Short Story Competition!

In the Dark of the Night

by Georgia T (Year 9)

Joca opened his eyes with a start. Without moving, he took in his surroundings and decided that the house was asleep. It was time to go.

With a swift, agile movement he tore the sheets off him to reveal black clothes and a backpack, stocked with the essentials he would need later. Joca knew how to be deadly quiet and so stole out of the house without waking a soul.

Joca ran with quick, sure steps. He knew his way around and preferred the city when it was quiet and dark like this. No-one could see you if there were shadows to hide you.

When he rounded the corner, Joca slowed his pace. It would be too conspicuous to be caught running at such a late hour, and the last thing Joca needed was another warden marching him home.

As usual, the cities light had been dimmed, a way to keep people controlled. Only it had the opposite effect on Joca, who needed the weak light to keep hidden. Joca pulled up his hood and avoided the “allowed” zones, where night-owls could promenade - under the watchful eye of several wardens. It was sick.  He couldn’t stand people like that, who let their lives be controlled by the government. Ever since the Great War upon their once wealthy country, people had been too scared to make their own decisions.

After he’d gotten expelled from his old school, his family had moved to the city in hopes the extra freedom would keep Joca’s high spirits down. He had tried explaining that it wasn’t just the confinements of a strict, government-run school that he despised but his parents had been blocking out Joca since he’d been a child. They’d pushed him and his problems off onto other people, hoping that by ignoring it, it might all go away. But Joca couldn’t think of  a single thing that the multiple psychiatrists had taught him.

Joca shook his head, as though trying to shake the bad thoughts out. It was pointless just thinking about these things - you had to do something if wanted to see a change in your world. Which was exactly what tonight was about.

So caught up with his thoughts, Joca didn’t notice the warden until he had rammed right into him.

“Oof,” exclaimed the plump warden as he feel to the ground. “Why don’t you watch were you going, you…hey, wait a second- how old are you?”

Joca didn’t give himself time to answer. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, he jumped up and began sprinting down the alleyway. Pushing garbage cans down as obstacles for the warden, Joca ducked and weaved between the cardboard boxes.

Looking ahead, Joca saw the perfect opportunity for escape. Not slowing his pace at all, Joca spread his hands wide and began scaling a high wire fence. With all those boot camp detentions up his sleeve, this two metre fence was nothing. He landed in a dirty puddle and heard with satisfaction the sound of the warden cursing as the water was sprayed onto him. Now it was only a few hundred yards before he arrived at his destination.

The gloomy station loomed ahead of him and Joca smiled. Halee, all but invisible in her dark outfit, stepped out of the shadows and called out to him.

“You’re late.”

He chuckled. “Couldn’t be helped. I bumped into a warden,” he whispered as he approached her. Halee rolled her eyes and pulled a plastic curtain back to reveal a broken hole in the window. People were not entitled to use such luxuries as trains, so this station was abandoned and boarded up. Halee and Joca often broke in but never at night. Tonight was different.

Silently, the two friends crept through the opening and walked across the dusty ground. There was no light in here, apart from the great glow the moon cast through a hole in the ceiling and Joca approached the door to the tracks with caution. Once he and Halee had disturbed a sleeping animal who’d made its home here in the dirt. Tonight however there was no intrusion. The made their way down to the pavement and descended onto the rusted metal tracks. Their footsteps rattled a few loose flint stones loudly but now they were here, the more noise the better. This adventure was about rebellion and the more noise the better…

Halee scream suddenly filled his ears and the earth began to rumble. The dark tracks were suddenly illuminated with train lights and Joca was rooted to the spot. A great, bellowing monster of metal seemed to appear from nowhere and raced towards them. A cold hand suddenly yanked Joca’s arm from behind him and he fell from out under the trains path. It roared passed and Joca stood shakily. Halee’s eyes were narrowed and her hands on her hips, in such a way as to remind Joca of his domineering mother.

“Idiot,” said Halee. “Seems to me you would opt for paying attention over being squished like a bug.”

Joca dusted off the pebbles imbedded in his hands and gave her a sheepish smile.

“Sorry. Lets go.”

“No need. We’re here.”

Joca gazed around him and noticed that they were in the middle of the two forks of the tracks. Here, a circular space had been cleared and rotting wood  and tinder lay in an artful array. Joca bent down and pulled a lighter - illegal for minors - from his backpack. Soon a warm yellow fire was crackling  and Halee began ripping up the wood from the tracks and placing it on the bonfire. The nails that held it down had been removed and soon the government would realise the couldn’t use these tracks.
Joca sat down on two planks and stared steadfastly onto the blaze. In its dancing tongues of flame, he could almost see a country of independence…where children could speak their mind and not be whipped for it…a place where Joca could be free.