Lockdown Echo

FOR STUDENTS BY STUDENTS

ISSUE 13 LOCKDOWN EDITION

Reflections on Lockdown 3

Gwen Hughes looks at highs and lows of the lockdown experience

7 Short Story Collections Check out the short stories submitted from students

5-6 A Life without sport George Kelly shares more about he how (a bit unsuccessfully) filled the gap left by the cancellation of Sport

It has been a unique year for our students, with a significant proportion of 2020 so far spent in Lockdown.

Our HNC Journalists, and the wider student community, were invited to capture their feelings in a series of articles, short stories, opinion pieces and poems for a special edition of the HNC Echo – the Lockdown edition.

The collection of articles you will read captures their feelings at the moment in time. We have awaited our return to College to publish this, and the content of this magazine reflects their feelings and creative expressions during the time we were all staying home to stay safe.

Lockdown encouraged us all to be creative in different ways. I hope you enjoy this varied collection of creativity from our students. To the students who spent the time creating something for publication – well done! This edition of the magazine will provide a time capsule of this period which is unlike anything we have experienced before.

As our enrichment resumes, our Echo journalists will start to work on their usual magazine packed with articles, opinions and reviews. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this unique edition, produced in some very unique times.

Angela Wiliams OBE Principal

The HNC Echo is written for students, by students. It is a core part of our Student Voice, with our writers independently developing their own ideas and content.

Please note therefore that the magazine contains the individual views of our young people, and any views expressed are not necessarily those of Huddersfield New College. We hope you enjoy the creative efforts of our students.

2

REFLECTIONS ON LOCKDOWN

Lockdown 2020

We’re half-way through 2020, and yet it feels like we’ve experienced more in these six months than in the rest of our lives so far. Forest fires, the threat of war, a Presidential

The app Zoom exploded from 10 million users to

impeachment, a tragic and eye-opening look into the

their balconies and sang appalling British songs at

systemic racism of modern society, and of course,

the tops of their voices. The nation unanimously

an unprecedented global pandemic. This year has

agreed to stand at their doorsteps and clap for all

pushed everyone in every corner of Earth to their

the healthcare workers out on the front lines, and

limit, and for the first time in history, I think we can

they stuck by that promise for weeks. At one point,

use that phrase completely seriously. In some way or

a Dalek roamed the street warning people to stay

another, the events of 2020 have directly affected all

indoors- an utterly bizarre occurrence, maybe,

8 billion of us. When you put it like that, things really

but one which cheered up countless viewers.

do seem shockingly bleak.

I’ve watched so many videos of friends finding

200 million in a matter of weeks as people hurried to find other ways to chat and work. Entire apartment complexes turned into discos as people hung from

unique ways to celebrate birthdays, graduations, I, like everyone else, have struggled with the new

engagements- an endless list of touching acts of

adaptions and changes that have been thrust so

kindness that… well, that didn’t actually involve

suddenly upon us. And again, like many of us, I’ve

touching at all.

thrown myself into social media and other online pastimes in a desperate attempt to fill the spaces

Society’s ability to join forces in the face of a

that pre-Covid society left behind. Many experts

common problem has always been an underplayed

will warn you that’s a bad idea; an idea which,

and rarely discussed element of this fast-paced

admittedly, is probably true (also an idea which I

world. So many people will tell you that mankind

and around 16-million other young people tend to

is fundamentally violent and cruel- two years of

ignore anyway). But a strange thing happened when

studying Lord of the Flies at GCSE will probably do

I started searching through Instagram and stalking

that to a person. But they tend forget about this

snapchat stories and refreshing my news app every

part. They forget about the everyday man who buys

few hours. I found something that surprised me.

groceries for the old neighbour they never spoke to before, but who they want to help anyway. They

It was a weird feeling of hope.

forget about the thousands of NHS workers who sacrifice so much in order to keep their communities

Across the world, people were shut off from one

safe. During these last few months, we’ve seen more

another. They were locked into their homes and

displays of humanity coming together to overcome

prevented from seeing friends, family, loved ones.

a problem than we’ve seen them dividing over it, on

Life as everyone knew it ground to a halt. And you

both a national and individual level. I never expected

know what us humans did?

to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday over a facetime call, wearing a party hat I’d put together using a piece

We adapted. And we did it remarkably quickly.

of pink card and a shoelace. I doubt my friend, who spent an afternoon somehow managing to play chess with her granddad through a window, thought that

3

Gwen Hughes

this was how she’d be spending her June either. It can admittedly be an inconvenient, frustrating and downright upsetting thing to think about when you use a certain perspective. But there’s also something uniquely amazing about our sheer unwillingness as a community to give up. Our refusal to stop being kind, even when it becomes inconvenient and frustrating sometimes. I think, in the face of so much societal upheaval, that it’s more important than ever to remember that.

