Chapter 1.3

She was rattled, more so than I've ever seen a teacher, but then a second later we all know why. A man enters the classroom. He covered in black armour from head to toe, you could barely see his eyes under the helmet and a brief strip of pale skin before the rest of his face is obscured by a face covering. But I guess the most salient of features was the gun he held in one hand, and the knife he held in the other. There was blood. Even on the black he wore, we could still make out the sticky outlines of bloodstains, and the smeared footprints he left behind in the hall, like he had stood in a pool of blood.

One of the girls at the back of the classroom squealed, but her friend quickly put her hand over her mouth to stifle it.

"Nobody move." The man says in a thick Garlantian accent.

"Everyone stay calm, and do what he says." Her voice trembles.

"What do you think's happening?" Theo whispered. "Is he a terrorist?"

"He's Garlantian." I whisper back.

"What?!" she hissed, "What the hell is he doing here?"

I couldn't answer that.

"This gentleman is going to tell us what he wants and we're going to do that… And no-one is going to get hurt." She was shaking enough for it to be difficult to stand, and her fake confidence couldn't have fooled anyone.

The soldier didn't have any interest in reducing the number of people who got hurt "Shut up!" he hissed. I bet outside was the same. This guy wasn't alone, I didn't know what they would achieve by taking over a school, but there had to be more of them, and they had to have an agenda. Their agendas tended to be dangerous with a lot of people getting caught in the crossfire. We had to get out. "Silence!" he shouted, waving his gun across the room.

"Where's Alex?" I whispered to Theo without turning my head.

"He was heading towards the art room after lunch, he should be there by now."

Shit. That wasn't even on this floor.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes." She said with no hesitation, I looked sideways, and her expression is filled with determination.

Miss Davenport continued to try and convene with the soldier, who had no interest in what she had to say and was probably getting quite pissed at her attempts, shouting back illegible statements that no-one there had any hope of understanding with his accent. But I'm thankful because it gave us a well-timed chance to slip away.

I waited till the sounds out in the hall quietened, then I grabbed Theo's wrist and pulled her out the back door in one swift movement, without catching his attention. Then a few seconds later we hear a gunshot, and I feel Theo flinch under my grip.

Gunfire echoes through the school. There's chaos everywhere. In a way Miss Davenport was smart to try and establish calm, she probably saved some of the kids' lives who would have otherwise tried to run. Elsewhere they were not so lucky. There were bodies in the hallways. Students and teachers. It was a short walk to the stairs, barely ten feet, but it was enough to see the bodies.

Theo crept along beside me, almost silent until we get to the double doors to the staircase. As those below can be viewed from above, it was a double-edged sword. We were on the third floor and there were two floors below and above us. Anyone above coming down could see us, but we could also see anyone coming up.

"Theo, watch above, and I'll watch below. I'll guide you so don't take your eyes off it. If someone is coming tap me twice on the shoulder but stay silent." I whispered. We stayed on the outside of the staircase, giving just that little bit more cover.

I led her slowly down the stairs, carefully so she didn't trip, we fought the urge to run, but I knew running would increase the likelihood of mistakes. We had to be careful and we had to be smart if we were to find Alex and get out of this. If we were all together, I knew it was possible.

I tried to steady my racing heart, but I don't know if it was because I got used to peace or the fact that someone's life was relying on me, but it refused to slow. It thumped away in its cage, fluttering out of control as I struggled with the rising fear in my stomach. Everything- our breath, my heartbeat, the sound of the soles of our shoes against the stairs- was too loud. I was afraid that someone would hear.

Everything was so salient yet numb at the same time. I got complacent living with the Andersons, I forgot what it was like to fight for my life day after day. This would have been easy five years ago. But that part of my life was meant to have been over. There wasn't meant to be any more life and death situations, guns and dead bodies underfoot. I was meant to live the rest of my life as Ezra Anderson, son to Sean and Eliana Anderson, brother to Alex and best friend to Theo. I was meant to go to school, become a social scientist with Theo, or become a teacher or whatever I decided I wanted to do. But, like a bad dream, I was back fighting for my life, expect this time, I wasn't alone. Theos life also hung in the balance.

We were almost there when I felt her hand grip my shoulder tight, then frantically hitting it over and over. I heard it, but I chanced a glance up anyway. There were two soldiers two floors above us, their heavy boots clanged against the steps, and their communication device crackled with instructions I couldn't quite understand.

Thankfully, they hadn't noticed us yet. We had to move carefully, but quickly. I nodded in recognition, but daren't say anything out loud.

I sped up, but afraid that Theo would trip, it wasn't as fast as I would have liked. Just a few more steps, then I gave a quick glance through a crack in the door and slipped through, closing the door behind us. I wanted to run but rushing would get us caught. We sunk close to the ground and cautiously entered the nearest classroom to our right to wait for the soldiers to pass.