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Below is my first attempt at a fictional story..it is imperfect in many ways, but it was fun to write...
Mountainview Middle School was built and dedicated in 1998 in response to an incredible population boom in Shelby County, just south of Birmingham. For five years straight, Shelby County was the fastest growing county in the entire United States of America. It quickly developed a reputation for excellent school systems, which led to an even greater population influx, as residents moved into the area to take advantage of the education opportunities.
The architect contracted to design the building wanted to build a magnificent edifice to education, but was restrained by both a very low budget and a very conservative school board. Instead, he designed a rather simple layout, a cross-shaped building with a courtyard in the middle. Each “wing” designed with classrooms on both sides of a very wide hallway. The north hallway terminated into a gymnasium and the south into an auditorium, where Rachel’s class would be performing their annual Christmas program, complete with a reading of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” by the school Principal.
Jason knew he was in trouble long before he pulled into the parking lot at Rachel’s school. He was at the range, testing a rifle he had taken in on trade at the gun show. The rifle was a nearly new M1A, made right in the USA by a custom manufacturer, configured as a “scout rifle”, meaning it had a shorter than normal 18 inch barrel and a scope mounting base in front of the action over the barrel to mount a type of scope known as a electronic Red Dot or a long eye-relief, low-magnification scope.
The red dot scope did not supply magnification as did a normal hunting or tactical riflescope, but instead projected a red dot in the plane of the shooters eye, allowing him to place the dot on whatever he wanted to shoot, which allowed for very fast target acquisition. It was the current rage in the military and shooting circles. You could not find a picture of troops in theatre without a red dot of one type or another on their rifle. Jason decided the rifle was worthy enough to serve as a home protection gun, or he figured he could always sell it for a patrol rifle to one of his local law enforcement friends.
The problem was, the darn thing would not hold a zero. The more he fired the rifle, the worse it seemed to shoot, no matter what adjustments he made. After nearly two hours of mounting and remounting, tightening and shimming the scope, Jason finally figured out that the screws holding the scope base to the rifle were working their way slowly loose. He quickly fixed the problem with a screwdriver and locktite he always carried in his range box, but was frustrated by the fact that it took him two hours to think to check the base itself.
After another twenty minutes he had the rifle zeroed and was shooting some rather impressive groups, when his cell phone vibrated. As soon as he saw Rebecca’s number in the caller I.D., he knew he had forgotten about Rachel’s school Christmas play. He quickly packed his gear and drove at speeds usually reserved for trips to the emergency room, all the while cursing the scope base.
He pulled into a space in the line of parking spaces farthest from the school building, hoping to isolate his vehicle and make it harder for someone to secretly break into his vehicle and steal the rifles he had taken to the range. The parking lot was rather full, meaning Jason was going to walk in late in front of just about everyone. His only hope was that Rebecca would take some pity on him and sit near the back.
***
The group of men arrived at Mountainview Middle school just after 7:00 p.m. They drove around the building twice, ensuring no police vehicles were present or that nothing had changed since their earlier reconnaissance. Once satisfied, they parked the large, rented SUV in a space far away from the building and the light it emitted. The second rented truck, a large box truck, commonly used for moving, was parked as near the building as was physically possible and very near the auditorium of the school.
They exited the vehicle without talking, each man lost in his own thoughts. Two of the men’s lips moved as they mouthed prayers while waiting their turn to retrieve their weapon and ammunition from the rear of the vehicle. Youssef handed each man a rifle, a full magazine already in place, a magazine carrier containing four spare magazines full to capacity, and a long coat, purchased at a local thrift store, to conceal their hardware, once in place. After handing each man a rifle, Youssef himself collected his weapon, a Romanian AK74 chambered in the current Russian military 5.45 x 39 round, his spare ammo pouch and completed his outfit with a long gray trench coat made by London Fog.
He looked over his team approvingly, closed the rear hatch of the SUV and pulled the bolt back on the rifle in his hands, chambering a round. The others did likewise as they headed for the building and their destiny.
***
He reached across the seat, pushed down the lock on the passenger door, and stepped out of the vehicle, preparing to double time it to the gymnasium when something caught his eye.