It’s easy to get lost in the negative parts of this experience, because let’s be honest here, 2020 has been the equivalent of 200 consecutive Monday mornings in a row. It’s depressing. This was the year many of us turned 18, the year some were supposed to officially graduate, the year we were going to go on holidays, festivals, trips. Having that stripped from us makes it easy to become bitter. But that’s why it’s so crucial to keep in contact with the friends who understand your disappointment, and family who can support you. It sounds cliché, but we really are all in this together.

If friends and family aren’t an option for whatever reason, then the student welfare program is also still running, and you can book an online appointment with Rebecca Charlton, the college student welfare officer, through Moodle. Organisations like the Samaritans are also operating an online service, and you can call them for free at any time of the day or night by ringing 116 123. Even when it might not seem like it, the world is full of people who want to help you, and you aren’t as alone as you think you are!

The future is still uncertain, and we are probably in for a pretty boring year as everyone tentatively tries to crawl back to a more normal way of life again. But keep in mind that for every negative news article or depressing story you read, there is a positive one to counter it. They might not be the ones that end up on the BBC, but they’re definitely there. Community spirit has never been stronger. The importance of friendships and connection has never felt realer.

Things that you may have once taken for granted are now things that you’re going to appreciate so much more when you get them back.

Keep your head up. One day, you’re going to be able to sit down in a McDonalds or try on clothes in a Primark again. And that day is going to be amazing.

Gwen Hughes

4

A LIFE WITHOUT SPORT: NO LIFE AT ALL OPINION PIECE In this lockdown period I have had to learn how to live without sport, I have had to learn how some people live without sport all the time. With sport on a comeback as the Bundesliga

you miss without football. It’s not just watching it

and NRL (Australian rugby league) are back

the next one and the new transfer rumour of the

underway, for a short while, as well as the Premier

week. We have still had the rumour mill of the press,

League being back for its glorious return, yesterday

we will never lose that, as a certain Timo Werner

as I write this, I am left to reflect on how I have

comes to mind.

that is not there anymore, it is everything around it.

The banter, or more accurately arguments, in group chats, fantasy leagues and just spending almost every waking moment thinking about the last game,

survived this trying time.

But nevertheless, the community around football has When I say the Premier League’s glorious return, it

been less prevalent in the ways we are used to as it

hopefully will be for us unbearable Liverpool fans

has all been talk about when or if football will come

although probably a dreaded return for everyone

back. It was these conversations that bore the most

else.

frightening words of this lockdown period “null and void”.

I have had to fall back on the comfortable and reliable when it comes to television rather than the

Even typing it sends a shiver down my spine; those

dangerous and unpredictable land of the new. I hope

words did truly frighten me as the weeks went on.

I am not the only one. This has included binges of

But it is back and that is why we rejoice.

the American Office, Supernatural (some seasons as I don’t think even now, I’d have the time to watch

Overall, this time has made me pity those who do not

all 320 episodes), The Walking Dead and the Office

like sport. I have had to find new distractions to help

again, among others. I have meant to watch The

me through the time inside. But its back. I must keep

Witcher or Stranger Things or any of the other big

repeating it until it feels real. However, one thing

series that people always recommend on Netflix, but

is real, how terrible that Arsenal performance was

why would I do that when I can watch a Top Gear

yesterday, so things are definitely back to normal!

special on the same platform?

I used these binges to help distract myself from missing sport to start with but then I watched a Steven Gerrard highlight reel that included that goal against West Ham in 2006 and my heart began to yearn for the sound of a rattling net or a crunching tackle. That is what made me realise what it is that

5

George Kelly

Una notte d’estate I move the stool gently along the tile floor, yet the shrill of the plastic hoof across the stone mosaic resonates and caterwauls like as if it is recalling memories of countless whispers in past darks.

Candles are set ablaze on the matching plastic, alabaster table. We sit down.

The sun is almost set, we wave goodbye awaiting her arrival tomorrow morning where she will wave to us.

The personage for which perpetually talks, as his heart beat breaks upon the silky sand and retreats back into his flesh of water and triumphant oomph, sings - with an angelic voice. We listen. We take in. We study. We relax.

The glistening balcony of this hotel’s cubbyhole is infused by the moon and its hypnotic gaze.

Yet, the sea bears it like a stripe on his back, proud. Proud with the love of his father.

The air that flows and surrounds us is dry, nevertheless humid. It is carried by the sea like a skipping rock, up and down with every ricochet, the bearing is changed.

A new home awaits. There is a purpose, life to be given where the enriched waters of the sea can not.

The wind blew the candles out, with that end came another. The spell under which they held us, released us from scrutinising of the the things that make and drive all life on this planet.

Hours linger, I am still awake.

The distant late-night market illuminations or should I say the congregation of neon nonsense is seen over the horizon for which the railing is, like a border crossing straight through my eyes.

Separating the wild black yonder of little crannies and fractures where light can shine through amid the glowing ocean for which is both, water and the shore.

I feel rapturous.

Oranges that thrive upon the vibrant trees along the beach front, fall down with every little rush of wind, slowly making their decent towards the flesh to be carried away , drifting further, and further, and further, and further away...

