Lockdown by Diane Tullson Read Free Book Online Page A

it’s called. All I know is that it’s to deaden the sound of the gunfire so the officer doesn’t get disoriented.
    The cop’s hand reveals a tiny tremor.
    Big gun. Jumped-up cop. Not good.
    I try again to speak. “It’s not me.”
    The cop looks at me like I’ve spoken a strange language.
    â€œNot me.”
    Another cop swings in behind me, and I see him grab Zoe and push her to the floor. More cops join him. I shift so that my back is to the wall. Josh is on the floor in front of me. We’re ringed by cops.
    I see myself on a playground swing and maybe my life does flash before my eyes. If so, it doesn’t take long. I hear Zoe cry out, “He’s not the shooter.”
    More cops storm through the doors from the caf kitchen. Maybe they don’t hear her. Every gun is trained on my head.
    Mr. Connor edges toward me. “Adam, give me the gun.”
    I look down at Josh. He’s watching Mr. Connor. I feel his body tense.
    Mr. Connor says, “We know you’re not the shooter.”
    â€œDo they know?” I gesture with my head at all the cops. “They don’t appear to know.”
    Mr. Connor raises his hands as if to calm the cops. He says, “He’s not the shooter.”
    Some of the cops lower their guns a notch.
    Mr. Connor steps closer. “It’s over, Adam. You’re safe now.”
    I want to believe him.
    I bring the gun down from above my head. All the cops’ guns come back up. I freeze.
    â€œAdam.” Mr. Connor reaches out his hand.
    Two things happen at the same time. I hand the gun to Mr. Connor, and Josh lunges for it. More than two things, actually. Far more than two things, because as soon as Josh grabs for the gun, the officers open fire.

Chapter Sixteen
    The noise of gunfire in the hallway is incredible. My forehead flattens in the shock wave. It is that fast. Then it stops. My eardrums feel like they are being yanked out of my head, and the hallway starts to spin. I fall to my knees and throw up.
    â€œParamedic!” one of the cops shouts into his radio.
    I blink, trying to clear my vision. Where’s Zoe? I struggle to focus. In front of me, the hallway swims with blue armored cops. “Zoe?”
    A cop puts his hand on my shoulder. “She’s okay.”
    I see her then. She’s standing with her hands over her face.
    â€œZoe!” I call to her, and she looks at me. Tears are streaming down her face. She tries to come to me, but a cop puts his hand on her arm.
    I try to get up but my feet slide. I look down. There’s blood on the floor. I scramble to get up, my hands and legs covered in the blood. I touch my chest, my arms, my legs. I’m not shot. It’s not my blood.
    A cop pulls me out of the way.
    Josh is face down on the floor. A cop kneels beside him and puts his hand on Josh’s neck. The cop shakes his head.
    The metal doors from the kitchen bang open and a team of paramedics blast in, pushing a gurney.
    I look down at Josh. Beside him on the floor, his glasses are twisted, the lenses broken. I reach down and pick up the glasses. I straighten the metal frames the best I can. One of the lenses pops out. I hold it betweenmy thumb and finger. I clean it on the bottom of my shirt.
    The paramedics are running and I think it’s weird they’re in such a hurry because Josh is obviously dead. Then I see Mr. Connor.
    He is on the floor. His face is contorted with pain. A cop kneels beside him, his hands pressing against Mr. Connor’s thigh. Blood squirts from under the cop’s hand. Josh’s gun is still in Mr. Connor’s hand. Another cop takes it from him and sets it on the floor.
    The paramedics drop the gurney down beside Mr. Connor and surround him. They work fast. One of them holds a mask to Mr. Connor’s face. Another rips bandages out of sterile packages. Finally, the cop who was applying pressure to the gunshot wound sits back on his heels. His hands