Across the parking lot, in the back row, he saw five men walking away from the rear of a large vehicle. It usually would not have caused him a second thought, except he was sure there was a rifle barrel hanging out from under one of the men’s coats.
He reached back into his range bag quickly grabbing the eight power binoculars he carried in the bag. Looking through the small glasses, he verified the presence of the gun and interestingly enough also recognized the man. Jason had refused to sell a rifle to the man at the recent gun show!
Jason’s mind reeled at the thought of it all, and for a moment could not force his body into the action he knew he had to take. He first reached for his cell phone and dialed 911.
“911 what is your emergency” an operator asked.
“Listen to me very carefully” Jason began” My name is Jason Holcombe, I’m at Mountainview Middle school on county road ninety five in Alabaster. You got that Mountainview Middle school. There a men here with guns going inside the gymnasium I assume with the intent to harm those inside”
“How many men, sir” the operator interrupted.
“Five” Jason breathed, he noticed his breathing was short and his heart rate was quickly elevating.
“Please stay calm sir, I’m dispatching officers there now, and can you stay on the line?”
“How long” Jason asked.
“Sir, I’m dispatching officer they will be there in minutes..”
“Minutes is not fast enough,” Jason thought quickly now, his mind finally gaining control over his body’s adrenaline dump. “Tell your officers I’m going in, I’m dressed in blue jeans and a brown long sleeved shirt”
“Sir, DO NOT go inside that building,” the operator almost screamed through the phone, but her words were ineffective. Jason had disconnected the call
***
“Where are you?” Rebecca hissed as she put her cell phone to her ear, “Rachel’s class is next to perform.”
“Rebecca, listen to me very carefully” the tone of Jason’s voice stopped Rebecca’s rant and actually made the hair stand up on the back of her neck. “There are armed men coming into the building, I just saw them, get Rachel and get safe, I’m coming in loaded.”
“Jason, what are you talking about” Rebecca asked in shock. Her questioned was answered by the sounds of gunfire erupting from somewhere outside the auditorium.
“Jason, I hear shooting,” Rebecca rasped into the phone, her voice strangely pitched to Jason.
“I’m coming Rebecca, just get Rachel and get down!”
“How” Rebecca asked.
“I don’t care how, just get Rachel and get safe, now!”
Jason’s voice and tone snapped Rebecca out of her shock and she immediately jumped to her feet and began moving toward the stage, as many mothers and fathers in the audience turned toward the sound of the shots, thinking it must somehow be part of the Christmas performance.
Jason walked to the rear of his Bronco and opened the tailgate, exposing the range box and rifles he had placed there when he left the range. He grabbed the range box and fumbled with his key, finally unlocking the lock required to transport ammunition in an enclosed vehicle. Jason grabbed two magazines and the M1A he had just finished zeroing.
He snapped a magazine into the receiver and racked the action of the rifle chambering a round. Jason realized he had lost track of the men and quickly swept the parking lot to see if they had left a lookout outside the building. Seeing no one, he sprinted for the double glass doors leading into the school building.
As he reached the doors, he could hear gunfire inside the building and wished he had thought to grab his ear protection. He steeped to the side of the glass and peered inside, careful to make it as difficult as possible for someone to see him from inside. He could see several people lying in the hallway directly in front of him and nothing else. He entered the doors and moved to a position along the wall behind a fire extinguisher that was mounted on the wall. It was not much cover, in fact, it was not even big enough to conceal his body, but it was all that was available. Use what ever you have to your advantage he could hear one of his instructors from the tactical firearms training academy speaking clearly in his head. Remember, front sight, breathe, trigger control and follow through the shot every time.
Jason realized he had not turned on the red dot sight he had just zeroed at the range and reached up with his left hand to flip the on switch. As he did, one of the gunmen came out of a classroom right in front of him, fumbling to reload a magazine into his AK style weapon. Jason saw the man long before he realized Jason was there. He pulled the M1A rifle tight into his shoulder and let the red dot of the scope fall on the man’s chest, then re-adjusted the dot until it was directly between the man’s now frightened eyes. Jason pulled the trigger twice. The man was dead before his lifeless body toppled to the ground.