Until nothing can be recognized but a baby leaf, peeking out behind the clear waters. Like a child, on their parent’s shoulders.

Sand, below my feet is cotton. With every step on the sun kissed grains, I sink. Deeper, and deeper, and deeper.

Until I realise that I am laying on a blanket with my back towards the sky, head resting on my crossed arms - smiling.

What more can there be?

I feel complete.

Alex GwenRibalkins Hughes

6

A short poem from Maria Anjam Awaiting There will be a time where you utter my name, Without you, life will never be the same, I wait for the time that we will meet, Who knew torture could be so sweet?

‘D.E.A.T.H. is inevitable’. He had

Digging the gun deep into his

It fell to the floor. The man

to make a choice. He had to

pocket, he set off.

clutched a letter in his blood

choose…

drenched hands. Reaching for Gunshots rang in his ears, tears it, the man pulled off Arthur’s

Arthur Billing awoke to

appearing in his eyes. Another

mask and kicked him in the

the blaring sounds of The

death. Dodging D.E.A.T.H. he

shin. Grabbing his gun, he shot

Deafening. Drawing the

arrived in a dark alleyway,

the man again and saw the life

curtains, the noise became

smoke billowing into the air.

leaving from his face and body.

clearer, sharper. Every

A skinny arm reached for

Trembling, another figure came

Deafening, a family loses a

Arthur as he gasped for breath. from the shadows. The figure

loved one. What more could he The man emerged from the

looked familiar, like he’d seen

expect? They were following

shadows, blood seeping from

it before. He quickly read the

Death’s Call.

the crevices of his grinning

letter:

mouth. That man was infected.

7

It wasn’t always like this. The

Infected by The Blaze. Not

“If you are reading this, you are

Blaze changed everything.

everyone was as lucky as

the chosen one. The government

him. Every Deafening the

devised D.E.A.T.H. to kill people

Fastening his mask, he went

Government killed people off.

with The Blaze to lower the

out to see vehicles with the

No-one knew why, but Arthur

population. Mary Billing is their

words he despised ‘D.E.A.T.H.

was going to find out. Clutching boss. The virus is out of control,

is inevitable’. The Blaze spread

the gun from his pocket, he shot people are dying, innocent lives are

among them, regarding every

the figure before him, hoping

being lost. You need to put a stop

man and woman as its prisoner. that was the first and last time

to this, or my daughter will end this

He had to do something.

world.” Sarah Billing.

he’d use a gun.

Swaying with the invisible

I was 17. My home was peaceful

Crashing down on the detailed

in it awaited to greet

breeze, the trees seemed

on other occasions but that

glass table she loved so much, I

me. Liquid flowed

lifeless as I continued on

night. It was not. He came in

felt the glass shards pierce my

passed my lips before

through the ominous Forrest.

drunk, we did not know him.

back like small knives. It hurt.

my body met the

Brushing my skin, the breeze’s

Waving recklessly, the weapon

He leaned over me, proud at his

ground and I fell into

touch made me shiver and

in his hand smashed into

accomplishment he began his

an eternal sleep. This

the leaves on my path dance

everything it was flown to. The

taunts and his mocks. Feeling

was my nightmare. A

onward. Clutching what little

antique vase. The shining glass

my ruby blood spill behind me, I

nightmare I now have

clothing I had on, I tried to forget

window. Her face. She fought

grabbed my last sharp attempt

escaped. Another

where I had come from. But the

in vain, but she was no match

at life and forced it into his neck.

one awaits me.

dreaded memories only made

to the bloody weapon. His

my skin crawl even more. As

eyes found me, his black drunk

His body lay there with a fixed

my breath disappeared into the

predatory eyes stared into mine.

lifeless look. My reflection was

endless night, I stared onward

Hell would have quivered if it

red. My vision was red. My life

into the abyss of black. Rolling

saw his wicked grin.

red. Macbeth’s crimson curse

thunder made me jump, my

forever staining my hands.

breath halted and for a moment

At first I fled but after realising

Running into the woods, I could

I was back there. The memory

there was no release from this

hear Satan’s foul words in my

made me recoil into myself, tears

death sentence, I threw my fists

ears, whispering cruel words

stung my eyes and an invisible

like she did. Left hand to left ear.

and irritating my mind.

rope tightened around my neck,

Right palm up to nose. Scarlet

I fell to my knees and sobbed for

splattered everywhere from

Glass shards pierced my feet,

the nightmare I lived through

both me and him as I fought

spilling more scarlet. I rose

and what I had to do to escape it.

for a chance at life. Rising up,

seeing the darkness crawl

he lifted me and threw me.

towards me as if the creatures

The life left from his face;

to his ears. She fell to the floor.

dark green veins rose to

The wind whistled a sorrowful

the surface of his skin.

tune for the one who once

Spluttering, blood seeped

was. ‘D.E.A.T.H. is inevitable’.

from the corners of his

Cackling hysterically, he

mouth, a gun pointed

stumbled to the floor. His

to his forehead. This

grip loosened, dozing off to a

was it. He knew his time

place unworthy of this world.

was coming. It was kill

Unworthy of this life.

or be killed. ‘D.E.A.T.H. is inevitable’. He had to make a choice. He had to choose. He looked at the person before him. The one who considered him her own. His own blood.

