3 minute read
THE BURNING OF THE RHINEWOOD FACTORY
- Joe George Mathew
The clouds were filled with smoke. Sparks flew with their heads held high, from the base of the Rhinewood factory. Zachary struggled to breathe. He choked on the soot flowing through the air. He grasped onto the dry green grass and stared into the eyes of the factory. He watched, as the flame fed on the metal walls of the factory, churning its way through the inside.
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It was not even that long ago. Zachary pressed his head against the warm rumbling machine, slowly soothing his headache. He closed his eyes. The searing pain in his forehead slowed down his neurons.
“Oi, Zach, get back to work!” he heard a voice. His stout, old boss yelled across the room. He walked past him in a cold stubborn manner, his eyes fixated on Zachary. Zachary ignored him and got back to work. He held his head in his palms, in a naive attempt to ease his pain. From the corner of his eye, he noticed his superior disappear behind the room in the corner. However, he did not let anything distract him. And instantly, the face of his son flooded into his mind.
That morning, he had asked Zachary to bring him a bar of chocolate after work.
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Little Tommy didn’t always have the best birthdays, especially after his mother died of leukaemia. So, a chocolate bar he wants, a chocolate bar he gets, thought Zachary. He looked forwards to that evening: returning home after work, a candy bar clutched in his hand, waiting to surprise Tommy. He couldn’t help but let out a smile at the very thought of his son. He inhaled. He took a step towards the drill he was operating, and with his son in mind, he started-
BOOM! A deafening explosion roared in Zachary’s ears, and he covered his frail ears in shock. His ears never stopped ringing, and he struggled to get back to his feet.
He looked around to discover that he wasn’t the only one. Several of his colleagues sprinted toward the source of the explosion, yet he stood still in his place. What the hell is going on? But before his question was answered, cries of agony echoed in his ears. Zachary took a step forward, his body now controlled by his curiosity. Suddenly, he saw it: the source. Not of the explosion, but of the cries…
A large fireball burst through the glass walls that lay ahead of him. He watched in horror, as the fire engulfed the men who had just run towards the explosion, burning their bodies into nothing but silhouettes. He panicked, but he couldn’t move. It felt as though time had begun to dilate. He stood still, like a rock, while death approached him. The blurred figures of the other workers ran towards the metallic door behind him, but he remained still.
And just when he felt that all hope had been lost for him, he felt a hand grasp him tightly against his shoulder. The hand dragged him to the door, nearly fracturing his clavicle. Within an instant, his senses . finally kicked in. He watched, as the men huddled together next to the humongous door, like a herd of cattle begging for food. He squeaked in through the giant figures, towards the door…only to find it bolted shut, with a rusty metal chain. Oh, no no no. The men screamed as they helplessly banged against the door, hoping for their wails to be heard. But within the chaos, something had caught Zachary’s attention: a sound. A light metallic ringing sound. The sound moved closer and closer to Zachary until he found the source caressing his foot. He watched as a shiny silver cylinder rolled towards him. He did not waste another second. In a swift motion, he swept up the cylinder, and with all his might, he flung it towards the door. And in that instant, he saw a glimmer of hope. Time dilated once again. The cylinder flew towards the door, emanating any light that stroke its surface. The group of men watched, as the cylinder shattered the chains that held them hostage. It was done.
Once the chain was out of the equation, the metal door did not stand a chance. All it took was a push by the men to open the doors wide and run for their lives like a stampede.
Somehow, Zachary’s fragile body managed to survive the stampede of men. He sprinted with all his might, as far as he could from the factory that was currently turning into ashes Once he was a safe distance away from the factory, he collapsed to the ground. The soft green grass caressed his palms as he lay on the ground.
The clouds were filled with smoke. Sparks flew with their heads held high, from the base of the Rhinewood factory. Zachary struggled to breathe. He choked on the soot flowing through the air. He grasped onto the dry green grass and stared into the eyes of the factory. He watched, as the flame fed on the metal walls of the factory, churning its way through the inside.
