I looked around the room, nothing seemed unusual; Just my average fourth period class. Maybe it was because I was still exhausted from my mission the night before, but when the announcements came on echoing through the halls with those fateful words, I froze. Four years of training, training that gave me the fastest reaction time of the whole agency. But this wasn’t a mission, this was school, normal high school.
“There is an active shooter in the building, we are in ALICE lockdown”
I remember the exact words and the look on each of my peers faces as it was processed. Even if I was slower than usual, I was still the fastest, and the most prepared, but they didn’t know, they weren’t allowed to, no one was. Twenty seconds, twenty-five seconds, time was ticking, save my life and job or everyone elses. I can’t imagine why it took so long, the answer was clear the whole time, it was my duty to not only this school, but everyone in it.
My teacher was in shock, so were most of my classmates; I was in charge.
I had my badge handy, I was going to need it to convince them. I knew once I got them all safe, I could tackle the real problem, because the police wouldn't be here in time, I knew they wouldn’t.
But still, the creed: “Never be seen, Never be known”. It was the golden rule, and I hated breaking rules; I guess that needed to change.
Bystanders first, that was what was most important right now, I had to get everybody here out. I looked around, but I knew there was only one way. “Hey” I yelled “Everybody listen to me!” The room quickly got quiet, leaving an eerie sense of fear. “I need everybody to follow me, we’re going out that window, you guys need to get to safety” It didn’t take long for suspicion to rise, and it was exactly who I would have expected.
“Why should we listen to you?” Kathy said in an extremely snide voice.
“Because I am trained by your government to take control in these situations” Giving the fact that I live my life in a very fescisouse nature, I can understand why there would have been uncertainty. Before anyone could oppose my statement, I pulled out my badge. I hated blowing my cover, but I knew these people were too stupid to believe me. “Now you can either follow my orders and live to tweet about this, or stay here and die. What’s it gonna be people?” I stared, trying to be as authoritative as possible. No one said anything, I took that as a yes.
I looked at my best friend Johanna, I was going to need her help, but to my dreadful surprise, she had the blankest look of confusion I had ever seen; I guess she was still stuck that the part about me being a government agent. “Johanna” I said, no answer. “JOHANNA!” I yelled, hoping she would wake up out of her daze of confusion.
“What? Oh, hey! I just had the weirdest daydre- wait. oh god, it was real?” Johanna said in her usual fashion.
“Yes Johanna, I need your help. We’ve got to get everybody here out of that window, got it?”
Thank god Johanna was a gymnast.
“swing out the window, got it” I was so relieved she had finally come back to life.
The window wasn’t that high, probably only about six or eight feet, but if done wrong, it was going to hurt, and I didn’t have time for that.
“I’ll go down first, you help lower people down, ok?” I said, but didn’t wait to hear her answer, I knew she would come through for me. Without taking a second glance I had already swung down, pushed off the wall and rolled back; beginner stuff. I looked up and saw Johanna in awe, I had always portrayed myself as far from flexible, surprise! “Johanna” I said “Johanna, I need your brain working”