What had he turned into? A ruthless savage rendered helpless due to the Blaze. The virus. The gun rose. The deafening sound of metal hitting the floor resonated into a high-pitched tone. Blood covered hands held close

Abigail Green

8

To Logbook – 23/04/2216

leading to a graph being shown

03/07/2216

I have just finished processing

up on the world human chart.

I have received my 3rd warning.

guard-bots and aligned them to I received a warning to do just

They have booked me in for a

their stations. The government

as I am told and not to create

chip transplant due to a defect

tell us they are for our

alternatives.

they suspect. I managed to

protection in case anyone would

secretly talk to Ed92 who tells

dare to disobey the guidelines.

14/06/2216

me that I need to go back out

They truly do keep is safe from

Well, I have been so busy

and stand in the sun – that’s

the blazing star. I have never

working on project 17cxf-13.

what the blazing star is called.

caught a glimpse but I have been You know the seriousness of

It’s nothing like they have told

told that your flesh would be

the matter when they use prime us. I have faced it two times

grilled and burnt severely. Your

numbers. I’ve been testing

now and have felt the warmth

skin would explode because

analytical systems to shrink the

it brings to my soul. My skin has

of the intensity and your eyes

cerebrum of the brain. They

vibrated and I even was able to

would rotate out towards

tell me it is a state emergency

smile. I felt emotions that never

the ground. So, I manage the

to prevent any attacks to the

occurred to me before. There

security.

cyber network. The problem

was no danger. So why have they

lies within the interference

concealed us?

01/05/2216

signals. The waves collide with

The 1st of every month is

brainwaves which destroy the

Ed92 understands that the

dedicated to IQ testing. This

database from being collected.

sun is connected to the chips.

is to statistically chart your

All those with a high IQ are

If humans interact with its rays,

intelligence and therefore

needed to work, yet it is our

the chip will disintegrate and

determine your value in your

brains that interfere and cause

they will no longer have control.

category. I got my results back

chaos. I overheard Ed92 from

instantly. Its turns out I have

C5 chamber that it is because of I need to stop this oppression.

moved up a level. They have

the chips installed in our necks.

But who will listen when we

transferred me to category 4d. I

But how would you take them

have been frightened our whole

wonder what they make you do

out? I’ve heard that you need to

existence?

in C5...

stand outside when the blazing star rises. But nobody has done

04/05/2216 Well, I just returned from brain therapy and can reside in my pod. Today was eventful. They injected me with electron volts that have been liquidated to stable my thoughts. Apparently, it is dishonouring to have your own doubts and questions.

I cannot help but overthink,

9

this before...

impact, the squat silhouettes of

That all we can ever think about

hauling vehicles where a colony

is the burning indignation to

of crawling ants.

how thoughtless our aggressor was that all that destruction was

Tearing through the dense clouds, harsh beams of

I sat overlooking it all

wrought for no obvious purpose,

sunlight cut as if they were

remembering what our families

could only be matched by the

industrial plasma torches in

had been told and what we

hysteria from the unknown.

the manufacturing depos. The

had laid witness too, how the

Perhaps their greatest weapon

light illuminated the stalwart

sea had been stripped away

is our own ever-present

form of a monolithic structure

by an apocalyptic force that

paranoia, an aftershock that

slick black in the sun, its body it

had no face. How from the

invades the mind of anyone who

sat like a splinter in the earth’s

safety of their creation entities

dwells on the monolith’s intent

face. The macabre center piece

completely alien to us in even

whether as some grandiose

of an ugly scar restrained by a

their motive had almost ended

instrument or a malevolent relic.

skeletal framework of walkways whole nations and even in and pylons. All around this scene their absence had permanently

Maybe the artisans who crafted

lay an even greater tragedy the

scared our whole collective

it had little care for what it

crumpled and ruined bodies

consciousness. How we now

did but more what it would

of innumerable ships were

with our stolen knowledge

represent an entity whose

scattered around like neglected

plan to answer in kind, to

mere presence alone is the only

children’s toys some riddled

unleash a vengeance born out

weapon needed to drive your

with the pockmarks of conflict

of a petty rage that we were so

foe to oblivion.

while their brethren had been

insignificant to our tormentors

thrown into the sky and back to

to receive to answer to why we

the earth from the monoliths

were the subject of their fury.

