Grosvenor In View Magazine 2025

47

Strings My head jerks back. My hands sweep to the left.

My fingers stretch, almost there. I push with my foot, just enough. I grasp the handle. It’s cold. Heavy. I bring it to the wire on my left wrist. The wire snaps, it springs back like a snake. My other hand is still tied. So are my legs. I work fast. The siren is louder now. I cut the next wire. Then the next. Each time I feel stronger. Each snap feels like air rushing back into my lungs. The last one is behind my neck. I can’t see it, but I feel it tugging, pulling like a leash. I twist the blade up, awkward. I cut. It stings. But it’s done.

I resist.

The monitor flashes violently in the corner, They are playing with me I must break free.

I try to stand up. They push me back down. Again, I strain, It works. One of the wires is broken, I can feel an alien sensation

I AM BREATHING!

The strings are broken.

The monitor continues to flash, But is red this time. A piercing siren wells out, They are coming I tug on my left hand, it doesn’t break.

I fall out of the chair, breathing hard. The screen flashes one more time. Then it goes black. The siren stops. No voices. No shouting.

A blade shines dramatically in the distance, This is my only chance.

Nothing. Just me.

The edges sharp as ever I reach for it.

Amy Matthews (11E)

GROSVENOR IN VIEW > 2024/25