Nightmare Movie

• Grace Chen, Grade 5, MacGregor State School
• Short Story
• 2008

Finalist in the 'Summertime Fun 2008/2009' competition

While sitting in the front row at Time Twister, the haunting sounds and whirling images drew me into the tension of the movie. Suddenly the screen went blank. A screech pierced my eardrums and my limbs were racked by a series of stretches and compressions. Just when I thought I would lose consciousness, the noise subsided, leaving an eerie silence. I glanced at my friend and that was when I realised we had somehow plunged through a time warp.
I rose from my seat and grabbed my friend. She willingly followed me into the dim lights of the corridor. Strangely, we were the only people. When I came in it was teeming with excited people clutching popcorn and drinks.
I stared worryingly at my friend and she nodded with concern in her eyes. She, too, had noticed how silent it was.
We ambled to the cinema door and flung it open. The movie ticket box was dark and the TV screens were flickering. Unusual.
The dim lights spluttered, and then went out. I shrieked, clutching my friend close to me. She had a mad glint in her eyes as if she had been expecting the blackout. Abruptly she saw me gazing, stunned, at her eyes and dropped to the sticky floor, crawling. I followed suit.
Somehow we escaped. My friend still had the energy to keep crawling, but I was exhausted. Stopping to catch my breath, I reached into my pocket, remembering I had a key-ring torch inside plus a few bags of lollies.
I fished out a lolly and chewed on it thoughtfully, making it last as long as it could. Flicking the torch on, I reached out to hold my friend’s hand and ask if she wanted a snack, but my hand only felt air. I shrieked and dropped my torch, making it bang onto something hard. The light flickered and went out. I felt for it and fingered the button. Funny, the light’s glowing green now…
I stood up and my aching head collided with a low, stone roof. I swiftly dropped onto my scabbed knees again. Feeling for my backpack, I crawled slowly forward. After moments of inching forwards at a snail’s pace, I heard a distant wolf howl. Shivers scurried up my spine, causing the hair on my neck to prickle with terror. I continued to creep until I sighted a tiny light, no bigger than a full-stop, in the distance. My crawling speed increased as the faint, ghostly glow grew bigger and stronger. Again I stood up, and no collision with the roof this time. A dominant but lone howl pierced my ears as I strode into the radiance…
Moonlight washed over me, making my eyes squint with agony. Ahead of me I saw a blurry figure and sprinted towards it. My friend! Safe! She grinned at me…wickedly? I was quite taken aback when her eyes glimmered with red. Her ears grew longer while her head transformed into a snout. Silver fur sprouted from limb to limb, and the hideous grin became a joyful snarl. I was frozen with fear as I realised my friend had lead me straight into her lair.
I glanced upwards and sighted a full, luminous moon. I screamed my last words as the lair entrance banged shut and the werewolf leapt at me…
“What are you reading?” questioned my best friend, Angela. I presented the shiny book. Angela gazed at the book cover…and did I just see her shiver at the illustration of the full moon? “Movie’s starting.” Angela rapidly snapped out of her gaze and turned to the screen.
“Why are you reading it?” Angela questioned as people filed into the cinema.
“It’s the book about the movie,” I answered with pride.
“Shush, the movie’s beginning,” Angela hushed.
While sitting in the front row at Time Twister, the haunting sounds and the whirling images drew me into the tension of the movie…