He groans in pure desperation

and accepting his fate in the

struggles to close the zip due

sweat pour from his forehead as

as the slithers of sunlight

new matriarchal society. They

to his broad shoulders. “This

he turns a sharp street corner.

illuminate his stubble that

want him dead. He wonders

is so degrading” he mumbles,

He saw nothing but a sea of

stands in unison like terrified

what will kill him first; the

running his profusely shaking

women marching towards him on

soldiers that blindly sprint

protesting remorseless women

fingers across the violently red

the adjacent end, equipped with

into war, alarmed and on edge,

or his ravenous hunger eating

clothing, as he makes minor

blood thirsty smiles painted from

almost mimicking his state for

away at his mind. Either way,

final adjustments before his

ear to ear. A chorus of leather

the past 3 weeks. He limply

he must leave his offensively

departure. He attempts to

boots violently colliding with the

drags his deteriorating body

malodorous base to abolish his

steady his breathing as he makes ground erupts as the females

from the rat infested wooden

malnourishment. He scrapes his his way to the barricaded and

approach him. He fidgets with

planks he’s called home ever

long locks into a hair band and

bolted door, his heart thumping

extreme discomfort but has faith

since the overall death toll

adjusts it to fit the standards of

like a train on a rickety track.

in his disguise. “We have another

reached 1.5 billion and the

a woman’s hair style. He peels

He gathers himself as one

one!” one lady screams, his heart

crippling anxiety of knowing he’s back the layer of grime surfaced miniscule mistake could cost him drops but all was made clear one of the only males left struck on his makeup container and

everything and elegantly walks

when she hands him a bat and

deep. He moves his greasy

generously smothers it on his

out, mirroring the walk of a

the women continue marching

jet black hair out of his weary

manly features upon his face.

female. The golden sphere in the uninterrupted, unaware of the

eyes that reflect the bloodshed

Lips, eyebrows, cheeks and

distance hits his skin and reality male’s presence.

and discrimination he’s faced

eyelashes. This routine has been crashes down on him. Revoking

within his deep crimson pupils,

unwillingly branded into his

his hope to survive, his eyes fill

allowing himself to peer in the

mind, but a disguise has to be

with remorse as he sees blood

mirror and face the harsh cold

strongly believable in an attempt splattered on the street walls

reality that this could be the

to seem female to avoid death.

in the shape of the female sex

last time waking up. He gulps,

He tentatively hauls a dress on

symbol and the words “it’s what

almost as if he is biting the bullet that he found weeks ago as he

the men deserve”. The beads of

10

“Please, I-I can’t do this.”

woman quickly covered him with

He pleaded in a low whisper

her long white coat, ignoring the

while the gust blew though his

blood dripping from her side as

hair.

the knife in her pocket slashed

Back up against a blue wall, he

her side while taking it off.

struggled to catch his shaken breath as the human began

The drone scanned the area,

to walk away slowly. She was

looking very confused but,

trembling. The boys tears

quickly enough, moved away to

pricked his golden eyes as she

look elsewhere.

put away her bloody knife trying to keep her eyes off him.

The human stumbled towards the boy as the ticking continued.

He continued to beg, and female

Pulling off the coat and grabbing

human hesitated, turning

his arm, she pulled out her knife

slightly to see the boy.

and scratched his skin, enough

“No, I can’t,” she shook her head

not to draw blood but enough to

as if gaining focus, ”the King will

create a red line.

kill me for helping you.”

She started to walk away again.

She wrote quickly, keeping an

The boy stayed silent for a

eye on the child. Finally, she

moment before letting out a

finished carving into his skin and

sharp hiss as his back erupted

the ticking stopped. Crossing

in pain. He moved away in a

her fingers as the red wall began

stumble, trying to get up but

to move towards them, and

falling back down to his knees.

holding her breath as it went

The blue, transparent wall

through her, she hoped her

behind him became a crimson

plan worked. The wall hesitated

red and a thick ticking noise

when going through him but

began to count.

ended up ignoring him. She let out the breath.

The woman looked over at him, letting her guard down slightly

She looked down at the corpse

and feeling pity to the teen. It

that tried kill the boy, another

wasn’t his fault he was stuck in

of his kind, forced to play the

the game because of what he

kings game. The boy could

was. The teen meanwhile began

protect himself, looking at the

to hyperventilate.

scorch marks covering the body and ignoring the large gash she

He covered his ears in a panic

made with her knife. It made her

as a small pinch of red liquid

wonder what they even wanted

flicked into vision from his ear.

from the kid; they didn’t usually

He tightened his grip, trying

do this.

to muffle what he could hear which didn’t seem to be working.

Sirens started to echo around

She cringed as a drone flew

the ally and she remembered the

overhead and tried not to feel

threat of this situation. Cursing,

bad as the kid finally fell asleep.

she grabbed the sleeping boy

PICK!

and ran.

The drone did a loop-de-loop looking for the boy to remove from the battleground while the

11

The girl was called Mouse.

Cricket and Mouse lived in the

A smile widened her cracked

“I can hear you” Shepard’s tinny

lips, her worried face smoothed

voice rattled.

for Mouse’s sake.

Scrap Yard, a vast sea of waste

“Shepard tell me a story” Mouse

and rubble. Since the virus,

“Think we can talk to him?”

lay back on the mattress and

people became so afraid of

Mouse had missed Shepard’s

looked wistfully at the stars.

the air outside that they shut

bedtime stories.

