CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
with tired minds and tired souls

TW: school sh***ing, blood.

        NATHAN ROYAL SCOTT HAS NEVER BEEN THIS TERRIFIED IN HIS WHOLE SEVENTEEN YEARS OF LIVING ON THIS EARTH. And the cause of this disastrous thought? A gunshot had apparently rung out across Tree High at the earliest hours of the day, indicating a shooter was on the lose. Once the words fell from Brooke Davis' lips, the basketball player started rushing towards the school doors with one person in mind. Lola. He couldn't think of anything else, afraid something bad might've happened to her in the small time it took for everything to happen.

        Someone suddenly throws their body on top of his, knocking him against the pavement. "Get off me, man!" Nathan shoved him away, quickly getting up from the ground. "Lola's in there!" He didn't say anything else, immediately rushing away and into the double doors.

        His heart was pounding loudly against his ribcage, but he ignored it, continuing along the path of the long hallway where tons of backpacks littered the dirty floor. He knew Lola had been in the computer room and he prayed she still was. But first, he needed a weapon.

        His feet made it inside the coach's office where he grabbed the bat from where it laid inside the big bowl. It brought a sort of comfort for him as it moved around his fingers. Whoever did this was going to pay, he didn't give two shits who the person was.

         "You gotta plan?" Lucas asked incredulously, staring at his brother as if he had two heads as he walks into the room in a slow pace.

        "Yeah. I'm gonna make my way to the computer room where Lola was last seen and I'm gonna get her the hell out of here." Nathan watched the blonde shut the door, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "What're you doing?"

        Lucas shook his head, "Your plan sucks. We should just turn around and let the police handle this."

        "The police are gonna wait and game plan, they always do that. Listen, I know this is stupid, but what if something happens to Lola? Can you live with that? Because I sure as hell can't."

        The older brother looked up to his taller, younger, one. "The hero always dies in this situation, Nate."

        "It's Lola where talking about, Lucas." Nathan's eyes softened a little bit to let his brother know just how much the girl meant to him. "She's our best friend, we can't leave her out there."

        Lucas couldn't say anything else, just slowly nodding as he realized how right Nathan was. It finally clicked in his head. Haley, Peyton. They still hadn't gotten out either. "Fine. Let's go."

        And so the Scott brothers took off down the hallway again when they come across the doors that were shot at, where Peyton and Brooke had been close to. Blood was splattered on the ground, causing their hearts to drop.

        "Nate, it could be Peyton." Lucas couldn't move his eyes away from the red substance. "Or someone else." He finally looked at the brunette. "The library doors don't lock, whoever's in there isn't safe."

        "Lucas, I have to find Lola." Their eyes locked and a certain understanding passed through both different shades.

        The blonde slowly nodded, "Be careful." He watched the other boy walk away, before he called out to him again. "Nate."

        Three words tried to escape his lips, but he hesitated. Nathan just nodded at his brother, understanding the eight letters he wanted to say.

       I love you. It whispered through their minds. Be careful.

        "I know man, you too." Nathan said, letting a tiny part of his mouth twitch upwards before finally leaving the blind behind.

        After about three minutes of walking to get to Lola, his ears perk up at sound of someone walking around. He's quick to grab the person and slam them against the nearest wall.

        "Dude, what's happening?" Mouth McFadden exclaimed, quickly getting his mouth covered by Nathan's hand.

        The next words come out whispered, "Mouth? What're you doing here?" He removed his hand from the other's mouth.

        Mouth let out a few breaths of air, "I was in the A.V. room and I come out and it's like dawn of the dead."

        Nathan shook his head, "Don't say dead." He couldn't think of anyone in that position, it made his blood run cold at the thought. "Someone's got a gun in the school. You gotta get out of here, I'm gonna go get Lola."

        The short boy looked around the school, fear rolling off him in waves as he thought of the shooter coming for him. His eyes then find Nathan's bat, "I'm just gonna stick with you." He gulped.

