Touched by Demons, though I fall into grace.

"You're probably wondering why the Oxford Comma is so important. Just remember that once, Harvard denied some kids' application because he forgot the Oxford Comma. Then again, based on the average grade of this class, none of you will even try Harvard."
The class laughs at my anecdote, and I smile to myself. My wife, college, and co-teacher, LynZ, walks over to the board. She taps through the presentation, and I recognize the slide that I put together a couple of hours ago. It's labeled, 'Examples of the Oxford Comma'. I walk over to my desk, snickering to myself. A few students notice, and I wave them off.
"We're gonna go over what we've learned. Mr. Way threw these questions together last night, so I'm sorry if they are absolutely ridiculous." She says, tapping the board again and groaning when the question pops up.
"Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, and my husband are the most beautiful people alive. Locate the Oxford Comma." She reads off, slapping her hand to her forehead. "You could have at least included me in the list." She sighs, then turning to the 5 students who raised their hands. "Only five of you? It's not even the smartest five."
I look over at Cass, who's smiling to themselves. They recently came out to LynZ and me, and we've been calling them by their last name as much as possible. They've got to be my favorite student, even though I'm not supposed to have those.
"Yes, Cienna?" LynZ says, and Cienna lowers her hand.
"The one right after Bowie." She answers, and LynZ nods her head.
"Correct. Now, why Mr. Way chose that sentence, I'm not sure. Care to explain?"
I stand up, tapping the board three times. A picture of Freddie, David, and I pop up. The class laughs at the last one, which is a picture of me making a funny face to the camera. LynZ took it a while ago when we were still in high school. I still hadn't learned how to use hair product, so my hair was a greasy, black, emo mess.
"Just because I have a beautiful wife, doesn't mean I can't look at pictures of beautiful men. And, if you ask me, my picture is far prettier than the others."
I tap the board once more and begin reading the next sentence, about Misfits. Halfway through the sentence, the announcements come on. It doesn't make sense; they don't come on for another hour. Then, the words that I've dreaded since I moved to this country fill the air.
"Lockdown lights out. This is not a drill. A shooter has entered the area, and perhaps the school. Lockdown lights out. This is not a drill."
The call comes to an end, and I immediately pull out my keys. I walk to both doors, since LynZ and I teach in a joint classroom, and lock both. LynZ turns out the lights in one room, I do in the next. All of the students enter a panicked state, and I hold a finger up to my face. The blinds have already been pulled, so I usher the students to the corner with a bookshelf.
They follow, and I see Cass trying to make their way to the front, where I would be. I notice their effort and lean against the wall near them. LynZ sits next to me, reaching for my hand and clasping them together. I wrap one arm around her, reaching the other to the bookshelf poking into my side. I push my hand behind it, feeling for what I bought when I first moved here, from Canada. LynZ and I had feared that this would happen, but Wisconsin was only an hour away and had two open jobs.
My hand comes out of the bookcase with a shotgun resting in it, and I hold it close to my chest. A few students gasp and begin whispering to each other. "Guys, please be quiet. I know it's scary, but I have what I have for defense, and defense only." I whisper. I sense Cass tensing up, and I whisper to LynZ to calm them down. She does as asked, and I lean my head on LynZ's shoulder.
A figure passes the door, and I tighten my grip on LynZ. If I listen hard enough, I can hear her fast-paced breaths, mixing in with the 40 students hiding with us. I see LynZ's phone light up, and my eyes go wide. A text pops up on the screen, and a ringtone sounds.
"Every little thing... is gonna be alright."
I hold up the gun, propping my elbow on my knee, and flip the safety off of it. I took a brief class last year on how to shoot. Several students look at me with fear, and I bury my head in LynZ's neck.
"Don't worry about a thing."
The door opens, and light pours into the room. I peek up from LynZ's neck, seeing the outline of a burly figure. I rest my finger on the trigger, and-
A gunshot sounds, ringing through my ears. I look around, checking for any signs of blood. When I feel something dripping onto my elbow.
I avert my gaze to LynZ, seeing the blood dripping from her neck. My eyes go wide in fear. Fear for the red liquid that is covering the hand that I'm using to stem the blood.
"No..." I whisper, cradling her head in my arms.
"No!" I say, louder, reaching down to feel her pulse. Nothing is working. My head is filled with cotton. It didn't happen. Please tell me that this is a dream. My bones are made of lead. My heart is broken. She isn't dead. She can't be.
Tears fight to escape my eyelashes, and some make it, falling into her blood. I pull her body closer to mine, looking at her closed eyes through blurry vision. My heart is gone. She's gone. Everything is gone. I want her back. I want my world back.
I rest my forehead against her's, heart-wrenching sobs escaping my throat. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. We never should have come to America.
A gunshot fills the air, and I yell out in pain. The lights turn on, and the shooter breaks down the hall, footsteps thundering after him. Before I have time to celebrate, students are turning me over. Checking my pulse. And I'm letting them, my body limp from the bullet in my ribcage.
"Medic! Someone's been shot!"
A cold hand slaps my face, and rings leave imprints on my skin. The only person who wears rings in this class is Cass.
I struggle to open my eyes, and Cass fills my vision. They're holding my wrist, and tears are filling their eyes. Another slap to the face.
"Don't die on me now, sir!" They stammer, yelling out for a medic again. I attempt to reach my hand up to them, but it falls before I get halfway. My heart beats out of my chest, and a cough escapes my lips. Looking up, I realize that my blood is on Cass's face. They begin crying, and I take their hand and squeeze it.
"You'll always be Cass." I manage to mutter, and they smile through their tears. Another cough. More blood lands on their face. Darkness tugs at my eyelids, begging for them to close. I refuse, however, and fight to stay alive for a little longer.
"The gun..." I mumble, trying to get it across to them to destroy it. Before I can utter out a single more sound, the darkness wins. My eyes close, leaving me in a sea of quiet, odorless, black.

Notes

tada. new fic.