The Nephilim Protocol

Chapter 1: What?

When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose...The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

--Genesis 6: 1-4

I'm halfway to the nurse's office when I hear the gunshots.

It takes me a bit to actually recognize them because holy shit that's loud what the actual fuck is that. But then I hear a click and turn around to see the window of the door behind me being blacked out.

Everything around me seems to freeze. That's the school security protocol for an active shooter. We practice it every month.

I'd heard the rumor at lunch, but I hadn't really believed it. The first week at school, every single thing scrawled on the bathroom walls freaked me out. But I've been at Andrea Dworkim Academy for two months, and shooting threats now seem sorta ... routine. Every week, there's something scribbled on the walls, posted online, or even just bragged about in the cafeteria as a joke or dare or something. Shit, J'son flat-out told me that he gave out last week's "threat", just because he knew his folks would come and take him out of school if they heard about it. I laughed and high-fived him.

More gunshots. Smashing glass. Screams. For some reason, I always envisioned these things as a hail of gunfire, but there are moments of long silence between the bursts. I can't quite tell where they're coming from.... It sounds like downstairs, at least. I immediately feel guilty for being relieved about that.

The door ahead of me locks with a click.

Fuck the teachers are locking up the classrooms I need to get inside one now now now...

I dart up to the next door, but it locks shut before I can reach it.. I glimpse Mrs. Ortiz's terrified face before the opaque sign's placed over the window. I pound on the door. No response.

I knew she always hated me.

It's protocol Chad you know it's protocol you're being unfair you could be the shooter for all she knows.

Bathrooms. Bathrooms are open. I run towards one, and then I remember. Jess. "Fuck." I turn back and run down the hallway, blood pounding in my chest. Can't just leave her.

BANBABNBNABANG! Long, mocking laughter, disturbingly clear and close. I hear doors slam open, echoing. The shooter's on the stairwell. I put on an extra burst of speed and round the corner, just as the stairwell doors swing open.

BANG. BANGBANG. "Run and hide, bitches!"

Is he just randomly shooting?

Shit, I think, as I glance ahead. Sure enough, Jess is there in the little alcove by the maintenance closet. She's got her headphones in, bobbing her head in time to the music. Gunshots are practically background music to that Blood Death Chainsaws group she likes.

I run down the hall. I don't dare yell. Jess is deep into her music and doesn't even notice me running to her. I'm almost on top of her before she looks up. Her eyes grow wide. She opens her mouth.

I guess a six-foot tall teenager coming out of (seeming) nowhere would make most people scream.

My hand clamps over her mouth before I even think. She pulls back. I push her right up against the wall. She's screaming into my hand—still hasn't recognized me, I guess. The laughter behind me is just about to the corner—when he turns it, he'll see us.