Don and I take either side of the hallway, checking classroom by classroom for any signs of students, putting out small fires along the way with the fire extinguishers we’re carrying.
Arriving at the auditorium doors on my right, I wrap my hand around the metal bar to push the doors open … only to realize there is a chain around it.
“The hell?” Don asks next to me.
“Cut it off,” I demand, not waiting to try to figure out why the hell it’s there. Without another thought, I lift my ax and hammer at the chain link. Pausing to inspect it, I see that while it made a big cut, the chain is still holding on.
“Again!” Don yells.
By that time, my ax is already in the air, coming down a half a second later, breaking through the chain. Yanking it free, I toss it aside and push through the doors.
“Help!” I hear a male voice yell.
“Fire department,” Don calls.
From the sides of the auditorium children and a few adults begin emerging. There are about ten children and two adults, one male and one female.
Grabbing the man, I ask, “Is there anybody else in here?”
“Yes, Linda Walkowski. She went up to the roof with five of her students to practice. They haven’t come back down.” He begins coughing due to the thick smoke in the auditorium.
“Okay,” I respond, and turn my attention to Don.
“We’re going to have to take them out the back way.”
I nod, knowing the pile of chairs in the front of the door would take too long to move before these kids and adults were taken over by smoke inhalation.
“We’ll have to take ’em,” Don says. He radios to Captain and Sean outside that we’ll need assistance to lower the kids out of the window, the same way we entered. “Where’re you going?” he yells to my back.
I’ve already taken off for the back entrance of the auditorium, which leads to a stairwell with roof access, according to the man we rescued.
“I’m going to get the rest of those kids.”
“Like fuck you are,” he growls. “Get your ass back here and help me get these people out.”
The anger that fills my body at the demand I hear in his voice is enough to have me thinking just for one split second of using the ax I wield on him instead of a locked door.
“I don’t fucking take orders from you. Get these people out of here. I’m going up to the roof.”
Turning, I run through the rest of the auditorium, reaching the back door. I head up the stairs that I’ve been told reach the roof of the building. All the while, I’m listening to the walkie clipped to my right shoulder. Don has reached the back set of windows with the children and staff. Sean is helping to pull everyone from the windows.
I arrive at the third floor of the stairwell to find a door that reads “Roof Access.” I attempt to push through but find something jammed inside of the keyhole, preventing the knob from turning. Taking a step back, I glance over my shoulder to make sure no one or nothing is behind me as I raise the ax over my head and bring it down hard over the doorknob. It bends and comes partially off but not all of the way. I do it again and again. The third time is the sweet spot, as the doorknob finally falls to the ground.
With my hand, I push the other side of the knob to the floor and am able to open the door.
“Oh, thank god!” a woman on the other side cries.
“Is anybody hurt?”
“No, no. Just scared, I think.” She reaches her arms around the children, cradling them to her body.
“How many are up here?”
“Six. Five of them and me.”
I peer down into the frightened faces of the children, taking a head count, to make sure all five are accounted for. When I’m satisfied, I radio to my team. “Five children and one adult female on the roof. Unharmed. Coming down now.”
I’m just able to get the words out as Don comes barreling up the stairs.
