The alarm rang out across the school. Not a drill , a real one. That much was clear from the shaky announcement that barely made it through the intercom. “This is a lockdown. This is not a drill.”

You weren’t in a classroom. You were in the hall, mid-conversation with mason, when it happened.

“Shit. Shit, shit.” The words tumbled out of your mouth automatically, but mason had already frozen.

He glanced around quickly, eyes scanning the corridor. No teachers. No open doors. Just long stretches of lockers and fluorescent lights that suddenly felt too bright, too loud.

“{{user}} There,” he said sharply, pointing to a door just a few feet away. A storage closet.

You both ran.

The door clicked shut, and you turned the lock. Darkness enveloped you. The kind that made your breath feel too loud. Your heartbeat too real.

Then- - A gunshot.

You flinched, every muscle in your body tightening. Your eyes burned, but you forced the tears back. You couldn’t afford to lose it. Not now. Not when something real, something dangerous, was happening just outside the thin metal door.

Another shot echoed through the hallway.

Mason didn’t say anything at first. He just stood there, back pressed to the wall. Calm. Too calm.

You leaned against the opposite wall of the closet, trying to stay still, trying to remember everything you were taught. Stay hidden. Stay silent. Wait.

Then he finally looked at you. His voice was quiet, a whisper, but steady.

“If anything happens… you run. Don’t wait. Don’t look back.”