“What would you like me to tell

themselves in their houses and

you?”

never left, everyone was too

“You know we can’t test him

scared to go outside to clean

until tonight” Mouse knew this

“What was a queen?,” Mouse

up. Thus, everything outside

of course, nobody could know

yawned

became the Scrap Yard.

they were there.

Drifting off under the night sky,

Mouse loved the Scrap Yard,

Mouse flopped backwards on

surrounded by piles of waste,

climbing on top of the rusty

their mattress and used their

breathing air no one else dared

giants that Cricket called ‘Cars’,

knife to open a tin of peaches.

to, she listened to Shepard tell

she told Mouse that once,

Mouse had never had peaches

her stories of ladies who sat on

people would leave their houses

but ever since that lorry full of

thrones, in kingdoms which had

and drive their Cars. Mouse

shopping deliveries had crashed,

since turned to rubble.

found that ridiculous.

Mouse and Cricket had been ‘living like queens’. She’d have to

She was on top of one of these

ask Shepard a queen was.

‘Cars’ now, her face reflected in the roof. She had round cheeks

Shepard had scared Mouse

and a pointy nose which made

initially. His metal skeleton

her look more mouse-like,

looked dangerous to her, his

she had thick brown hair that

lightbulb eyes eerily glowed at

Cricket hacked at with a knife

night. His movements seemed

when it was too long, her eyes

broken, like a wounded animal,

were watery and brown. Cricket

the hissing noises from his joints

said they made her look like a

had sounded sinister.

deer in headlights, she had never asked what headlights were.

Despite this, Mouse had grown to love Shepard, she loved

There was a reason for Mouse

asking questions about what the

to be out, she had almost forgot.

world used to look like.

She was supposed to be finding parts for Shepard, Cricket’s

When the sun had set, Cricket

project. Mouse liked to feel

looked at Mouse through the

useful, she would find bits of

waning daylight.

metal for Cricket who would take them, give Mouse a smile

“Want to try him, Mousie?” The

that engulfed her greasy face,

crooked smile was back.

furrow her brow and get back to work.

“Shepard can you hear me?”

Bits of metal in hand, she

Mouse whispered.

scrambled back to their camp, where Cricket was staring into Shepard’s lightbulb eyes.

“I found stuff Crick!”

12

Death isn’t evil, yet evil inflicts

being crushed by two walls. The

death!

creature is on its knees panting and bleeding, but alive. This

Striding towards the earth’s

thing is unusually resilient, yet it

remaining inhabitants, the pale

is afraid, lost, but not destroyed

skeletal figure grins menacingly

yet thought the old man. There

as it claws its way into the

is only one thing to do about

last human stronghold. The

that! The old man wills away the

humanoid’s sword-like fingers

labyrinth and drops the figure

impales the flesh of the now

into a new hell.

damned life forms, just like it did to the whole of mankind, to fulfil

Razor wire stretches across the

its desire for flesh.

field and away to the horizon.

Cannons flash in the distance

Darkness! The darkness lightens

and then again as the shots

and from it a black figure, a

land close by and even closer

visage of an old man in the

in and around the trenches.

late stages of necrosis, comes

The old man puts the creature

forward to the evil being. The

in Earth’s made hell. The faces

white creature gazes into the

of the deceased, killed by the

eyes of the newcomer only to

hand of the creature comes up

see a void, senses a greater

and shoots the evil being, who

power and lunges towards

became weaker. But it is not

him. The old man lifts his arms

enough! A bomb hits the surface

as if embracing an old friend;

of the creature, explodes and

suddenly the white creature

weakening him even more, to

slams him into a wall and starts

just a body on the floor. Again

to mutilate him. Finishing the

it is not enough! The setting

job, the white creature stands

changes once again from a

back to look at the victim, all of

battlefield to a throne room.

a sudden it sees that the torn flesh of the old man begins to

The creature stands up in a

integrate into his old decaying

vegetated state, looking in the

form. Unscathed, the old man

eye of the nearing old man.

strides towards the creature

Silence! The quick look turns

and inserts his arm into the

into a stare and a scream pierces

creature’s body, gripping its

the silence from rage, anger and

spine. The creature tries to

finally anguish. The torment

scramble away but the old man

the evil inflicted on others is

sinks into an abyss, pulling the

now all felt in one go. It can’t

creature into darkness.

take it. Death fills the air only to devour the creature. Judgement

The old man smiles as he

had made its decision. The

watches the evil hit the floor

evil’s carnage led to its own

of his dimension. The old man

destruction.

suddenly removes the floor beneath and watches the

Death isn’t evil, yet evil found

monster, desperately clutching

death!

the darkness. It falls onto jagged rocks, slicing its skin before

13

“What will you do out there?”

holding cells. Something dawned

A blade was thrust into his hand,

Mik asked, feeling the sun’s

on both of them then; it loomed

and a hand into the small of his

skeletal fingers scratch his face

above like a cloud swollen

back; shoving him roughly into

as it rose over the same world

with treacherous rain. The

the full palm of the blinding

it had risen over the day before,

horrific unknown. A connection

sunlight. All around were

poking through the cell with

between the born and the made,

undulating masses of red and

bars of dried blood. This was

a mystical circuit enveloping

blue cheering with sparking

beyond unlawful. This was so far

them both.

static in the air.

that it felt like the rightest thing

They reached out their hands.

