Ross shielded Mary, just in time before the explosion as he was wearing a vest. Mary went towards the window and broke the glass. Both of them couldn’t breathe properly. They were coughing and their eyes burned. Mary spoke in her mic, “There’s smoke everywhere, can you see anything?”
“Negative, There’s smoke in the first floor too.” Sarah replied.
Ross made a decision, “It has been fairly quiet, he must have run out of bullets.. Guys, now’s our chance. Get on the ground, put on the camouflage blankets and move in slowly.. Don’t get spotted and we need him alive.”

They lied down on the floor and waited for the air to clear. They could see nothing in the hallway of the second floor. Footsteps of someone approaching alerted them, they aimed their guns at the door and waited. They hear a boy coughing and crawling on the ground to enter the room. Ross moves near and pulls the door slightly. “Who are you ?” he asks.

“My name’s Daniel,” he said still coughing.
Mary recognized him from Emma and the principal’s statements. “Come here Dan, are you alright?”
Dan was breathing heavily, “Yes I am, I heard children screaming in the grade five classroom so I came upstairs.. There’s smoke everywhere.” He said.
Mary and Ross, both asked “Did you see the shooter? Cody Lance?”
“What??” Dan was surprised, “Is he Cody? I thought he was some terrorist.. I’m going to break his back right now.” he was angry.

Mary enquired, “Emma said he is Cody, he took out his gun and started shooting. Can you tell us what happened?”
Dan spoke in anger, “How could he kill so many innocent children? Our friends? I don’t know what’s gotten into him, but he’s a monster.!”
Ross put his hand on Dan’s shoulder, “Listen, Dan.. We’ll get him, I promise. Now tell us what happened..”

“I came in early for practice and went to take a shower. I heard girls screaming and running outside, then I heard a loud noise. I didn’t realize that time but a few seconds later, there were many sounds like a machine gun. I guess he shot at the power control room because the lights went out and.. I panicked and moved towards the corridor quietly. I saw him shooting at everyone that was running in the hallway of the ground floor and I was in the first floor corridor and was very scared. So, I just was hiding there. Many from upstairs started to run down, towards the main door but he just loaded the gun and started shooting again. Kids ran helter-skelter into whatever class they found. He then went after Mike to the third floor, like he was leading him there. I went to the fourth floor and told the kids to stay inside and lock the doors.”

Dan looked very disturbed, “By the time I went back, he had shot Mike. I hid in the second floor and through the bullet holes in the door, I saw him setup something with glass beakers. When I saw you trying to break in, I wanted to tell you but it was late.”

Mary wanted to tell him that it would be alright, but she couldn’t. “Where is he now?” she asked.
“I don’t know, he must be downstairs.. That’s where he left his bag. It has bullets.” He said.
Mary spoke in the mic, “Did you get that Sarah, get the drones in through the main door, East and the North. Everybody listen up, the feds will start boxing in from the main door, three of our men will cover them from behind twenty feet. Two will follow each of the remaining drones and find firing positions, you will wait for my signal. We will advance downstairs, let’s get him.”

Ross gave his mask to Mary and he just tied his handkerchief to his lower face. “Alright boys, you’ve heard her. Do not make a sound.. Move!” and the three of the stepped out of the room slowly. There was still smoke and it was dark but they hear children coughing. “It’s coming from the classroom directly opposite on the other end.” Dan said. They walked slowly to the other side of the building. There were almost three classrooms filled with children, everyone holding on to each other with terrified looks on their faces.

Ross told Dan to stay with the kids, as they were sure of nabbing Cody downstairs. But Mary thought it would be best if they evacuate the children to the roof. They decided to evacuate because the smoke was dangerous for the kids to stay there. Mary led the children who walked in a line. Dan was standing on the stairs, helping the kids in the middle and Ross was sending the kids from the classroom. As the kids were moving, the corridors resonated with the shuffling sounds. Out of the blue, Cody started shooting at the kids moving on one particular flight of steps that faced the center of the building. He had a perfect aim from the first floor corridor, diagonally across to the stairs. Dan turned as he was being shot and he fell off the rails, onto the ground floor hallway.