***
Youssef had just emptied his second magazine when he heard the weird sounding gunshots, two of them. He was very familiar with the sound of most of the rifles the men were using, all small caliber semi-automatic carbines, but the shots he heard were different. He inserted a fresh magazine into the rifle he carried and fired again into the crowd, emptying about half of the cartridges. He signaled the others to hold their fire. He let the smoke from firing clear a little as he glared at the people cowering from him and his men, and then stepped forward, letting his weapon fall on its sling around his chest.
“I do not wish to kill everyone, but we had to make you understand we will not hesitate. We have come to negotiate with your Federal Government for the withdrawal of their troops from our homeland. If you will follow my directions, you will not be harmed any farther.”
With that, Youssef stepped close to Yassir, spoke quietly to him and left the room.
***
Jason moved to the body and knelt beside the body, trying to grasp what he had just done and trying to think what he should do next. He saw five men enter the building and this was only one of them. More gunfire from somewhere ahead snapped Jason out of his reverie. He stood, kicked the man’s weapon away from the body and continued moving down the hallway, the muzzle of the M1A leading the way.
As he approached the middle of the building, where the four “wings” came together, he found another target. The man was coming out of a classroom across the hall from where Jason was approaching the “courtyard”. They saw each other at about the same time, but the man was holding a bag in one hand and an object Jason did not readily recognize in the other, his rifle slung across his chest. He dropped the bag and object, attempting to grab his rifle when the hollow point bullet from Jason’s rifle hit him in the chest, spinning him clockwise, and forcing him back into the room from which he came. Jason followed the man into the room and fired a second shot into the back of the man’s head, finishing him.
Jason now realized that the item the man was holding must be a detonator, because the room contained enough explosives, in Jason’s mind, to level the whole building. A chill went down Jason’s spine as he thought about the school in Beslan, Russia and the plans the terrorists had for the school before soldiers forced themselves into the building. Once again, shots, this time mixed with screams, brought Jason back to the present and he spun on his heels and headed for the door.
***
Youssef heard another weird rifle report as he entered the hallway outside the auditorium. He stopped just outside the auditorium, where he and his two compatriots had succeeded in corralling students, teachers and parents and were preparing to lead them down the hall to the “courtyard” and listened, hoping to hear another shot or locate their source. He was moving cautiously, hoping that Kareem and Mohamed were merely enjoying their work, but he could not shake the feeling that the rifle he was hearing was not one of his warriors.
He knew that no one in American schools carried weapons, unless the school had a police officer assigned to maintain order, and then they carried only a sidearm. Besides, he and his men had not detected any police presence during their reconnaissance prior to tonight and had seen no police vehicles on the grounds as they arrived tonight. If not a police officer, then who could it be? He did not know the answer, but knew he had to find out. He could let nothing interfere with the plan. He began to move slowly down the hallway, staying close to the wall, for what little protection it may offer.
***
Jason scanned around the corner of the door before he exited the room, using a technique he had learned at on of the big name training facilities called slicing the pie. Essentially, Jason let the muzzle of the rifle lead the way as he left the room and moved back into the hallway.
As he approached the “courtyard” area, he slowed his pace. He noticed that the gunfire had stopped, but did not know if that was a good sign. He scanned the hallway to his left, which he had used to get this far into the building and straight ahead and saw no sign of movement. He moved to the corner of the hallway leading to the auditorium and stopped to listen, and then tightened the sling of his rifle around his left arm and let the muzzle of the M1A lead him around the corner.
***
Youssef saw the muzzle of the rifle coming around the corner and swung his weapon to cover the weapon and its owner as it emerged from the South hallway. Youssef had purchased all the weapons for the group at the gun show in Birmingham. As he aimed his weapon at the spot were the muzzle came around the corner, he realized it was not one of the weapons he had purchased. He let his finger begin to take up slack on the trigger.
***
Jason saw the man aiming his rifle from approximately twenty feet down the hall. He instinctively dropped to one knee and swung his rifle until the red dot sight centered on the man’s chest. Jason could see the flash of the man’s rifle fire as he began taking up the slack on his trigger. A bullet buzzed right over Jason’s head, so closely he could feel the heat from the projectile as it ruffled his hair. Ducking had saved his life. Jason fired his rifle, hitting the man, but he too had reacted and the first shot hit him not in the chest, but in the shoulder as he spun to avoid the shots.
