"Let's get started!" Mr. Schue addressed the Glee Club, clapping his hands,
*BANG*
A scream rang through the halls as Mr. Schue and Coach Beiste exchanged looks,
*BANG*
Everyone flinched again. That was undeniably a gun shot. There was a gun man in the school. Beiste ran to lock the doors and kill the lights while Mr. Schue helped the kids to spread out, assisting Artie into a safer spot than his chair.
Commotion could be heard from the halls as students and staff ran to find somewhere safe to hide. Then, silence… there was nothing but the ticking sound of the metronome left in the school.
It's ticking was in perfect timing with the song stuck in Mr. Schuester's head.
In the event of something happening to me
Blaine started to question the shots, but was silenced by the teachers.
Mr. Schue looked at his terrified kids, "Everyone… guys start texting, tweeting, let everyone know what's going on," he instructed them softly, "but don't tell them we're here, shooters have smart phones too."
There is something I would like you all to see,
The kids followed his words, messaging loved ones what was happening, reaching out to the world.
Will thought instantly of his phone still in Miss. Pillsbury's office, and thought of her. How was she managing? Is anyone with her? Is she even in the school?
"I love you guys," Will said, calming the glee clubbers with his words, but inside, he feared the worst.
Is Emma still alive?
It's just a photograph of someone that I knew.
Running. Someone was running in the halls.
The door opposite him shook. Someone wanted in. Was it the shooter? Was it a student in need?
The door next to himself and Coach Beiste was tried. Was it the police?
The running continued down the hall, and Will prayed that a student wasn't running around trying to find a hiding place. That the police were here to get them out.
*Crash*
The kids gasped in shock. They were terrified.
Have you seen my wife Mr. Jones?
Sam crawled towards himself and Shannon, despite their silent protests to stay put.
"I have to go get Brittany, she doesn't have her phone on her," Sam explained frantically, trying to get to his sweetheart.
"Sam sit down," Mr. Schuester whispered back firmly, pushing the senior down next to Blaine and Artie behind the piano.
"Tina isn't here either." Will hears Blaine whisper aloud; and his heart sinks, breaking in fear for his kids' lives.
Do you know what it's like on the outside?
Will hears another muffled conversation, this time between Marley and Kitty.
"Who are you texting?"
"Just my mum," Marley breaks, "but there's no back way out when you're in the kitchen," she breaks down sobbing, muffled as Jake pulls her comfortingly, attempting to calm her down.
Don't go talking too loud you'll cause a landslide, Mr. Jones.
"Where is she?" the brunette sobs, clutching her phone, unknowing that Millie Rose was safe, just separated from her phone in the cramped space of the school kitchen.
Will's broken heart shatters more, empathising with her pain as he was unable to contact his own fiancée.
"Why is she not answering," He hears the sophomore cry.
"No one's gonna hurt your mum," Kitty reassures, "Everyone really likes her."
I keep straining my ears to hear a sound,
"Marley," the petite cheerleader whispers again, tears streaming down her face, as Will looks over to them, "During Grease, I took in all your clothes to make you keep thinking you were fat," and the blonde breakdowns, sobbing apologises as she clutches Marley tight.
The girls attempt to keep going but are shushed by Will and Jake, and the latter tries to keep the Cheerio seated but she breaks free of his grasp, moving across the room while hot tears flood down her face as she sobs.
She runs to where Ryder is hidden, and he pulls her in, embracing her as the footballer attempted to pacify the blonde.
Maybe someone is digging underground
Just as Will thought the kids might remain calm, Sam jumps from behind the piano where Blaine and Artie were also hidden.
"Sam sit down," the teacher tries to reason.
"No, I've got to get to her, I don't want to hear it," the senior lunged towards the door, Mr. Schue and Coach Beiste grabbing him and pulling him back. They wrestle for a tense moment as Sam starts screaming. Will clamps a hand over his mouth to quieten him, and the others all burst into tears once again.
Or have they given up and all gone home to bed
"Sam,' Shannon tries, "You're putting everyone's lives in danger, look at them. Look at them, Sam; it's okay," she reassures, repeating that 'it's okay', until they put him back behind the piano with Artie and Blaine.
As Sam calms down a determined look comes over Ryder, who moves out of his hiding place much to Kitty's protests.
"Get down!" Coach Beiste whispers to him as he slides across the room, finally halting where Jake and Marley were concealed.
To be thinking those who once existed must be dead?
Artie pulls out his camera, and switches it on as Blaine asks what he is doing.
"If we don't get out of here, people need to see this," he reasons as a defeated Blaine buries his head in his arms, muffling his tears. Will knew that Artie was not helping the male cheerleader's belief that they would survive this shooting.
Artie pushes on, "Does anyone have anything they wanna say?"
Ryder volunteers, and speaks softly into the camera, "I love you dad. Thanks for… like everything and I know I don't always let you know that you've taught me a lot," he finishes, and Marley goes next.
Have you seen my wife Mr. Jones?
