Excerpt: Lock-down at Central High

A window on the third floor opened, a young man pulled himself out onto the 10-inch ledge that surrounded the building and edged himself carefully away from the window to the corner and became frozen to the mortar and brick like a gargoyle on the 138 year-old historical school building near the heart of downtown Omaha. He looked down toward the parking lot and saw the police taking up positions with weapons drawn. Someone on the ground was pointing up at him, he prayed for invisibility.

He thought to himself, "Jesus! It’s cold out here. Shit there is no way down from here! What did I get myself into now?" He looked back toward the window shivering and muttering to himself, "What the hell was I thinkin’? Stupid, this was really stupid — Dammit! I might have to go back." He thought seriously about lowering himself down, but two stories was a long way to fall onto cement below. What a fix he was in.

Just about the time that he changed his mind to turn back, his eyes widened as his pounding heart jumped to his throat. The muzzle of a high-powered rifle slowly inched out the window he had just come out of and was pointed at the sidewalk near the school entrance. He actually tried to stop his breathing so he would not be heard.

He nearly lost his grip when the sound of gunfire exploded just 5 feet from his precarious perch. He tightly closed his eyes and his fingers turned white as he hung onto the crevices between the tan bricks of the building. "Oh my God! This can't be happening!" His thoughts nearly betrayed him as he almost let lose a scream before catching himself.

Opening his eyes, he could see two bodies, one lying in the grass and one on the steps near the entrance of the school. He could see red blood starting to flow almost gently down the step. He re-closed his eyes to the sight and prayed. Adrenalin kept him warm, he no longer felt the wind. They would have to pry him off that wall.