The made was across from him,

in the world.

It was an involuntary action,

overlapping him from yards and

beyond the realms of acceptable

they were opposite magnetic

yards away with an identical

“Serve my people.” The made

poles, and the strength of

blade held with slightly more

replied, staring with Mik’s own

unseen forces was no longer

expertise and poise in his hand.

stark blue eyes right back at

resistible. The illegality of it was

Bloodthirsty eyes bristled in the

him. There was hesitation in

exhilarating yet petrifying. The

slavering hoard.

his voice. Mik knew he could

consequence miles over the

feel the connection too, like the

horizon from death.

connection between the people behind and before the mirror.

Crack.

They erupted from where they

Their hands were mere

stood, pounding the dust in a

centimetres apart when a door

savage charge, blades poised as

It was hard to be sure that it

crashed open and the guards

the crowd looked on frenzied.

wasn’t a mirror, a reflection over

poured in.

their plains of ice and blood.

Silence fell like a lead weight.

“I don’t think I can do that.”

Mik and the made snapped

There was neither red nor blue

Muttered Mik, staring in awe at

back to facing away as heavy

blood in the dust.

his own face atop his own body

hands hustled them in opposite

with his own hands trembling

directions. Out of the cells,

Two identical hands had reached

slightly reflected back at him: a

the world became a blur of red

across the boundaries of the

mirror image with its own will.

corridors and incessant noise.

mirror and connected in the

Mik stumbled through it all,

light of a sun which would set

Without breaking his gaze, the

dragged every which way until

over a different world than it

made shrank, out of the corner

direction became an obscure

had risen over the day before.

of his ear, Mik felt a hitch in his

and malleable concept. All the

breathing. “Neither can I.” The

while being tugged at by the

words echoed their solemn

magnetism of the made.

notes through the red and blue

14

It’s almost Midnight and the

green leaves fell, floating on the

smoke is approaching. I watch

glistering lake. Until it stopped

as it crawls its way through the

shining. One night, I couldn’t

gaps of the tree trunks. Slivering.

bring myself to sleep so I ventured

Silent. I knelt down beside the

through the woods and stopped

roaring cycle of orange flames,

at a peak overviewing the water, a

protecting us. My knees stroked

fisherman was sat whistling on a

the edge of the flame stabbing

rock beside the lake, in a matter of

my open skin but the pain is

seconds the water turned a dark

numb. My eyes are pieced on

midnight black. The fisherman

the smoke running to the flames.

dipped the tips of his fingers into

I heard a faint voice crossing

the water and instantly became

my right ear but couldn’t make

manic, dark figures pranced and

out the words, my ears were

skipped around him, tormenting

focused on the smooth ripples

him, his screams still run through

of the smoke as it crept closer.

my shivering bones. When I

Two hands gripped the sides

swayed round to save him, the

of my shoulders pushing me

figures absorbed his body and he

back into the circle, awakening

became the darkness.

my hearing, although I wish it didn’t, the continuous shrinks and painful cries returned,

The shirks were getting louder.

flowing through my eardrums

My feet tirelessly walk from

causing my teeth to grind. As

side to side of the tent. I hear a

I open my eyes fully, I see the

slight chatter of teeth and in the

outline of a tall muscular figure

corner of my eye, I see my sister

drawn by the black smoke, I felt

sat pulling her knees tightly to

by fingers tighten into a fist and

her chest. Her red hair stroked

although I was out of the flames

across her right eye, just like

my blood boiled like larva on the

mine did.

countdown of explosion.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay.” I said “Are you out of your mind?

It could have got you!” said

She smiled and laid her head into

Christopher angrily

my chest. But the reality was, I didn’t know if we could fight this

“I could have handled it.”

one, not this time, the whole city was infected, thousands would

“Like hell you could’ve.” He

arrive tonight.

replied, following me to the tent.

