The Last Call

Jade sighed as she sneezed yet again into the crumpled tissue paper. She tried to ignore the burning in her throat and the overall annoyance of her cold. She looked out the window and studied the green grass outside, wishing she was out enjoying the nice Spring day with her friends and boyfriend, but was instead stuck inside with a bloody cold.

Not bothering to finish the soup her mother had made for her, she turned on the TV as a last resort to distract to herself. She flipped through the channels absentmindedly when a headline caught her attention. She flipped back to the previous channel and when her eyes read the headliner, she almost fainted.

“That’s right Brian, I’m currently at John F. Kennedy high school where the has reportedly been a school shooting. So far three students have been killed and police are currently trying to locate the suspect. The shooter is said to have been Mark Foster, who’s a senior here. Students inside the building are presently trapped in classrooms and have been ordered to stay where they are.”

Her hands trembled as she couldn’t believe what she had heard. Especially when the reported had said Mark Foster. They couldn’t have meant Mark whom Jade had three classes with. The nice and smart Mark who helped out the teachers, surely they couldn’t be talking about him, they had to have made a mistake.

“Max!” she screamed as she reached for her cell phone and speed dialed his number.

“Answer me, answer me, answer me please.” she begged as she only heard ringing followed by his voicemail. She screamed in frustration and couldn’t help but redial. When she reached his voicemail for the second time, she began to panic.

“Oh my god, oh my god.” she whispered as the only thing she could think about was him.

Max.
___

His heart had begun to beat rapidly as he looked around the classroom where everyone of his peers had seemed to cower in complete fear. Most of them were in tears and some were holding each other for comfort. It didn’t seem real, it seemed like a dream. A very bad dream that didn’t make any sense. The echoes of the gunshots had made his stomach twist and the screams that followed after were too much.

He didn’t know what was going on, but only Ms. Montoya had instructed them to stay inside the classroom. He had half a mind to try and escape anyways, but he wasn’t sure how risky it would be. The shooter, he had no idea where he was and where he would head next.

That was the thing Max had found most terrifying.
__

“Mom, you’re not listening to me! I have to go over there, I have to save Max!” she cried as her mother attempted to reason with her daughter.

“Jade, I’m not letting you go over there. Everything will be okay, the police will handle it all right.”

“But mom, there’s already 3 who have been killed…what if…what if Max is next?” she whispered while her mother could only cradle her daughter in her arms.

“He won’t be Jade, he will be okay I promise.” her mother assured her, not wanting to admit her daughter she was not sure if everything really would be.
__

“Dude, we got to get out of here.” Dylan whispers to me in a shaky voice as I see his hands are trembling and his icy blues are more cold than usual. The fear is evident in his face and I’m sure it’s also in mine too. All of us are waiting in suspense as to where the shooter was going to be next. By the previous gun shot that followed, we could tell it was close. Too close.

“How do you expect us to do that huh? Did you hear how close that shot was? He’s out there man, we can’t just run out.”

“We have to try. What if-what if he comes here next man?” Dylan’s voice had finally cracked. I looked at his worried face and tried my best not to join him in a moment of melancholy.

“Then we’ll have to ban together. For the sake of things, let’s just hope he doesn’t.” I whispered back as I began to think about that feeling settling in my stomach. I guess I had been right after all. I tried not think about my family but I can’t help but wonder if they know what’s happened. If anyone outside the school has heard of the shooting. Then suddenly my focus shifted one person,

Jade.
___

She paced around the living room floor, she never took her eyes off the TV screen as her eyes had began to water. The reporters and police were outside the familiar school as well as helicopters.

“Yes Brian, we just got word. Four victims have been fatally shot.” the words seeped into the air as Jade felt a tightening in her stomach. Four people from her school were dead, four people she may know well or may have seen once or twice around campus. This whole thing couldn’t possibly be real, it just couldn’t. Jade kept pinching her arm, desperate to wake up from this nightmare.

Mark Foster. The name echoed in her brain as she tried to understand why sweet innocent Mark Foster would do such a horrible thing. Of all the people in the school, he seemed an unlikely person to suddenly snap for no reason. But then it her.

The memory of her walking down the hall to third period, she had turned the corner when she heard cries of pain. Being curious, Jade followed the voice and a gasp had escaped her lips at what she had seen. Mark Foster on the floor crying on the floor quietly as he cradled his stomach, two laughing jocks were walking in the opposite direction. It had all begun to make sense now, all the times Jade had spotted Mark eating his lunch in the library. It wasn’t because he liked to study, it was because he was afraid. Mark Foster was bullied…and now he was getting his revenge.
__

“Did you hear that, oh my god he’s coming this way.” Jenny Miller cried softly as Dylan and I looked at each other icily, knowing deep down Jenny was right. The screams had only gotten louder and so had the gunshots. Word had gotten out the shooter was Mark Foster and both Dylan and I were at loss for words to think that he was capable of this disaster.

“I want go home. I want my mom.” Tara had begun to sob while Jenny wrapped her arms around to give her some comfort. Even in this situation I couldn’t help but find it ironic the two girls who were considered enemies were now comforting one another.

“This isn’t happening man, this isn’t good.” Dylan shook his head.

“It’ll be all right bro, we just have to stay hidden.”

“You think Dan is okay?” he trembled slightly as I sighed.

“I hope so.”

“He’s coming man, and we don’t know what else he is planning on doing. But…Max? If something happens, you know you’re my best bro right?”

“Dylan don’t start-”

“I’m just saying man.”

“Nothing is going to happen, we’re going to be okay all right?” I assure him but my assurance was ruined when the door had busted open and a large black gun was pointing straight at us.
___

The pang in her stomach was more painful than she had experience. Not even the time she fell from her second story window could outdo the anxiousness that slowly consumed her whole body. Her nails had begun to bleed slightly from having them bitten so low. There was no other word yet and Jade had still tried to call Max’s phone, praying that the next time she called, he would answer. But so far, nothing and Jade had decided she had enough.

