A Single Shot

2

Erin reached into the trunk of the car, pulling out a semi-automatic from the interior. The sounds of screaming students, parents, and sirens would have been enough to drive her mad, but Voigt barking out orders forced her to focus on the task at hand. All around them there were people, students running out of the school, EMTs rushing around trying to attend to the wounded, terrified parents trying to push past the barricade to get to their children, or at least find out if they had made it out. Erin swallowed the lump growing in the back of her throat and checked her vest once more, a nervous habit she had developed over the years in the unit. Her head snapped up when she heard her name. 

"Lindsay and Halstead will take the main floor of the buliding, clearing out the auditorium and the cafeteria. Atwater and Ruzek will take the second floor classrooms. Olinsky, Antonio and I will take basement. Are we clear?" Voigt said, his voiced raised to be heard above the noise around them. Everyone nodded with a few 'yes Sargent's coming from the group.

"Alright, let's go. Keep your radios on and your eyes open. He's already killed 5 people and he's not afraid to kill more." With that, they all separated and entered the building, SWAT following close behind. 

"Clear!" Jay's voice echoed through the auditorium. Erin nodded and slowly cracked open the door leading into the connecting hallway. Hearing nothing, she signed to Jay to cover her and she slipped through the door, catching it before it could slam. She stayed low to the ground, quietly checking each classroom for hostages. She could her Jay doing the same on the other side of the hallway and it have her a sense of comfort knowing that he had her back. She turned the corner slowly and pushed open the door labeled cafeteria, making sure she stayed low to the ground. The room was a mess, chairs pushed over and lunched spilled over the tables and onto the floor. The clock on the wall read 12:45. Lunch time, everybody's gathered together, Erin thought bitterly. She couldn't help letting out a small gasp when she saw a blood covered body lying on the ground, a lone figure crouched next to it. The figure turned and looked up at Erin with wide eyes, fear and terror replacing the childish innocence that should have resided within them. The girl couldn't have been more that 10, her uniform and brown hair spotted with blood. Erin held her finger to her lips and indicated her badge. The girl nodded and remained silent, her hand never leaving the bloody hand of the victim. Erin turned to look at Jay, indicating for him to check the rest of the room. He nodded and moved silently down the long room, sidestepping overturned chairs and lunch boxes. Erin made her way towards the girl, crouching beside her. 

"His name is Matt. He's- he's my brother" she whispered, trying to hold back tears. Erin put her arm around the girl, trying to distract her while she felt for a pulse. Her heart sank when she didn't feel the thump against her fingers, but rather cold, clammy skin. She looked the girl in eyes. 

"You're going to be alright, I just need you to do what I say and you'll be fine, okay?" The girl nodded, her bright blue eyes brimmed with tears. Erin led her over to the kitchen at the back of the cafeteria. She opened a cupboard and was pleased to find it empty.

"As soon as the bad guy is gone, I'll come back to get you, I promise. Just stay quiet and don't move." The girl nodded and climbed into the tight space obediently. Before Erin closed the cupboard, the little girl grabbed her hand. 

"Make sure Matt's not too cold. Mom said that we have to wear our sweaters so we don't get sick." All Erin could was nod as she closed the door. She breathed in deeply, willing the tears away before standing and continuing the search.