DEAD BUT ALIVE THE SHORT STORY ANTHOLOGY

BY: AVY, NAMAR, NUMA, SARA, SHAGUN, SONJA

This anthology is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Copyright © 2022 by: Shagun Kad Namarnoor Randhawa Numa Chemjong Avyukta Biju Sara Rhee Sonja Ho All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review. For more information, address: [email protected] First digital edition October 2022 Book design by Namarnoor Randhawa, Sara Rhee, Numa Chemjong Format design by Avyukta Biju and Namar ISBN 978-1-4767-4660-9 (ebook) www.macarthurpublishinghouse.com

DEAD BUT ALIVE THE SHORT STORY ANTHOLOGY

BY: AVY, NAMAR, NUMA, SARA, SHAGUN, SONJA

CONTENTS Dancing to the tunes...............................................................................01 The caller at the other end......................................................................05 His death..................................................................................................09 My wedding............................................................................................12 Picture perfect.........................................................................................15 Waiting....................................................................................................17 Day out. ..................................................................................................20 My idol.....................................................................................................22 Muse.........................................................................................................25 Pen...........................................................................................................28 Number 456............................................................................................30 The short ending....................................................................................34 The lineup..............................................................................................37 The surrealist orphanage.......................................................................40

DANCING TO THE TUNES

Written by Shagun Kad

01

DANCING TO THE TUNES He sat in the front row, hearing her speech. A sly grin appeared on his face. “As the tri-colour flag glides over us, this 15th August, I want to remind you all that we have a duty to uphold India’s traditions. Let India’s flag fly over the world!” A young girl’s face then looked up at the crowd, her shiny, black hair shone in the sunlight. The audience roared into applause. “Ada!” Another girl called out. Ada confidently walked off the stage and ran to her friend. ‘Ada’, the man muttered to himself. … It was the end of the day. He was still there. He approached Ada and said, “My name is Khalil, I am the assistant of the prime minister. I’m impressed by your speech. You will do wonders and I’ll guide you to success.” “Such tall claims? I am a girl, in a poverty-stricken village. Good for you that you are rich and have success. Now if you’ll excuse me.” said Ada. Ada wanted to be rich, but no one knew. The next day, Ada received a check of money. This had more money than she had ever seen, but wondered who sent it. That evening, she bought new clothing and shoes. The next day, everyone started giving her importance. Ada couldn’t help but think about Khalil’s words. They sounded pleasing and rewarding but how could she trust a stranger claiming to make her successful? She found immense happiness in this money. She longed for more, and this was possible if she became successful. That evening, Ada saw him. Standing in a black suit, in front of a lavish car. “You ready to become India’s prime minister?” He said. “I am”, Ada replied. That night, Khalil sat in his apartment balcony, with a glass of whiskey in his hands, gazing at the stars. He thought to himself, “I have found the one. Who will dance to the tunes I set. Whose I will be mentor and get credit for her success. It’s a shame that my shameless father couldn’t see me doing this.” Khalil’s tone changed from cunning to emotional. “They said that I didn’t have the talent to become prime minister. That all I ever was was a foolish assistant, like my father.” Khalil then smashed the glass and gave a roar. He threw himself down and smashed the floor with his fist.

02

DANCING TO THE TUNES “Do you see father, look at me. I am better than you. All I ever wanted was for you to support me. Instead, you left me in a mental asylum. No one knows how much I suffered.” Khalil then looked up and gave a sinister smile, showing his teeth. “Now I don’t need anyone. I will get my power. Anyone who stands in my way will be Annihilated. … Over several years, Khalil mentored Ada. He paid for Ada’s university and suggested the qualification. Ada followed. After a few years, Ada graduated from the University of London and entered politics. Then, Ada fell in love with a member of the opposition party. Drifting her away from the goal of prime minister. She now wanted a simple life, married to the man she loved. She consulted Khalil. He furiously questioned her thoughts. “Don’t you want to become prime minister? Do you want to waste all our efforts?” questioned Khalil. Ada didn’t pay heed to him. Khalil was silent for a moment. He agreed. “I will figure out a way to get you two married.” Ada’s eyes sparkled hearing this. Three days later, while watching the news, she found out that her fiance had been killed in his home. Ada didn’t cry, she sat there, expressionless. As if her body was without a soul. Khalil arrived at her home and hugged her. “I received the terrible news. I am your well-wisher so I will say this. Your sole goal of marrying this man has just ended. The goal you still have is becoming prime minister.” “Khalil, I can’t decide how to feel.” Said Ada in a monotonous voice. “I can tell you one thing, your fiance is not going to come back. You decide what you want to do.” Khalil said this and left. The next few days, the words of Khalil spun in her head, “Your fiance is not going to come back”. This was a moment of realisation. Ada called Khalil and told her decision to continue. Khalil was pleased to hear this, “Dear, if you are ready, so am I.” He said. When anyone asked how she was, Ada always replied, “I’m fine” and hardly made eye contact. Despite this, Ada relentlessly pursued this goal. In the beginning, she found it odd, everyday she would come home expecting a familiar face, but instead was left in darkness.

03

DANCING TO THE TUNES The elections arrived and both were busy campaigning. The next thing they knew, Ada was giving her prime minister oath. “I, Ada, swear to serve the people of India and respect the opinions of all my people…” That night, Khalil sat in his rocking chair, reading. He smiled contently. “Thud!” Khalil fell to the floor, just as a swift blast stopped. Blood streaming from his head. Shiny, black hair shone in the moonlight. “Power, a very addictive thing. It has ruined the greatest of the greatest. Just like you.”

04

THE CALLER AT THE OTHER END

Written by Shagun Kad

05

THE CALLER AT THE OTHER END He couldn’t forget those days, it spun in his head continuously. He often used to wonder to himself, childhood is the time people cherish, but he hated. Lying in the bed of this apartment, Kai thought, “I still can’t believe that my parents never believed me. It was true, the torture I faced at the hands of my wretched brother, Kumar.” Beep, beep, beep. The alarm went off. Kai got out of bed sluggishly. Just another day that he needed to complete. As he reached his office, he needed to face another fear of his. Walking in. Kai hated walking through the office, the sneering and judgemental faces of his colleagues compelled him to look down. He could not remember the last time he had talked, looking in the eyes of someone. “Kai! What is this? I wanted these files on my table yesterday. And what about the pitch you said yesterday? You blew it up! It was the most pathetic pitch I ever heard. This is an insult to me. The content was great, as I wrote it. But no one could hear you. Now get out of my office and work on yourself.” It was the same story every morning. Get out of bed, get ready, go to work, hear your boss scream at you and repeat. Kai never understood why his boss screamed all the time. It was like he ate his boss’s lectures for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He had been at this office for 4 years now. 4 years too much. One day he had enough. He walked in the middle of the night, in the desolate and bleak environment. With no one in sight. He climbed onto the railing. He was now standing. Facing the sea. Now he was only one jump away from ending his pains in life. Then, he received a phone call. “Hello. My name is Kai. Don’t jump! I know your innermost secrets. I can change your life. Just trust me.” “Who are you, and how do you know what I am about to do?” Kai said in a trembling voice. “That is not important, what is important is for you to listen to what I say. I will guide you on how to live your life. Just don’t jump”. The call ended. Kai got off the railing and quickly walked back to his apartment. The only thing he could think about was the caller. His voice sounded exactly like his and coincidentally his name was also Kai. But the caller did promise to change his life.