The kids started to scatter around.. and Mary came running back from the third floor. Ross couldn’t aim as Cody was right below him. “Shots fired, Move in.. all of you, now..!” He yelled as he covered the kids. “Ma’am take the kids, save as much as we can..” he started to hurry all the kids upstairs. The agent on the roof came down to the third floor and carried on from there. As Mary climbed down, she was being shot at. Ross started to shoot back randomly, he couldn’t see Cody but that was enough to stop his gun as long as Mary returned to the second floor. One of the agents said “We are at the entrance, we’re moving in.” Ross replied, “Copy that, be aware of the smoke.”

Ground floor was quietly being evacuated. In the first floor, there were many kids, still trapped inside. Sophie was a senior too, and was also the daughter of the math teacher, Vivian Victor. Sophie had hid inside the sixth grade classroom with four children and had locked the door. The next room was Cody’s classroom. His classmates, Maggie and Brad had run back to their class and also urged many of the kids to get inside. There were kids in the room next to it too. The whole of the first floor was isolated, in darkness and covered in smoke.

Soon they heard screams and gun shots. They couldn’t quite make out the direction of the sound. Mary and Ross rushed to the first floor and so did the other agents from below. Mary shouted, “Sarah, find out where is Cody, now..!” Maggie and Brad knew that they wouldn’t make it by staying there. Cody was in the room right next to them. Just then, Sophie tapped on the glass window that separated the two classrooms, it was high, almost near the ceiling. Maggie saw Sophie, they realized that they were both frightened. Brad had an idea, he opened the air vents and signaled Sophie to let the kids into her room. Sophie opened the air vents at the back of the building and climbed up to the glass window again.

The shooting in the next room had stopped. Everyone were even more impatient. Sophie gestured, them to be quick. Brad and Maggie started sending all the kids from there to Sophie’s room. She watched through the window. With half of the kids still remaining to go, they heard their door being shot at. “Quick, move guys.. Faster..” Brad screamed.

One of the drones was right outside of Sophie’s window, “I see kids in the North side, first floor” Sarah reported. Sophie faced the drone and signaled it to go to the next room, “Go to that room.. please..” she begged. Sarah took the drone to the outside window of the next room. She saw Maggie there. Brad signaled the drone that their door was under attack. “Oh my god, Maggie..” Sarah started to breakdown.. “Where?” Mary yelled, Sarah tried desperately to hold it together and her voice trembled, “In her classroom, North west side.. just next to the corner room.. Hurry, the door is being attacked.”

Everybody started running there. With three more kids remaining, the door came undone. Sarah was watching on the screen along with tech support team while Sophie, through the glass. Everybody praying for a miracle. All the agents rushing in the smoke, coughing and with burning eyes. Cody kicked down the door and pulled up his gun. He started to shoot from the left side. First was a small kid, a 5th grader, he screamed as he fell on the ground. Blood splashed from the bullet wound and everyone started screaming.

Every second felt like an hour. Brad, threw himself at Cody but the bullet hit his left arm just before he could grab the gun. Cody now aimed for his chest and pressed the trigger long enough to fire five of them. The force threw him to the wall behind. Sophie screamed “Braaad.. Noo..!”

Next shot consumed another little girl who was half inside the vent. Ross was a couple of steps behind, everyone screaming in their mics.. Sarah’s heart was in her mouth, “Maggie” she yelled out her daughter’s name as loud as her voice gets. Maggie’s hands went up to the side of her face as she crouched down, hoping to escape the bullet.

Ross was air born, diving for Cody’s legs. His gun was pointed at Maggie.. Mary aimed for Cody’s head. Sarah turned away.!
In a split second, Ross grabbed Cody’s legs, bending the knee.. Mary fired.. Cody clenched his hand..! Just before Cody was shot, The bullets had left his gun for Maggie. It was over.!

Just before anybody can realize anything, they were on the ground. Ross was still holding Cody’s legs, he wasn’t moving with a hole in his head. Maggie was bleeding from her neck and her stomach. Mary held her and tried to put pressure but within seconds, she was gone..

…to be continued…