Peacoat Descriptive Writing

The clouds coated the whole sky and created this cotton candy-like effect. The autumn air was crisp and there was a slight breeze from the north. Even though it was dull looking, the sky portrayed a calming tone. I always loved days like this. The wind pushed my long chestnut hair into my face and brushed against the hem of my favorite peacoat. I always noticed this as I walked from the parking lot to the school, but lately I noticed something new. Even though it’s a short walk, maybe a hundred feet or less, I always feel like it’s the loneliest time for anyone. Everyone walks alone, contained within their own thoughts. I wonder if anyone else feels trapped in their own head like I do?
That’s the thought running through my head when I enter the office of our school. I felt the warmth of the building cling to my skin
and burn its presence into me. The feeling remained there all the way to my fifth period chemistry class. Mr. Elias greeted me when I walked in and took my seat by the window. I smiled in response and stared at the door, waiting for my best friend Larkin to enter. Larkin was the quiet type. His personality was as cold as his icy blue eyes and his heart was as black as his hair, however he was handsome. His hair fell unevenly over his forehead and left eye, yet somehow he still managed to have one of those tortured romance novel stares. Finally he took his place next to me and class began.
Most days I just stare out the window at the autumn scenery, but today I couldn’t take my eyes off an empty desk in the back of the room. Who usually sat there? Why can I not pinpoint this? I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t even heard the first noise.
“What the hell was that?” Larken asked me.
“What was wh-” That’s when I heard it.
A gunshot. It rang loud and clear through the silent halls. There was a good 30 seconds of pure shock. No one said anything. No one dared to moved. Not until I turned to look at the empty desk again.
“Dave,” I whispered and felt a tear slip down my cheek. David Nori sat in that empty desk. He used to smile so much… It couldn’t be him behind this, could it? He always looked so lonely. Some people can’t deal with being ignored, it drives them into insanity. That’s what happened to Dave. Everything was fine until high school. He had friends and everything was going exactly his way. Then, one day it just stopped… I remember it vividly. One moment he was the life of the party and the next he was social suicide. It’s impossible for me to believe we were hiding from someone who had always showed me kindness.
“Everyone calm down. We have to be quiet and barricade the door. I won’t let any of you get hurt,” Mr. Elias, our chemistry teacher, said calmly.
Mr. Elias was still young, still had too much to live for. He wouldn’t sacrifice himself for our pitiful lives. He just got married last year and his wife just had a child over the summer. There was absolutely no way he would take a bullet for any of us, but I probably wouldn’t either. That’s exactly why I forced myself to remain silent. I just stood at the window and stare out at the autumn scenery. The trees were nearly bare….
“Aria, away from there,” Mr. Elias hissed.
However, I didn’t move an inch and he didn’t seemed to actually care. Most the leaves were floating down gently and landing lifelessly on the ground. My mind couldn’t help wondering how many students would fall like those leaves… I don’t know how much more tragedy I could take. As the time in between gunshots decreased, the memories came flooding back.
I remember that day flawlessly.
It was a cold october day of last year and most the trees had already lost their leaves. I had gotten home early with my little brother and we had walked into an unusually ruthless fight between our parents. The fights were common, however the severity of this one was not. I escorted Alexander up to his room and sat there with him. Seeing mom and dad like this always made him cry. We were still close, even though there was a significant age gap between us. As he cried, I sat by the door and began listening in on the argument. My dad had obviously became aware of the affair my mom was having. I continued to listen to him shout profanities and the sounds of breaking things. Then, I heard it. A gunshot rang through the house and filled it with silence. Sobs from my father erupted shortly after, and another gunshot followed that. I remember the police knocking on the door and asking if everything was alright. It took all of my courage to open the door and ascend down the steps to the front door. I made it to the bottom of the steps and the walls were stained with blood. I feel sick to my stomach as my screams filled the
room.
“Aria!” A voice shouted.
Suddenly I was back in the classroom with Larkin holding my shoulders. Tears soaked my face and whimpers slipped continuously from my mouth.
“I can’t leave him alone… He’s too young!” I couldn’t contain myself. My weeps grew louder and louder as the gunshots continued. Over and over I repeated the same thing.
“I have to get her out of here…” Larkin said. “Mr. Elias, you were not here last fall, but these gunshots- Well, they trigger almost PTSD to Aria. I don’t care if you don’t approve, I’m getting her out of here.”
I felt a quick jerk as he pulled me to the Emergency Exit. In all the commotion we must have forgotten to barricade it. We fled out the door and into the hallway, into the war zone. It felt as if I was within a movie, that I’d wake up and this would all be a nightmare. We walked slowly and carefully, ducking behind anything that would hide us from the gunman. I knew who the gunner was in the back of my head, but I couldn’t force myself to believe it. However, all at once I had to accept that the kind boy I once knew was at fault.
“Where are you two going?” A hysterical voice shrieked. David Nori stood 5 feet in front of us with a shotgun and bloodstained clothes. He was Dave, but not the Dave I knew. His face was twisted into a horrific smile and his eyes were empty. Nothing was left of him. Insanity has driven him into the point of no return…
“David…” My voice trembled as I saw this monster in front of me. “What- What are you doing?”
“Something I should’ve done a long time ago,” He said, followed by an terrifying laughter that made a chill go down my spine. He raised his gun swiftly and smirked an awful grin. I closed my eyes and waited for the gunshot to ring through my ears. However, when it went off, I felt no pain. I listened to Larkin groan before collapsing to the ground.
“No, no, no, no, no….” The only word that could escape my mouth was no. I fell to my knees and sobbed into his chest. It was still rising and falling, however, it was weaker now. I knew in my heart he was going to die, yet I tried to assure him he was okay. “Just keep breathing… Everything is going to be fine.”
I watched his face full of agony and his chest rise and fall. All at one moment it just stopped. He was died. My sobs and screams echoed down the empty, silent hallway. The only thing that interrupted my sobs was the sound of a gun. A power ring throughout the school, then silence until Dave decided to move on to his next victims.