06

THE CALLER AT THE OTHER END The next morning, at exactly 5 am. His phone rang. “You need a friend and that friend is me. Talk to me. About everything. One more thing. Tell no one about these phone calls and you will achieve success.” The phone call ended. “Hello…Hello, who are you?” Scrambled Kai. After two days, his phone rang again at 5am. “Hello Kai, how are you?” The caller said. Kai was now piqued. The caller sounded friendlier than before. “Hello, I am fine. How do you know me?” Kai questioned. “I told you, you don’t know me, but I know you very well. I am a humble person, asking you to be my friend. Will you be my friend?” The caller stated. Kai paused, this guy also needed a friend. “Fine, I will be your friend.” Kai said. “Good. So tell me about Sona.” The caller enquired. “How do you know my Sona? Oh right, you know my secrets. Sona is the psychologist in my office. She is just wonderful. Everytime she walks past me in the office, I feel a cool breeze. Like the soft sunlight on a Spring day. Like a thousand flower petals. That is my Sona. If only she ever noticed me.” Kai said. “I know Sona means a lot to you. Trust me, she will notice you. Mark my words.” The caller said. The call ended. A week passed. Then one day, Kai approached Sona. He was pulled towards her. He couldn’t control his body. It was as if a magnet pulled him to her. Kai blurted, “Sona, l love you.” She replied, “Wow, we both have the same feelings. They both started talking. Eventually talking all nights and days. Then Kai’s phone rang at 5am, “Hello Kai, I see you and Sona are in a relationship. Are you happy?” “Kai, I am over the moon. I can’t believe it. Sona is mine, and only mine. You were right, she did notice me. You are so lucky for me!” Kai exclaimed. “Well I’m glad. You know how you are upset about your boss shouting at you? It won’t happen now. Remember, tell no one about these phone calls and you will achieve success.” The caller assured. The call ended. It happened again, Kai was pulled into the office of his boss. Again, he couldn’t control his body. “Sir, I don’t appreciate you shouting at me continuously,” Kai stated. “Ahh, Kai. I was just about to come to your desk. I am impressed with your current work. I want to give you a promotion. Also, I apologise for my wrongdoings.” Kai was speechless, he managed to babble “Thank you, Sir.”

07

THE CALLER AT THE OTHER END He got up, and walked back to his desk. There, his colleagues asked, “Kai would you like to join us for lunch?” “I…I would love to” Kai replied confusingly. He couldn’t believe it. Not only did he get a promotion, his colleagues also showed him respect. Sona was very happy for him, “Well done Kai. You are doing well for yourself. What is the secret behind this success?” Sona said jokingly. Kai remembered that words of the caller, “Tell no one about these phone calls. “Sona, I need to tell you something. I have been getting calls from a person everyday at 5am. He is my key for success. And guess what? He has the same voice as me and his name is also Kai.” Kai said. Sona looked frazzled. Her expression quickly changed to concerned and apprehensive. She then said, “If you don’t mind, can I sleep at your place tomorrow night? There are…umm renovations in my house.” “Of course Sona. Anything for you, darling.” Kai said enthusiastically. As Kai left, Sona quickly opened her laptop and frantically skimmed documents. Kai’s phone rang at 5am the next morning. “You told Sona about the calls. Kai, if I can change your life, I can destroy it too!” Night soon came. Sona cautiously stepped inside Kai’s apartment. “Darling, you can sleep in the bed, I will sleep on the sofa.” Said Kai. … “Doctor, the patient needs therapy NOW! We need to get him admitted, please Sir. Please!” Sona exclaimed. “Calm down Sona, what happened to the patient?” “Sir, Kai always told me that he suffered abuse from his brother Kumar. He also told me a few days ago that he had been receiving calls from an unknown caller, whose name was also Kai. This caller helped Kai live his life. I was at Kai’s home yesterday night.” Sona gasped for breath. “He woke up in the middle of the night. Recorded his voice on his phone. Went back to sleep. Then at exactly 5am, he talked to his pre-recoded call. His parents told me that he never had any siblings.”



08

HIS DEATH

Written by Numa Chemjong

09

HIS DEATH It was the 3rd of December 1952. Dad was the best, he was straight out of a fairy tail. We used to go fishing every Sunday. Me and Mitchell were very close to dad. Mitchell was only a year younger than me. We were like best friends as brothers. Mitchell and I would laugh as dad used to tell silly jokes, and cry when he told us sad stories. Dad used to sing songs and take us to eat out. “John and Mitchell, come down ,” said dad. “Yes,” we replied. We ran down the stairs, trying to see who is faster between us brothers. Obviously Mitchell won, he was always the sporty one. “Calm down boys ,” said dad. We calmed ourselves down, but we still had the giggles inside. We tried our best not to laugh out loud. We knew Dad wanted to say something serious. We were only 7 at that time. “SHUT UP,” yelled dad. That was a first. There was pin drop silence. Mitchell and I did not dare to even say a word. Dad sat us down and explained that he will be leaving as he's sick. And our mum will be looking after us. Me and Mitchell were devastated and started to cry. “Don’t go,'' said Mitchell. Dad did not reply. Mum quickly came and took us both to her house. On a Tuesday, a week after dad left, all the news in our town only said one thing. “Stay in your houses as there is a new serial killer on the loose killing young boys, young boys only! 3 young boys were already killed. The killer was said to be a woman.” 1st of January, 1954. I was 9, and Mitchell was 8. It was a special day. Dad finally returned. He told us we could move in again. We were over the moon when we heard this from Mom. We quickly packed our bags and mom drove us to dad's house. Dad’s house looked different. “Dad, what's wrong with your face ?” I said as soon as I walked in the living room. He explained that he had caught a skin Infection on his face and light can not be shown. He had rules around the house that we were supposed to follow. One of his rules indicated that we were not allowed in his basement. The basement used to be a gaming room but now we are not allowed in there anymore. Even his bedroom was out of bounce. “Let me take you to your room, “ he said, frowning. “Ok,” we said.

10

HIS DEATH We went to our room as dad led the way. He left the room as me and Mitchell were unpacking our luggage. After five days, we felt uncomfortable living with Dad. He had changed so much he would barely talk to us. One time we sneaked into his bedroom and saw him uncover the bandages on his face. As he was unrolling the bandage, His eye caught us and he slammed the door in our face. We were so scared that he would try to do something to us so we called mum. She didn't pick up. From that day on, she never picked up. The news on the TV said that there had been a woman missing. How funny I thought because dad just went to see mom on Saturday and now she doesn't even pick up our phone. But one day, Mom suddenly barged into the house. She took our hands and dragged us to Dad's bedroom. His legs were spread as he sat on the chair and started to look at her. “I don't love you anymore,” he said. Dad took our hands and pulled Mitchell and I apart from mum. He quickly took a rope and tied mom against the chair and sat opposite to her. I couldn't understand anything at that time. And my brother Mitchell was as clueless as me. “If you don't love me, then why do you keep me?” Mum answered with a soft tone. “Keep me?” I thought. What did mom mean when she said dad kept her? I was so confused. “Because I hate you. I hate you so much that I can't stand being apart from you,” Dad replied. Dad unrolled the bandages in his face. His face has a big scar on his forehead and his nose was broken. He stood up and freed mum from the ropes . “Run…Run! Before I catch you,” he giggled. “Go,” He yelled as we began to run. He smiled to himself as he grabbed his gun and followed us behind. “Oh, how I love to chase,” he yelled. Mum told us to run in the other direction and leave but dad wasn't chasing us. He was chasing after mum. Mitchell ran away but I stayed. I saw mum running. She stood on the hill as he found her with a satisfied smirk and the gun in his hand. “You can never escape me.” She was aware that he stood behind her as he pressed a gun against her head. “Do you like doing this to me?” She asked with a soft tone as the wind whipped between them.

11

MY WEDDING

Written by Numa Chemjong

12

MY WEDDING I looked as she walked past me. If I had to describe what she looked like, I honestly have no words. I still remember the 3rd of July, 1999. The most beautiful day of my life. The smiling faces, my friends. I just looked at them with a gentle smile and laughed to myself . I can’t believe the day I’ve been waiting for my whole life has finally arrived. I used to always imagine her being mine. I wished I had my parents to congratulate me today, but then again they would have completely disagreed with my choices and decisions. They wouldn’t have liked me marrying Stella. They would have said that she’s completely out of my league and that it’s dangerous falling for someone like me. They might even have tried to stop me from marrying her. My thoughts were interrupted as my beautiful bride walked by. Her dress shined like a pearl deep in the ocean on a sunny day. It gave me butterflies in my stomach that I’d have her all to myself to do anything I wanted with her. She made her way down the aisle with her hand crossed around her fathers arm. The music stopped and so did their walk. She stood by my side as her dad gently lent her hand to mine. “Thank you.” I whispered, smiling. The priest came forward and so it began, this is going to be fun. I wanted to create a spectacle, a bloodbath in our name, me and Stella of course. “Please, repeat after me” the priest said and so I followed. “I, Jeff Rodoroy, take Stella Garme to be my wedded wife.” She said her vows and soon enough the ceremony was over. We were finally together. She was mine. MINE.. No one could’ve come between her and my plan. Not even her. I was the happiest man alive in the world. You don’t know how long I had waited for this moment. After the reception dinner the crowd pulled us into have our first dance, but what they didn't know was that it would be our last. Everything was going according to plan. “Baby wait, this is for you,” I handed Stella the red wine I especially bought for her. I popped the cork open with my knife. I raised a toast for her and poured the wine. I handed her the glass with a kiss. I intentionally spilled the wine on her dress, her white swan like dress which pictured her as an angel became red, showing her true colours. I mean to be honest she would look so much better in red.

