When the Lights Go Out

As I lay here on the floor

Of the school cafeteria,

Every heartbeat is like a gunshot.

I listen to the whispers

Of men and women decked in yellow gear

Above my head,

Barely audible above

The growls of helicopters

Prowling in the red haze,

Their lights flashing momentarily

Through the windows,

Illuminating the sleeping bodies around me,

Like that of a warzone.

I draw a scraping breath,

Barely filtered by the mask

Tight over my nose and mouth,

The scent of destruction

Filling my chest and

Churning in my stomach.