What Happened in December

prologue

       I will always remember that day.

It was December 15th. The last day before Christmas break.

I was a junior in high school. I was taking my Chemistry exam when the fire alarm went off. Everyone thought it was a drill or an accident. Nobody took it seriously, not even Mr. King, the teacher who was watching over us as we were taking our exam. 

We were ignorant to the fact that it was something much worse until Principal Anderson came over the loudspeaker.

"Initiate lock down. Initiate lock down. This is not a drill. There is an active shooter in the building." I'll never forget the fear in his voice. It still haunts me to this day.

After that announcement, as you can imagine, all hell broke loose. Girls screaming and crying, teachers frantically locking doors and closing blinds, trying to keep students corralled in back corners. 

I was sitting next to a boy I didn't know very well. His name was Joseph. When we heard the first shots and the yelling and sobbing got even louder, Joseph grabbed my hand. 

My phone lit up. It was my best friend Missy texting me.

My screen read, "Sadie, where are you? Are you safe? Did you hear anything?"

I thanked God that she was still alive. 

I used my hand that Joseph wasn't holding to text her back. 

"Room 213. I'm okay. I heard three shots."

Another shot.

"Four."

She didn't text me back. Rushing through my throbbing head were dozens of thoughts. What if that fourth shot was Missy? What if it was one of my friends? Or a teacher? What about the other three shots? Are the police on their way? Has anyone called 911?

Panicking, I texted her again. 

"Missy? Are you okay?"

She's typing. Thank God.

"I just watched someone die in front of me."

Another shot.

I texted her back, "What? Who? Where are you?"

She responded, "Media Center. Matt Carter."

My younger brother's best friend.

Oh God, where is Jake? How did I not think about my own brother?

The shots are getting closer now.

I text him instantly.

"Jake, are you okay? Where are you?"

He responded immediately and I felt a weight being lifted off of my shoulders.

"I'm good. I'm in room 215." He was in the room next to me. I needed to see him.

Even though he's two years younger than me, we have always been extremely close.

I then realized that the room that I was in and the room that Jake was in were connected. 

Taking my hand away from Joseph's, I stood up and ran to the back of the room where the connecting door was and opened it. Mr. King looked at me like I was crazy and motioned for me to sit back down with everyone else in the room. I ignored him. I needed to see Jake.

I walked through the door and saw Jake looking terrified. He was staring at something, or someone. I was too focused on getting to Jake to realize that the shooter was in the same room as me and my brother.

The last thing I remember is Jake screaming my name before it all went dark.