Chris Wakes Up by Sean Platt, David Wright Page B

from next door. Had the bullet hit someone, or were they screaming in response to the sound of gunshots?
    Students scrambled in every direction but with one destination in mind — out of the classroom. Milo remained rooted to his desk, unable to think straight, much less move. And then something caught his attention. Jessica was running toward him, eyes and mouth wide open. He had to get up and protect her.
    But he was too late. Milo’s eyes shifted from Jessica to just over her left shoulder, where Mr. Heller’s blurred figure came into crystal-clear focus, gun aimed directly at Jessica.
    No!
    Milo opened his mouth to warn her, but his speech was cut short by the thunder of another gunshot which sent Jessica forward, and straight into him. Milo, Jessica, and his desk tumbled in a painful collision of flesh, wood, metal, and carpet.
    And blood, spreading across the front of Jessica’s powder blue sweater.
    Jessica stared up at him, scared and searching for a reason. She said something, but her voice was muffled as if he were hearing it through a wall of cotton. He pulled her to him, as though he could protect her from more bullets. 
    The gunshots stopped, and the only sound was the whistling in Milo’s ears.
    Milo turned his head and saw another victim of Mr. Heller’s gun — Manny lying in a river of blood. He appeared to have been shot in the stomach. His eyes were glassy, but he wasn’t dead. Yet. He was staring back at Milo, eyes pleading for help.
    Just as Milo wondered where Mr. Heller had gone in all the madness, the teacher appeared, walking toward them, gun drawn in his shaky hand.
    Milo wanted to get up, knock the gun away, or do something. But he was still paralyzed on the spot, afraid that he’d do the wrong thing and get himself or his friends killed. He looked down to see Jessica’s blood seeping into his shirt and jeans. Her eyes were closing, and he prayed that Mr. Heller would keep walking out of the class and past them, so he could save his friends, even if he had no idea how he intended to do so.
    Mr. Heller paused, looking at Manny with hollow eyes, and his expression drifted from nervous to one of bottomless sorrow. He kneeled beside the boy, face almost apologetic. Manny began to tremble, unable to move as Mr. Heller leaned down and said something to him. 
    Milo couldn’t hear what Mr. Heller said, or read his lips. But whatever he said, seemed to remove the fear in Manny’s eyes. 
    Milo’s mind was suddenly focused on the acrid scent of piss, though he wasn’t sure if it was Manny, Jessica, Mr. Heller, or himself who had lost control. 
    Mr. Heller turned to Milo and held his eyes.
    Milo winced, preparing for death. 
    Why is he doing this? Why is he going to shoot me? What did I ever do to him?
    Oh God, I don’t want to die.
    “Please, don’t kill me,” Milo cried, tears streaming down his face. “I’m friends with Alex. You know me!”
    Hearing his son’s name seemed to waken something in Mr. Heller’s eyes. He stared at Milo as tears dripped down his face. He looked back at the whiteboard and pointed at the word, “eleven” with the gun.
    What does that mean? What the hell is eleven?
    Mr. Heller then raised the pistol, but not at Milo. 
    Instead, Mr. Heller parted his lips and shoved the gun into his open mouth.
    Oh God, no!
    Mr. Heller pulled the trigger and Milo screamed.
     
    * * * *
     
    Chapter 2: Alex Heller
     
     
    Wednesday… 
    September 6
    noon
     
     
    Just like that. In a flash. Everything was gone.
    Before he killed himself, Alex’s father shot and killed five of his students, including Jessica. He shot Manny and put him in a coma. And seemingly by accident, shot and killed a teacher, Sarah Hughes, in the next classroom.
    And all Alex had were questions, and a bottomless well of grief.
    No matter how many different ways he tried to pull sense from the senseless, Alex could not make sense of the tragedy. This was the kind of thing you saw on TV, that happened