Murder Music

A/N: Inspired by true stories that we hear on the news every so often.

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An intruder manages to break through the foundations of East High. If hostages are to be taken, what will the students and faculty do in order to restore safety? Would they risk their own lives for the safety of others?

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Minor Troyella and Chaylor. I do not claim anything from HSM. This is also my second HSM fic, first one that I'm planning on being longer than one little drabble. Bear with me please! (:

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Four: Heralded Danger (Ultimate Sacrifice)

It was only due to the fact that Troy and Chad had practically darted out of the class that Sharpay yelped, "Everybody out!" It was sheer luck no one was hurt in the process.

In the blind light of the hall, Troy set up against one wall while Chad was against the other. Through the utter darkness they had to rely on their hands against the wall, much like the blind to make any headwind.

"I don't like this, man," Chad muttered after some time. They'd gone the opposite way of the rest of the class, who had stampeded for the front entrance. The air was cold and stiffening, burning their lungs.

And then came Gabriella's scream again, now further in the distance; sounding like she'd said no. The boys ran. Classes that they passed, or at least a certain percent also looked like they were under lock down via a masked gunman. Chad swore to himself. "God…they have us," Troy breathed, though not slowing his pace. Knowing this, that their efforts were very much in vain, the two athletic stars continued to sprint around the bend, however not knowing what trouble they'd come to. Was it not the superhuman effects of adrenaline that blurred their common sense?

Outside, however, a mass of people, parents, police, students and the like, crowded about the outside of the school building. There were a few less than a dozen of the gunmen dressed in black, carting rifles proudly. In the very center of this line of murders stood the man that had shaken Ms. Darbus's class, holding Sharpay's neck, using her as a human shield to the police, who'd held stance with their guns drawn. The blonde could hardly subside her sobs as tears streaked her perfect complexion. She quickly realized perfectionism didn't mean near as much as being alive. It was a standoff.

The man holding Sharpay hostage growled, just loud enough for the front most of the school's crowd to hear, "You better hope the guys don't show up with the girlies…if they do you're toast."

Back in the dark confines of the school, a shrill ring had pierced the silence of the dark air. It took a moment for the wailing to register as the fire alarm in their minds. Again Chad swore beneath his breath; the two turned the corner sharply, only to find an orange blaze building. Their mouths hung open slightly. "Tell me they're not here…" Chad stammered.

"Help us!" the scream came from behind the nearest door--a utility closet about ten feet out of reach, and the entrance space rapidly being swallowed by fire.

"We're here--!" Troy shouted back.

"Troy!?" It was Gabriella.

"Gimme your jacket," Troy muttered to Chad, holding out his hand.

"Wh-What? This is my favorite one, man," he'd stammered hesitantly, caught of guard.

"It's the only thing we've got to put this out…at least temporarily," Troy explained. "Not like you need it with your twenty million shirts on, and not to mention the lovely fire."

Chad rolled his eyes and reluctantly relinquished the top most layer of his outfit. "Things I do for you," he hissed, the only joke they'd managed over this whole ordeal.

Troy had made quick work of the jacket, taking random hits at the fire until a short path had cleared. Both teenagers jumped through the minimizing area and then scampered to regain their balance in front of the door. The area they'd been left to stand in was that of a probable 5' x 5' patch of tile. Troy clawed at the door while Gabriella and Taylor had been jiggling it from behind.

"It's locked!" Gabriella cried.

"Man…you-you just might want to hurry this up…" Chad said leerily, his eyes keeping watch of the flickering flames that loomed closer.

"Chad--I need your help here…" Troy muttered, backing away from the door for only a moment and looking to his friend. Again it felt like one of those partnering hero-type of situations.

The door was solid, but with enough force, everything gave way. Both boys pulled on the outside, while the girls pressed themselves up as much as they could against the barrier. A sliding click signified their success, and the door slung open and out of their grasps in the next instant.

