Ambush

• Isabel Bombaci, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2022

A variation of blacks, browns, and whites begin to paint the world around me. Only small flickers of red and orange identify the piles of still crumbling rubble. I moan as I begin to regain my senses, the crushing weight of fallen concrete pinning my legs to the ground. I cough violently in the dust-filled air, struggling not to breathe in the debris.

Eventually, my body adjusted to the lack of oxygen and I could no longer feel the shooting pain in my legs. After a few moments, I could no longer feel anything at all, but that only heightened my other senses. The smell of drying blood and burnt flesh plague the air. I can hear more explosions in the distance, accompanied by falling rubble and ash, screams, and breaking bones. The sweet chaos of it all lulling the writhing corpses to their slow and imminent deaths.

I looked down at myself inspecting my body for injuries, I was covered in blood and small cuts but nothing else. Somehow even though I was crushed by the fallen ceiling I had no large wounds. I brought my open palm closer to my eyes focusing on the deep cut across it, the longer I continued to stare at the gash the smaller it got until eventually, the only evidence of any injury was a small streak of dried blood.

The room started to darken once more as the fires burnt out and a layer of ash settled over the compound; if we could even call it that anymore. I kept stumbling through the compound, avoiding the remains of the collapsed roof.

After much trepidation, I finally reached the end of the compound. Amongst the rubble I managed to locate the back exit, a small hole leading to the tunnels beneath the city. The tunnel was small and cramped, framed by dust and spiderwebs. It was dark and misty, the path ahead only illuminated by the entrance light. A few rodents greeted us along the way, to which I humbly responded by letting out a small shriek. With each step closer to the end I felt a step closer to the freedom looming over me.

Finally, I reached the exit. I had escaped.
I stepped out of the tunnels and was bathed in the midnight light. Time seemed to pass so slowly yet a whole day had slipped through my fingers, or possibly a few days. It was hard to tell after being buried in a cage of concrete for so long.
As I breathed in my surroundings I began to see everything in more detail, parts of the buildings started to move while we stood still. As I focused on the silhouettes of the moving structures I noticed their features in detail. Piercing eyes, pursed lips, and camouflage weapons, these were people, these were soldiers.

“AMBUSH!” I cried.