The man’s rifle clattered to the floor and he reached for it, but Jason was already moving and shouting.
“Don’t touch it!” he screamed.
The man rolled over and looked directly at Jason, his face a mask of pain and confusion.
“I mean it pal, don’t touch that rifle!” Jason said again as forcefully as he could, all the while moving slowly toward the man, trying to put himself between the rifle and his foe.
“I know you” Jason realized. “You tried to buy guns from me…” the realization hit Jason hard.
***
Youssef was in pain, his left shoulder throbbed and was bleeding, badly. He tried to move his arm ever so slightly. It worked, but it also sent pain shooting through his entire left side. He had to get his weapon back and kill this infidel. How had he known? Youssef wondered. Had the authorities tracked his movements after all? No matter, he must move, before the man could block him.
***
Jason could not believe what was happening, overwhelmed by the thoughts swirling in his head. Who was this man? Why was he doing this? What was Jason going to do, now that he had wounded him?
“Who are you?” Jason asked
“I am a warrior for Allah” Youssef screamed as he lunged for his rifle.
Jason beat him to the rifle, firing two shots into the man’s back as he tried to retrieve his weapon. The man simply fell to the ground and blood began to pool around his body, as Jason watched, transfixed by the sight.
***
Yassir and Kalib heard the gunfire and shouts from the hallway. They exchanged glances and began to look very nervous. Both moved from their positions guarding the cowering children, parents and teachers and headed for the door simultaneously.
***
Jason heard the noise at the end of the hallway and raised his rifle in response, finally able to break his gaze from Youssef’s body. Two men stood in the doorway, both with weapons. Jason swung the M1A into action.
His first two shots hit the man on the left, shoving him back a few feet with each blow. Jason swung his rifle to the man on his right, but had to duck the incoming fire from the man’s rifle. He dropped to his knees and rolled twice to his left, stopping only when his body hit the wall of student lockers that lined the hallway. He was twisted at a very odd angle and could not bring his rifle to bear on the subject, who was still firing his rifle as fast as he could pull the trigger. The man, however, was shooting the rifle from his hip, not aiming at all, sending a hail of bullets at Jason, but none hitting anywhere close to him.
Jason righted himself to one knee, let the red dot settle on the man’s chest and fired. Jason’s shot went wide as the man’s gun emptied. His eyes widened with fear at the prospect of his rifle’s condition. He let the rifle drop and was reaching inside his coat, when Jason’s second and third shot hit him in the chest and abdomen, spinning him toward the auditorium and toppling him to the ground.
Jason stood and moved cautiously toward the doors of the auditorium. He had only seen five men enter the school, but that did not mean there were not more who had entered elsewhere. Hew heard sirens approaching outside.
As he passed a room three doors away from the auditorium, he noticed it was full of children; all appeared dead or severely wounded. Jason’s heart stopped cold as he recognized Shelly, one of Rachel’s friends, who often spent weekends with Rachel and was her closest friend. Then he spotted Rachel and his world spun out of control.
***
This is a FOX NEWS ALERT. Breaking news from suburban America as a Christmas Pageant at a middle school in Mississippi turns into a blood bath. Reports indicate several gunmen entered the school building during the pageant celebrating the birth of Christ and opened fire. No word yet on the number of injured or the motive of the gunmen, who are now inside with an unknown number of hostages. Police have locked down the building and are trying to communicate with the gunmen. Stay tuned to FOX for updates.
***
Captain David Morgan of the Oxford, Mississippi police department arrived at Oxford middle school, home of the Oxford Fighting Rebels, only moments before the first microwave truck emblazoned with a local news affiliates logo. He grimaced as he saw the tall, long legged, blonde woman fumble with her microphone and makeup before heading toward him. They had dated a few times, but nothing serious. She was in it for a story, he was in it to get lucky, and both had failed, miserably.
“What’s going on Dave” she asked as she approached his car.
“For Christ’s sake Emma, I just got here not two minutes before you.”
“Don’t get all bent out of shape, Dave, I was just asking. It’s not like I asked for an exclusive” she snarled.
