Never Stop Running

Chapter One

I did not expect for my day to turn out like this at all. My days are normal and boring. Always the same. This is not what I had planned to do today. My name is Quinton James Turner. Quinn for short. I have dark brown hair and brown eyes. I don’t wear any name brand clothes. Mostly hand me downs from my big brother Jack. I’m kind of tall, but I could never play basketball, no matter how hard I practiced. I get good enough grades, I have friends, and I don’t have a lot of drama in my life. Simple as that.

Today I was turning in the regular homework, going to my regular classes, and sitting with the regular people at lunch. Nothing special at all. Until a loud bang sounded through the halls. I was in my English class at the time. I liked my teacher, I guess. I didn’t bring her flowers on her birthday or anything, but I wasn’t rude to her. We were just sitting down after lunch when I heard the noise. At first I thought somebody had dropped their books on the floor. I looked around, nobody had dropped any books. In fact, nobody really moved. We were like statues, never shifting. We stayed that way until the teacher said “Everyone under your desk.” No one complained or talked, we did as we were told to do. Some of the kids in my class were crying, and I didnt have a clue why. We all went silent when we heard footsteps running through the hallways.

I also heard many more loud bangs and booms as the footsteps got closer to our class. I realized what was happening when I saw the girl run towards our room. She frantically tried to open the door, but the teacher wouldn’t open it for anybody. Not even if she wanted to. The girl was pounding her hands on the door now, crying to be let in. We all watched as she turned around and ran. She ran so fast you could hardly see her. I’ve only ran that fast once in my life. That was when my brother dropped a glass on the floor and I didnt want to get cut, I was so scared. That was how she was running. Panicked times 100, thats what my mother would say. She loved numbers.

We heard several bangs and then silence. A few seconds later there was heavy breathing, like someone had just ran a marathon. We sat and listened to that for what seemed like an hour. Like, that was the only noise in the world. The vice principal came onto the loud speaker and told us that the shooter had been killed and we were safe now. We all filed out into the hallways, knowing that our parents were going to come pick us up soon. Some of us were crying, others silent. Everyone’s head was turned in the same direction, and I wondered what they were looking at.

I turned and looked, and what I saw was heartbreaking. A girl, the same age as most of us, was standing with a gun in her hand and a man lying at her feet. Her clothes were drenched in blood. She was making heavy breathing sounds. We all stared until a few of the girls in my class ran to her and hugged her and cried for her, because she seemed that she could not do either or those thing. I heard them say her name over and over again, Millicent. The taller girl took Millicents face by her hands and forced her to look her in the eyes. “What happened?” The tall girl said to Millicent. Millicent muttered something that we couldn’t hear and then dropped to the floor. That when we noticed how hurt she was. Milly had a gun wound on her side and blood was spilling out by the second. Teachers ran to her and pushed all the girls aside. We could all hear the ambulance siren outside. The teachers tried to be gentle as they lifted her up and ran towards the siren sounds. The blaring noise was closer now, almost right outside.

We all followed like dogs to their master as she was rushed to the ambulance. When Milly was put into the vehicle, the teachers spoke to us in the calmest voice they could muster up. “Four of you will go with Millicent to the hospital, to make sure that she is alright” The teacher took a shaky breath. “Okay?” we all nodded our heads in unison, scared to say no, because at any moment the teacher could burst into tears.

Love you guys!!