Keshawna had been bothered all day. When the news mentioned a teenage boy caught in the explosion the day before, she knew almost instinctively it was TaeJean. Her parents had asked her that morning if she wanted to miss school. She decided to go anyway, though her mind wandered and wondered all day. Would her friend survive? If he did, he definitely wouldn’t be alright afterwards. She also knew she would most likely never see him again.

She received a text from her mother at lunchtime. In fact, it came after her lunch period. “Hey. I got off work early today. I’m checking you out so we can grab some food. I let you pick.” Even though she had already eaten, the school lunch wasn’t enough for her. In fact it wasn’t enough for any of the kids, which frequently led to some buying an extra lunch or supplementing it with food from there homes.

Twenty minutes after receiving the initial text, she received another. “I’m pulling up. Get ready.” She began packing her school supplies into her backpack, much to the dismay of her teacher. “Where are you going?” they asked. “My moms picking me up,” the girl responded. “That’s fine. But I need to hear them call you over the intercom first.” At that very moment, a voice came over the intercom. “Keshawna Campbell, report for check out!” The tone was bossy. Everyone raised an eyebrow. One of her classmates spoke up. “Did you tick off the receptionist?” Keshawna didn’t hear this as she was reading another text message she had received from her mother. “WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE ASAP!” The girl did as she was told. She was never a very fast girl, but she had pep in her step now.

Coming down the hallway, she saw her mother. The woman began to speak, in a tone that indicated some danger. “Keshawna, we’re leaving now! A Stem attack is about to start. They didn’t want me to check you out. Something about it being safer until the situation is handled, but….”

The woman could not finish her sentence. That was the instance Cory fired off his first bullet. As she got closer to her mother, the first shot came barreling through! It crashed through the wall. The electrified mach cone created air pressure that blew her away, but she saw her mothers fate clearly. In fact she would be seeing it clearly in her memories for years to come. The woman had been in the direct line of fire! The air bubble and the debris the bullet brought collided with her. Keshawna felt time slowed down, as she saw her mother become red paste from the waist up! Then time began to flow normally again, as the projectile continued through the school! Keshawna was in shock at what happened to her mother! She started to drown the world around her out. The screams of her class mates. The sprinkler system and the alarm. Keshawna just sat there on the ground, in pain from landing so hard. Yet she didn’t notice this physical pain, due to her spiritual pain being that overwhelming!

“ARRGGGGGHHH!” The girl began to hysterically cry. Her noise was just one of many in a symphony of suffering that would soon be increasing. A hand grabbed her. “Get up. We have to get out of here!” It was teacher. She didn’t know his name. She began moving forward as he half dragged her to the door. Other students were scrambling to get out. Then the second projectile came barreling through to the parking lot area! Some of the students and staff who drove were also in the direct line of fire, trying to escape! This proved fatal, as they were all smashed to paste! Even worse, upon crashing through the first few cars, the heat and electricity of the bullets caused their oil tanks to explode, setting off a chain reaction in the parking lot! BOOOMBOOBOOMBOOOMM!!! Various vehicles exploded in rapid succession, like people shooting the sky on New Years! The explosions continued, until there were two empty parking spaces between two of the cars. The parking lot was ablaze, and more screams were heard! Everyone was panicking, and the teacher let go of Keshawna's arm.

Now sirens approached the school. All through out the town sirens could be heard. Police, S.W.A.T, paramedics and fire fighters!

Keshawna was still in shock. Then the third shot came! Thankfully not aimed in Keshawnas general direction this time, but the rumbling was enough to send those who remained in the area into another panic. And once again more screams! The death toll was increasing in leaps and bounds with every shot fired! Now everyone was stampeding, both inside and outside! It was pure pandemonium! The Georgia National Guard was arriving now in helicopters! News choppers! Fighter jets!

Then came the 4th shot! A direct hit to one of the National Guard helicopters! It exploded, raining down fire and debris!

Keshawna began to think. She was still in shock, but new thoughts refocused her “Why?! Why is this happening!?” Her sixteen years of life began to play before her eyes. The screams around her finally began to set in. She thought of all her friends and teachers Who had died? Who would die when another shot was fired? What of their families? What of her family? What of the world? And this Stem. When would they shoot through this area again? Or would they shoot through this area again? Speaking of which, this Stem. This sounded similar to the Stem attack that TaeJean was caught up in. Was this the same Stem? “Either way, they killed my mother!” Her thoughts went back to TaeJean and she realized, if they were in each others positions, he would have tried killing the Stem despite his disadvantage as a mere human. “He would probably win too.” Keshawna though. The girl sat up. “Okay. Let’s do this. I’ve never really been in a fight. But I’ll probably die anyway. So might as well try something.” It was logical. ”Another projectile most likely isn’t coming this way. Whoever did this hit most of their targets. Stems have a limit as well.” She reached up to wipe her tears. She realized her glasses were missing. Her vision was blurry. She stood up. She fell down, dizzy. Her right ear was ringing! She began coughing as she inhaled the dust. COUGHHH!! COUGHHH!!!

