A short story set around the Tomorrow, When the War Began series. Just a short story about some kids who are imprisoned in their school. You don't have to have read the series to understand the story although I suggest to all who have not read them! John Marsden is truly an amazing author. Enjoy.

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Footsteps sounded in the hall. Jacalyn shivered. She knew what the footsteps meant, what they brought to her. Rape. Torture. She knew that any moment now a guard would burst through the door, drag her into the torture room and beat her. She knew also that then the guard would rape her and after he was finished he would pull out his trusted pocketknife and holding it to the fire would heat the blade till it was red with heat. He would then cut and burn her body until he was satisfied with her screams of pain, no matter how hard she tried to keep the screams within her. Then he would beat her unconscious and drag her back to the cell she shared with her only friends that remained alive and her younger brother who looked on in horror each time she was brought back.

Chad, Brent and Damian were all that were left of her year 12 class of 25 students, the rest had been shot, beaten or mutilated beyond belief and they had watched as their friends had been killed. Little Jamie, Jacalyn's younger brother was the only survivor of his year 3 class, none of the prisoners knew the fate of the rest of his class and teacher except Jamie himself who refused to talk about it, for Jamie had been placed in the cell three weeks after the invasion began much to the amazement of Jacalyn who had thought he was dead. Jacalyn heard the footsteps just outside the door and she took a frightened look around their cell. It had been a classroom once, filled with children high on life, yet now it had been converted into a grimy, dirty room where the children were slowly but shortly brutally murdered until there was but five left. Jacalyn knew that it was time for her to die, she had heard the guards talking. It had been four days since Jasmine, Jacalyn's best friend before the invasion, had been killed and the guards were looking for more entertainment.

They had finally gotten bored with torturing her and had decided that killing her would be more fun. Jacalyn looked over her friends and little brother and on meeting Chad's eye she shakingly said, "Take care of them, especially Jamie." Chad's eyes filled with tears as he nodded, although they both knew that he had no chance against the guards. The guard had reached the door now and as he dragged Jacalyn down the hallway, Jamie seemed to jump out of the silent filled coma he had been suffering. Screaming and yelling to save his sister, Jamie, with adrenaline filled strength, rushed at the door knocking the door-guard over with the force. Shocked Chad, Brent and Damian glanced at each other before also heading for the door. As Homer went through the guard made a groan only to be silenced with Damian's fist in his face. Rushing down the hallway, the three boys were surprised when they could not see Jamie, but by the screaming coming from one passage, they knew that the guard and Jacalyn had headed in that direction.

In the back of his mind Brent idly noted that they were headed toward the basketball court, or what was the basketball court before the invasion. Breaking through the door the three boys were met with the sight of Jamie running toward the guard who held Jacalyn but to late they saw the guard over next to the old scoreboard reach for his gun and shoot Jamie. As Jamie feel, Jacalyn was able to break free from the guard who had held her and she collapsed over Jamie's body sobbing all the time. Yelling Chad, Brent and Damian lunged for the guards only to be cut down by the guard's deadly bullets.

Jacalyn heard the crunching of the guard's boots heading toward her and felt the cold metal of the pistol touch her forehead. Glancing around the court she saw the bullet-riddled bodies of Chad, Damian and Brent before her focus went back to that of her beautiful baby brother. As she reached out and closed her brother's eyes she was dimly aware of the guard yelling for her to get up. Hearing the guard knock his pistol into position she did something he had not expected. Jacalyn reached up and placing her finger over his she squeezed the trigger. She didn't even have time to think about how she was now free before the bullet connected with her brain and her dead body fell onto that of her younger brothers, holding onto him for all eternity.