“I have to find him.” she declared before scrambling to her dresser and pulling on her shoes, not caring if she was still in her pajamas. She reached inside her purse to fish her keys and quickly made her way to the door. But the sound of her phone going on had startled her. She didn’t hesitate to answer it and bring the phone to ear.

“Max?”
____

“I want everybody down on the ground. Now.” the masked voice had ordered while all of us didn’t attempt to object the command. The sound of whimpers and cries filled the air from the girls while the man had just looked around, a small snort had come out of his mouth as if he were proud to see us cowering upon him.

“Please…don’t hurt us.” Jenny had pleaded but in a swift moment, the gun had turned to her and pushed the trigger on her before any of us could blink. A loud sob escaped Tara’s mouth as Jenny now lay on the floor with blood beginning to pour of out her. I closed my eyes at the image and tried not to show my sorrow.

“Anyone else want to beg for their lives?” the masked voice taunted while the rest of us had whimpered in silence, not daring to speak another word.

“You.” he turned to Megan as she began to shake in the fact that he was now pointing at her.

“You believe in God right?” he inquired while Megan could only give a small nod.

“You think if I kill you right now you’ll go to heaven?” he taunted. Megan only choked back tears, however a defiant expression remained on her face.

“Let’s prove that theory.” he added before his gun at her face, everybody had screamed again, not wanting to see another person die.

“No!” Dylan cried out and before I could stop him, he had lunged up and dived in front of Megan, just in time for the bullet from the gun to hit him in the chest. My eyes had widened as I leaped to his damaged body.

“Dylan!” I screamed as I lifted his head and tried to stop the blood from escaping the wound.

“I’m sorry man…please tell…my family…I love them.” he gasped between each breath while I unashamedly began to cry.

“No man, you can’t leave me.” I begged. “You have to hold on, please don’t let go.”

“I-I can’t.” he whispered. “Just remember I-I love you a-all.” he had finished, and like that I was forced to witness my best friend die on the floor. An anguished cry had escaped my mouth as I had never felt so much pain seeing someone I loved die.

“Why are you doing this?” someone had spoke up as the shooter had turned to the culprit, another sigh escaping his lips.

“Why not?” he shrugged. “If I’m honest, I’m surprised I hadn’t done it sooner.”

“What could’ve possibly happened to you to make you think this is worth doing?” I had identified the voice to be Tara. Her eyes were raw and red from crying and her hands were shaking uncontrollably.

“Why don’t you ask yourself? Better yet, why don’t you ask the people that think it’s worth it to torture someone everyday of their lives? I’m only reciprocating what was done to me, it’s only fair isn’t it? An eye for an eye? A tooth for a tooth? Everyday you all thought it was fun to victimize me.” the shooter’s voice had faltered. “You thought it was merely a joke to taunt and tease me, thinking it didn’t hurt, but you have no idea how much it did do you? Let me ask you something Tara, how does it feel to be the one who’s scared? Huh?!” he yelled. That gut feeling had earlier from before was stronger than ever now as we watched a bullied victim take his revenge. That was when I was fully sure now that the shooter was Mark Foster.

I looked side to side as if hoping there was a way out of here. I couldn’t bare to stay here any longer and witness a person self destruct so badly. I was not going to end up dead like the others. I glanced briefly to my left and that’s when I gulped. The storage closet. Perhaps there was a way I could hide in the closet until Mark had decided to move elsewhere. While he continued to rant on while waving the gun around, I slowly moved backwards. I can’t tell you how much my heart began to beat as I did my very best not to attract any attention to me. I continued to move agonizingly slow until I felt my back hit the wall of the closet. I tried not to look back at Dylan’s lifeless body, his eyes now glazed over.

I inhaled deeply and ducked into the storage closet, not knowing how much I’d have. I closed my eyes for a brief moment and attempted to steady my breathing. In all honesty, I had never thought about death or how I’d picture myself dying. I believed you should live in the moment, not worry about the future. I didn’t want to think about my family and what’d they do if something happened to me, especially my mom. I then quickly reached into my pocket for my phone, seeing all the missed calls Jade had left me.

With a heavy heart, I pushed the call button.
___

“Max?”

“Yes, it’s me.” he had whispered into the phone as Jade had busted into tears.

“Oh my god Max, are you okay? I’m watching it all on TV, where are you?”

“I’m in the storage closet…Jade…Mark’s in the room. He shot Dylan.” he sobbed quietly while she put a hand to her mouth.

“Oh my god…Max, why would he do this?” she asked painfully.

“I don’t know, I don’t know.” he whispered. “But Jade…I need you to know that whatever happens, I love you okay? I always have and I always will.”

“Max don’t talk like that, please.”

“Listen to me Jade, I love you okay?”

“I-I love you too Max, I love you so much.”

“If something does happen, please tell my mom I love her all right.”

“I will.” Jade nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat.

“You remember the first time we kissed, in the park?” he whispered.

“Of course.” she half smiled.

“I told you you’d always have a place in my heart, I still mean that. I can’t tell you happy you make me Jade. I’m so grateful a person like you was put into my life.” he smiled through tears, remembering all the good times they had shared together.

“I’m so happy too Max, you’re my everything.” she whispered, tears falling down her tan face. Before Max could speak, the door had opened and his breath became still. Mark looked at him for a second before pointing the gun at him. Max inhaled slowly and blinked away the tears, knowing the inevitable would happen.

“Remember me Jade.” he whispered.

“Max, what’s wrong? What’s happening?” she cried into the phone as Max closed his eyes.

“I love you.”

Bang.