I thought I heard a bang. It caused me to stir for a few seconds, but my mind did not register it as real. However, it was not loud enough to rouse me properly from my slumber, and I soon drifted back to sleep. Only to hear another, louder bang. My eyes slid open slightly, and I glanced out the window. It was still night, which caused me to let out a groan, only to have another bang on my door respond to it. 

I let out a sigh as I realised the person was not going away. I slowly sat up and placed my feet on the wooden floor. I couldn't help rubbing my eyes as I let out a sigh of annoyance. I hated being woken like this, especially when it was still dark outside. I slowly stretched and raised my arms over my head so I could hear the popping sounds from my back, before I stood and shuffled over to my dorm room door. 

For a few seconds, I glared at the door and considered turning around to go back to bed. Unfortunately, the banging got louder, more insistent. I pulled the door open quickly and snapped at the person on the other side while glaring in annoyance. 

“What!”

It took me a few more seconds to register who it was through my bleary eyes before I added in a slightly calmer tone, “Do you want, Alison?”

Alison didn't respond. Instead, she rushed into my room and quickly closed the door behind herself before she placed her ear against it.

“What do you think you are doing! Get out of my room," I hissed at her.

“Will you shut up before you get us caught!” she hissed back.

“Caught by whom? What is going on?” I asked.

“Marvin has gone crazy! He had a gun and was down in the lobby shooting people!” 

When Alison turned to glare at me, I could see the fear in her eyes. I felt that fear run up my spine as I stumbled back from her, and my eyes grew wide. I felt my back bump into the wall and let out a squeak. 

Suddenly, I heard a pop followed by three more. My eyes stared fearfully into Alison's as I thought, ‘He was on our floor!’ 

I jumped to my feet and dashed to the window. I quickly pushed it up before I stuck my head out and saw the four-story drop to the ground. Another series of pops sounded closer, which convinced me to go out onto the ledge. Something caused me to glance at my bedside table, where my phone and keys sat. I quickly grabbed them and stuffed them into my hoodie’s pocket before I climbed outside. I felt Alison's long blonde hair fly past my head as she ran to the window sill.

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“What are you doing?” she whispered frantically.

“What does it look like I'm doing?!” I snapped back in a whispering tone.

I glanced at the drain pipe on the side of the building and began to shimmy across to it. A second later, I heard Alison climb out onto the ledge and turned my head. She closed the window behind her and slowly followed me. When I heard the terrifying gunshots come closer, I decided not to comment. Instead, I hastened my progress to the drain pipe. 

As I reached it, I gripped onto it and tried to figure out how I was going to safely climb down. In the end, I decided to just grip the pipe and pull against it as I walked down the wall. As I held the pipe tightly, I noticed it had been cemented to the wall. This made it very sturdy. I quickly headed down. As I passed the third floor, I got curious and asked, “Why were you banging on my door specifically? Wouldn't anyone's door have been good enough to hide in?”

“It was the first one next to the staircase. My original plan was to escape from the roof by climbing down the fire escape, but the door to the roof was locked! Brainless fools! Don't they realise locking an emergency exit is at least a fire hazard!”

I was about to agree with her that whoever locked the roof access was a true eejit, but I glanced at the window on my right and saw a body pressed against the glass. Her eyes were vacant and there was a blood filled hole in her head. I closed my eyes, and tried my best to not throw up as I continued my descent. The fear that gripped me encouraged me to increase my pace. In my haste, I slid down the drainpipe until I felt the cold grass on my feet. I looked back up as I took a few steps away.

Luckily, I had stepped away because Alison nearly dropped on top of me as she fell, hitting the ground and rolling a bit before scrambling for the bushes on my right. It was then that I heard the pop sound of a silenced gun and felt the dirt next to my foot leap into the air. I dove the opposite way from Alison to some more bushes. I glanced back, noticing a blood spray on the wall, and quickly shifted my eyes over to Alison, who was ripping her shirt while trying to apply pressure to her left shoulder. I nearly wet myself when the dirt next to my face leapt into the air, accompanied by that terrifying popping sound. Quickly I shuffled over to the base of the shrub I was hiding under and tried to use it as a pitiful shield. Hoping and praying to anyone who would listen to not let this insane guy shoot me. While I was sprayed with dirt and shrubbery.

After a while the shooting had stopped, but it took me a few seconds to realise that and a few more seconds after to slowly open my eyes. Seeing the bush and dirt in front of me, I assumed I possibly might still be alive. After checking myself over and coming to the conclusion that I had somehow miraculously been missed by all those bullets, I turned, looking at Alison to see how she was doing.

“Are you alive over there?” I whispered as I lent out from under the bush to see if the guy was still in the window. He was not.

“I better be or heaven was seriously oversold” Alison whispered back.

I grinned softly at the joke, but quickly scrambled to my feet and rushed over to help her up. She was babying her left arm. We both quickly decided to head across the grass away from the building. We were reaching the curb row of cars as I patted down my oversized hoodie in hopes my keys were still in It. I nearly shouted in glee when I found them but managed to stifle it at the last second. I nearly died of a heart attack the next one when I heard the pop then ting of a bullet hitting a car right next to me, causing me and Alison to drop to the ground between the two cars.