Gabriella's tearstains were apparent, she had minor lines of mascara trailing under her eyes, and her normally welcome brown eyes were tinged red. Her wrists were similarly pink; she and Taylor had been tied together, but managed to escape the restraints by pulling against one and other until their hands pulled free of the tatty rope binding. The girl flung her arms around Troy's neck after they'd all regained their balance; she sniffled into his shoulder, feeling she couldn't cry much more. Taylor had done similarly; she threw her arms around Chad's middle and uttered a, "Thank you," while he looked a tad stunned. The guys had just saved their lives, or so they believed, and neither girl could believe it.

Then they woke up from the temporary relief. Fire roared around them, and again Chad bit his tongue. There was not getting a break here. Troy had managed to cut a path through the embers, and both boys insisted on sending the girls first. Quite unusual for them, but what of this situation wasn't?

"Troy--!" Gabriella cried once they'd cleared the threat of the ever-hungry fire path. Of course the fire wasn't going to stop, but it had come to slower speed a bit further down the hall.

"You go," Troy muttered, taking another blind swipe at the fire with Chad's destroyed jacket in attempts to dry-douse the blaze.

"No way, man," Chad objected.

"Chad, don't be stupid."

"Same to you."

Both sighed angrily and then counted from three. At three Chad gave Troy a bit of a shove from the delayed reaction, and then they proceeded to do an almost pole-vaulting jump over the slowly regenerating flames. After barely stumbling to catch their feet, Chad breathed, "Idiot," though laughed to himself. Troy gave a heavy sigh and laughed as he held onto his friend's shoulder for balance. They'd just completed the phrase, "To hell and back."

"Jacket?" Troy offered the now tattered and scorched material to Chad, and he couldn't help himself from laughing.

"Man--it's your early birthday present," he replied.

The fire alarm was still screaming.

"Where--is the class still back there?" Taylor questioned worriedly.

"They bailed out after us," Troy explained, "looked like they were heading for the front."

"Was anyone hurt?" Gabriella asked timidly.

"Not that we could tell," Chad stated.

"I hope they're alright," Gabriella whispered.

The four proceeded to make for the front entrance of the school, while Chad questioned, "Did you actually get through to 911?"

Gabriella and Taylor looked unexpectedly at Troy. "Yeah," he sighed, "didn't get to say much, but they heard everything--the shots and the screams after I dialed. I didn't hang up when I got up."

"Lunkhead basketball man is smarter than even I believed," Taylor mused, impressed that the two had thought to do such a thing. Gabriella giggled, causing Taylor to smile. Chad laughed. Troy gave an innocent shrug that said, "That's me."

Moments later the group had made it to the outside, but unfortunately came out of the wrong entrance. They stood between the row of killers and the school, furthest from the crowd of police where they would have been safe. Troy and Chad's faces fell the moment they'd cleared the doors. The mass of people gasped quietly, but enough to make the nine gunmen turn to see the guests of the hour show up, finally.

The man in the center, the one that had just threatened the four, now held a short barreled gun to Sharpay's jaw. She gave a squeak of fright from the chilling metal against her skin, and looked to Troy in desperation. Four of the other eight turned their guns on the group that had just strolled outside, causing Troy and Chad to step in range, between the rifles and the girls. Again it was the adrenaline to blame for the sacrificial antics. The remaining four men clutched their rifles tight, ready to retaliate should something go wrong.

"It's them or blondie," the gruff man with Sharpay snarled.

Gabriella's breath failed her for a moment. This was certainly not a choice she had wanted to create. Not with being the new student that Sharpay obviously held a grudge for. Taylor looked to Gabriella with a frightened image of innocence; she knew what the other was thinking. Both stole a glance from behind the boys at Sharpay. She looked terrified, but no where near angry.

"Tick tock, tick tock," the man chuckled, acid in his malevolent taunts. The basically audience of the terror didn't want to watch, but couldn't move from their spots.

Now it was time for the boys to exchange looks. In all reality, the options were not good. Either Sharpay was to perish here, or the four of them in attempts to save each other. Troy's chest was tight when he and Chad exchanged wary looks. Neither of them had a plan. Chad barely stepped back and took Taylor's hand behind his back. She knew they didn't have a plan at that point. They swallowed nervously, and Troy's eyes scanned the crowd for any fleeting means of hope.

