No, like a real nightmare. One that wakes you up in the middle of the night, one that once you do wake up, there is no chance in hell you’re falling back asleep. You’re simply too scared that the horrors will return. A nightmare that lingers in your brain for the entire day, never allowing you to forget the exact details you wish you never experienced. One that you spend the rest of the morning creating a “good ending”, just to cope with it. A nightmare that when something even marginally representing the nightmare happens in the real world, you almost have a full meltdown. One that you wish with all your soul you will forget the next day. You haven’t? Be grateful.
I am an average high schooler in my schools Marching Band.
It has been a long day, and it’s almost over. Just a few more hours of Marching Band rehearsal and I get to go home.
The band director leads the band through an exercise.
The sun is blazing. Still high in the sky, it beats down on my neck and calves. A drop of sweat drips down my forehead.
The band director runs the band through another exercise.
Suddenly I hear fireworks, somewhere. I think this is odd, as it’s still daytime and you wouldn’t be able to see the fireworks. Regardless, I look in the sky to see if I can see the light show.
They are closer than I expected. I can see a few lights illuminating the sky, but they are ultimately drowned out by the sun.
I decide to face forward again, and start paying attention to the band director
But suddenly, he takes a step forward and falls off his podium.
I stifle a laugh, and immediately feel bad about it, however, something else is off.
For one, the fireworks haven’t stopped yet, and the band director isn’t getting up.
That doesn’t sound like fireworks… I think. That sounds like..!
Panicked I whip around and see a strange-looking man on the field, holding a gun.
I don’t know what to do, this has to be a joke right? A prank?
Someone in the band screams as the sound of gunshots grows louder and louder. The masked man sprays his weapon all over the field.
The entire band is in a panic. Screams can be heard from every direction, all 150 students running in different directions, instruments dropped and forgotten. The feeling of panic and disbelief keeps me paralyzed.
Suddenly someone bumps into me, snapping me out of my daze. I finally realize what’s going on.
A number of bodies I don’t want to count already lay on the ground, pools of blood forming around them. I start to run, but can barely move due to all the chaos.
I drop my instrument, and start running toward anywhere that looks safe.
I see somewhere I can hide, it’s a far way away, but it’s the safest place I can think of.
I don’t even make it 2 steps before someone runs past me, but get shot as they pass me.
My bleeding peer falls onto you, pushing me to the ground. Their blood seeps onto my clothes and into the pores of my body.
They mumble some unintelligible last words and lose all tension in their body.
They’re dead.
I want to scream. I want to yell as loud as I can and be teleported to a better, safer world. But yelling would only make things worse.
I somehow find the courage to get up and run to safety.
I lie face down on the floor, with my hands covering my ears.
The sound of screams and gunshots never stopped once.
I reach for your phone to call 911, but I realize I left it at the field.
Helpless, I lie on the floor waiting for this all to be over, the blood of someone I didn’t know drying onto my skin.
Finally, the gunshots stop. The screams end. But my fear doesn’t.
Still paralyzed in spot, I wait there for an immeasurable amount of time.
Cherish your life and the moment you are in right now. You never know when it will be taken away in the blink of an eye.