The Rush Read online

not simultaneously prepare for and prevent a massacre."

  -Tim Burton

   

  The school day was at the lunch hour.

  Two groups of students went to the cafeteria for a half hour between eleven to twelve each day, which they use to catch up on gossip, such as who was pregnant, thinking about committing suicide, or dealing drugs behind the school at three thirty every afternoon. Of course, the students themselves had other, more positively connotative words for their conversations.

  At eleven twenty four on a cold Wendsday, the first group of students were finishing their high school cuisine as always, while the second were catching up on extra sleep in their government required education classes. To the entire faculty and student body, it was a perfectly normal day.

  However, on the other side of the closed cafeteria doors that led to the school parking lot, there stood four guys; Michael, Jonathan, Vince, and Seth. The four were wearing high tech ballistic vests, and each had their own loaded, automatic firearm, which they checked and made sure could kill any person as quickly as possible.

  They all had known each other for a long time, all shared the same views, and were all there for the same reason.

  Michael, who was the appointed leader of the group, stood in front and gave his gun one last check before turning to his long time friends and saying, "God be with us”.

  "Remember...rush," whispered Michael again, before putting his hand on the door handle, and pushing it open.

  The four friends walked in the student filled cafeteria casually, holding their guns against their waists, with the barrel pointing at the floor. No student noticed the four gunmen until they all stood in a straight line at the front of the cafeteria, staring into the crowd of students with unfathomable expressions.

  The lunchroom soon began to descend into an unknown quietness as each student turned around from their gossip conversations and stared wide eyed at the four armed friends, not knowing what was going on. The silent stare off seemed to drag on forever, the four gunmen gazing at the students, and the students gazing at the gunmen, whom they all soon recognized.

  Then without hesitation, Michael solemnly said loud enough so that only his three friends could here him, "Now."

  It only took two seconds for the cafeteria to go from unusual quietness to catastrophic debauchery as the four gunmen hoisted their firearms up, and fired into the large crowd of students, who soon began to scatter and scream.

  Blood was soon covering the once clean floors of the cafeteria, and several young lives were ended as the four armed friends sprayed bullets and slowly moved forward into the crowd of scattering students, stepping over dead bodies that had been established because of them.

  Michael quickly reloaded after all of his ammo had been expended, and the other three followed in a series of swift, almost simultaneous movements before continuing the massacre of the remaining students who weren't fast enough to escape.

  The gunmen continued to walk casually, spraying bullets with straight, content faces that shown little expression. Not happy, not mad, not evil or twisted like anyone would think...just normal and content.

  By the time the four guys had reached the doors on the other end of the cafeteria, thirty two students had been killed at the will of the murderers. Several of them died with no reason behind it, nor did they feel like they deserved it, many of them had never even been in a relationship or had experienced the real life that everyone always talks about. All the deceased students knew before they were killed, was exactly who it was that shot them.

  The gunmen reloaded once again before pushing through the double cafeteria doors that led outside, only to be greeted by yet another even larger crowd of scampering screaming students, doing everything the could to get away, taking any available cover to dodge the bullets that were soon coming their way.

  The four armed friends stood in front of the cafeteria doors in a straight line, and slowly swayed their guns from side to side, shooting into the immense crowd of terrified students. When it came time for the four to reload, another twenty eight teenagers had fallen onto the grass, many dead, and some so wounded they knew that they would be as well in a matter of minutes.

  After the four finished their swift reloads, Michael, still looking ahead at the cowering crowd said, "100 hall, now," before turning to the right, and heading through the double glass doors that led into a building right next to the cafeteria. The other three didn't hesitate to follow, all in a straight line, walking perfectly normal, expressions as content as a child watching an okay TV show.

  The intercom them expelled static from up above them, and thus followed the predictable voice. “Teachers and students, as of right now, we are in lock down. I repeat, we are in lock down. Please follow lock down procedures and position your students, as well as yourselves, into the proper areas.”

  And alas...silence.

  Vince spoke, “Michael, you know...”

  And Michael didn't hesitate to interrupt. “Yes Vince. I know.”

  With the four friends inside, the screams on the other side of the doors became muffled, and they stood silently, examining the one hundred hall. There were probably ten doors in front of them, five on each side, all closed. However, this didn't throw Michael off one bit. He knew they were all, as of five seconds ago, locked, and without hesitation, he motioned for the three to follow him to the first door on the left side. On the door was a sign that read, "Mrs. Crawford, AP Chemistry". Michael peeked through the small rectangular glass window that was built into it, but all he saw was darkness.

  Again though, Michael was not thrown off. He whispered, "Get ready," to his three companions, and they formed a line behind him, waiting, and knowing what was coming.

  Michael then counted down, "Three...two...one," before punching his fist through the small glass window, opening the locked door from the inside, and pushing it open.

  As the gunmen breached the pitch black classroom, several students who were hiding in the corner screamed, and the four friends quickly turned toward them and fired round after round into the blackness.

  When they all four emptied their magazines, and it once again came time to reload, Vince began searching the wall for a light switch so that the four could admire their kills, but was stopped by Michael, who said that there's no time, and they must head on. Vince didn't argue, but simply nodded and followed the group out of the dark classroom and back into the hallway.

  "Michael," Jonathan said as the four began heading to the next classroom. "We won't be able to hit all..." but he was interrupted by the sigh of Michael pulling out a frag grenade like it was a piece of gum.

  “Where did you get that,” Seth was awestruck.

  “You'd be surprised at what a man can do when he gets desperate,” Michael made his way over to the third door on the right side. “I figured if there was ever a time to use it...”

  And Michael, with no hesitation, and probably no remorse, again broke the rectangular glass window on the door, pulled the pin, and tossed the grenade into the back, pitch black corner of the room, which was followed by a beautiful explosion not four seconds later.

  The blast was not loud enough to shake the building, but God was it music to the ears of the gunmen. In fact Michael let out a small smile, which he calculated he hadn't done in over four years.

  "OH MY GOD!" "HOLY SHIT!" PLEASE GOD, I DON'T WANNA DIE!" These were only a few of the cries that came from the innocent students, and the others who were locked in the six rooms that involuntarily skipped the massacre could be heard screaming and begging for their lives as well.

  The gunmen, not sympathetic or maniacal, took two seconds to regroup and continue down to the end of the 100 hall, where there were two bathrooms across the hall from each other, one for boys, o
ne for girls.

  "Seth," Michael ordered over the screaming teenagers behind them. "Check the boys. Jon, you check the girls. Both of you go, NOW!"

  Seth walked into the boy's restroom, and a few moments of silenced followed before he strolled back out and shook his head.

  Michael then turned to Jonathan, who swiftly walked into the girls bathroom, his gun at the ready. Like Seth, a few moments of silenced followed before a loud scream emerged through the bathroom entryway. The three then heard gunshots before a loud thud. You know, like a body falling violently to the floor.

  Jonathan jogged out a few seconds later, brushing off his suit. "She was hiding in the bathroom stall," he remarked quietly. Michael replied with a nod before turning to see a flight of stairs just a few meters down the hall.

  "Up the stairs, now," ordered Michael, already making his way there. His friends didn't hesitate to follow.

  The gunmen slowly made their way up the stairs, trying to make sure the school officer wasn't going to attempt an ambush at the top.

  "Michael," Jonathan said as the gang climbed the last stair that placed them in the 200 hall. "We have to go now. The police will be here soon.”

  Michael thought for a moment, staring at the rusted lockers to his right before saying, "I know, but there's still one more place i'd like us to go. Follow me." And the rest of the group followed Michael as he ventured down the 200 hall,