"There's a fake bottom to my desk drawer," she confesses, "if you look under it… there's a journal with a bunch of songs that I wrote. I've never told anyone but I'm really proud of them," the brunette finishes, and Will is instantly hit with how deep her talent goes. Marley tears return as Jake moves over to the camera to say what may be his final words to those on the outside,
"Mum, Puck; I love you guys," he says simply and Artie spins the video recorder to face Sam, who along with Blaine encourages him to switch the device off. Artie protest, to which Sam turns off himself.
Do you know what it's like on the outside?
Sam looks as if he's about to do another runner, so Mr. Schue moves quickly next to him.
"Sam, what if I go and find Brittany?" he asks, hoping to keep the young man out of danger, "I'm not letting you go out there, but if you promise to stay here, I'll go find Brittany for you."
Sam's eyes welled up with tears, nodding as he informed the teacher that she went to the bathroom across the hall before glee, and she gave Sam her bag and phone so she'd be faster.
Don't go talking too loud you'll cause a landslide, Mr. Jones.
Will hugged him briefly before moving over to Shannon, "You're really gonna do this?" She asks. Will nods, and tells her that he'll knock in a pattern of two-three-two-three, as so she'd know it was him at the door. She acknowledges him, and wished him luck as he slipped out the door. He heard Shannon lock it behind him as he silently began slipping down the hall to the girl's bathroom.
In the event of something happening to me
Mr. Schuester opened the door to the bathroom, hopeful that Brittany was still there.
*Sniffle*
Mr. Schuester's heart rose, grateful that he could rescue at least one student. He moves in carefully, wincing with each step his heeled shoes took.
There is something I would like you all to see,
"Brittany," he whispers softly to the room.
Brittany bursts out of the centre stall, tackling the show choir teacher as she whispered his name in disbelief. Will holds her tight, silently comforting the distraught cheerleader. More doors open as a sophomore boy in Will's Spanish class and another cheerleader stepped out, disbelievingly staring at the Spanish teacher.
It's just a photograph of someone that I knew.
"Is everyone all right?" He asks softly, and the other two nod, the girl's face stained with tears. The boy, Jackson, Will remembered, took the cheerleader's hand comfortingly.
"Follow me, I'll take you back to the choir room," he instructs quietly, "Coach Beiste and I will look after you," he gestures for the kids to follow him, and the small group form a quiet line as they sneak out of the bathrooms. He notes the way the cheerleader clutches to Jackson, and he hopes that this traumatic experience forms a close friendship between the two.
Have you seen my wife Mr. Jones?
The group slip across the hall, and Will knocks a code on the door; so Shannon knows that it's them. The door opens, and Brittany rushes inside as a figure clad in black with a gun appears, and Will prepares to throw himself in front of the other two when he realises that it's a member of a SWAT team. The man gestures for them to enter the room, and Will nods thankfully towards the man as he follows Jackson and the cheerleader into the choir room.
Do you know what it's like on the outside?
Sam hops up, pulling Brittany into a tight hug whispering his thanks to Mr. Schue as he guides the cheerleader, Hannah, and Jackson into hiding in another corner of the room.
Will whispers his encounter with the SWAT man to Shannon, who silences him towards the end of the story, face alert as she listened intently.
Don't go talking too loud you'll cause a landslide…
"ALL CLEAR!" A voice called through the halls.
A collective sigh of relief rose from the students. It was over, or so they though. Will shared a look with Shannon, both knowing the impacts that this event would have on the students.
Sam wrapped Mr. Schue in a hug, fresh tears flowing in relief. They were alive. Will looked around as the students got up, Kitty was holding Unique's hand as she moved to hug Brittany. The brunette cheerleader, Hannah, as Will later learned, was clinging to Jackson.
"Come 'ere everyone, come 'ere," Sam piped up, gesturing to bring everyone in to a group hug. They all complied, and Will motioned for Jackson and Hannah to join them, not wanting them to feel left out after the tragedy.
"I love you all," Will said to his kids. The teacher broke away first, unable to keep himself together any longer as he moved over to the metronome. Reaching down, he silenced it, and in the same moment the song in his head finished.
…Mr. Jones.
They students remained in the embrace with Shannon for a while, until Shannon's phone lit up. She broke away, the kids quickly filling the gap she left.
"Hello… yes we're fine… yes, he's here… sure," she handed the phone to Will, "it's Emma."
Will grabbed the phone quickly, "Emma!" He cried joyously. His wife was alive! She told him that while no one was hurt, (Tina had been with her since the guidance counsellor found the girl distraught due to being separated from everyone), and that the shooter had not been found.
They talked briefly until men clad in SWAT gear came to lead the kids out to the football field where Principal Figgins wished to speak to them. Will walked behind them, noting mentally all the changes in his students. The day's happenings would leave a lasting impact, Will noted, and he made sure to make himself available to support the kids. He did mean it when he said he loved them: for they were his family.
AN: I have always believed Will to be observant of his kids. And those who are not. I do apologise if this piece comes at a bad time for anyone, and my condolences do go out to those who have been victims of such events. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this insight into the shooting.
- TheRealGalwayGirl