BBA & HBWC Administrator
Andrea Reece
30 Winton Avenue, London, N11 2AT
Tel: 0208 889 1292
Mob: 07807 893369
Email: branford.boase@gmail.com
Press Enquiries
Andrea Reece
Tel: 07807 893369 | Email: branford.boase@gmail.com
“My heart is a firecracker, my legs like twin rockets. I’m late for school and running faster than I ever have in my entire life. Fears of getting slapped with a detention (and Mum going mental) spur me on. Breathlessly, I propel myself through the school gates, surprised that nobody is on gate duty. Weird. Guess I must be later than I thought…
Sneaking in through a fire exit, I nip along corridors as silent as a ghost, glancing through the zoetrope of open doors. Every single classroom stands as empty as tomb. Where is everyone? Just as I begin to panic, I hear an eerie sound.”
I ran onto the playground engulfed in terror. The sound seemed to come closer with every step I took. My heart thumped in fear. The playground was as gloomy as a funeral. The threatening rain lashed onto the tarmac, my glasses were covered with mist. The wind whistled in my ears.
The school gates slammed shut behind me with a loud metallic bang. The spooky, ghostly sound was not far behind now. I could sense him coming closer and closer; he was heading towards me. I was flabbergasted. I sprinted away not knowing where I was heading.
Running for my life, the pursuers footsteps edged me into a corner. I was stuck. As he closed in, I noticed the smallest gap to his left; I darted through it and into the school.
I raced through the building, with the footsteps pursuing me. I ran through the halls, dashing in, and bursting out, of numerous doors. At last his footsteps ceased. I sped hurriedly to the science lab. I knew that room had a key which was under the front mat. I scrambled hurriedly for it as quick as lightning and locked myself inside. My heart was in my mouth. Everything was dead silent, all I could hear was the thundering rain and my heavy, loud, intense breathing.
The room was silent. Used test tubes lay all over the floor; lime-green, thick liquid oozing out of them. This place was a MESS! I looked between the slits of glass in the door, a shadowy figure lurked behind the panes. Terror sucked the very breath out of me. I backed off and rubbed my eyes – was I hallucinating?
I inspected the table, to see if anything useful lay upon it. A few tinted glass shards were scattered across the surface. I picked one up and examined it carefully. Something seemed strange. Suddenly, there came a continuous banging on the door. Yet still, I couldn’t see anyone. I was looking for something, but what?
My throat was as dry as a bone – I took out my green water bottle and started to drink. It was at that moment, when I noticed a beastly figure at the base of the bottle. But it disappeared when I drew the bottle away. Another gulp and there it was again! I covered the lenses of my spectacles with a tinted piece of glass from the table – the footsteps now had a body. He wore a black cloak, covering him from head to toe. A dark black mask veiled his face. He stared through it with his menacing, black, beady eyes. I couldn’t believe it – the glass was magic!
After the racket at the lab door, I watched him stride purposefully into a Year 5 classroom and call to the air. Immediately, dozens of children appeared. They formed an orderly line behind the man and followed him, marching back towards me. I couldn’t believe my eyes, he had captured everyone under a spell. Their hands were stretched out before them, raised like zombies, as they marched to his orders, stopping to stand sporadically around the doorways, guarding every possible escape. They stood there, each making a low, monotonous growl. He wanted me too. I couldn’t let this happen.
I ransacked the room, desperate for means of defence. I discovered a test tube filled with bright yellow liquid and quickly fitted it into the bottle holder on my bag. I snatched up a glass thermometer from the table for close combat. I threw open the door, and strode out like a warrior.
Instantly, the man pointed at me and every student charged like a pack of ravenous, deadly wolves. I hurled my test tube to the floor before them – they immediately came to a halt. Honey-yellow bubbles rose up and flew everywhere and, one by one, the pupils dropped to the ground.
The mysterious man and I stood face to face. I drew my thermometer, like a sword, and charged at him, shouting like a mad barbarian. We collided and fell to the floor. I stumbled to my feet and retreated slowly. The dark grey mercury from the thermometer splodged and spread all over the floor. My enemy was melting away. In horror, I watched as he screamed and bellowed until he had dissolved to nothing. Petrified, I could almost have fainted but I held myself together with relief and disbelief.
Noticing the seconds ticking away, I knew I had to work fast. He’d left a bottle on the floor; it was labelled antidote. I picked it up and put it in my pocket. Then I dragged the bodies (including the teachers) to their respective classrooms and placed them in their positions for the rituals which the whole school would conduct just before home-time.
After I’d put all the pupils into position, I sat down on the floor and wiped away the beads of sweat on my forehead, not forgetting to remove the tinted glass. 3 O’clock! Time was ticking. On every classroom whiteboard, to make everything seem usual, I wrote, ‘Get your home-time things together.’ I went round cleaning all the rooms, putting everything back in order, not leaving a single trace.
Then I let open the cork on the bottle with the antidote and a thousand small droplets filled the air. They whirled around the bodies making them slowly flicker back to life. Everyone seemed startled. I smiled a huge smile as I listened to the instant chatter of the teacher as he too woke up. I felt like a hero.
With a great sense of relief, I watched everyone get their stuff together for home time. Should I tell them about what had occurred? Maybe my mum. I wasn’t sure. Would anyone ever believe me? I’d have to keep my heroic feat to myself. But if a zombie ever was to threaten the school again, I knew I’d be ready for him.