Young Writers Society

“Aright,” Professor Rook, blurted out, “You guys can start working with this new site with your partner.”

I slowly opened up my laptop and clicked opened a new tab. Kendra, my mechanical engineer partner, did the same. This whole site that Rook had spent the last thirty minutes talking about was crucial to understand. I think that’s why Kendra and I made such a good team. She was very organized, and I was very methodical. When you combined the two of us, we were A making material.

“So,” Kendra said, “I’ve heard you’ve been offered an internship.”

“Yeah,” I answered sheepishly, “I was offered, but I’m still thinking about other options.”

“You should take it!” She replied with enthusiasm, “Only the top students get that internship.”

“I know, but I’m really busy, and I don’t know if I have time to have an internship and keep my grades up, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.”

I hated it when people brought up the internship. Everybody in the Norris Hall building knew about the offer I received. I just hated the attention. I get that they are all just trying to congratulate me, but I just don’t want everyone to look at me as this super smart guy. At the end of the day, I am nothing more than average.

About twenty minutes into the project, I started to drift off. The site we were using was so precise and after a while it can drain a guy. Kendra made me keep going though. The whole idea of having a partner is so you and that other person work together, and I wasn’t doing such a spectacular job at that.

We kept on working, I was the one working the program, while Kendra wrote down all of the notes we needed. It was tedious and boring, but the sooner we finished, the sooner I could go back to my dorm and take a nap.

“Attention,” Professor Rook forcely stated, “I need you all to stop what you are doing.” His voice was more urgent than usual. It was as if he was a little irritated or angry, but no one questioned him. Everybody in the room closed their tabs and stared at Rook at the front of the room.

“I just read an email sent out by Charles Segar, VA Tech’s president, and he want’s everybody in lockdown.” Professor Rook said stammering his words.

Lockdown!? Why a lockdown? Nothing ever happens like this at VA Tech. Maybe it’s a drill. Who are you kidding, Cameron, something is wrong!

“Okay,” Rook’s voice boomed, “I need everybody behind your tables with your heads down!” While he was talking he simultaneously locked the door, closed the windows, and turned the lights off.

Everybody listened to him. We knew it had to be serious if Professor Rook was acting different. No matter what happened went on in that class, he was calm. But right now, he was squirmish. As I ducked down below the table I only had one thing in my mind. This can’t be happening!

Kendra sat beside me against the white brick wall. Her breathing was heavy and staggered. Her round blue eyes were widened and full of panic. She hugged her knees close to her chest, and mumbled to herself that she was going to be okay. The hard part of listening to her was that I didn’t know if I agreed.

Sitting there I realized that I was scared. I didn’t want to admit to anyone, but I was scared. I stroked my fingers through my brown hair out of a nervous habit. I knew that this was more serious than it was thought up to be. But, no one in that room actually knew what was happening.

The room was filled with an eerie silence. The only sound coming from the room was an air conditioner vent in the corner making a buzzing noise. Even though Professor Rook did not order us to stop talking, no one dared break the silence. The room was filled with intensity and flat out fear. No one, including myself, felt safe.

Professor Rook finally broke the silence. “I need all of you to remain calm, okay?” His voice was filled with intensity. “We are in lockdown because there was a shooting at the West Ambler Johnston Hall dorms...” He kept talking, but my thoughts had interrupted.

West Ambler Johnston? My dorm!? No, that can’t be. There’s no way Rook read that right! West Ambler... West Ambler...

“...So,” Rook continued, “They probably caught him, but we would rather be safe than sorry.” When I heard that I was a little relieved, but the word ‘probably’ was holding me back. There was still a chance that he was out there. I just couldn’t stand to watch another life be taken by a trigger, one was more than enough.

I was too much in my own thoughts that I didn’t even realize Kendra was crying. I put my arm around her and whispered softly in her ear, “Everything is going to be okay.” I tried to sound convincing, but that was sort of hard to, but considering I barely believed it.

“Cameron,” She looked straight into my brown eyes, “what if everything isn’t going to be okay? What if we die?” She cupped her face into her hands, whimpering.

“Kendra, whatever happens I know we’ll make it.” I was whispering with a comforting tone. The last thing I wanted was for her to have a panic attack right there. While I could imagine why she would, the timing would be horrible.

“Okay.” She whimpered back. She leaned her head up against my shoulder. She attempted to keep the little tear droplets from escaping her eyes. She wanted to be safe, and so did I, but I know what a man and a gun can amount to. The outcome is something that I wouldn’t want anyone to see.

The room fell silent for a while. Sometimes I could see the screens of some students phones light up when they received a text message from a loved one. Other times I could hear little whimpers from certain corners of the room. But, most of the time, it was dead silence.

Thump Thump Thump. The thumping slowly came closer and closer to the doors. The louder the steps became the faster my heart started to beat.

No one’s supposed to be out in the hall. This is a lockdown, no one’s allowed outside of the classroom. Please, God, please don’t let it be...

The thumping of feet disappeared, but then a fierce knocking started to echo in the room of dead silence. Anyone in that room could tell that this was not a knock coming from a police officer saying the coast was clear. This was the person that everyone dreaded.

My heart was racing at a pace that it never have been before, except one night. The night my mother died, my dad became a murderer, and I became a coward. I was starting to realize that Kendra was holding on tighter, as if I was her safe haven. I wasn’t though. All my life I had been a coward, and I still was a coward now.

Cameron, stop being a coward! You have to be brave! You can’t change the past, but you can change now! When that shooter comes in save her! She’s more important.