While the man holding Sharpay hostage still was looking back, smirking vilely to the other teens, a succession of shots were fired. Gabriella and Sharpay cried out again, Taylor clung to Chad as he inched backwards, and Troy flinched before Gabriella had gripped his shit.

Troy and Chad looked horrified at what had taken place before them. They were fine, doing well, even. The nine men had been downed by the police squadron, leaving spatters of blood on the front steps of East High. Sharpay had stumbled and let her knees buckle to save her from possible gunfire. After silence reverberated from the school's front doors, Ryan was the first to cross the invisible barrier and help his sister up. The student body erupted in relieved cheers.

Chad still looked stunned, and Troy almost as much as he. Gabriella's eyes were still pressed shut, she feared the images that would become nightmares for her should she take a look at the bloodshed. Troy sensed this and turned around, enveloping her in an embrace while telling her it'd be alright. She merely shook and nodded her head as he ran hands through the length of her hair. Taylor gave a heavy sigh of relief as she let her head fall against Chad's back. Her arms had trailed around his stomach as he looked over his shoulder to her.

They were fine. They had lived. Chad was minus a sweater, but they would live.

Chad turned under Taylor's hug, and she held her head against his chest, barely starting to shudder. "I was so scared…I thought it was over.." she breathed. The cold sweat was falling on the four of them as the reality came back; they could have at so many points, died a painful death that day.

The medics crossed the barrier as well, making to check on the now six students that were on the steps. Police came to investigate the bodies of the gunmen.

"You never act like that," Taylor stated. Nearly an hour had passed, and most everyone had composed themselves. They were still being held at the school, most waiting for their parents to pick them up after the school issued massive amounts of phone calls, and two news crews had hit the scene. The four were still inside the school, and most people were running around as if it still was one, even though it was a couple hours after school would normally have let out. Taylor and Chad stood by the front windows while Gabriella and Troy sat at a bench just opposite them.

"Being scared makes you do crazy things," Chad said with an almost laugh, raising his eyebrows but not meeting her eyes.

"I'm just glad you're alright," Troy admitted to Gabriella. The two were holding interlaced hands.

"Me too," she smiled. "And you--and Chad, you guys are brave to do that."

"I guess we were just determined," Troy chuckled. The whole ordeal now seemed distant.

Troy had a bandage high on his left shoulder from the bullet's near-hit. Chad had gotten stitches for a small gash above his eyebrow, but that was the extent of the 'major' injuries.

"I'm sorry about how I've treated you," Taylor whispered.

"It's no big deal," Chad lied. Most of the time she was the only one that could tick him off.

"I-I don't know how to say this," Taylor began lowly, looking to the tile, the wall, anywhere but at him, "I…am beyond grateful. I'm so…so…" she sighed angrily, "proud isn't the word, but you know what I mean--that you came after us."

"No one wants do die," he smiled. "And someone had to make sure you were safe." He looked out the window again, the principal was speaking with a news reporter. "You didn't think I had it in me, did you?" Chad then smirked.

"Honestly, no," Taylor laughed.

"Shows how much you know," he said, stealing a glance in her direction. And in the same fluid moment he'd taken her hand with his own.

Gabriella almost squeaked as she cooed, "Aww!"

Taylor looked back at her, and then at her hand sheepishly. After a few seconds of her looking to Gabriella in faux surprise, she called back, "Oh, shut up." Chad smiled to himself.

"Alright--any idea when we're going home?" Troy stated. And again the group smiled. It was definitely going to be a memory they'd hold onto throughout their lives; the terror, and the relief of it all.

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A/N: Yay first HSM series completed! I was a little strained for ideas for the end ): Sorry if it's less than expected. I also wanted to stay away from a whole lot of gore…so I did the best I could there. Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are always lovely :) And for the future, I've got another HSM fic coming shortly!