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TW: Blood, Gore, School Shooting scenario, Self Harm, Minor Character Death
Chapter Two Back to Black
Tanner pushed the gun into my belly, the force and surprise caused me to fall backwards again. Only this time, I wish I'd been shot. He shot Mrs. Jones before I landed on my side, and I watched each of the bullets enter the old teacher's body.
My breathing shattered into uncontrollable gasps and tears. "No! Stop this, Tanner!" I got to my feet to try and grab his arm or any part of him I could reach. He shoved me away and I fell hard onto my back, the breath knocked out of me as I heard the room fill with noise.
No! I had to fight. I'm stronger than this. Get up! He can't defeat me!
I went to rise up again and grab for the weapon in his hand, but he kicked me square in the chest and firmly pushed me into the floor. The weight of his body pressed firmly into my stomach. "No! Tanner, stop this! You don't have to do this!"
He opened fire on the students in the room as they screamed and pleaded for their lives. I closed my eyes and covered my ears with my hands to try and drown it out. I screamed for mercy and to try and mute the noise. This couldn't be happening. I was still firmly kept in place with Tanner's boot on me. I opened my eyes to try and get my bearings. I felt dizzy and gazed back toward the desk, vision blurry with tears, I made out a pool of blood coming from what I believed to be Mrs. Jones's still body. She was lying face down only three feet in front of me.
Vibrations of bodies landing on the floor were my only indicators to the truth I denied. I stared up at Tanner and tried to grab his ankle, I clawed at his leg. I tried to twist his leg off me to get him down, but he would not budge. He didn't even acknowledge my attempts or my nails digging into his flesh.
The gunshots caused an excruciating ringing in my ears. I tightly shut my eyes again and begged again. I heard my own shuddering breaths in between my screams, muffled but apparent. Tanner should hear me, but I couldn't hear my own screams. Releasing the grip on his leg when all went silent, I shook with shuddering gasps.
Then the ringing became a high pitched whistle. The ache and weight on my body released as Tanner stepped off of me. I inhaled heavily with a wheezing gasp as I shot up to my feet. Yet I refused to be witness to that massacre behind me. I faced him. The sounds were description enough for my sight to take.
Tanner did not look at me or in my direction. His eyes were glazed without emotion and I hated him for it. The fire in my chest aches as my gasps turned to broken sobs. The will in my body felt empty. Where was that power and confidence I felt this morning in my dream? Why did I feel so hollow?
"What have you done.."
He tensed at my words but gave no other indication he would acknowledge me.
After one long moment, I suffered the scene I dreaded to see. I had to know if it were true. Upon viewing the aftermath, I gagged audibly and covered my mouth with my palms; I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. Their bodies were laying across each other and the desks tipped over in the chaos. Blank stares and blood drenched clothes were all that remained. Madison! Ashley! Steph! They were laying there dead, their bodies facing away from me, riddled with bullet holes.
