Voiceless Screams | The Music Freaks

Chapter Six

      Everything seemed to be taking an eternity. As if time was trying to spare the gunmen just a little more deaths. Zander tried to count the shots, almost trying to calm himself, but it only made him more terrified. After each shot, his friends could have died.
      A boy beside him suddenly fell into tears after a single gunshot. The girl beside him hugged him and started whispering things.
      Zander pressed close to the wall behind one of the remaining tables. Though they had their door tightly barricaded, the worry never left him. Though, it didn't feel like the worry was for his own life. More for the music clubs. They all had meant so much to him, and the thought of losing them made him want to burst into tears.
     There was another shot, along with screams. The sound was becoming increasingly familiar. The loud popping of the gun, then shrill, terrified screams of kids. It almost felt like a horror film.
      Miss Jones stood by the door. She'd said it was so if one of the shooters managed to get in, she could try to disarm them. Seeing the condition of the door, Zander had his doubts that she'd need to do so.
      There was a single shot. No screams followed, just silence. Then, there was another shot. The whole school fell to a chilling silence. There were no screams, no gunshots, no explosions. Just silence. The boy beside Zander looked up, wiping his tears.
      For a moment, everything felt unsafe. It felt like the shooters would start shooting a lot faster than they were before, killing twice as many people. The air was tense and still, threatening anyone if they dared to move.
      He glanced at his watch. The time was 1:56. The shooting had started at 1:24. He blinked as his breath was caught in his throat. The two shooters had a total of thirty-two minutes to take the lives of so many students. In that thirty-two minutes, all of his friends could have been shot.
      There was a distant sound of sirens. Finally, help had arrived. This could all be over now. Zander sighed with relief. If the music club had been injured, help was here. They still had a chance of survival.
     Miss Jones seemed to relax. There still hadn't been more gunshots. Maybe the shooters took their own lives. Maybe their main threat was gone.
      A ripple of whispers filled the classroom, but it fell silent again. Though silence was the only thing Zander wanted for the past thirty-two minutes, it felt eerie. Although his ears rang, everything felt so painfully silent.
      "Are the gunmen dead?" one of the girls asked, terror in her shrill voice. Miss Jones gave her a look, almost contemplating the answer. Though there was uncertainty and fear in her eyes, she simply smiled.
      "I think so," she stated, eyeing the door. She looked unsure of her words. The girl nodded and looked back at the floor. There was so much uncertainty in the room. It was hard to believe they were safe, even if there hadn't been more gunshots.
      The door rattled and Miss Jones sprung into action. The handle turned, but the door didn't open. "Show your badges. Slide them under the door," she said, defense in her voice for the first time. For some odd reason, Zander felt tense. What if it was one of the shooters behind the door instead of officers?
      Two silver and blue badges slid underneath the door. Miss Jones gestured for the class to stand and help remove the tables and chairs piled in front of the door. Zander stood with the rest of the class. They all took the barricade down.
      The door opened, two friendly-looking officers standing on the outside. There was something cold about their gaze.
      "Put your hands up." one of the officers said, both pointing rifles at the students. They all did so. Zander's hands trembled as they shoved through the body of thirty students. Miss Jones had taken in a few kids from the hallway when the shooting started, increasing the number of students in the room.
      The beginning of the shooting was almost a blur. All he could remember was panicking, and rushing to get anything in front of the door. When the shooters opened fire on the principal, all he could remember thinking was Hailey. He knew she'd been at lunch.
     "Get out of the school through the front door. Run as far as you can from the school once you're out. Don't worry about the injured." the other officer said, lowering the gun in his hand. Students around Zander nodded, never lowering their hands. The officers stepped out of the way and headed towards the other classrooms.
      Miss Jones took the head of the group, watching her feet as they walked. They passed a lifeless body of what looked to be a freshman boy. He lay slumped against the wall, blood pooling in his mouth. There was a bullet wound on the side of his head. Some kids gasped, but others chose to look away.
      As they walked down the hallway, Zander scanned every wall they passed. For some reason, he was only doing it so he could reassure himself that his friends lived. If they did.
      The group turned the corner to where the entry door was. His eyes scanned the wall, then the floor in front of them.
      There were two bodies lying lifeless with a handgun and rifle. One of them had black shaggy hair, coated in blood. The other, brown. Zander quickly recognized them as Tyler and Ryan. The two boys who'd always been Luke's soccer team during gym.