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“I can’t do this!” Her hope was lost. Then suddenly, from the dust, she saw a figure approaching. It was the direction from which the projectile that took her mother was fired! She could not see him clearly at all. But he spoke and she clearly heard his voice with her good ear. “PHWHEEEEEEW!” He whistled like he just saw the most wondrous thing in the world. “Hahahaha! That’s what I’m talking about!” Keshawna knew that voice “Cory!” He walked across the devastated hall and suffering bodies. It was then that Keshawna knew what she had to do.

On the floor, she found what she needed. A sharpened pencil! “I’ll die, but I’ll do something!” She didn’t move, as Cory walked past her. A though occurred to her instantly. “He’s looking for a new spot to fire from!” She began to slowly crawl over both the devastated living, the dying, and the dead. “I will only have one shot at this.” She carried the sharpened pencil in her mouth like a knife. She moved as slowly as she could. She had seen movies and shows like this a thousand times before, played stealth games, and read books. It wasn’t much, but she knew the general premise of assassination. She removed the sharpened pencil from her mouth, slowly forcing herself to stand. Her ears were ringing. She was still concussed. The room was shaking. Everything was blurry. She gulped down. “Here goes nothing” she thought. She took a big step forward! She was naturally uncoordinated before ever receiving the concussion! She tripped! Cory turned around, catching the wrist of her stabbing hand! “Oh, s***, fat girl?!” She began to fall forward. As her face neared his hand, she opened her mouth! His hand was still gripping her wrist, and she used this to find her target! The image of a saw appeared in her head, and using her canine teeth she bit down on his thumb! The force was so intense she felt her own jaw pop, but the adrenaline within her made her refuse to let go! She then slid her lower jaw as far left as she could, then she slid it as far right as she could! His thumb was shredded! The bone joint was left exposed as a surge of electricity emitted from Cory! “ARRRRRGGGHHH!!!” He roared in anger, the angriest he had ever been! Keshawna began to fall as her body went numb...

Kee thought to herself before beginning to black out. “I guess that was the best I could do…” She blacked out.

Cory’s new found intelligence went out the window. He decided to waste a bullet. K was most likely dead anyway, and no longer a threat regardless. But point blank range at full charge sounded right to the enraged fool. After all, he planned to escape underground into the sewer system anyway. Might as well open the path now.

“You know, I killed TaeJean the other day? I heard your voice as I was leaving. You probably miss your little boyfriend right?!” Cory was charging the bullet as he spoke! He aimed directly at the girl laying on the ground. The girl with a loving family and bright future. Things Cory, devoid of all empathy, would never know. He prepared to snuff her life out. Electricity arced around him, being conducted by the dust and debris. He was still so very angry. Keshawna was unaware, and hadn’t heard a single word he had said.

“NOW DIE!” He fired his projectile! BRAAAAKOOOOM!!!!!!! The school shook! A new symphony of screams started, exacerbating the still fresh PTSD of those in the vicinity.

Smoke billowed from the freshly made hole in the ground. Cory approached it. “Home free.” He began to step down. He wasn’t so hungry. After the first two bullets he gorged himself on a lot of the concession stand food. As he began to walk towards the hole, he felt a hand grip the back of his neck and herd a familiar voice with a southern drawl. “You sure about that, playboy?”

“TaeJe--!” He didn’t have time to finish his statement. T.J. kneed him in the back and pushed his head forward like a basketball. He fell face forward into the hole he had made. PLOPPPP!!! CRRKK! He face planted and broke his nose.

TaeJean yelled down and taunted. “Wait right there. Daddy’s gonna come down and whoop you in a second!”

He turned around. He walked over to the corner where he saw the unresponsive Keshawna. From his pocket, he produced a needle and vial. “Thanks Cherrae!!” he thought. He prepared the needle and vial. He brought it down and injected his friend.

Within in her mind, up to this point Keshawna was only seeing darkness. When suddenly, she was flooded with impossibly bright light.