Sleepwalking
Shanghai Singapore International School , Wiethoff , Anselm Hermann - 16
I was walking in the dark abyss , half asleep . Following me was my own very faint shadow cast by the flickering streetlights . I could almost see 10 meters away ; it was as if I was wearing sunglasses during the evening . Two sharp beams of light in the thick fog formed , parallel to the road . Minutes passed like seconds , I could hear a soft humming noise getting louder , and two headlights appeared . The scorching light blinded me , and I could see a sharp outline of what seemed like the figure of a car .
As the car was halted , I hid behind a nearby tree , peaked over and saw a dark figure of a man walk out . When he disappeared in the thick fog , my pumping curiosity drew me to the back of the car and I couldn ’ t stop myself . My hand reached for the trunk and lifted it up while struggling . I turned my head to each side to check if anybody was looking , but the coast was clear . I silently hopped into the trunk and dragged it down just enough so that there is a gap to look through and most importantly so I could breathe . I was exhausted and overwhelmed at the same time - I fell asleep .
All of a sudden , I woke up to the sound of the car engine starting . The car started and began to move . My heart was pounding from the adrenaline . The man kept driving and I could barely see where he was driving . The car drove over a bump , and something sharp and metal-like shoved towards me , I turned my head to look . Below me was a set of knives , but not just any kitchen knife , they were special knives that a killer uses to kill someone . My heart filled with regret and panic , and my mind filled with anxiety . I wanted to get some rest . I closed my eyes , and slowly fell asleep .
The car slowly started decelerating and finally come to a stop . I recognized a 6-story building that was covered in scaffolding and large pieces of green cloth covering the structure . This must be ‘ Dashijie ’ I thought to myself , it was an old building that had gangsters inside who gambled , and sing-song girls in the 1900 ’ s – It was 10 minutes away from my home . A rush of urge to flee back home shivered down my spine , but it could be a dangerous task . I wondered why the man stopped here , the place has been abandoned ever since it was mistakenly bombed back in 1937 !
The car door opened and I heard the man quietly step out , as if he was a tiger that just spotted its prey . My heart pounding , gave me a feeling of failure and regret . “ Why did I get myself into this ” I thought . He seemed like a determined and powerful man . As the sound of his footsteps slowly faded away , I started thinking if I should make a run .. I waited 5 minutes and still hadn ’ t heard anything . “ It ’ s now or never ”, I whispered to myself . I slowly lifted the trunk and quietly made my way out in slow motion .
The cold night ’ s breeze blew past me and the sound of rustling leaves broke the silence . I looked around with my eyes wide-open , filled with paranoia . Every shadow from the trees that moved , and every sound of clicking machinery from the building ’ s water tanks made me jump . I crossed the empty road , and spotted a glowing blue sign reflecting the streetlights that said ‘ Yan An Dong Lu ’. At that point , I knew exactly where I was and casually started walking towards the direction of where my home was .
I turned my upper body 45 degrees while still walking so I could catch a glimpse of behind . Halfway through turning my head back , the man smashed into me from the direction I was walking towards . The man looked at me for a second , but didn ’ t say anything , getting up in a hurry ran towards the direction where I came from – I decided to watch him . He ran through the fog and disappeared – the surrounding was dead still , not even a leaf moved . Two headlights turned on , shining directly on me and I heard the engine start . I was petrified ; something stopped me from running . Something glittery on the ground beneath caught my attention , small flashes of light reflected from the object . I bent down to my knees to reach for it . My eyes still adjusting to the darkness , finally noticed that the object I was holding was a knife covered in specs of fresh blood . I immediately dropped it and sprinted forward as the sharp noise of the steel dropped and scraped the coarse road .