Bulletproof

Chapter One

"Alright class that's enough learning for now, let's go to lunch."

"Hey Michael, should we ask Mr. Andrews if we can eat in the classroom today?" Louis asked.

"Eh, I don't know. I want to eat in here but Calum told me earlier today that him and Ashton were gonna eat in the cafeteria because Zayn will be there today."

Louis nodded in response. Michael stood up behind him and playfully slapped the back of Louis' head as he walked past. Louis flipped Michael off as he grabbed his lunchbox and water bottle before following him out of the classroom.

***

"And then he popped my football! All because I didn't give him a chip," Louis nodded as he listened to Michael talk about his old friends.

There was an empty seat to his left, to his right was Michael, across from him was Calum, across from Michael was Ashton, and next to Ashton was Zayn, their usual seating arrangement.

As Louis was eating the chocolate that his classmate gave him the day prior, he looked up to see the administrators holding their walkie-talkies up to their ears as they began ushering students into other rooms.

Not knowing what was going on, Louis grabbed his lunchbox and water bottle so he could keep eating wherever he was about to go.

The administrators got to his table and told him and his friends to go to the room for in-school suspensions along with the rest of their table. When they told him to run, he knew something was wrong.

Louis stuck with his group as they were pushed into the small room along with a few hundred other kids, the body heat making the small room get to be really hot.

He was pushed against a wall and shoved down along with his friends by an administrator. He was completely unaware of what was happening until one of the boys near him opened Twitter and yelled, "Active shooter!"

"Holy shit I'm about to die," Louis heard Calum say behind him.

Michael, Calum, Louis, Ashton, and Zayn were all relatively calm, so Louis decided to try to help ease the nerves of some people.

"Hey, it's all gonna be okay. You can do this," he whispered to a few crying kids near him.

He was looking around for more people to comfort when he saw a familiar boy sobbing. The boy had curly dark brown hair and Louis knew he had a few classes with the boy, but he forgot his name.

He scooted over to the boy and put his hand on his shoulder. The boy looked up at him, eyes red and cheeks soaked with tears. Louis' heart broke at the sight.

"Hey, what's your name again?"

"Harry."

"Harry, everything is gonna be okay, I promise. I know you're scared out of your mind, so am I, but we will be okay. Alright?"

"I don't want to die, I want to get ice cream again."

Louis smiled at Harry's cute comment through tears, because seeing someone this upset will make anyone cry.

"I promise you will get your ice cream. Come over here with me and my friends, we'll keep you safe."

Harry nodded and then followed Louis over to the spot where Louis' friends were.

"Louis he looks pretty dehydrated, you should give him some water."

"That's a good idea, Ash. Harry, drink some of my water, you need it."

Harry hesitantly took the pink water bottle, which actually belongs to Louis' little sister, and he drank some.

He set the bottle down and sat next to Louis. After a few seconds, Harry's thoughts got the best of him and he started shaking and uncontrollably crying.

Louis pulled Harry into a hug before whispering, "Shhh, you're panicking, calm down, you'll be just fine."

Harry clenched Louis' shirt in his hands as he sobbed, Louis not loosening his warm grip once.

"Um, guys... I don't want to be the one to make this situation worse, but I hear footsteps and screaming coming from upstairs, so we need to make a survival plan now," Zayn spoke softly.

"Shit, yeah. Here Harry, get in between me and Michael, we should do that turtle position that we have to do in tornado warnings. I'll put my lunchbox and water bottle next to my head so I have a little bit of protection in case a bullet comes towards my head," Louis suggested.

"What about the other three?" Harry questioned.

"How about Zayn goes in that closet since theres an opening big enough for one person and he's the closest. Calum and Ashton, when the shooter comes in, drop on top of the three of us and cover your heads."

Everyone agreed with Louis' suggestion and Zayn crawled into the closet. Louis, Michael, and Harry got into the tornado position they were taught since they started school, with Michael on the inside, up against a wall, Harry in the middle, and Louis on the outside.

In this moment, Louis' main priority became protecting Harry. He didn't know him very well, but he knew that Harry had a big heart, and he deserved to live more than Louis.

In the silent room, they heard someone fumble with the door handle across the room. Calum and Ashton dropped on top of Louis and Harry just before they heard a gunshot as the shooter shot through the glass window in the door.

Louis couldn't believe this was actually happening. He let out the most panicked scream he had in him, not even realizing he was the one doing it.

He felt the hand next to him grab his and squeeze, and he immediately knew it was Harry. He squeezed back as the sound of gunshots and screams filled the room.

Louis took a peak from behind his lunchbox and he saw the shooter on the other side of the locked door, his rifle through the now-shattered window. He saw the jolts backwards every time he shot, he saw the bullets, he saw the sparks that came from each shot, he saw blood all over the floor, he saw everything.

After two minutes that felt like forever, the shooter finally decided he was done in that room and moved to the one on the other side of the cafeteria, where the other kids at lunch sheltered.

Louis saw the SWAT team come in the room to look for the shooter, and Louis knew this would be over soon. The shooter was in the next room over, and his only exit was blocked by cops.

Louis' hopes were confirmed a few minutes later when some of the SWAT members came back into the room and told them, "SWAT team. I need to you all to do what I say and this will go smoothly. Everything will be okay. Put your hands up where we can see them, stay completely silent and follow me in a single-file line."

When it came his turn, Louis stood up, keeping his hands visible as he followed behind Calum, the rest of his friends closely behind.

Louis was still praying it was a nightmare, but when he saw four kids laying on the ground in a puddle of their own blood, dead, and as he saw five other kids laying down, grimacing in pain as they put pressure on their bullet wounds, that's when he realized he was living his worst fear.

Tears silently streaming down his face, he followed his classmates out of the school building to the football field. A teacher took roll call and then the students were free to put their hands down and hug their friends.

Although Michael is Louis' best friend, Louis decided that his first hug would go to Harry. He pulled him in for the tightest hug he has ever received, and they both sobbed into each other's shoulders.

After a full three minutes, they pulled back and Louis grabbed Harry's face gently.

"You did it, Harry. I told you we would make it. I'm so proud of you."

Harry dropped to the ground and wrapped his arms around his legs as he tried to comprehend what just happened. Louis knew that he needed to try to process this, so he just silently sat next to him and wrapped his arms around the boy.

After a couple minutes, he felt another set of arms wrap around them, then another, then another, and finally a fourth set of arms, and Louis felt so safe knowing his best friends all made it out alive.