe I look up and see the giant gnarled zombie foot come crashing down on me and that was the last thing I ever saw or felt. Then everything was gone.