        Both boys took off down the hallways again, their steps soft so no noise would be sent off and alert the person of their whereabouts. They finally make it to the room needed and Nathan quickly looks around, finding no one besides empty computers and backpacks flung in different directions.

        "She's not here." Nathan whispered, heart breaking at the thought of the person snatching his girlfriend up. When he walks out of the computer room with a heavy heart, he hears soft whispering coming from the tutor room right beside this one.

        He ignores Mouth and tries to open the door, noticing it's locked. And as much as he wanted to kick the door down trying to find Lola, he softly knocks. No one opens it, so he comes up with the next best thing. Grabbing his wallet with shaking fingers, he takes the student ID out and slides it under the tiny slot.

        With some arguing on the other side and loud noises, it finally opens to reveal Skills Taylor. Nathan ignores his friend and rushes inside, eyes frantically looking for the one person he didn't want to lose.

        Haley walked up to his side and clutched his jacket, "Oh, Nathan, I knew you'd come for me."

        He doesn't say anything when his eyes finally land on the black haired girl. "Lola!" He exclaimed, rushing over towards the table she laid upon, body unmoving. His hands dropped the bat, going up to brush the fingers through her hair. "What happened?"

        Skills was the one to speak up out of everyone there, "I don't know, man. I was running and found her lying on the floor of the computer room, decided to drag her here for safety."

        The Scott boy didn't say anything else, fingers still running through her hair. "Come on, Lols. Wake up. I need you to wake up for me. Please." He pressed his index finger against her neck, checking for a pulse. A breath leaves his mouth once he finds it.

        The soft voice of Nathan woke her up and she blinks, eyes opening to find him clutching her hands in desperation. "Nathan." Her voice was raspy, a pounding coming from her head where it must've hit against the ground. "What's going on?"

        Nathan let out a shocked sound, "Oh my god! You're okay!" He kissed her temple, tears almost falling against his cheeks. "A shooter came in the school, everyone left, besides us in the room. I was just about to get everyone out of here."

        "No!" A voice cut him off, catching everyone's attention as they look over at the person. They held a gun in their hands, shakingly pointing the object at no one in particular. "Nobody's going anywhere."

        Jimmy Edwards. The boy who claimed to hate everyone in this school. How everyone was fake with their annoying cliches.

        Lola grabbed onto Nathan's hand and clutched it, slowly raising up so she was sitting on the desk instead of laying down. Fear struck inside her as she realized Jimmy was the one to cause all of this.

        "Get away from the door!" Jimmy demanded, his gun still raised in the direction of the students closest to the exit.

        Everyone moved back into the corner from before. Haley held onto Skills' arm, Mouth shaking in his head in denial at what his friend was doing and the other two just staring, watching everything go down.

        Nathan took a protective stance in front of his girlfriend, not wanting Jimmy to set his sights on her. His left hand was behind his back, still holding onto Lola's, both taking comfort in that fact.

        "You shouldn't be doing this, Jimmy. Stop." Mouth pleaded to his friend.

        Jimmy frantically shook his head, "It's too late now." He moved over towards the desk, hun still high in the air. His free hand rummaged through the drawer and grabbed some tape. "Alright, this is what we're gonna do. You're gonna tape a line down the center of the room." He threw it towards Nathan who caught it. "Go!"

        Lola could sense the tenseness of Nathan's shoulders, so she grabbed ahold of them and squeezed.

        "Jimmy Edwards!" Haley exclaimed, gaining his attention, tears coming from her eyes. "That's your name. You're a good person and you're better than this. Seven hostages in the tutor center, Jimmy? That's not you."

        Lola watched the other girl try and get the other boy to let them go, her mind trying to stay in the moment instead of past trauma.

        "What is that?" Jimmy's eyes were wide, drawn towards the device in Haley's hands. "Is that a phone!? Give it to me!"