“Not like you’d get one,” he replied as he walked toward the school building, its fa
Mountainview Middle School was built and dedicated in 1998 in response to an incredible population boom in Shelby County, just south of Birmingham. For five years straight, Shelby County was the fastest growing county in the entire United States of America. It quickly developed a reputation for excellent school systems, which led to an even greater population influx, as residents moved into the area to take advantage of the education opportunities.
The architect contracted to design the building wanted to build a magnificent edifice to education, but was restrained by both a very low budget and a very conservative school board. Instead, he designed a rather simple layout, a cross-shaped building with a courtyard in the middle. Each “wing” designed with classrooms on both sides of a very wide hallway. The north hallway terminated into a gymnasium and the south into an auditorium, where Rachel’s class would be performing their annual Christmas program, complete with a reading of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” by the school Principal.
Jason knew he was in trouble long before he pulled into the parking lot at Rachel’s school. He was at the range, testing a rifle he had taken in on trade at the gun show. The rifle was a nearly new M1A, made right in the USA by a custom manufacturer, configured as a “scout rifle”, meaning it had a shorter than normal 18 inch barrel and a scope mounting base in front of the action over the barrel to mount a type of scope known as a electronic Red Dot or a long eye-relief, low-magnification scope.
The red dot scope did not supply magnification as did a normal hunting or tactical riflescope, but instead projected a red dot in the plane of the shooters eye, allowing him to place the dot on whatever he wanted to shoot, which allowed for very fast target acquisition. It was the current rage in the military and shooting circles. You could not find a picture of troops in theatre without a red dot of one type or another on their rifle. Jason decided the rifle was worthy enough to serve as a home protection gun, or he figured he could always sell it for a patrol rifle to one of his local law enforcement friends.
The problem was, the darn thing would not hold a zero. The more he fired the rifle, the worse it seemed to shoot, no matter what adjustments he made. After nearly two hours of mounting and remounting, tightening and shimming the scope, Jason finally figured out that the screws holding the scope base to the rifle were working their way slowly loose. He quickly fixed the problem with a screwdriver and locktite he always carried in his range box, but was frustrated by the fact that it took him two hours to think to check the base itself.
After another twenty minutes he had the rifle zeroed and was shooting some rather impressive groups, when his cell phone vibrated. As soon as he saw Rebecca’s number in the caller I.D., he knew he had forgotten about Rachel’s school Christmas play. He quickly packed his gear and drove at speeds usually reserved for trips to the emergency room, all the while cursing the scope base.
He pulled into a space in the line of parking spaces farthest from the school building, hoping to isolate his vehicle and make it harder for someone to secretly break into his vehicle and steal the rifles he had taken to the range. The parking lot was rather full, meaning Jason was going to walk in late in front of just about everyone. His only hope was that Rebecca would take some pity on him and sit near the back.
***
The group of men arrived at Mountainview Middle school just after 7:00 p.m. They drove around the building twice, ensuring no police vehicles were present or that nothing had changed since their earlier reconnaissance. Once satisfied, they parked the large, rented SUV in a space far away from the building and the light it emitted. The second rented truck, a large box truck, commonly used for moving, was parked as near the building as was physically possible and very near the auditorium of the school.
They exited the vehicle without talking, each man lost in his own thoughts. Two of the men’s lips moved as they mouthed prayers while waiting their turn to retrieve their weapon and ammunition from the rear of the vehicle. Youssef handed each man a rifle, a full magazine already in place, a magazine carrier containing four spare magazines full to capacity, and a long coat, purchased at a local thrift store, to conceal their hardware, once in place. After handing each man a rifle, Youssef himself collected his weapon, a Romanian AK74 chambered in the current Russian military 5.45 x 39 round, his spare ammo pouch and completed his outfit with a long gray trench coat made by London Fog.
He looked over his team approvingly, closed the rear hatch of the SUV and pulled the bolt back on the rifle in his hands, chambering a round. The others did likewise as they headed for the building and their destiny.
***
He reached across the seat, pushed down the lock on the passenger door, and stepped out of the vehicle, preparing to double time it to the gymnasium when something caught his eye.
