SCARY STORY CONTEST
11-14 YEARS CATEGORY
THIRD PLACE
Escape
By Hanna Hofer, 14, Coquitlam
My heart beat erratically as I sprinted down the cold, eerie hallway and away from the grotesque monster that screamed down the hallway as it pursued its prey: me. Swallowing thickly, I turned the corner sharply - a little too sharply - and slipped onto the floor. I watched in terror as the flash light clattered to the ground, flickered and shut off, leaving me with the stale, cold white light that shone through the undersized windows, and the impenetrable darkness that resided in every crack and crevice of the gloomy halls.
As I picked myself up, a wicked screech shattered the small windows and caused the walls and floor to vibrate horrendously. After hearing how close the yowl was, I scrambled hurriedly to my feet and resumed the hopeless escape. I turned on my heel and stared back motionlessly at the flashlight before shakily inching forward to re-obtain it. Grazing the flashlight with my fingers, a putrid breath graced my features, causing ice-water to rip apart my veins. I realized I only had a single moment to grab the electric torch before the monster would realize I was stationary and right in front of it.
A low, feral growl made me panic and abandon the flashlight and restart the futile chase. My nerves wracked when the only noise I heard was the slamming of my foot falls against the cold tile with no sign that the monster was still following.
Unexpectedly, an open room came into view and I threw myself into what I could only call safety before shutting the door. I pressed my back to the cool metal door and fought to calm my nerves and steady my breathing; however, as soon as an ominous hiss signalled the presence of the malevolent being, my breath hitched in my throat and my chest clenched in anxiety.
I stared down at the light emitting from underneath the door and watched as a massive shadow caused the light to flicker and dance. Then, it stopped. It was as if time stopped and every sound, breath and entity had calmed and ceased to exist for a few blissful minutes.
Those minutes were cut short when the door started to violently shake as the creature rammed itself into the door over and over and over in restless repetition and fury. My eyes stung with terror-filled tears and a horrible yelp ripped out of my throat and added to the unpleasant symphony of crashing.
Then, as soon as the ramming had begun, it ended. My eyes, wide as saucers, stared into the dark void as crystalline tears rolled down my cheeks. In the pit of my stomach, I knew it would come back. I knew the door would be broken down and I would be killed. Now, the only thing I could do was wait.