        Tutor Girl threw it at him, the small thing landing in his large palms.

        Nathan had started on the line after getting yelled at, the gun going in his direction with every step he took. Once he finished, he walked back towards Lola and grabbed onto her again.

        "Now, everyone move over towards the tables. Don't cross that line, if anybody does... just don't."

        "Or what, Jim? Would you do that? Would you really shoot us?" Haley asked from where she sat between Skills and Mouth at one of the tables.

        Jimmy pointed the gun at her, "Don't talk to me, Haley. When was the last time we hung out? You're just as bad as my friend Mouth, who totally blew me off! You changed and you know it. You became just like the rest of them."

        Lola's breath hitched for a moment, trying not to freak out over this fucked up situation they were being put through. She absentmindedly played with Nathan's fingers, trying to distract herself from vomiting.

        "Did you think I, I got up today and wanted this?" Jimmy exclaimed, body moving around wildly. "I just wanted it to stop."

        Silence passes for a moment before a student named Marcus speaks up, "We could charge at you, you know. If we all charged you at once, no way you shoot us all."

        "Yeah, you're probably right, but who's gonna be first? Besides, if you get past me, the others will get you."

        Nathan gave him a look, "No, man. I was other there, it's just you."

        "You really think I'm the only one? Then ask yourself this: you ever treat someone like crap in this school or left anyone out? You ever broken up with someone in the time it takes to pass a note and disappear? Or talk trash behind their back? Or maybe, you ignored it all, you know, while you worry about the big game or the prom or the bake sale for the pep club. You ask yourself that and then you tell me, is anyone else out there! Guys like you get everything you want."

        The Scott boy shook his head, "So, you can pass judgment about guys like me all you want but somebody stereotypes you and there's gunplay? Maybe it is easier for me and my friends, but, you know that doesn't make what you're doing right, does it? This is wrong, man, all of this. I think you know that."

        Heavy breathing breaks everyone out of their talking and they look down to see the bad condition Abby seemed to be in. Pale face and heavy breathing. Haley is the one to check on her, looking at her wrists for any damage when her eyes catch sight of a certain bracelet. "You're diabetic? Where's your insulin?"

        "In my locker across the quad. I'm sorry." Abby spoke to Jimmy, voice barely audible.

        "No, forget it. It's impossible."

        Lola finally spoke up, eyes not leaving the girl on the floor. "Let her go, Jimmy. She's really sick."

        "Alright! Just her, come on!"

        Haley helped the girl stand, the two walking towards Jimmy, who still pointed the deadly weapon in their direction. He yelled at Haley and Mouth to stay behind the line once they got too close, only letting Abby through.

        He opened the door, "Go on before I change my mind." He yelled before seeing the look upon her face, his eyes softening. "Go."

        Abby gave the others one last look before taking off into a sprint, never turning back.

        "You know, they're going to remember me as a monster." Jimmy explained, eyeing every student in the room. "I wonder how they'll remember all of you." And with his sad expression plastered on his face, he took off down the hallways.

        Once he was gone, Lola let out the breath she held, feeling slightly better. But it didn't take too long for that sinking feeling in the bottom of her stomach to return at the thought of something bad happening.

        Everyone else felt it as well, tears rushing out quickly. It was as if they were sitting ducks, waiting for the bad. Minutes tic by as a gunshot rings out, echoing across the large building, loud enough to hear in the Tutor room.

        Lola flinched, head falling onto Nathan's chest for comfort, the boy immediately grabbing her and wrapping her small body around his large arms.

        They were about to be rescued and returned home safely, but at what cost?

        Does this darkness have a name? This cruelty, this hatred? How did it find us? Did it steal into our lives or did we seek it out and embrace it? What happened to us that we now send our children into the world like we send young men to war, hoping for their safe return, but knowing that some will be lost along the way? When did we lose our way, consumed by the shadows, swallowed whole by the darkness? Does this darkness have a name? Is it your name?