Some Say the World Will End in Fire |l.s.|

two

I've always got by in school. I'd rather do other things, but I don't despise it. It's pretty simple if you actually do the work when it's assigned, I've realized, and it's something everyone has to do at some point in their life so it's just wrong to say having to go is unfair. Besides, I really do want a good future for myself, and so school isn't the worst thing in the world, the way it is for some, although I will admit I am half asleep as the lesson today drags on.

I've never done well in this class, the teacher being a 65 year old woman who talks in a bland voice, and she doesn't even seem to attempt to gain the class's interest. My eyes are drooping shut and I struggle to keep them open, the heaviness feeling almost unbearable when I'm woken, my heart dropping at the unmistakable sound of a gunshot. Everyone jumps at the noise, pencil's falling from students hands as the entire school goes silent. 

The screams of the students from the class across the hall are what bring everyone back into reality, getting up and running away from the door. I can't seem to move, my body glued down to my seat from shock as the announcements come on, telling everyone to remain calm during our lock down, which is officially not a drill. I seem to zone out, going through the motions of going to the back of the class when I see someone open the door and running into the hallway.

I see students begin to follow her when there is a deafening bang, and all the can be seen from where I'm standing is the pooling of blood into the doorway. I feel numb, my hands shaking and yet I can't focus on anything when I see students screaming, running away from the door and the clicking of a gun. I hide behind a large decorative plant as students all gather in the corner. Looking through the leaves, I can make out someone in a dark outfit walking into the room, when a girl backs up in front of where the I'm hiding. Three gunshots are heard, one of them causing a splatter of blood to land on the leaf I'm behind as well as my face.

My heart drops, and I feel nauseous as her body sways, falling on top of me. The air in my body leaves me, and the sounds are muffled from the ringing in my ears that are caused by the loud gunshots. I hear screaming and sobbing, and yelling faintly when there's another shot. I just slide down the wall, the girl (Amy) still on top of me but I can't find any strength in myself to move a muscle.

I can't really tell how much time goes by, but it feels like days, before people are being escorted out. I realize there are tears streaming down my face and I suddenly feel smothered. I can feel the weight of her body on me, the blood oozing from her stomach and onto me, can feel the realness of the situation sink in. Before I can process anything, I'm pushing the body off and running out of the classroom, stumbling over a limp arm on the ground. I look down to see the person who must've tried to leave the room, her eyes open and drained of any life I used to see in them. It's something you'd see in a nightmare.

I run to the front of the school and go through the doors where it is swarmed by paramedics and sirens and flashing lights and officers. Behind the barricades, there are families swarming and trying to get past and to see if their kids are okay. I can see a bit past the people being reunited and hugging and crying, and I freeze when I see Harry trying to get passed one of the officers. He sees me, which seems to give him enough strength to push past the officer and he's running towards me as I feel my legs buckle underneath me.

He hugs me, us both sinking to the ground as my body goes limp, tears streaming down my face and gut-wrenching sobs leaving my mouth.  He pulls away after a few seconds, looking at me wide and teary-eyed.

"Louis, were you shot?" he yells. I just cry, though. I keep replaying everything in mind. The blood, the screams, the gun, the dead bodies, everything. "Were you shot, Louis?" he screams, shaking my shoulders frantically. I shake my head, still sobbing as he breathes out a sigh of relief and hugs me again, tightly just like before.

A hand on my shoulder causes me to jump, and I look up in fear to see a police officer standing there.

"Sir, are you injured?" she asks.

"He wasn't," Harry shakes his head. "He told me, he's just scared." She nods, telling him and me to go behind the barricaded area while the police sweep the building. He helps me stand up, and I don't stop hugging him, and he doesn't stop either, as we walk into the grassy area. I hear a relieving and familiar voice calling my name, so I look past Harry to see my mom with tears in her eyes as she runs towards me.

"M-mummy," I sob, waiting for her to get to me because I can't bare to not have someone right with me. She hugs me so tightly, us both crying in front of the school where my life was just changed forever.