13

MY WEDDING “Oh my god, jeez dear you got my dress all red,” I looked at her apologetically, hoping she would say - “I’ll go clean up in our room ok?” And indeed she did. I especially made sure to spill some on the back of the dress too. Everything was going according to my plan. She left the table to go to our room and I patiently waited. She came out with her bridesmaids after a few mins. We started the photoshoot as soon as Stella came out of our room, still with the stained dress. We did about 25 shoots and the last one had jack. JACK, her best friend and also my business partner. I love Jack too, he turned out to be so helpful. “Jack, come here, let’s take a photo with you,” Stella said. “Oh yeah, Jack come on up and join us on the stage,” I expanded. “Sure,” he said. This is it. I had to excuse myself to the bathroom to get my knife. I told Jack to bend right in front of Stella, making him hide her stain.I went back on the stage and said “ I love you Stella, till death do us apart.“ At this moment she was crying her crocodile tears. “Sorry guys, please look in the camera,” the photographer said. I looked straight into the camera, took the knife and gently pressed into her skin 6 times. She looked at me and I looked at her. “Smile, baby, “ I said. “Everyone, please excuse us, the wedding is Over,”. She fell into my arms. I made it look like she fainted. “ I'm gonna take her to the room, she is really tired,” I explained to the guests. And everyone, including Jack and Stella's father, left the venu. I dragged her body to our bedroom and opened the wooden door under the bed. I gently placed her with my other Prized possessions. I put her right in the middle, exactly where she belongs. I put on everybody's makeup, as it had faded since the last time I put it on them. Everybody looked beautiful in their wedding dresses. Including Stella's mom and my mom that went missing Five years ago. “You all Look beautiful tonight,” I said to my 10 wives and my mom. But I can never argue, Stella looks the best.

14

PICTURE PERFECT

Written by Namarnoor Randhawa and Numa Chemjong

15

PICTURE PERFECT It was the crack of dawn, I had stayed up all night in silence laying in a pile of filth which covered the wrapped sheets of the mattress. I silently stood up and crept over to Emma, my younger sister as well as Max, my older brother. We both had created a plan to escape this hell like home. We had never seen beyond the walls of this house but we knew enough to know that what was happening to us behind closed doors wasn’t good. In my family I have two parents, my mum and my dad, and 13 siblings excluding me. My parents had a hot temper. Once, my two siblings ate some of my mum's food and they were kicked across the room and chained to their beds. There’s a lot of us and we didn’t get to eat a lot. We got one meal a day, 3 boiled eggs, you could pick when you wanted to eat them but we usually ate it in one go due to hunger. I’d never gone to school, but my older brother somehow managed to get his hands on a phone. He's the only one who’d seen the outside world, he had gone to school, only primary up till Year 2 but he’s still seen more than I had. Anway, it was time for me to escape. Our parents were tired tonight so they fell asleep early. They didn’t do their usual patrol but that was good. My brother had kept them distracted and it slipped their mind that they had to lock the small window in our room. I crept over to the window and my sister gave me a lift while my brother kept watch, I looked back at them before I jumped through the window. “I’m gonna do it guys, we’re gonna escape” I said to them reassuringly. I looked at my phone which had pictures of my siblings in filth with marks on their body as well as them chained up. I got far away from the house and called the police. The line kept ringing and I stood trembling with fear. If they caught me I would be dead and so would my siblings. An elderly woman picked up the phone and asked me what the problem was. I nervously spat out the words and described the situation to her. She asked me which street I was on and I couldn’t tell her. I had never looked at a street sign before so I didn’t know what she was referring to. She told me to describe my surroundings and so I did. She figured out where I was and said that she would contact the sheriff of our town. She stayed on the line with me and it was around 1:06 am I waited with fear, my arms and legs trembling as I kept ducking down after I heard sounds. A car pulled up next to me and out came the sheriff. He asked me if I was the one who needed help and I told him yes. He asked for photos so I showed them to him. His face looked disgusted and sympathetic as he looked at the markings on my siblings and I’s bodies. He pulled his phone out and called for immediate back up.

16

PICTURE PERFECT By the time they came it was around 3-4 am The sheriff asked me if I wanted to come with but I said no. He told me to sit tight in his car and so I did. Him and his backup walked over to the door and rang the bell. My parents walked out and asked him what he wanted. He said he had to do a check in because someone had reported that they were being too loud. The sheriff looked around the house and saw how my siblings were treated. He immediately arrested my parents and called the ambulance. We were all sent there and after a couple days we all went to the park and sat down. We touched the grass and felt the breeze. It was a new beginning for us. We had escaped. It’s insane to think that people used to think we were a loving caring family. Our parents would take perfect photos of us all dressed up and send them to our aunts and uncles. But we weren’t picture perfect, we were hurting, all of us.

16

WAITING

Written by Namarnoor Randhawa

17

WAITING

18

The wind snarls by as I bolt my way towards the central building. Today is my interview with one of the most highly qualified criminologists and my forehead is beading with sweat. Just as I enter the congested building I realise that I’m late. There’s no time to waste. I rush towards the sliding doors of an elevator. There’s just enough space for me amongst the five other people. Stepping into the finely detailed elevator, I glance straight at my reflection in the mirror. An aroma of strong rusted steel rebounds off the distinctively detailed walls patterned like artwork. I wait querulously. I’m going to be late. Whilst the elevator moves slowly but sturdily up, the tense atmosphere abruptly strangles me. The veins on the nape of my neck start pulsating with fear. My head feels as though a million nails are being hammered to its extent. Why didn’t I take the stairs? A sudden yet titanic bump grabs my attention as everyone behind me jolts back and forth. Everyone in the elevator starts worrying. A man, who seemed reasonably comfortable in the corner looks around “We’re stuck”, he mutters quietly. Another man, dressed neatly in his suit and tie, grabs the bright red ‘EMERGENCY CALL’ button. After minutes of dead silence, a line is vacant. “Our elevator is stuck”, bellows the ‘suit and tie’ man. A feminine voice replies. “Oh god, not again! We’re terribly sorry. We apologise for all delays. Now quick question, what number is your elevator?” Immediately all eyes drift around the elevator, searching vigorously for the answer. I spot a small, worn out and rusty sign, in the corner of the elevator. ‘2. It’s number 2”, I voice, not expecting the coarse, scratchy sound that arises from me. ‘Thank you. We are getting the construction workers in; there is no need to panic and worry. You should be good and running in about ten minutes. Thank you for your cooperation and once again, we apologise for the delay —“, the line ends with an extensive buzz. Great! Now I'm definitely late, and stuck in an elevator, with about five people, all sharing the minimal oxygen circulating. Sighs, whines and irritation fill the elevator as the annoyance of the situation dawns. Without communication the group disperses into individual corners. I wait... Scanning my surroundings, I inaudibly inspect the five anonymous outsiders. I spotted a teenage girl first. She is rather evident, garbed in a floral pink skater skirt with a white lacy blouse. In front of me, an old woman, standing opposite the door, clutches tightly onto her purse. ‘Suit and tie’ man and the other man from earlier continually release deep breaths to cover their frustration.

WAITING Finally, right across me, a young man named ‘Archer’, as exemplified through his name tag, stares around the elevator. I decided to ignore everyone and wait… Suddenly, the lights flicker. Terror shoots through my body, my limbs begin to shake and my heart pounds faster. I look around to see everybody else, they mindlessly stare at the floor acting as though nothing is happening. I begin to enter a state of madness as I start yelling at all of them hoping for a reaction. My chaoticness is interrupted by an announcement. “Sorry guys, the lights get affected as well whenever the elevator gets stuck, just hang in there.” The sound distorts towards the end. Seizing the fate of any remaining hope I have left. The lights turn off, completely. I wait in silence as my throat dries up, there’s nothing I fear more than insects, and the dark. I fall to the ground hoping for it all to be over. I hear crittering sounds come closer. My body freezes. I feel a swarm of insects climb up my legs and shoulders. I slowly stand up. They come up to my cheeks. Then my forehead. The next thing I know I’m completely covered with insects. A tear rolls down my eye while trying to stand incredibly still. The atmosphere goes cold, surrounding itself around me. I feel alone. The lights turn on. I examine my body, not a single roach, ant or cricket. I look up to face something even worse. I stood in the middle of the elevator surrounded by blood and dead bodies. The girl lies on the floor soulless. The old lady, sits up with her back against the doors, still clutching on to her purse. The ‘suit and tie’ man's tie is wrapped around his neck, the other man's back is facing upwards while his body is surrounded in a pool of blood and finally Archer lies with a bow stuck straight into his nametag. I feel nothing, numb. I lie there with them and act as if I was taken out too. I crawled into a ball. To think, minutes ago I was worried about an interview. *Ding The elevator bell rings. I abruptly look around to see all of them. They’re fine, they look terrified of me, but they're fine. A woman who seems to look like a nurse, lends her hand, I take it as I stand up. “Ma’am are you ok?” she asks with concern. There’s one thing I know better than anything else... and that is waiting. Waiting to find nothing left.

19

DAY OUT

Written by Namarnoor Randhawa

20

DAY OUT I entered through the front door of my house, the creaking sound of the oak wood door opening and my wheelchair spinning broke the silence of the oddly eerie room. It was pitch black. I silently wheeled myself over to the coffee table so that I could put my bag down, I had just come back from a long day at work. Being unable to walk and working in retail isn’t necessarily the best decision but I’m fresh out of highschool and we all have to start somewhere, some lower than others, but still somewhere. As I bent down to place my bag I felt a breath tickle the ends of my fingers. I slowly backed away to the door, when all of a sudden the lights turned instantly on, revealing several people, 15 or so, standing up with unsavoury smiles on their faces, after regaining my eyesight I realised I knew these people. They all yelled with their bashful smiles “Happy birthday Tara!” I thanked everybody and after a while of accepting presents we sat down to have some cake, it was delicious, strawberry shortcake, my favourite. After a while, people started to leave just me and my best friends from primary school behind. Mira, Levi, Sandra,Elle & Jasmine. We all sat around my dining table reminiscing. “Can you believe it’s been 14 years since we all met in kindergarten?” Mira said in disbelief. “I know it feels like these last couple of years have been a dream.” Jasmine said while filling her mouth up with more cake. “Remember when we went to the mall, at Tara’s 11th birthday, it was so fun, hanging out at the playground and eating food!” shrieked Sandra. “We should go again, check it out, look at the playgrounds, the food court, all of it.” said Levi. They all agreed in union and looked at me with a blank expression. I didn’t have great memories of that day. It was the year I got my wheelchair. I remember feeling so pathetic, thinking that I couldn't do anything. I could just eat and watch my friends have the time of their lives at my birthday party. Watch them play games I wanted to play, watch them slide down the slides I wanted to go down and then, occasionally, look at me with pity and ask me if I wanted them to stay with me, which they obviously did not want to do because they were having fun but had the moral obligation to ask because I was their friend. I obviously said that I didn’t need their help, but I felt embarrassed because it was my birthday and I couldn’t do a single thing. I looked back at my friends and agreed to going. I mean we were just going to buy clothes and eat some food. “Great!” they all said in excitement, I smiled back at them, they began planning the day while I was lost in thought.

21

DAY OUT Ever since the day at the mall, I’ve always seen pity in my friends' eyes for me. Whether it's Elle's 18th birthday and she wants to go to the clubs, or if Mira plans to get together at the Blue Mountains. They all look at me and ask me the same question. “We can go somewhere else if you want?” Which is sweet in theory I guess but I always knew in the back of my heart that I was just a burden to them. *** We all met up at the mall, I got my parents to drop me because it was such a hassle setting up my new car to how I needed. Once I got there I waved my mum and dad goodbye and wheeled myself over to the entrance of the building. I saw my friends inside already giggling. Once I entered the building, they all decided to go to the shopping store first. So I went into cotton-on a famous clothing store. Mira picked out a top for me and I went into the changing rooms. I didn’t like the top and Mira knew that she just wanted to send me away so that they could walk around the shop. I sat in the change room alone, I felt a tear drop fall down my cheek. I had immediate deja vu to years ago when I was crying in the bathroom stall of a playground in this very mall on my birthday. I opened the door to reveal the playground, the sound of laughing children filled the hollowed slides in the room. I turned around to see that I had just stepped out of the bathroom. There was something different. I frantically looked down to my feet to see…disbelief entered my mind as I couldn't believe the miracle I was witnessing. My legs! They were functioning perfectly, I didn’t know what was happening but I went with it. I was an eleven year old girl with functioning legs at my birthday party, no one would pity me or tell me I can’t play. It was my day, mine. No one could ruin it, I could walk again! I climbed up the foam stairs and slid down the plastic blue slide twirling and twisting me around as I felt a rush of air hit my hair. I closed my eyes and felt as though I was flying. It came to a stop and I stood up. All of a sudden the entirety of the room’s lights turned off. I stood completely still and waited for the lights to turn back on. The fear of being alone entered my body as I started to tremble. Out of nowhere I started to hear the flapping of wings and screeching of birds. A light was turned on in the building, right on top of Elle. There I saw two devilish creatures standing behind her, they had the face of the devil itself with a menacing smile. Their hands were huge claws and their wings were gruesome as their face, pointy, red and big. “Do you want to play stuck in the mud, Elle Spring?” one of them hissed.

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DAY OUT They placed one hand on each of their shoulders, a black ink like substance covered Elle from her legs up to her chin. “Help me Tara! Help me please!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. I looked at her in shock. I was frozen. Another light in the building turned on. I saw Mira and then Sandra and Levi and Jasmine. They all yelled and screamed for help and I stood in silence. The two devils stepped behind my back, I closed my eyes to accept my faith. “How do you feel seeing them all stuck, seeing the pity in their eyes turn to fear?” I hated to admit it but it felt so good after being the one everyone felt sorry for, they never truly understood what I was going through. Everyone feels sorry for you when they think it’s best fitting and then after a while when they move on to the next hot topic they expect for you to move on. The truth is that day in the car accident, I didn’t just lose my legs, I lost myself and nobody truly cared. I was their little sorry project. They would make plans to go to the beach and say it was better if I didn’t come because “I could hurt myself.” truth is they all moved on from me but kept me around because they felt sorry, and I felt pathetic and tired. But now for this one second I have the advantage, they needed me. I faced the devil-like creatures for a second. Although I enjoyed this selfish and morally wrong moment, I knew it was fake and...I didn't mind. “I want to stay” I whispered to them.

21

MY IDOL

Written by Avyukta Biju

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MY IDOL Hi I’m Tyler and I am a big fan of Linda Bronte. We both have a lot in common like our favourite food, music, and even HOUSES. I live 2 blocks away from her. She even knows who I am, which is one of my biggest achievements. When Linda had a fan sign, I was taking pictures of her. People started pushing and I ended up breaking my camera lens. I knelt down on both knees, crying. Suddenly I saw someone else kneeling down in front of me. It was Linda. “Hey, are you okay?” That was when my heart started beating like crazy. Her beautiful eyes and pretty pink lips made my tummy flutter. I knew that she was so into me. Ever since that day, we found our soulmates. A few years later, I was curious to know what Linda was doing. I hacked her phone to see her call details. She had been calling many guys including her second manager. My blood started boiling. How could she do this to me? Linda doesn’t do anything bad, especially to me. She loves me for god's sake. I ran towards the manager's house, rang the doorbell and punched his face. I dragged him on the floor and into the recycling bins. I looked into the rubbish bin and found an axe. I picked it up and went to the other guy's house. I smashed his head with the axe and dragged his body to the nearby bin centre. The blood stains were all over my face. It felt like cold blood coming out of fresh bodies. A few days later, the news headlines read: “4 Men Murdered. One has been confirmed that it is Linda Bronte’s Manager” A few years have gone by and I wanted to do something. I had the idea of going to her house. As soon as Linda left her house with her manager, I went around to find the back door. As I got in, I smelt the amazing aroma. Her house was full of her photoshoot pictures and a bunch of fan gifts. I went into her room and it felt like heaven. I jumped onto her bed and cuddled the soft scented pillows. I then walked towards her table and sprayed some of her perfume. I brought the small teddy bear from my pocket and placed it near the TV. Suddenly I heard the pin pad dialling. It was Linda coming home with her phone in her ear. “Yeah we should totally hang out!” Was she talking to a guy? I saw her making the phone call, it made me extremely furious that I decided to make my dreams come true. “Who are you talking to! I AM YOUR BOYFRIEND AND FUTURE HUSBAND. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TALK TO ANY GUYS” I said angrily.

