The text came at 10:07.
Active Threat.
Nothing more.
His school intercom:
Barricade the door. Now.
Nothing else.
That’s how they know
it isn’t a drill.
My son’s class pushed desks
against windows,
hid in the dark, in closets,
breathing through sleeves.
He texts Mom first:
idk what’s happening. love you.
-- then nothing.
Every second is a hammer.
Parents push through stop signs,
weave, as if arrival could undo it.
They park half-crooked on curbs,
ready to run inside,
just how the movies taught us.
In misty rain, police cars bloom red, blue.
Walkies hiss. Mothers clutch phones.
Some fathers yell at air:
say we need metal detectors,
say they’d take a bullet,
say anything but I’m scared.
Then: a text, a robocall
says there was never any threat.
Just a tip:
Airsoft in a backpack
and everyone followed the plan
perfectly.
I drive him home in silence,
backpack in his lap,
his eyes fixed on nothing.
He says, "We did everything right."
And I tell him, "Yeah, you did good, buddy.'
But we both know,
no one really knows what to do.
Nov 4, 2025
Nov 4, 2025 at 7:14 PM UTC
The text came at 10:07.
Active Threat.
Nothing more.
His school intercom:
Barricade the door. Now.
Nothing else.
That’s how they know
it isn’t a drill.
My son’s class pushed desks
against windows,
hid in the dark, in closets,
breathing through sleeves.
He texts Mom first:
idk what’s happening. love you.
-- then nothing.
Every second is a hammer.
Parents push through stop signs,
weave, as if arrival could undo it.
They park half-crooked on curbs,
ready to run inside,
just how the movies taught us.
In misty rain, police cars bloom red, blue.
Walkies hiss. Mothers clutch phones.
Some fathers yell at air:
say we need metal detectors,
say they’d take a bullet,
say anything but I’m scared.
Then: a text, a robocall
says there was never any threat.
Just a tip:
Airsoft in a backpack
and everyone followed the plan
perfectly.
I drive him home in silence,
backpack in his lap,
his eyes fixed on nothing.
He says, "We did everything right."
And I tell him, "Yeah, you did good, buddy.'
But we both know,
no one really knows what to do.
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