$15,000.

$15,000 was the amount of money I was offered to shoot up a school.

$15,000 was the amount of money I needed to pay for my treatment.

I knew it was wrong, but I was dying anyway. I didn’t have much more to lose. I really needed that money.

My heart was racing as I arrived at the school. I wasn’t given instructions, except to use all my bullets. I didn’t even have a plan. I was clueless. I put my head onto the steering wheel, contemplating if I could even go through with this. It was wrong to take innocent lives just to save mine. They were just kids after all.

After a few minutes of thinking, I finally made my decision. A gun was tucked into my pants, and I began walking to the front of the school. It was mostly glass, I figured I could break in. I looked through the window and saw the front office. A woman working at the front desk looked up at me. Her face was frightened. She picked up a microphone and said what looked to be the word “lockdown”. I had to be fast. The cops would be coming soon. I quickly pulled out my gun and shot through the glass. The sound of screams followed.

My attempt at shooting someone in the office had failed. The woman had ducked under the desk before I could pull the trigger. I felt my heart pounding in my chest. It was too late to turn back now. The gun suddenly felt heavy in my hand. My palms were sweating despite the coldness of the school. I ran down the hallway and found a bathroom. Here was probably the best place to find someone. I could easily get into a stall. As I walked in, I heard someone crying. I opened each stall door and came to a locked one. I kneeled and looked under the stall door.

A girl was on the toilet seat, her knees pulled to her chest. I shakily grabbed my gun and pulled the trigger.

My first kill.

I immediately ran out of the restroom, trying to forget what I just did. I couldn’t back out now. I couldn’t stop. It was too late.

I hurried down the hallway, trying to find any unlocked doors. The lights were off in every room. I soon gave up and decided to break into a room. I shot through the window of a door and opened it from the inside. The kids in the room were frozen in fear. They didn’t even try to run away. I pointed my gun and shot one of them. They all started to scream.

Once I was done, the room was silent.

The smell of blood filled the room. I wasn’t finished yet. I still had more bullets to use. I ran to the next classroom, wiping blood splatters from my face. The room was empty. Of course, it was unlocked. I was wasting my time on empty rooms. I felt like I was dreaming. Did I really just kill all of those innocent kids? It didn’t matter anymore. I needed that money. It was worth it.

The cops would be here soon. I had to move faster.

I ran upstairs and found the library. There had to be someone in here. The door didn’t have a lock. I could easily get in. Opening the door, I noticed the shelves were relatively short. I could see over them. The lights were off, but I wasn’t going to look around for a light switch. If anyone was in here, I didn’t want them to know someone else was here, too. I walked around the shelves, trying to find someone hiding. I heard something moving behind a shelf, close to where I was. I went over to the aisle between shelves, and there they were. 2 people were huddled close together. They both screamed as soon as they saw me. I instantly shot one in the head. The other screamed even louder. He tried to run but there was nowhere to go. I was blocking the exit and there was a wall at the other.

“No, wait, plea-” He was dead before he could even finish his sentence.

I now had 3 bullets left. I didn’t know where I was going to find anyone. I hoped there would be people in the gym. There was no place to hide in there.

Equipment was scattered all over the floor. The class must have been in the middle of playing. I checked behind the bleachers, hoping that someone was hiding there. I could barely see anything; all the lights were off.

To my surprise, I found 3 people there: a teacher and 2 students. The exact number of bullets I had left. But then I heard the sirens. The cops were here. I quickly shot the 2 kids, but the teacher had already run away. I didn’t have enough time to chase after him. I prayed that I would find another person. I had to get that money.

My heart was pounding inside my chest. My hands were shaking uncontrollably. I didn’t know how I was going to escape. I didn’t know how I was going to find another person to kill.

I went outside through the back exit of the gym. Police cars lined the perimeter of the school. My car was parked in the front. How was I supposed to get there without them seeing me?

I decided to make a run for it. What choice did I have?

As I started sprinting, a cop spotted me. There was nothing I could do now.

“Sir, put your hands in the air and drop your weapon.” I put my hands up, slowly turning around to face him. I didn’t drop the gun.

“Sir, please drop your weapon. I don’t wanna have to shoot you.”

With one bullet left in my gun, I knew what I had to do.