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MY IDOL But all she did was scream. I grabbed my hammer from my pocket, hit her head and knocked her off. Then I heard her manager calling out her name, banging on the door. I carried Linda on my back and ran out from the back door. I ran to her old manager's house, tied her on a pole and dressed her up as a bride. A few minutes later, Linda woke up and looked around. I changed into a nice suit and walked towards her. “Sorry about that. You just made me a little angry.” I got down on one knee and asked her, “Linda Bronte. Will you marry me?” Suddenly Linda kicked me. She tried to shake her hands off the rope. I started laughing at how pathetic she was. “If you marry me, I will let you go. But you must promise me not to talk to any guys except me cause I'm your hubby.” “Are you crazy?” Linda exclaimed. Of course I was. Crazy about you. I thought for a moment on how I could possibly make her mine forever. I taped her mouth, lit the place with fire and walked out. I knew she had a fear of fire because of her past. Once I left the house, I felt someone was behind me. I took the knife from my pocket and swung it from behind. Suddenly I saw policemen holding out their guns. ”Hands up!” said the policeman. “How’d you manage to find me?” I asked. The policeman said, “While Linda was on the phone, and you stroked her, the call was still on. The person on the phone called Linda’s manager and the manager called the police. We inspected Miss Bronte’s house and found a teddy bear with the hidden camera. We played the video and found out the camera started the minute you left your house. We figured your house was nearby so went to your house and found your laptop on. Our hacking team members found out you were the murder 3 years ago. We found your location and here we are.” NOOOOOOO. Why did I leave my laptop on? Why did the camera start early? The policemen handcuffed me and took me to the car. Honestly I don’t regret a single thing. If I could, I would do it all again for my wife.

24

MUSE

Written by Avyukta Biju

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MUSE It was a nice sunny morning. The sun was shining and my body had the guts to have caffeine first thing in the morning. I went to my favourite coffee shop and ordered a coffee with a nice blueberry muffin. As I walked to the table, someone sitting two chairs away from me caught my eye. Sitting on a stool was one of the most radiant woman my eyes had ever seen. She had long wavy black hair and wore a green flowy floral dress with a short pink cardigan that went up to her waist. The sun was shining on her face and the fragrance of her perfume followed its way to me. I could smell that it was sweet but also quite strong. I started to fall in love with her. I could see her sketching a landscape of the road in front of her. Suddenly she looked my way and we both locked eyes. She then walked towards me and striked a conversation. “Hi there!” said the girl, in such a sweet tone. “H..hhii.” I stuttered. “You look very handsome” “Thank you. You look really gorgeous. I.I.. I mean you look really pretty” I couldn’t get over the fact that I was stuttering so many times. “So what’s your name?” she asked “My name is Josh, what about you?” “I’m Angel” We both talked about what we liked and slowly started discovering that we shared the same interests and decided to take our relationship to the next level by being a couple. We both exchanged phone numbers. A few weeks had gone by, me and Angel had gone on many dates and loved every minute I spent time with her. On one of our dates, we went axe throwing and Angel’s skills were on the next level. I was so surprised for a woman who had such a slender frame. It was Angel’s birthday and I wanted to buy her some art supplies. I quickly went over to the nearby art shop and gift wrapped some paint and paintbrushes. I added a little heartfelt letter to finish it off. I then drove to the botanical gardens and met Angel there. “Happy birthday babe!,” I smiled, giving her the gift. “Aww thanks!” We both had a little picnic in the park and took some cute photos and selfies. There were tulips, garden beds and roses which smelt amazing. We also found a little shop which sold fresh rose perfume and bought one. After some time Angel asked me “John, I was wondering if you could come over to my house. I want to draw a portrait of you using the supplies you bought for me.”

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MUSE I was excited. For the first time I'm going to my girlfriend's house. My body started getting sweaty and hot. “Sure, why not. I wanna see how handsome you're gonna draw me,” I giggled. We took the car to Angel's house. Once we arrived, it looked very small and dark. There was no natural sunlight coming into the house. I suddenly felt chills down my spine and didn’t know why. As we were walking to her art room, I could see portraits of different men in various poses. I stood still looking at the portraits. Somehow they looked very familiar. “Babe, who are these guys in the paintings?” I asked “Oh they’re just some other models I found at cafes.” She gave me a cold look. I didn’t really believe what she was telling me. Each of the portraits had names and dates. I took my phone out and searched up each name. My stomach sank a little. They were men who went missing years ago. The dates on the picture matched the dates they went missing. My palms started sweating and I could feel my heart beating fast. A lot of thoughts started consuming my mind. Is this true or is it my imagination? There’s no way Angel could be a murderer. Suddenly I sense someone behind me. I slowly turn my head around and see Angel holding a crowbar, on the verge of hitting my head. I quickly moved my whole body to the right side. Angel holds up the crowbar and tries to hit me again but this time I grab it. "Why are you doing this?" I asked. "Why not? It's fun. Dating handsome men and eventually killing them" I pushed the crowbar away from me and started running towards the main door. I could hear Angel’s heavy footsteps right behind me. As I make it out the door, I see police cars and ambulance vans waiting. "Help! Help!" I yelled. Seeing the police cars, Angel tried to escape but two policemen from behind grab Angel and handcuff her. "Don't worry. Our team found out that she is the murderer who killed the missing men. You're lucky we saved you in time," said one of the policemen. Two men escorted me to the ambulance van. They gave me a blanket and bottle of water. My hands still shaking, I sat down in the van, letting out a huge cry of mixed emotions of anger, disgust, a bit of relief, and guilt.

27

PEN

Written by Sara Rhee

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PEN I'm standing in front of the gloomy old and cold stone building, Riverview Central Academy Building. Looking above the sky, I alway wonder what it's like being above. Being down on the surface makes me sick. My feelings are overwhelmed with fear and anxiety. Suddenly a shadow crawled on top of my shoulder. I slowly turned around and saw him. The boy had a firm and muscline body as strong as an ox. His short spiky brown hair, frightening green eyes, sharp pointed nose and grinning mischievousness like a Chesire cat from Alice in Wonderland. His name is Zean. “HEY BUD!” Zean looked at me with an evil smirk and then he threw an aggressive punch to my stomach. Targeting me like I'm his prey, he enjoys hurting me. I just want a normal life, one where I'm invincible.. “Hellllooooo~?” *slap* I blinked. “Are you not listening? You know it’s rude when someone is talking and you’re not listening.” "You know everytime when you scream a lot, it's entertaining," he says as he grabs my left arm. The alarming pain as my bones gradually begin to crack. He pushes me onto the old and broken wall and starts twisting my arm viciously. "ARGHH!" he smirks while looking down at me. "What did I do to you?". I complained to him and Zean went quiet and said. “Everything in this life isn't always fair? This world IS a HELL, grow up. The atmosphere feels off.. I'm just gonna break your arm," he says to me. "OI! ‘ I've been saved by the teacher. “You two, what are you doing here? Go to the class now! But Zean, I need to talk with you.” Zean let me go then I dashed to class. School is finished, I'm tired. Hiding and running away from Zean.I tripped over some rocks on my way home from school. I groaned in pain, struggling to walk, with a huge bruise. I saw a pen. Laying there. Out of curiosity I picked up the pen. I looked around to see if any dropped it. I realise no one knows this area except me. Maybe I can use this for something for now. As I shoved the pen in my pocket and continued walking. Once I entered my apartment, “Hi mum..and dad” I said to my dead parents in the picture. I feel deserted as always. I realize that I should do my homework. I pulled out the pen from earlier and got started. There was a roach and I stabbed the roach many times with the pen.

