My Best Friend's Brother

12

*TRIGGER WARNING: SHOOTING*

Today was the last day of school before Christmas break and everyone was buzzing. No one could sit still or shut up so we were all herded into the auditorium to watch a Christmas movie but that was quickly forgotten as students talked to each other.

I was sat beside Chloe, Sarah, and Steve while the rest of our friend group were a few rows in front of us. I looked over to where the seniors sit and saw Collins staring at me while his friends were talking around him. He flashed me a killer smile and I couldn't help but smile back, Chloe poked me in the ribs and I looked over at her and she pretended to gag and puke. I laughed and I was about to tell her to knock it off when a loud bang echoed through the room. My eyes snapped towards the sound and I saw a kid standing by the doors behind us with an AR-15 it was aimed up at the ceiling and bullet holes were sprayed into the ceiling. I grabbed Chloe and dragged her down under the rows of chairs and everyone soon did the same.

I was frozen, my blood was pounding in my ears but that was all I could hear. I started shaking but looked at Chloe who had tears in her eyes. I grabbed her hand and smiled at her, "We'll be okay." I mouthed silently and she didn't say anything back. I lifted my head slightly to see the kid starting to walk down the aisle way which was only a few seats down from me.

I didn't recognize him but he looked like a freshman or maybe a sophomore, he walked down the aisle and looked down every row, pointing his gun at the kids. He made direct eye contact with me and his finger tightened on the trigger but he just kept walking. I couldn't hear a single person talking, no one dared to move, I carefully crawled to the aisle where I looked down and saw him pointing his gun at the seniors now.

He was getting closer and closer to Collins and my heart was racing. He sprayed down an aisle and I wasn't sure who was in that aisle or even if anyone was.

I took out my phone and made sure it was turned all the way down. I called 911 and knew someone else must have done it by now too. The phone rang and it seemed loud beside my ear but I'm sure no one else could hear it. "Nine one one what is your emergency?" A lady said and I took a deep breath, "Shooter at high school." I whispered and the lady hesitated for a second, "Officers have already been dispatched." She said and I knew I should stay on the line but I hung up and tucked my phone back in my pocket because I saw him starting to walk back up the aisle beside the freshman. I looked towards the back of the room where teachers were taking students out a few at a time starting with the people at the back. Unluckily for us, we were near the middle of the rows, Collins and his friends were near the front. I peered up again and saw the kid now was just standing at a row and staring. I watched as he pulled the trigger and started shooting an entire row of freshman. I clasped my hand over Chloe's mouth who almost screamed out. Her scream was muffled by my hand and covered by the sounds of the bullets leaving the gun and entering bodies.

She fell against me and I squeezed her tightly. I felt someone touch my shoulder and I whipped my head around to see Collins crouched behind me. He sat down behind me and he had tears in his eyes, I was still too petrified to feel any emotion other than shock.

He took my head in his hands and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead and I smiled at him. I looked back and saw the teachers stopped taking out students due to the shooter walking around again.

Where the hell are these cops.

I held Chloe tightly against me and she was shaking so much that it was almost like a vibration.

I looked around Chloe and saw Steve just sitting there praying with Sarah, in any other situation I probably would've teased them but right now I'm close to praying and I'm not even a believer.

I finally heard sirens pull up to the school and so did the shooter because he sprayed bullets into the ceiling. Soon I heard a megaphone being spoken into, "Carter we know it's you, please come out before anyone else gets hurt." I heard an officer say and the gunman angrily stomped towards the doors. Carter aimed his gun towards the windows which faced the front where the police were and pulled the trigger. While he did this students fled through the exits near the front of the auditorium.

I didn't move a muscle and neither did anyone else in the middle few rows. The gunman turned around and started shooting at the students that were running. I held onto Collins and Chloe even tighter now that bullets whizzed right above our heads. "I love you guys." I whispered and they repeated it back to me. Chloe was silently sobbing into my arms while Collins had a tight grip around us both.

I heard a different kind of gunshot and then everything fell silent. I looked up and around and saw a student standing on the stage at the front of the auditorium with a gun in his hands; I knew him from him being a known gang member and most of the students' drug dealer. I looked back at Carter and he had blood squirting from his chest. It was nothing like you see in the movies, in the movies it's a slow seep of blood that stains the shirt but this was terrifying, the blood sprayed from the bullet hole and blood started to trickle from corners of his mouth and Carter fell down to the ground. I hesitantly raised my head as the gang member set down his gun on the stage and kicked it away from himself so he wouldn't get shot when the police came in.