The idea for this one-shot was mostly inspired by the tragic and extremely saddening shooting at Virginia Tech, however, it's implied to be about a killer inside a high school, not on a college campus. It takes place in an 'alternate universe' in a high school in Jump City. I was also thinking of a metaphor (read the title) that I could entwine in this, so enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.
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Golden Silence
by: Faded Starlight
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Silence:
Deafening.
Maddening.
Bone-chilling.
Saddening.
Frightening.
Is it true that it's golden?
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Kori
It's the middle of English; my teacher's spiel is being interrupted by a voice over the loudspeaker. I soon realize it's the principal, and his voice is stiff and rigid, and incredibly serious. "Please move into your lockdown positions immediately," he says. I hear some people groan, and another whisper, "It's another stupid lockdown drill."
My teacher, Ms. Rogers, immediately puts down the English book she was reading out of and walks briskly to the door as she motions us to move to the back of the room. We reluctantly move back, sighing and walking sluggishly. I sit next to my friend, Rachel, and press myself against the wall, hugging my knees to my chest. I watch Ms. Rogers lock the door, turn off the lights, and quietly move to the back of the room to join us. I faintly hear a few people whispering, and Ms. Rogers turns to them and puts a finger up to her lips.
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Garfield
I whisper quietly to my friend, Victor, sitting next to me. Ms. Rogers gives me a look that could cut through a solid steel door and sharply puts a finger up to her lips. I guess we're supposed to act serious, even though we've been doing these drills since elementary school. I sigh and lean back against the wall and start counting the ceiling tiles. I lose count and try again. I never was good at math.
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Victor
Listening to my bud Garfield faintly murmur, I look over and see he's deeply concentrating on how many ceiling tiles there are. I raise my eyebrows and wonder how I ever got to be friends with this guy in the first place; there must have been something about him that made him stand out. I look at Garfield again. Okay, maybe one or two things that make him stand out.
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Rachel
Everything is somewhat silent, but the faint sounds of Garfield counting the ceiling tiles and others whispering and giggling can be heard. Ms. Rogers gave up long ago on making us stay completely quiet, and now I see why. I sigh discontentedly, wondering why we had to have these stupid drills so much. What would honestly be the chances of a killer coming into our school? Seriously, the chances are very slim.
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Richard
The sudden piercing sound of a gunshot echoes through the vacant hallways outside the door. I freeze, and see everyone's eyes widen. I feel Kori clutch my arm as the gunshot fires. I look at her; there's fear written all over her face, very evident in her emerald green orbs. I soon realize what's going on. This lockdown isn't just a drill...it's real. Without even looking at her, I grope for Kori's hand and hold it firmly. She squeezes so tightly I begin to think my circulation will get cut off.
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Victor
The room goes deathly silent and out of the corner of my eye, I see someone flinch nervously. Ms. Rogers slides down on the floor, getting in a lower position. Her face is fearful, too, which doesn't make me feel too good that the only adult in here is freaking out silently, just like the rest of us. My palms suddenly get really sweaty, just like they would before a big football game, and my heart starts beating faster. I pray that this is just some sick joke. If it is a joke, it sure isn't funny.
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Kori
I feel somewhat comforted by Richard's reassuring grasp, although I'm very much aware that he's just as scared as I am. He tries to hide it, but I've known him long enough to know that he's fearing the worst right now. It became so silent after that gunshot that you could hear a pin drop on the ground. I concentrate on staying sane and taking deep breaths as I attempt to calm myself down. The last thing I need is to be a nervous wreck.
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Rachel
We've all been sitting here in the back of the room for about ten minutes now, and the sudden sound of a handle jiggling rapidly perks up everyone's ears. My eyes go wide as I scoot back farther against the wall, hundreds of thoughts running through my mind. Could it really be...
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Garfield
I stopped counting the ceiling tiles long after I heard that gunshot. Now I'm freaking out about the current dilema: there's a person with a gun trying to get into our classroom. I see the handle jiggling erratically on the door, the person just doesn't seem like they want to give up. Silence had claimed the classroom long ago, and now everyone is deathly serious and the silence is deafening. I silently realize that the phrase 'deafening silence' is an oxymoron. I quickly shake myself out of that thought, determining to be serious. This isn't a joke anymore. It's real.
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Richard
My adrenaline starts pumping madly and my heart is hammering inside my chest so loudly that I'm almost positive that everyone can hear it. I see Kori hug her knees closer and duck her head in between her knees, trying to keep low and also, most likely, sane. I bow my head lower slightly, as a strange feeling sweeps over me, almost as if something isn't quite the same. Then it his me: the jiggling of the doorknob has stopped.
Some others eventually notice the jiggling has stopped, as well. They slowly lift their heads back up out of their slouched positions, looking like a turtle coming out of its shell. A slow breath escapes through my teeth, and I realize that it's a breath of relief.
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Victor
I close my eyes when I see the doorknob stop turning. I lean my head against the wall, relieved, and hoping that was the end of this nerve-wracking experience. My wish was soon granted when the muffled sound of police sirens blared in the distance. My heart returns to its normal pace, and my shoulders relax from their hunched position. Help is on its way.
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Approximately twenty minutes later...
Kori
The police arrive at our school, but everyone remains in their classrooms. Although there are specially trained officers currently in our school, I can't help but still feel afraid. Just as everyone was beginning to relax, another gunshot rang through the school. I freeze as I slam myself back against the wall once again.
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Garfield
It seemed like a miracle when it was finally safe to come out of our lockdown positions. Everyone gets up and stretches, some people commenting that they couldn't believe what had just happened. I myself am in the same state of shock; we have just as much of a chance of something like that happening as any other school in the country. And to think that it had to be us...
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Rachel
The police tell us it's safe to come out, and we get a brief explanation of what had just happened. Many of us are wondering about the last gunshot before the police arrived, and one of the officers explains with a rigid, yet sorrowful voice that one of our very own schoolmates, 'Fang' as some people would call him, brought a gun to school and used it for bad intentions. The first gunshot that was heard was accidental, however, the last gunshot right before the police came was an intentional suicide attempt. Not wanting to face the consequences of his actions, Fang panicked when he heard the police sirens and decided to end it all right then and there. Thankfully, no one was injured, except Fang's life was ended ironically, by his own self. I feel a huge a burden lifted off my shoulders when I hear that there were no other injuries or deaths.
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A reflection of the day's events...
Richard
What happened today...it brought something to life inside all of us. Firstly, we realized that any day can be your last, and you never know when that will be.
Secondly, you can't take anything for granted, and you just never know when your fantasy or nightmare may become a reality.
Thirdly, we've learned that you have to stay strong in hard times, even in times of mourning or loss.
And lastly...as strange as it may sound, silence is a virtue. Now we know why they say that it's golden, because it saved so many of our lives that day. That's all we owe it to, because it was the one thing that kept us safe when it seemed like nothing else would.
:: The End ::
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This was a totally spur-of-the-moment kind of one-shot. It popped into my head and I thought I'd give it a go. One unique thing about this story for me personally was that I wrote most of it (except for the last part, which was the closing by Richard) in present-tense, which I normally do not do. I'm used to writing in past-tense, so this was kind of cool to try a new writing style every now and then. I hope the present-tense didn't bother you; I thought it would be more appropriate for the kind of story it was telling.
Tell me if you think the ending part sucked, or if any part wasn't very good. I hope it didn't sound rushed...I don't think it does but that's just my opinion. I would love to get feedback, so send in those reviews! I hope you all liked it!
My deepest sympathy to the victims of V.A. Tech...
Thanks for reading,
--Faded Starlight--