Callie quickly set her briefcase down on her desk and smiled at her class. They all looked up at her expectantly, smiling back. Callie was a favorite of the students, as she didn't try to make life difficult for them, but instead tried to find the easiest ways for them to learn what they needed to pass. Nor was she a homework Nazi.
She was, however, perpetually late.
A few snickers could be heard, mostly at the back of the classroom. Callie gave a quick glare in that direction before ignoring them and moving on to her lesson plan.
"Hello, class. Let's take a quick attendance and then we'll turn our textbooks to Chapter 8, pg. 112."
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"...the meaning of Romeo and Juliet. Now, class, I would like to hear what you got from today's reading. Annie, we'll start with you and then move through the class from there..."
A loud bang interrupted Callie as she spoke, startling her. She jumped slightly. Her widened eyes swung towards the door as her brain slowly processed the sound's meaning. Could it actually be...
Finally, her instincts kicked in and she turned back towards the students hastily.
"Be quiet, class, and gather in the back of the classroom away from the door and windows! Now!" Callie ordered as she quickly moved towards the door. Her mind told her it was some kind of false alarm, there was no way someone was shooting inside the school, but she hurriedly reached the door to lock and jam it, anyway.
She swung the lock closed and reached around to the barricade kept in every classroom for just this circumstance. Callie swiftly slid the device over the door closer, effectively preventing it from being able to swing inwards, even if the student had a key to the classrooms or tried to come through the window in the door.
As she slid the device in place, a movement in the corner of Callie's eyes made her look up. Clark Kivet stared back at her through the door's narrow window, his eyes crazed and a rifle pointed right at her. Callie only had a moment to blink before he pulled the trigger.
The glass of the window shattered inward and Callie screamed instinctively, as a quick pain slammed through her chest. For a second, she felt nothing more, could only watch as Clark ran towards the classroom and something hot and wet spread across her stomach. The slick, wet sensation shocked her for a second, making her look down at the spreading red stain on the front of her dress. It wasn't until she reached up with her hand to touch it that she realized: this was her blood.
Callie had been shot.
And then the pain hit harder than ever.
Clark didn't seem to care about any of that. He reached through the door's window, unlocking the door with a quick snick. However, the door wouldn't open, thanks to the door jam Callie had placed. Clark's face twisted in rage as his hate-filled eyes moved up to meet Callie's own, before glancing towards her students against the wall with a smirk. Callie found herself stuck in place, just staring at his rifle as it came through the door's window and began pointing at her students against the wall. Instinct once again coming to the fore, she reached to grab the rifle from him, but she felt so weak. Clark barely shook it, and she lost her grip.
It continued turning towards her students, as if in slow motion. Callie didn't think twice. She pushed herself in front of the gun once more, trying to shove it back through the window with all of her strength.
Another bang went off. Followed by two more in quick succession.
Callie blinked, too shocked to think for a second, her ears ringing. But the pained terror in Clark's eyes broke through her shock and she reached forward for him instinctively as he began to fall to the floor.
"Clark!"
But, of course, she couldn't catch him.
The policeman behind him was yelling something. Callie knew because she could see his lips moving. However, she couldn't seem to hear anything. All she could do was stare helplessly at the most unruly student in the school as his lifeless body slumped on the floor. The shocked realization finally hit: he was dead. Her student was actually dead.
Then she felt herself falling backwards.
Callie blinked again, and suddenly two of her students were above her, speaking, though Callie still couldn't hear what they were saying. A searing, horrible pain in her chest made her want to close her eyes again, but she smiled anyway and tried to calm her students.
"Everything is going to be alright, kids. It's over." Even as she fought, Callie just couldn't keep her eyes open. They closed shut once more, so she whispered again, "It's over."