Across the parking lot, in the back row, he saw five men walking away from the rear of a large vehicle. It usually would not have caused him a second thought, except he was sure there was a rifle barrel hanging out from under one of the men’s coats.
He reached back into his range bag quickly grabbing the eight power binoculars he carried in the bag. Looking through the small glasses, he verified the presence of the gun and interestingly enough also recognized the man. Jason had refused to sell a rifle to the man at the recent gun show!
Jason’s mind reeled at the thought of it all, and for a moment could not force his body into the action he knew he had to take. He first reached for his cell phone and dialed 911.
“911 what is your emergency” an operator asked.
“Listen to me very carefully” Jason began” My name is Jason Holcombe, I’m at Mountainview Middle school on county road ninety five in Alabaster. You got that Mountainview Middle school. There a men here with guns going inside the gymnasium I assume with the intent to harm those inside”
“How many men, sir” the operator interrupted.
“Five” Jason breathed, he noticed his breathing was short and his heart rate was quickly elevating.
“Please stay calm sir, I’m dispatching officers there now, and can you stay on the line?”
“How long” Jason asked.
“Sir, I’m dispatching officer they will be there in minutes..”
“Minutes is not fast enough,” Jason thought quickly now, his mind finally gaining control over his body’s adrenaline dump. “Tell your officers I’m going in, I’m dressed in blue jeans and a brown long sleeved shirt”
“Sir, DO NOT go inside that building,” the operator almost screamed through the phone, but her words were ineffective. Jason had disconnected the call
***
“Where are you?” Rebecca hissed as she put her cell phone to her ear, “Rachel’s class is next to perform.”
“Rebecca, listen to me very carefully” the tone of Jason’s voice stopped Rebecca’s rant and actually made the hair stand up on the back of her neck. “There are armed men coming into the building, I just saw them, get Rachel and get safe, I’m coming in loaded.”
“Jason, what are you talking about” Rebecca asked in shock. Her questioned was answered by the sounds of gunfire erupting from somewhere outside the auditorium.
“Jason, I hear shooting,” Rebecca rasped into the phone, her voice strangely pitched to Jason.
“I’m coming Rebecca, just get Rachel and get down!”
“How” Rebecca asked.
“I don’t care how, just get Rachel and get safe, now!”
Jason’s voice and tone snapped Rebecca out of her shock and she immediately jumped to her feet and began moving toward the stage, as many mothers and fathers in the audience turned toward the sound of the shots, thinking it must somehow be part of the Christmas performance.
Jason walked to the rear of his Bronco and opened the tailgate, exposing the range box and rifles he had placed there when he left the range. He grabbed the range box and fumbled with his key, finally unlocking the lock required to transport ammunition in an enclosed vehicle. Jason grabbed two magazines and the M1A he had just finished zeroing.
He snapped a magazine into the receiver and racked the action of the rifle chambering a round. Jason realized he had lost track of the men and quickly swept the parking lot to see if they had left a lookout outside the building. Seeing no one, he sprinted for the double glass doors leading into the school building.
As he reached the doors, he could hear gunfire inside the building and wished he had thought to grab his ear protection. He steeped to the side of the glass and peered inside, careful to make it as difficult as possible for someone to see him from inside. He could see several people lying in the hallway directly in front of him and nothing else. He entered the doors and moved to a position along the wall behind a fire extinguisher that was mounted on the wall. It was not much cover, in fact, it was not even big enough to conceal his body, but it was all that was available. Use what ever you have to your advantage he could hear one of his instructors from the tactical firearms training academy speaking clearly in his head. Remember, front sight, breathe, trigger control and follow through the shot every time.
Jason realized he had not turned on the red dot sight he had just zeroed at the range and reached up with his left hand to flip the on switch. As he did, one of the gunmen came out of a classroom right in front of him, fumbling to reload a magazine into his AK style weapon. Jason saw the man long before he realized Jason was there. He pulled the M1A rifle tight into his shoulder and let the red dot of the scope fall on the man’s chest, then re-adjusted the dot until it was directly between the man’s now frightened eyes. Jason pulled the trigger twice. The man was dead before his lifeless body toppled to the ground.
