The storm

Words by Maddy Ruskin

Image by Rudraksh Thumar

 

it was a tuesday afternoon

when all of the lights went out

 

sirens rang out in the streets

purple clouds swarmed the sky

the city was evacuated

everyone safe in their shelters

 

crumbled ceilings littered the floor

windows smashed to splinters

fear nipped at my ankles

i was alone in the destruction

 

no one answered my calls for help

they couldn’t hear me

my voice was a whimper

i wasn’t even sure i had made a sound

 

thunder snarled and scowled

my hands clutched at my ears

wind snapped against the shutters

there was nowhere to run

 

curled into the crook of my bookshelf

knees pressed against my chest

beating heart in my throat

paper spines carving messages into my back

 

my mind was a jagged place

barbed wire and broken glass

sanity discarded like an unwanted gift

i sank deeper into the abyss

 

darkness latched onto my mind

clamouring with greedy fingers

infecting me with poison

it took over

 

those tuesday afternoons come and go

sometimes the lights flicker and the wind howls

the storm is always on the horizon

Catalyst has been the student publication of RMIT University since 1944. We may be older than your parents but we’re still going strong!

Sign up for Catalyst Magazine

Get the latest on what's happening
* = required field