War Kids Read Free Page A

the realization that no one is there.
    With my hand placed firmly over my mouth, I pray for myself to not make a sound and for him to walk out of the bathroom. Time seems to freeze…. What is he waiting for?
    The main bathroom door opens again. “Heen, all other rooms are clear. We’re moving them into the gym.” With that, Heen stomps out of the bathroom.
    My body has become so rigid it doesn’t want to move an inch. But I have no choice — I have to get out of here. What is happening in the gym? Where is my brother, Ali? I hope he is safe.
    Slowly, I lower my achy legs to the ground. I stand and prepare myself for how I’m going to get out of here. Edging my head around the cubicle, I see there is no one in here but myself and Jacob’s corpse.
    I’ve never seen a dead body before.
    One more step, and I will be next to one. I take in a deep breath and slowly exhale as I move forward. I don’t want to look, but I can’t help myself.
    Jacob is folded over with his head toward his knees, wedged between the toilet bowl and the wall. There is shiny crimson blood dripping from his neck down to his white sneakers.
    My stomach contracts. Shaking my head, I try to bring myself out of the state of shock. Even after squeezing my eyes together tightly, I can still see his limp body.
    There are over a hundred kids in this school. How many have been murdered the way Jacob was? Is Ali alive? I have to find him.
    I need my brother.
    I hesitantly place my ear on the bathroom door to hear what’s happening outside. It is silent… too silent.
    Slowly lowering my trembling hand to the cold door handle, I gently open it wide enough to peek through the crack. I don’t want to look. To my right there is a body slumped against a wall. It must’ve been the teacher I heard pleading before.
    His head is folded down to his knees very much like Jacob’s, with his back against the wall, as he sits in a pool of his own blood. It was my math teacher, Mr. Kalif. He was the one trying to protect us.
    Looking up the hallway, it becomes apparent that no one is alive here. All that remains are the bodies of children, my classmates, my friends and teachers. The walls are covered with hundreds of bullet holes. The plaster is crumbling, and a chalky dust floats down in slow motion. As the light from the windows hits the dust, it reminds me of how I’d always tell Tilly that dust particles were really fairies watching over us.
    Shit, Tilly! Are they going to all the schools and killing all the kids?
    Carefully, I open the door just wide enough for me to squeeze through. Walking past Mr. Kalif, I think of how brave he was in the face of danger. He died trying to protect us. He was only a few years older than I; this was his first job as a teacher, and we used to tease him about that. How wrong we were.
    There are so many bodies in the hallways, all covered in blood. No one is moving, no one except me. Is this really real? I quickly and quietly get to my classroom, hoping my teacher will be there and will know what to do.
    The door is open. Maybe they got out in time. Stepping closer, I realize something is wrong. As I looking into the room, my eyes fill with horror.
    Mr. Tabah, my teacher, is being propped up with the bodies of the students he was trying to protect.
    They’re like a human mountain, with his corpse resting on them as if he is still trying to shield them, even in death.
    Red oozes from my teacher’s mouth in slow motion. The drops float to the ground, landing in a river of crimson. The floor is a swamp of blood.
    “Hello, is anyone alive? It’s Zak.” I’m hoping for some kind of answer. But the silence is killing me. I stare at the bodies, praying for one to move… to speak. But no one does.
    I have to get the hell out of here and find my family.
    I need to get to Ali. I have to go to the gym and see what is happening and if he is there. I wish I could go back to this morning… I would’ve never let us leave home.
    I exit the