***
Youssef had just emptied his second magazine when he heard the weird sounding gunshots, two of them. He was very familiar with the sound of most of the rifles the men were using, all small caliber semi-automatic carbines, but the shots he heard were different. He inserted a fresh magazine into the rifle he carried and fired again into the crowd, emptying about half of the cartridges. He signaled the others to hold their fire. He let the smoke from firing clear a little as he glared at the people cowering from him and his men, and then stepped forward, letting his weapon fall on its sling around his chest.
“I do not wish to kill everyone, but we had to make you understand we will not hesitate. We have come to negotiate with your Federal Government for the withdrawal of their troops from our homeland. If you will follow my directions, you will not be harmed any farther.”
With that, Youssef stepped close to Yassir, spoke quietly to him and left the room.
***
Jason moved to the body and knelt beside the body, trying to grasp what he had just done and trying to think what he should do next. He saw five men enter the building and this was only one of them. More gunfire from somewhere ahead snapped Jason out of his reverie. He stood, kicked the man’s weapon away from the body and continued moving down the hallway, the muzzle of the M1A leading the way.
As he approached the middle of the building, where the four “wings” came together, he found another target. The man was coming out of a classroom across the hall from where Jason was approaching the “courtyard”. They saw each other at about the same time, but the man was holding a bag in one hand and an object Jason did not readily recognize in the other, his rifle slung across his chest. He dropped the bag and object, attempting to grab his rifle when the hollow point bullet from Jason’s rifle hit him in the chest, spinning him clockwise, and forcing him back into the room from which he came. Jason followed the man into the room and fired a second shot into the back of the man’s head, finishing him.
Jason now realized that the item the man was holding must be a detonator, because the room contained enough explosives, in Jason’s mind, to level the whole building. A chill went down Jason’s spine as he thought about the school in Beslan, Russia and the plans the terrorists had for the school before soldiers forced themselves into the building. Once again, shots, this time mixed with screams, brought Jason back to the present and he spun on his heels and headed for the door.
***
Youssef heard another weird rifle report as he entered the hallway outside the auditorium. He stopped just outside the auditorium, where he and his two compatriots had succeeded in corralling students, teachers and parents and were preparing to lead them down the hall to the “courtyard” and listened, hoping to hear another shot or locate their source. He was moving cautiously, hoping that Kareem and Mohamed were merely enjoying their work, but he could not shake the feeling that the rifle he was hearing was not one of his warriors.
He knew that no one in American schools carried weapons, unless the school had a police officer assigned to maintain order, and then they carried only a sidearm. Besides, he and his men had not detected any police presence during their reconnaissance prior to tonight and had seen no police vehicles on the grounds as they arrived tonight. If not a police officer, then who could it be? He did not know the answer, but knew he had to find out. He could let nothing interfere with the plan. He began to move slowly down the hallway, staying close to the wall, for what little protection it may offer.
***
Jason scanned around the corner of the door before he exited the room, using a technique he had learned at on of the big name training facilities called slicing the pie. Essentially, Jason let the muzzle of the rifle lead the way as he left the room and moved back into the hallway.
As he approached the “courtyard” area, he slowed his pace. He noticed that the gunfire had stopped, but did not know if that was a good sign. He scanned the hallway to his left, which he had used to get this far into the building and straight ahead and saw no sign of movement. He moved to the corner of the hallway leading to the auditorium and stopped to listen, and then tightened the sling of his rifle around his left arm and let the muzzle of the M1A lead him around the corner.
***
Youssef saw the muzzle of the rifle coming around the corner and swung his weapon to cover the weapon and its owner as it emerged from the South hallway. Youssef had purchased all the weapons for the group at the gun show in Birmingham. As he aimed his weapon at the spot were the muzzle came around the corner, he realized it was not one of the weapons he had purchased. He let his finger begin to take up slack on the trigger.
***
Jason saw the man aiming his rifle from approximately twenty feet down the hall. He instinctively dropped to one knee and swung his rifle until the red dot sight centered on the man’s chest. Jason could see the flash of the man’s rifle fire as he began taking up the slack on his trigger. A bullet buzzed right over Jason’s head, so closely he could feel the heat from the projectile as it ruffled his hair. Ducking had saved his life. Jason fired his rifle, hitting the man, but he too had reacted and the first shot hit him not in the chest, but in the shoulder as he spun to avoid the shots.