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PEN After a while I drew a couple doodles on my book and the paper started to move like crazy and there were more roaches coming out from it. I quickly threw it out. Later the paper moved crazy AGAIN. More roaches, then I threw it away. I can use this pen to get back at him for all the things he did to me. After all those years, the way he treated me was cruel.I looked over the pen and I walked slowly while my whole body was trembling. The doorbell rang, I walked toward the door, and heard a voice “ Hey come out now. I just wanna talk if you don't come out, you will face the consequences.” It's Zean. I quickly grabbed my magic pen and dashed to the bathroom. -BANGI saw and reached to open my bathroom window, I crawled over through a window. I suddenly heard footsteps crunching through the fall leaves, creeping up on me. Zean found me. "I was looking for you" He said cheerfully when he pushed me off the edge. AAAA-OW! “What a surprise. Isn't that amazing?” I glare at him, eyes to eyes. It's the first time I look up to him by glaring at him. My head hurts. Oh I have somehow survived by landing on the bushes..and I also realize that zean came down to the ground floor fast. “Whatever you already live so long, it's time.” I charged up to him and jumped onto him, "WHAT TH-". I stabbed his arm 2 times, he pushed me. I stab him with the pens on the arm, there's a roach coming out of him. "ARGH! WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME, WHAT DID YOU DO!”He screamed painfully. I stabbed him even more, I stabbed his eyes,stomach,legs,heart,lungs, etc. "w-w-ait!" too late. "I suppose I am being a jerk, sorry I had to force you brother…. ". He said for his last breath, before the roaches swarmed over him. I was confused. Wha*GASP*I was boiling and I was sweating, I looked left and right. The sun was beaming at my one eye from the window. And I realized that I'm in an white room and see so many beds next to me and a curtain and see some people in front of me and I asked “Where am i?” “You’re in the hospital and you were in a coma for 15 years." My jaw dropped, "COMA?". Yes it appears you fell off the balcony from level 5. Surprising you were lucky to be alive!” I am speechless, then does that mean everything was a dream?

29

NUMBER 456

Written by Sara Rhee

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NUMBER 456

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I woke up in a strange room that had water around me and the lights were flickering. My head feels light headed, the atmosphere feels off and heavy to breath and these unfamiliar places give off bad vibes. I barely stand up, my legs feel numb, my arm feels like it’s going to rip apart into pieces. I’m walking in any direction, right left left right left right.. I feel lost. I took a right and saw a lot of signs saying “exit”, and arrows in different directions. The pressure is on. This is like a life and death situation. There’s no way I can get this right in one go, life isn’t like a game. Like obviously if you died you’re gone forever. It doesn't matter. I’ll come back, I want to explore the places more. I retrace the steps the lights flicker, even more than before. I hear steps and heavy breathing like it's inhuman. My heart starts to beat so fast, why?? What if it's another person who is also here like me? I slowly approached the corner to see, then I froze. I was filled with shock and fear seeing a strange figure in front of me. I slowly back away as my heart is beating fast. The creature screams. My ears hurt, I need to get out of here. I saw a locker in the distance. I ran towards the locker and closed the door behind me. As I was walking by, I saw different shapes and figures. I want to scream yet don’t want to be caught at the same time. My body is wobbly and I have to cover my mouth. My heart is beating fast and loud. I feel my chest pumping. The group of creatures was roaming around, sniffing and stared at the other figures. The figure with the twist neck walking up to the locker where I was hiding in. I crouch down slowly. The figure and I made eye contact, I’m trying not to blink, the figure was breathing slowly. I move my head down, my body feels wobbly and I feel overwhelmed and nauseous. I felt sick. I want to get out of here. I closed my eyes tightly. I want to go home.. I closed my eyes for a minute or longer, I slowly stood up and looked through the gap. There’s no figures. I opened then closed the locker. I turned around left to right, the coast is clear, for now. Phew. I feel goosebumps everywhere on my body by remembering earlier. I need to get out of here. As I was going to walk, I saw the drawing on the left side, which was weird. It wasn't there before. I looked at the drawing, it was a picture of a tall dark figure with the number 456 plastered onto it. Isn’t that an angel number..? Maybe this figure might show me the way out of this peculiar place. But I realize there’s so many eyes in the background behind the figure in these pictures. It probably means something. But I should gather some equipment before I need to leave the place, but where should I find the equipment from?

NUMBER 456 Eh, I might find it on the way. As I continued traveling down the path, I saw the arrows pointing at the pathway. I followed it. It might help me lead to the figure. Once I followed the arrow, I ended up in a dead end. What? Did the arrow trick me? Then I was touching the walls to see if there was a secret pathway button or lever, but there’s nothing. As I was going to turn back, I saw the skeleton with some supplies, what the? It wasn’t there before, was it? I was confused but I didn't have time to sit and wait. I walked up to the skeletons and gathered a flashlight, coat, matches, water, 3 pieces of bread, aid kits and lastly ropes. Thank god, I found the equipment quickly. I packed up quickly then left the place. Thud! I suppose there’s something in the distance. I walked off the other way, I slowly then ran once I turned right. I saw a ladder. This might lead me to the figure, but what if it leads me to death? Who knows? But there’s no other choice, besides there's a monster here in this odd area. It’s better to get out of here. I climbed the ladder, it took me a while to get to the top. As I continued to climb, I hit my head on the ceiling. Oh, it's a lid. I tried to turn the lid carefully so I won’t fall, but it won’t budge. I’m trying my best to move this lid, no use. I was gonna give up and leave. Eh it does not matter to me anymore. I go down on the ladder, and then I slip on something on the ladder. Ow what the? I saw a piece of paper, it’s just a scribble. Forget it, time to go. I left the area, and continued walking. Then once I take a lot of left, I’m back to the area that has a lot of exit signs. Oh this area is great, I forgot about this area..I look around there's 5 tunnels. I don’t know which to pick. I’ll just gamble a bit to pick. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. I picked the number 4. I took a deep breath, feeling nervous. I’m sweating. I continued walking and walked in the dark tunnel. -BOOMI turned around, the tunnel behind me was closed, I suppose I can't turn back now. I walked and walked straight. I see the end, the light. I closed my eyes tightly. No way I picked it right in one go? Wait a minute, I feel like something is grabbing my foot? I opened my eyes. AHHHHHHHHHH WHAT THE. I saw a massive figure with big red eyes in front of me. I looked around while I’m panicking upside down. There’s skulls everywhere and numbers? I looked down and saw a number 456 where it is above the holes. Wait I remember there was a light before, I looked up, the light was the figures. Just like a Pacific football fish, to lure the prey in. The figure tentacle is twisting my leg. What th-

32

NUMBER 456 -crunch“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAh!”! I screamed in pain then fainted. I woke up in a strange room that had water around me and the lights were flickering. My head feels light headed. Ow my legs. My legs hurt so much. I wonder what happened to my legs…?

