Betarie 1 Joe Betarie Mr. Harrell English Comp 1 16 Sept. 2013 One Heartbeat Bang, bang, bang!

As I looked up I saw some of my friends and fellow classmates collapse to the floor, blood rushing out of them. Slowly taking the last breath they would ever breathe. Some say its a fluke, while others say it could happen anywhere. It was just the wrong situation occurring at the wrong school, at the wrong time. A school shooting is a very traumatic event that will affect each and every person differently. Who would know something so life changing would have happened in an ordinary, small town place called Chardon High School? It was a Monday morning, like every other day waking up going through the same routine of getting ready and going to school. I jumped in my car, which I was about to be late, as usual, and flew out of the driveway. As I arrived at school everything seemed typical. I parked my car and ran into the building; little did I know that I would be running a lot more shortly after. As I walked into Chardon High School, I went to the same old cafeteria and sat down next to my group of friends, which was a mix of jocks, nerds, and everything inbetween. These were the kids I associated with everyday and things seemed normal. This would be the closest thing I would see to normality as I would in a very long time. With a few minutes to spare before the bell rang, I began to study for my math test that day, trying to desperately pass the class with a C. Then out of nowhere I heard

Betarie 2 what sounded like kids popping chip bags. That is the most annoying thing ever and I stood up to see what was going on. As I turned left I saw a dark figure. The next thing I knew to my disbelief I witnessed my fellow classmates being gunned down to the floor. One after another, watching them fall. I still did not believe what I was looking at. I wiped my eyes pushing deep into my skull and try to take a better look again. Then it finally hit me. Could this be real? What looked like a movie was happening right in front of my eyes. I could not believe what I was witnessing. I watched people I have know for the past several years lives taken from them. Things still didnt seem real to me. I gazed and just observed what was going on. Still not processing it. Nothing made sense because at a school it should be a safe zone. Brick walls with teachers everywhere monitoring your every move. Thats why nothing made sense at that moment. How could something that was thought to have been so safe in the past feel so flawed now? Everything I had been told about safety sounded like a joke to me. Its like the gates had been left wide open for anyone to enter as they pleased. Finally when I tried to make sense of everything all hell broke loose. The second everyone in the cafeteria knew what was going on chaos broke out. Instantaneously, everyone in the room dropped to the floor faster than I have ever seen a reaction in my life. We huddled under the table not knowing what for sure was going on and not caring who was bumping into us or how close to one another we were. All we were worrying about was that we were safe. After the gunshots stopped sounding from the gun people darted out from under the table and it was like ants leaving their anthill. We spread out in all directions running to safety. I ran to the teachers lounge, opened the door and people followed. Still not processing the event that had just occurred, I held the

Betarie 3 door open while many other students struggled to pack in like sardines. The terror was something words cannot explain. As we waited in the teachers lounge I dialed 911, which I had never had to do before. It was so surreal that nothing made sense still at this point. When the operator picked up, I explained the situation and she was so mind blown that I could tell even she was worried for the students. I can still hear every word she said to me to this day. Everything will be ok honey, go lock the door for me. At that moment things took a turn for the worse. There was no lock on the door. While still hearing scuffling going on outside the door, we panicked. So a few of us decided to do the next best thing and pushed the piano in front of the door. I looked around and beheld the pain in my friends eyes. The unexplainable anxiety, terror, and shock overwhelmed me. Tears were rolling down everyones eyes and at that moment I lifted my head up and saw the shooters sister. Questions I asked myself still give me chills today. What if he comes looking for her? What if she has a gun too? What if we are next? The what if factor haunted everyone in that room. As I looked out the window all I could see were Chardon Police cars followed by sheriffs, firefighters, ambulances, S.W.A.T., and FBI screeching their brakes so hard you could smell the brake dust. It appeared as if they leaped out of the vehicles before they even stopped moving. We were now surrounded by the most professional and strongest men alive, but it still didnt seem to feel safe. When help arrived and we imagined we were safe, the sound of more shuffling began again in the cafeteria. Was the shooter coming back to find his sister? My heart was pounding out of my chest at this point. I saw the doorknob turn and I thought everything was over. This was it. I was so strong

Betarie 4 until this point, but now it was time to give up. I broke down in tears. My life was over. It had to have been the happiest moment in my life when I realized it was an officer who opened that door. We were saved. We walked outside of the cafeteria and at each doorway there were multiple men armored up with S.W.A.T. attire, which made it seem like I was in a maximum-security prison. I remember the walk in front of the high school where the FBI agents escorted us in groups to our parents. I looked into the horizon and there were families lined up miles long. What disturbed me was that some were unaware that their kids did not make it. As the FBI agent escorted us outside of the school I had a moment to think about how safety is only an illusion. Chardon always felt like it was a fenced in community, safe from the outside world. What was always broadcast on the news never seemed to happen there. It seemed like risk of danger was lower and we were unique. That morning the fence was taken away and we were exposed. We were left vulnerable to the unknown. I was surrounded by hundreds of people but no one could help. All I wanted was a way out. Even now I look for the exit, preparing myself mentally for the unexpected. The gruesome images of the blood-spattered cafeteria still haunt me today. When I reached my parents that morning it was a very emotional moment. Almost like a cloud of thick air was just lifted away from over top of my head. It finally felt as if everything was going to be fine. I could now breathe.