Late Again | Teen Ink

Late Again

April 3, 2016
By Drendel BRONZE, Lake City, Florida
Drendel BRONZE, Lake City, Florida
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

 ERRNNN!  ERRNNN!  ERRNNN!  I wake to the sound of my phone alarm.  I reach over and shut it off only to realize it’s 11:46-I’m 4 hours late for work!  I jump out of bed, ravage through my closet to get dressed, and run out the door.  Outside, it’s different; the air around me seems wavy.  I’m losing focus.  My car, a plain-white SUV, sits in the driveway waiting for me to take the wheel.  I jump in the car and speed to work, or as most know it, school, where I’m the principal. 
I pull into my special space in the teacher’s parking lot then get out only to notice again that something is amiss around me.  The sun seems like it’s out of my reach and the clouds seem to be moving at an alarming pace.  I ignore it and run inside.  While walking to my office, all I can notice is the eerie silence lingering through the air.  This isn’t normal, I think to myself.  This place is always a jungle, a chaotic and wild jungle.  I try to admire the abnormal quiet and continue pacing toward my office. 
I sit down in my comfy office chair, wondering if anyone noticed I’m late.  Time to do some paperwork.  I pull out a pen and start working just as the first sign of life walks past me.  Four nicely dressed males stream past my office.  I run toward them and ask what they’re doing - the worst mistake I will ever make.  All four pull a gun on me and shout at me, “GET DOWN!”  I fall to the floor confused and scared.  They grab me by the arms and drag me to the school cafeteria.  After being pulled to the cafeteria, I see why, earlier, there was an eerie silence; about 50 other nicely dressed gunmen are holding every single student and faculty member hostage. 
Across the room, I see my Vice-Principal, Ms. Hearth, with tears streaming down her face.  To my left, I see Mr. Juwak, my old science teacher, struggling to comprehend the situation.  He’s a mess.  The suits sit me down toward the back near a student by the name of Walker Parks, who currently holds the record for ‘most referrals.’  Unlike his usual mischievous appearance, his face is drowned in fear and worry.  I talk to him to calm him down and assure him everything will be all right.  Even though hiding it, I’m just as terrified as Walker, if not more so.
“I just want to see my mom!” Walker cries to me.  “I’m scared…”
“We’ll get you to your mom, do you hear me?”
“…”
“DO YOU HEAR ME!?  I AM GETTING YOU HOME!”
I hand my keys to Walker and tell him, “On my signal, you bolt for that fire exit and don’t look back.  Run to my car.  I’m sure you know which one (I think back to all the times my car was covered in sticky notes or saran wrap by the hands of Walker Parks), and drive as fast as you can away from here.”
I call the guard patrolling the door over to me and ask him what he wants.  He replies with a blank stare and the words, “Just shut up.”  I kick him in his kneecap as hard as I can, causing him to buckle.  He falls to the ground and I grab his gun as Walker charges for the door.  The other guards see Walker open the door and I know this won’t end well.  I jump up and fire as many bullets as I can in the direction of the door.  I don’t know if a single bullet has hit anyone or if I am even aiding Walker in his escape.  As I’m firing, I hear several other gunshots.  These gunshots actually hit their target, me.  The cafeteria falls into silence and the world around me goes black.
ERRNNN!  ERRNNN!  ERRNNN!  I wake up.  It was just a dream.  Oh, thank God!  I turn to my phone to shut off the alarm and I see the time.  11:46. 



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