33

THE SHORT ENDING

Written by Sonja Ho

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THE SHORT ENDING It's been only a day since I started and this school environment is already disruptive. But my options were only so limited, my grades are just below average, no outstanding talent and where else would money come in to enrol me in someplace better. All I can hope for is a peaceful school life, which is naive to think after such an unassuring impression. On the first day, less than one fourth of the class was present. But today it seemed all students had attended for some reason. Nevertheless it wasn’t like they actually worked, instead all the students had fingers on their screen’s keyboard typing rapidly. With my curiosity I peered at my friend’s screen. It seemed serious, so I asked her about the situation. “Oh don’t you know? There is an old rumour about this school and apparently it appears to be showing signs of proof that it’s real.” She explains excitedly. Not that she was the ‘normal type’, she was acting weirdly. As the day continued, I picked up bits of what I could and came to a conclusion. Basically an old rumour of deaths surrounding this school from a while ago has returned to today, and for safety measures, you place a knife beneath your pillow. Not that you’d use it to attack but like a sleeping charm. It's currently 2:00 am and I’m procrastinating in my consciousness, so I unsteadily trudge into the kitchen and stare down at the knife set. “I mean it doesn’t hurt to try, right? I mean these nights have been really suffocating even before knowing the rumour.” I unsurely thought. I’m wrapped in the most layers of warmth and yet I feel raw. The fringe of my toes were going dead by the second and unconsciously I took hold of the first knife in reach. At this point I question my existence. I awoke to a heavy cough from choking produced myself. Unhesitantly I bare strip my bed of covers and unknowingly a sharp force inflicted on my hand. I frantically searched for the source of the attack but found nothing. The rest of my morning had continued on otherwise and struggled walking through the campus with burdening discussions on the school’s history. “All students are to head towards the quad!” a few teachers relayed. The morning is already hectic and now it’s come to this… “As you already know about the school’s hot topic, we do not encourage your belief towards this and hope you continue focusing on your studies.” Unlike assemblies before, this was unusually quiet. The teachers didn’t say anything else to conclude this assembly and it was obvious that the adults were not mentally handling this well either.. “Believing in it and telling others not to, how selfish of their own safety.” a light whisper from my left. It was my friend, she had been going nonstop about this topic to others and it seems like she'd like me to engage more in this too. I discerned some brutal markings on her forearms. “Hey, is your arm-”

35

THE SHORT ENDING You know, I heard the better the quality of the knife, the more guaranteed safety. Do you want to head to the store and get a good knife after school?” She said. My friend, who I've known for a while now, has become increasingly suspicious in regards to this rumour and this was a very undeniable scenario which I had then agreed to. “That's great!” She smiles. I was already thinking of using scissors cause I didn’t want to use the knife, my mother didn’t even question the missing equipment and I don’t think the knife had returned to its slot either. “Can we have a sleepover at your place tonight?” She asked. “Sure why not?” I replied instantly. As we were walking to my home, I thought if she came over, the mood of the night would loosen a bit. “Anyways I totally love this knife!” She takes out. We had not long ago just purchased these even though we spent a lot while deciding which one was best. And I honestly felt quite uncomfortable throughout these few days, and it's not like there’s only one to blame. Neither of my parents were returning tonight but it's good knowing I won’t be alone tonight, although the feeling is still unsettling. I’ve noticed a change in my recent appearance probably due to my mental state. Manifested erections on my skin have become more prone to occur as well as clammy cold sweats I’m drowning in. “Are you alright? Your face has become quite pale.” She questioned as she grabbed me. “OMG! You’re freezing!” She continued. I couldn’t even recognise my current temperature, but I thought it was normal. I reassured her it was fine and we continued walking. “Hey, we should tone it down a bit. The neighbours are already frustrated enough.” I hushed. “Shall we go to sleep then?” She extended. The bedding was prepared and so did we. After unsleepy motivation, my phone buzzed. “Hey” the text read. I replied back “Can you not sleep either?” “Buzz” A buzzing sound returned beneath my bed? I bent down to see her but when I did, what I'd only visualised was her feet. A salty trickling substance I could taste from my immense sweating. My instinct would have noticed a figure on my behind, but I have yet to move and still cannot. “Sphhhlt!” an oppressive thick sharp-edged piercing infiltrated my skin, the scorching strain building on my muscles as the object continued tunnelled into my bone. My distorted sight in the black, the constant trickling of a coppery liquid odour soaking my sheets. My thinking departs elsewhere when enduring the pain. It's a relentless cycle of the feeling of nothing and the surprise that comes after. The numbing sensation of my blood-sucked hands feeding my wound, I could not give a reaction and nor could I hold any longer.

36

THE LINEUP

Written by Sonja Ho

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THE LINEUP An unregistered town, overpopulated with families have unusual rumors surrounding the night hours. This town has a history of high crime numbers, but none of those attacks were aimed at children, the people knew these were related to a dark rumor. This town was in fact a very positive town despite there being countless crimes, but that doesn’t mean they are unaware. There have been people who worked on this case but failed and soon this topic was given up. Recently numerous reports of crimes have been increasing, but nobody tried anything, knowing the consequences. The crime rate had already exceeded the world numbers and someone needed to do something about it. Detective, someone who had grown up out of the town became unknowingly too curious and worked on this case confidentiality. The town’s information of this rumour was taboo, even talking about it could ruin your reputation so much. Nevertheless he did anyway. With years of what he’d seen he began suspecting the children. The children seemed nothing out of the ordinary, but he had never had doubts. He noticed at a certain time during the night the children were leaving their homes and travelling together to somewhere. And on a night, he began following the children. The children were unaware of this man who was walking beside them. They looked soulless and even controlled. They would not make turns but would climb over obstacles whilst walking in their straight one line. At this point the detective felt like he was going nowhere and began recording these children but was instantly knocked out. The next morning he woke up believing there was nothing unordinary. Halfway throughout the day he realised something he shouldn’t have forgotten, he opened his bag and found a camera. Of course he opened the camera but it exploded in the moment. He wrote out a plan and was prepared for more the second night. Again he followed the children but it had seemed they were going another way then they were the last night. After walking for what seemed like forever, they came upon a pond. He watched the children one by one walking down into the pond and sinking. Out of his own instinct he dove in to save the child. The children had no expression and weren’t moveable. Being immovable wasn’t because this pond was thick and muddy, but because of the children. As he struggled to pull the child out he sank along with the child. The singing process was very slow and he felt the other children sinking. He knew the pond was not able to hold this amount of children and was suffocating in these tense moments.

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THE LINEUP Although the detective had been through moments before this event, he began to really understand fear. He dared not attempt to see but could only feel young flesh lingering on his contact in this uncomfortable situation. You see this detective had a talent of holding his breath.

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THE SURREALIST ORPHANAGE

Written by Sara Rhee and Sonja Ho

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THE SURREALIST ORPHANAGE “Uh Mum? Dad? Where are we going?” I questioned, while watching the trees pass by through the window. My mum turned and said “Oh we’re gonna take you to your new home.” The muscles at the corner of her mouth forces a sheepy smile]. New home..? I wondered what she meant. But why would she seem so happy about it? Our current or previous home was a lovely place. Maybe there was something I didn’t know about. It seemed off about the fact that we hadn’t packed any belongings other than my clothes, so I asked her about it. “Hey mum, what about the other baggage?” “Oh well you see, there isn’t a lot of space in the back and we’d thought about your priority first.” She replies with uncertainty. I looked behind my seat and saw a ton of space, my baggage was like itself going against nothing. I decided not to push her any further and sat silently through the rest of the trip. Few hours later, I stared out the window for a long time, and dozed off. But my sleeping time only lasted a while. I woke up yawning relentlessly. The car keeps shaking alot. I opened the window to catch a breath outside. The aggressive breeze possessed my hair into slapping my own face, well at least the air is nice and cool. I continue to look outside and see a lot of farm animals. The car slows down a bit then turns into a large, unusual looking building. I felt uneasy looking at the architecture. “We’re here!” My parents yelled in sync as they excitedly jumped out of the vehicle. This was abnormal to me, I’d never seen my parents so enthusiastic before. From my perspective, they had never really paid much attention to me before and to think they’d give me affection now? They’d usually treat me like I was never there. But now, it seems like I’ll get the chance to experience receiving love from my parents like a ‘real’ child of a family. I got out of the car and as I looked away, I was left with my baggage and a dusty surprise from the road. “Have a good life.” my mother says as she leaves. My heart felt like it dropped, and my skin gave an erection as a cold trickle spread, it felt like my body was given an earthquake. I hesitantly looked behind to what instinct had visualised a building, but along with it there was a young woman. “WOAH” I jumped. “You will need this,”she said systematically. She handed me an eccentric white uniform and necklace.