Her breaths were getting He’s probably right, I couldn’t

heavier, I could hear Christopher

have handled it. That terminal

lighting torches outside, my

enigma has always won.

heart shank to my stomach as I heard the deafening sound

It was at Lake Glove when I first

of the alarm clock, striking

saw it in action, me and my sister

midnight.

were camping there like we did every year, it was a heavenly dreamland, the trees always grow greater each year, touching the tips of the woollen clouds. Emerald

15

Wulah was experiencing a

fate meticulously hovered,

living nightmare in order to gain

colourless skies concealed

a corrupt leader to control a

the deadly existence of all

lonely, misfortunate town on a

remaining survivors. The overly

silent hill. In order to gain power

– confident, horrific hunters

over this abandoned population

devoured the vast moorland

of mismatched, odd and deluded

effortlessly decapitating

people they had to fight to their

fertile soils and hopeful of

death.

encountering innocent, youthful prey secretly lurking within

Wulah was once an idyllic

the hidden land. As their

place of mysterious wonder. Its

devilish souls polluted innocent

secluded towns migrated over

grounds beneath, the weak

the vast and deathly mountains,

and paralysed prey lay within

dirty, outdated houses remained

a choir of silence. After they

rooted in the shallow, polluted

were brutally attacked, hunted

soils. Within this town, even

... they were gone and became

those of wealth experienced

a tense, lurking ghost of panic

dire poverty, ransacked of

which believed it was helping

nutrition their malnourished

the remaining, hidden survivors

ghosts stalked their treacherous

by aimlessly chanting, screaming

movements.

and bellowing silence into their living souls. A foolish act which

The government consisted of

reinforced the divide between

limited opportunity being poor,

the living and the dead, gone.

isolated and devoid of simple

People died immediately, but

commitment. But within 2078

after a toxic evening which

this saw a change, a diffusion

saw a meagre morning, only

of power leaked through the

two remained, born leaders

misty air and created a vision

but captivated soulmates, who

of blackening fate which would

would bare a deathly existence

create a deadly existence for the

as an emotionally shattered

victims of Wulah, unless a sheer

victim. Tears drained their

warrior became a dominant

raw eyes and blood shattered

controller. This created reversed

from their paralysed bodies.

euthanasia. An unusual, sacred

Young, victimised and dead,

event which saw a living hell

they died through a living hell, a

arise from the devilish moorland,

nightmarish destiny awaited to

a survival which would create

great their lonely souls.

a truthful leader. No laws, no rules and a simple aim to only kill the sorrowful mortals who wondered aimlessly and allow the heroic monarch to pioneer the wreckage of Wulah forward.

During the day, night, evening and early mornings an eerie silence continuously crept through the town in an aim of discovering deathly screams. Whilst a blackening

16

Red clouds blanketed the sky,

‘Correct’ I responded.

barely hiding the sun which

‘Q16, on behalf of Domain780

beat down relentlessly on the

we are terminating your life on

red-orange sand outside the

the grounds that your water

reinforced glass of the Dome. I

and oxygen rations have run

always wondered, how had the

out. We see no reason to extend

world been before the Storm.

your life with further rations

I sighed and glanced down at the

with this Dome.’ I looked at

screen set in my arm, only to find

his emotionless face, heart

that it read zero instead of my

thumping, palms sweating.

usual ration records and duties.

‘We are however offering you

No. No it couldn’t be.

the opportunity to attempt to

Suddenly there was a clatter

survive outside.’

and the door flung open and two heavy set men burst

I thought of the orange

through. They were here for me.

wasteland that surrounded

They walked over with blank

us outside. What were my

expressions, grabbed my arms

options? Decline and I will be

and began dragging me down

taken to another facility within

the hall. As I scuffled along the

the dome, my records wiped

floor, I started to panic, knowing

and repurposed, my number

that my life would be ending. We

reassigned and my body

rounded several corners before

would be torn limb from limb

we stopped in a room, glowing

for spare parts. Accept and I

with humming azure lamps. The

face the baron wasteland, the

men dropped me to the ground

scorching sun and the acidic

with a thud and left, closing two

wind that would slowly tear the

metal doors behind them with

flesh from my skin. No food,

a clang. I heard the gears and

no water, no clue of what lay

mechanisms of the door grind

beyond the treacherous dunes.

to a teeth-clenching lock and it

No one knew what happened

dawned on my- I wasn’t leaving

to the other people, the other

this room the same way I came.

cities, when the storm came and blanketed the world in sand and

As my eyes adjusted to the dim

stone turning it into an endless

light I found a desk behind which

Tartarus filled with all the

sat a stoic man. ‘Do you know

demons and monsters who we

why you’re here?’ He asked me,

learnt about as children.

voice devoid of emotion.

I said nothing, knowing full well

It would be stupid to accept,

why I was there.

but a single thought whispered

‘Individual Q16, born December

in the back of my mind. What

11th 25PS. We have no

if. What if there was something

behavioural issues on record

beyond the dunes that lined the

except a expletive warning. You

horizons. Other people? Other

have no known kin and are an

Domes? Other versions of the

automotive service technician.’

hell I’d always known? It would

He looked up at me with shark-

be stupid.

like eyes, waiting.

“I accept.”

17

21

If you need the information in this magazine presented a different way, please contact our Equality and Diversity Director at info@huddnewcoll.ac.uk

Huddersfield New College Ney Hey Road Huddersfield HD3 4GL 01484 652341 info@huddnewcoll.ac.uk www.huddnewcoll.ac.uk

fe awards 2019

www.facebook.com/huddnewcoll

Winner

@huddnewcoll

Sixth form college of the year