Lights Out

Written by Adrian Nguyen 
Illustrated by Zahra Zainal 

A car went roaring by, polluting heavily through the thick, cold, damp air. The calm music from the busy hotel above me broke through to reach me down in the storage area. I had a migraine headache because of the stinky humidity. I stumbled across a dusty secret cover, where I found an isolated space that had thick water rusting the long ladder that led down to a darker, even more isolated part of the city: the sewer. 

PLOP. A droplet hit the hard concrete ground next to a small puddle of water. I made sure no-one came to see me proceeding down the cold steel of the ladder. I paused just before my foot hit the ground as I heard footsteps in shallow water and saw a light in the distance. The light appeared to betravelling away from me, getting smaller and smaller. My phone rang loudly. RING RING! I got a fright! I took it out of my pocket and saw ‘PRIVATE NUMBER’. I answered my phone cautiously and someone said, ‘Hi.’ I recognised him and it echoed. 

‘Where are you?’ I asked with an anxious voice.

It echoed again. I saw the light turnaround and suddenly noticed it was him. He was wearing a black felt coat. He was about fifty metres ahead of me. I had feared him for many years but now I got to see him in person. I took my phone out and I looked at the text again. 

‘123 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 sewers or else M8’ 

I was apprehensive as he got closer and closer. I stared at this figure as he approached me, focussing on the breathing apparatus that covered most of his face. Fear overcame my body. I took off sprinting, which was difficult as my nose was blocked from being in the cold, damp air. 

‘I did what you said. STOP!!!’ I screamed as I reached the ladder to exit the sewer. 

I had been running so fast that I got a cramp in my left foot. My body was overcome with terror. I started climbing up the ladder. I stretched out my right arm for help, but it was too late. 

‘AHHHH!!!’ I screamed before I fell down.

I was freezing cold in my damp, heavy clothes. I felt pain in my stomach. Red velvet blood was oozing out into the water, infesting it slowly. I was in agony. Was I shot or had I been stabbed?

‘HELP!!!’ I squealed.

‘Lights out...’ the man exclaimed excitedly.

I fell onto the cold concrete ground and cold water surrounded me as death approached me slowly. I stared up as a freezing droplet hit me in the eye. My eyes shut. The last thing I saw was the man. He was sprinting away from the crime scene.