ZOE

Zoe

I woke up to Ava nudging me, her voice breaking through my grogginess. "Zoe, wake up, the bell rang. Let's go," she urged. Groaning inwardly, I pleaded for just five more minutes of sleep. I knew I'd already been out for a while, but surely five more minutes wouldn't hurt, right? Ava wasn't having it, though. "No, five minutes, Zoe. We have physics now, and if we're late, you know what we'll face," she reminded me sternly.

Her words snapped me into action, realizing the consequences of being late to Mr. Anderson's class—two laps around the basketball court. We hurried to our lockers, grabbing our books before heading to the physics lab. As I closed my locker, I couldn't help but notice Alex nearby, retrieving his own books. Of all people, why did it have to be him? The brief eye contact we shared left me with an odd sensation, as if he wanted to discuss something serious. But if he wanted to talk, let him make the first move. I wasn't going to chase after him.

Together with Ava, Leah, and the rest of our classmates, we entered the physics lab. "Excuse me, sir, may we enter?" I asked politely as I opened the door. Finding a table, we settled in and waited for Mr. Anderson to begin the lesson. When he stood up and inquired about last week's homework, a sinking feeling settled in my stomach. Fuck I'd completely forgotten about it, and it seemed I wasn't the only one. "Well, it looks like nobody completed it," Mr. Anderson remarked with a hint of disappointment. "Oh well, your final deadline is by Friday this week," he informed us before launching into the day's lesson, and we all dove into our studies, grateful for the temporary reprieve from homework woes.

Suddenly, a deafening gunshot echoed through the classroom, ripping through the air and shattering the monotony of our lesson. Shock reverberated through the room, and fear gripped us all as we scrambled to our feet, unsure of what was happening. For a moment, none of us dared to move, paralyzed by the terrifying sound.

Then, a wave of panic surged through the class as we realized the severity of the situation. With trembling hands and racing hearts, we hesitated to look outside, fearing what we might see. But our fear intensified when a student, covered in blood, sprinted past our classroom, shouting frantically about someone down the hall shooting at children.

The chaos and confusion were overwhelming as we grappled with the terrifying reality unfolding before us. Our minds raced with fear and uncertainty, panic swept through the room, and students rushed to escape the danger, fleeing the classroom in fear. But Leah, Aria, Ava and I were frozen in shock, struggling to comprehend the chaos unfolding around us. It wasn't until I urged them to leave that we snapped into action, knowing we had to get to safety.

As we ran, Alex, Yash, Steve, and Josh joined our group, but our relief was short-lived. Suddenly, I halted in my tracks, sensing danger ahead. The boys, oblivious to the threat, continued forward until they, too, realized the danger we faced.

Before we could react, the school shooter confronted us, his weapon pointed menacingly in our direction. Terrified, we raised our hands in surrender, pleading for mercy. But our pleas fell on deaf ears as Steve fell victim to the gunman's bullets, sending shockwaves of horror through us all.

With Alex next in the shooter's sights, panic consumed us. I couldn't bear the thought of losing him. Ignoring the warnings of our friends, I stepped forward, placing myself between Alex and the shooter. "Zoe, come back, please," Alex whispered desperately.

But I couldn't leave Alex to face danger alone. "Please don't shoot him," I begged the shooter, my heart pounding with fear. With a sharp click, the gun was aimed at Alex, and instinctively, I shielded him, bracing myself for the inevitable.

A searing pain tore through me as the gunshot echoed in the classroom. Darkness enveloped me as I felt myself slipping away, but amidst the chaos, I heard Alex's desperate plea for me to stay. And as the world faded to black, I clung to his voice, hoping against hope that we would make it through together.