The man’s rifle clattered to the floor and he reached for it, but Jason was already moving and shouting.
“Don’t touch it!” he screamed.
The man rolled over and looked directly at Jason, his face a mask of pain and confusion.
“I mean it pal, don’t touch that rifle!” Jason said again as forcefully as he could, all the while moving slowly toward the man, trying to put himself between the rifle and his foe.
“I know you” Jason realized. “You tried to buy guns from me…” the realization hit Jason hard.
***
Youssef was in pain, his left shoulder throbbed and was bleeding, badly. He tried to move his arm ever so slightly. It worked, but it also sent pain shooting through his entire left side. He had to get his weapon back and kill this infidel. How had he known? Youssef wondered. Had the authorities tracked his movements after all? No matter, he must move, before the man could block him.
***
Jason could not believe what was happening, overwhelmed by the thoughts swirling in his head. Who was this man? Why was he doing this? What was Jason going to do, now that he had wounded him?
“Who are you?” Jason asked
“I am a warrior for Allah” Youssef screamed as he lunged for his rifle.
Jason beat him to the rifle, firing two shots into the man’s back as he tried to retrieve his weapon. The man simply fell to the ground and blood began to pool around his body, as Jason watched, transfixed by the sight.
***
Yassir and Kalib heard the gunfire and shouts from the hallway. They exchanged glances and began to look very nervous. Both moved from their positions guarding the cowering children, parents and teachers and headed for the door simultaneously.
***
Jason heard the noise at the end of the hallway and raised his rifle in response, finally able to break his gaze from Youssef’s body. Two men stood in the doorway, both with weapons. Jason swung the M1A into action.
His first two shots hit the man on the left, shoving him back a few feet with each blow. Jason swung his rifle to the man on his right, but had to duck the incoming fire from the man’s rifle. He dropped to his knees and rolled twice to his left, stopping only when his body hit the wall of student lockers that lined the hallway. He was twisted at a very odd angle and could not bring his rifle to bear on the subject, who was still firing his rifle as fast as he could pull the trigger. The man, however, was shooting the rifle from his hip, not aiming at all, sending a hail of bullets at Jason, but none hitting anywhere close to him.
Jason righted himself to one knee, let the red dot settle on the man’s chest and fired. Jason’s shot went wide as the man’s gun emptied. His eyes widened with fear at the prospect of his rifle’s condition. He let the rifle drop and was reaching inside his coat, when Jason’s second and third shot hit him in the chest and abdomen, spinning him toward the auditorium and toppling him to the ground.
Jason stood and moved cautiously toward the doors of the auditorium. He had only seen five men enter the school, but that did not mean there were not more who had entered elsewhere. Hew heard sirens approaching outside.
As he passed a room three doors away from the auditorium, he noticed it was full of children; all appeared dead or severely wounded. Jason’s heart stopped cold as he recognized Shelly, one of Rachel’s friends, who often spent weekends with Rachel and was her closest friend. Then he spotted Rachel and his world spun out of control.
***
This is a FOX NEWS ALERT. Breaking news from suburban America as a Christmas Pageant at a middle school in Mississippi turns into a blood bath. Reports indicate several gunmen entered the school building during the pageant celebrating the birth of Christ and opened fire. No word yet on the number of injured or the motive of the gunmen, who are now inside with an unknown number of hostages. Police have locked down the building and are trying to communicate with the gunmen. Stay tuned to FOX for updates.
***
Captain David Morgan of the Oxford, Mississippi police department arrived at Oxford middle school, home of the Oxford Fighting Rebels, only moments before the first microwave truck emblazoned with a local news affiliates logo. He grimaced as he saw the tall, long legged, blonde woman fumble with her microphone and makeup before heading toward him. They had dated a few times, but nothing serious. She was in it for a story, he was in it to get lucky, and both had failed, miserably.
“What’s going on Dave” she asked as she approached his car.
“For Christ’s sake Emma, I just got here not two minutes before you.”
“Don’t get all bent out of shape, Dave, I was just asking. It’s not like I asked for an exclusive” she snarled.
“Not like you’d get one,” he replied as he walked toward the school building, its fa
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