Deadline

Orla wrote this scary short story. Showing promise as a writer aged 12 but maybe a little too scary for a 12 year old to be writing:

Deadline

The deathly cold breeze brushed past her face, making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end and sending a shiver down her spine. Her hand ached and blistered from holding her pen for so long. She looked down at her drawing and began noticing every little fault in it, because of course she did. It would have to do though, she had to finish this deadline. Her eyelids began to droop as the weight of how tired she really was struck her like a hammer. She let out a dragging yawn that echoed off the walls as there wasn’t anyone else in the building, since they had all left hours ago.
 
Suddenly, the lights in the hallway began to flicker. This caught her off guard which made her jump in her seat, her heart pounding against her chest. She gradually rose up from her chair, gently placing her pen upon her desk. She stepped forward, her boots tapping against the cold hard floor, clutched the handle and peeked into the corridor. Butterflies danced around in her stomach, making her insides bubble. She embraced the door and took deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down, but the icy air stung her throat making her feel as though she had been doused in freezing water.
 
The lights gave one more feeble little flash, and turned back on again. She sighed in relief and made her way back to her seat. She reached for her pen, but as soon as she had grabbed it, it fell to the floor with a clatter. Her heart skipped a beat, her hands shook violently as she stared at her drawing. It stared back. Her drawing, once frowning and facing offscreen, was now gazing right at her. Its neck was turned at a crooked angle, and it grinned from ear to ear with an insane spark in its eyes. She rushed for her pen, her feet shaking in her boots, and attempted to erase the monstrosity. Her sharp gasps ricocheted off the bare walls as she hurled her pen across the screen, but it was in vain however as the hollow pixels continued to stare mercilessly at her. She dived under the table under the table and scrambled for the power chord. She dug her fingernails beneath it and tugged as forcefully as she could, but it refused to budge. She glanced back above the table and let out a silent scream. The picture now looked demonic; its skin was a cadaverous pale grey, its twisted smile contorted by an unhinged and elongated jaw, and it eyes hollow with un-wavered madness like two dark abysses. The harsh light above her began to flicker as alarm bells screamed inside of her. She stumbled backwards and clutched the wall as if wanting to fall through it. In a fit of fight or flight, she grasped her hands around against the sides of the tablet, rose them high above her, and launched the tablet at the bare wall with her outstretched arms. The glass shattered with a sickening screech, like nails on a chalkboard. Tiny shards of glass flew across the room, scattering everywhere. She winced as a few shards grazed her shoulders, cutting her as drops of crimson red blood splattered on the floor. Suddenly the lights went completely black, leaving her completely blind as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She stood, frozen, her eyes darted across the room as her heart bashed against her ribs. She took a double take, and her pupils dilated in fear as she stared at the doorway. There it was. Cadaverous skin, contorted smile, hollow eyes…the figure in the drawing was standing in the doorway. It glared at her, its silhouette seemingly frozen, and listened to her sharp breaths and watching her shake in fear. Cold sweat dripped down her face, her hair plastered to her forehead. Her hands shook violently as she stood with her mouth agape, staring back at whatever that thing was. The thing began to tilt its head, as if in confusion, but its neck couldn’t support the weight and cracked. She winced, the thing was disgusting. She blinked, and froze. It was right beside her. She tried to let out a scream, but it had already grabbed her face with its rotting hand.

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The newspaper folded and creased as the reader opened it. “Breaking news – Woman found dead this morning at 7:50 by alarmed co-workers…she had allegedly been working overtime the night before…Doctors have confirmed she had been electrocuted to death after trying to unplug a power outlet.” She gazed down at the newspaper. It was rough in her hands, her fingertips dry from touching the course paper. She peered down at the picture of her own dead body. Her dry lips curled into an unsettling grin, as her hollow eyes glared mercilessly down at the page. This was going to be fun.