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THE SURREALIST ORPHANAGE “What is your name child?” She said, While crouching down to my level, she gave me an uncomfortable smile. I’m probably just tired. “My name is y/n..” She stood up and grabbed my arm and pulled me into the building, her grip was tight. I just don’t know what’s happening here. The lady brought me into a strange room with other children, each had a clear expression of their own. “Enjoy your stay y/n.” as she pushed me into the room. “Wait-”and the door shut aggressively. I’m confused as I turn around and I just decide to introduce myself to others. “Hi! My name is y/n. Pleasure to meet you guys, can’t wait to hang out with you guys! I smiled. After I introduced myself, none of the other children spoke a word in response. It was like dead silence. This place is giving off a creepy vibe.The rest of the children just stared. And one of them signalled me to come to her. I walked up to her, the other kids continued watching me. So I picked up the pace. When I got in the small house and as I turned around I noticed she was very pretty. Her smooth chestnut hair and gleaming green eyes glancing at me. She then leaned in and whispered “They’re watching us..” “I know, the other kids…” I said back confidently. “Not them.” She then pointed at the camera and explained that the woman from before was observing us on camera 24/7. “Also every day we get tests and supplies. Tests? What is she talking about? Is this a school or? “Look I understand that you’re confused cause it's the same with everyone, don’t overthink it okay?” She assured me while she patted my shoulder. Oh man. “By the way my name’s Sam, and you’re y/n. I know You already introduced yourself. ” She smiled at me. I blushed out of embarrassment. I should’ve rebelled against my parents so I could've stayed at home but they’d still find a way to get to leave. At this point I’d experienced a lot of mixed feelings, especially resentment towards my parents. -DING-DING-DINGHuh? “It’s time.” she said as she turned around to look through the window. It’s the lady. Good luck y/n.” said replied when she walked out of the house. I still don’t know what’s going on, I feel very sick about this. “EVERY CHILDREN COME HERE AND FOLLOW ME FOR THE TEST NOW” She ordered in a harsh and deep tone. I rushed out of the room immediately feeling threatened. And when I did, I noticed the other kids had formed into 3 lines. I quickly joined the rest of the children, but the lines were already full. “You’ll be going somewhere else.” the woman said as she dragged me back into the room. The way she grabbed me, it hurt.

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THE SURREALIST ORPHANAGE “Why, wait, what did I do?” She didn’t answer. Instead she had just pushed me into the room and left me locked inside. It was dark inside, my mind could not provide an image of my surroundings. I walk towards the door and pound on it aggressively. “LET ME OUT PLEASE! I’M SORRY IF I DID ANYTHING WRONG!” I screamed while banging on the door. I continued the racket of loud pleading and force on the door for a good 4 minutes. After that I gave up. As I was about to stand up, the light flashed towards my eyes, I closed my eyes, then opened, then I froze. I saw strange eye balls levitating around the room and I saw other children here as well. They looked confused as well. Am I in reality? I don’t know. Huh? The door that next to me is open, and there is a person in a strange funny bunny and a fish came out from the door. “PLEASE GRAB A SEAT.” Woah I didn’t expect that, that was really loud. I saw children walking or running up to their seats. I also ran up to the seat. There’s like 5 seats. I got one of the chairs as well as the other 4 kids who were behind or next to me. Others didn’t. “Why? Why do we have to listen to-” BANG! A loud shock wave against my sensitive ears, the peppery smokey scent of the air, no doubt it came from a gun. I looked at the other end of the room. The fish humanoid was shooting children, I was shocked. “Good job! You have survived for now, you don’t want to end up like others.” Said the fish as he turned. His voice trembled like he had choked from the salt water he had just been in. The eyes were dead like that of a real fish’s. Though the fish appeared to be a complete stranger to me, I felt like I’d known him from before. Sam, why did I think of her, no way it could be her. His voice didn’t even sound close to her’s. “So children, I hope you know the game called duck duck goose.” the bunny spoke “The rule is simple, you just need to run away from fish. you run around then get back to the seat. Oh and try not to get shot.” the bunny concluded. Are they crazy? What is the purpose of this? I struggled to think straight at such a life threatening moment. “Duck, duck, duck..” no matter what anyone said, the game did not pause. I looked at the person beside me, “Please not me…Lord save me..” a young girl was praying, pleading for her life while a continuous waterfall forms. “Duck, duck, duck, goose.” The room was silent for a second as the bunny’s footsteps came to a halt. The little boy on my left next to me. He froze in fear, I could tell from eyes he wanted to run but could not.

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THE SURREALIST ORPHANAGE He just sat there and whimpered, light movements from his legs. “3..2 and 1.” BANG! I went to cover my ears, but it was too late. I felt a warm yet cold trickle from my ears. I looked in horror at the blood on my hands. But it was nothing compared to the kid who was the victim. “Jack is out. What a shame, I even gave him the time to flee and yet he didn’t. How greedy. Anyways let’s continue.” said the disappointed bunny. The bunny began making his rounds. The sound of his footsteps getting fainter and they come toward his turning point. “Duck,duck,goose.” This time it was the girl on my right. “Run!” I shouted . She got up and ran quickly. BANG! BANG! as the fish tried to aim at her he missed several times while shooting between a second. I thought luck was coming to her and I began to pray as well. But then, she slipped and the fish had walked up to her faster than she could raise her head. I saw the despair look in her face as she bit her lip. “NO PLE-” BANG! without hesitation.. “Lord may forgive you for wasting that luck, but I won’t.” said the fish coldly and BANG! BANG! BANG! with the gun he continuously shot the girl. The other children watched in horror while the others seemed to have given up like she did. “Why is the fish still shooting her while she is dead?” a girl asked. “Doesn’t matter. I need to focus on finding the way to make it out alive. Duck,duck,duck,duck.” I shut my eyes tightly. While my fists gathered. “Goose!” BANG! The gun went again. I slowly opened my eyes. There’s blood everywhere. “One more left.” My heart was speaking of a concert. I don’t want to die here, so I jumped out of the chair and sprinted across the nearest exit I could see.”OI! WHERE ARE YOU GOING!” The bunny shouted. I ran to the door where the bunny and the fish came out from, and continued running down the hallway. I need to find a place to hide! As I ran all the way down the hallway, I didn't have a choice but to go into any nearby room. After I closed the door I noticed another door and so I opened it and walked into it. But there was another door and so the cycle repeated. This was very strange, why are there so many doors? I had opened at least 10 doors, but I heard footsteps closing in after each second. I frantically opened the next door. It won’t open. “OI! YOU STAY STILL! OR ELSE!” a loud aggressive tone carried through. I shook like crazy and so did I on the doorknob. I kicked the door many times, but nothing changed. I walk backwards and then start to charge towards the door. The door then broke. A strong gust of wind pushed me over, I stumbled but regained my balance. I hold my hand over my eyes shielding my sight from the blinding sun.

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THE SURREALIST ORPHANAGE Nevertheless I could still see the clear blue sky and the fresh green grass, no way. I’m out? Great, now I need to run anCRUNCH! “WHAT THE- “AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” I screamed in agony. I peered down to look at my leg. My legs. The pain was excruciating, my flesh was burning as I saw the skin stripped away. The grass it’s- “Oh don’t worry, you know that grass is eating and it will be over soon! Said the fish calmly. The fish took off the mask and I saw S-sam? “Sam?” I shockingly stared. “Yes it’s me.”She looked at me and smiled “Shame. Like really, you could’ve just stayed in your chair like a good girl, but yet you have a funny gut telling you to get out of here.” KLACHUCK Sam pointed the gun at me. “W-why?” I said in a shaky tone. At this point, I questioned whether I was in pain from the betrayal or my leg being eaten. “Goodbye y/n. See you after maybe.” said Sam as she smiled evilly while crying. BANG! My sight came to end, the sound in my heart fainting and my posture dropping.

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A NOTE FROM US TO YOU Authors' Note: We are a group of passionate authors that have written 14 gripping short stories based on the genre of psychological drama. We have written stories with fresh and out-of-the-box ideas, that grip all audiences. This anthology can be read by any age, however, it is especially popular amongst young adults.

Authors: Dancing to the tunes / The caller at the other end - Shagun Kad His death / My wedding - Numa Chemjong Picture perfect - Numa Chemjong and Namar Randhawa Waiting / Day out. - Namar Randhawa My idol / Muse - Avyukta Biju Pen / Number 456 / Sara Rhee The short ending / The lineup / Sonja Ho The surrealist orphanage / Sonja Ho and Sara Rhee

A promise that can never be fulfilled. An interview with a mishap. A politician’s obsession with power and a girl’s fixation on wealth. A bully who lives to regret. A picture perfect family with dark secrets underlying. An uncontrollable obsession. Mentally unstable persons and a variety of dark secrets get revealed. Critically acclaimed authors from the Macarthur Publishing House brings 14 gripping short stories based on the genre of psychological dramas.