A Coolvalstories Production
Based on the real events of the Oxford High School shooting (2021)
I used to think danger made noise.
That it came with warning signs, sirens, or at least footsteps.
But on November 30th, 2021, danger walked silently into Oxford High School.
Wearing a hoodie. Carrying a backpack. And smiling like any other student.
⏰ 11:03 a.m.
We were midway through chemistry lab.
Ms. Tara was explaining how base reactions could be safely altered to simulate acidic properties. I was scribbling notes, trying to ignore how cold my fingers felt despite the heater.
Then it came.
BANG.
A single, sharp sound—like a chair slamming against tile. Everyone paused. Ms. Tara looked toward the hallway door. Students glanced at each other, unsure.
Then again—
BANG. BANG.
Screams followed.
Not movie screams. Real screams. Raw, high-pitched, desperate—coming from outside the class.
Someone crashed into the lab door. A male student. Blood on his shirt. His palm slapped the glass.
“He’s got a gun! RILEY HAS A GUN!”
🔒 Lockdown
Ms. Tara moved fast—faster than I thought she could. She bolted the door and shoved two lab tables against it.
“Everyone on the floor! Away from the windows! Now!”
Beakers shattered. Chairs fell. I scrambled behind a counter with two other students. My heart was beating so loudly I thought others could hear it.
A girl whispered through sobs, “Is this real? Is this really happening?”
I wanted to say something, but my throat locked. My hands trembled. This wasn’t a film. This was real life.
I could hear him.
Walking.
Shooting.
Reloading.
Screaming.
🧨 Minutes of Hell
One shot hit the hallway fire extinguisher. Another blew through a locker beside our door.
I saw blood splatter across the floor outside.
Footsteps. Fast ones. A boy yelling. Another shot. Then… nothing.
Silence.
That kind of silence that comes before death or disaster.
Then a voice—calm, too calm.
“You shouldn’t have laughed at me.”
My stomach sank.
I didn’t see Riley’s face, but I saw his shadow through the small glass panel on the door.
He stopped outside our lab.
My chest seized.
He’s going to shoot us. This is how I die. In a place I begged God to take me to.
I clutched the tiny leather cross Mama gave me before I traveled.
He stood there.
Then—
He walked on.
🔊 False Hope
The intercom crackled.
“This is a lockdown. This is not a drill.”
No one needed to be told.
The girl beside me had wet herself in fear. Another student—his name was Tyler—was pressing down on a cut on his leg, whispering, “I don’t wanna die here. I don’t wanna die here.”
Ms. Tara mouthed something silently. I think she was praying.
Suddenly, we heard footsteps again. But different ones. Heavy boots. Uniformed voices shouting, “CLEAR! MOVE! CLEAR!”
When the SWAT team burst in, their rifles aimed, we froze. One shouted, “Hands up! You’re safe!”
But I didn’t feel safe.
I felt like my soul had left my body and was still hovering in the hallway.
💥 Final Scene
As we were escorted out, I stepped over broken glass, pools of blood, and someone’s phone with the flashlight still on.
Down the hallway, I saw a student lying motionless. A girl I had once partnered with in biology. Her shoe was missing.
Outside, the snow had turned red in places. Parents were screaming. Police sirens wailed. Helicopters circled.
But all I could hear was Mama’s voice in my head.
“America fine, but no forget say evil dey hide where e dey comfortable.”
I had just seen evil.
Up close.
Smiling.
Shooting.
To be continued in Episode 3:
