I know some of my high school friends that I haven't talked to in a while might still be on LJ.
I'm safe, Reed is safe.
I can't get back to sleep so I LJ.
Saturday was my 21st birthday, and resultantly I was a bit tipsy that night. I didn't have class monday until 3, so I decided that I would just stay at Reed's instead of my dorm. Thank goodness I did, my dorm wasn't close to West AJ where the first shootings happened, but I was glad to not be locked in. Reed however went to his 9 o'clock in McBride, just a building and a half away from Norris.
He called my cell at 10 am and told me he was in lockdown because of the shooting in AJ. Class was about to be dismissed, but a heavily armed cop stopped his class from leaving. That was their first indication that something was not normal. Someone checked their email and read the 3 sentence long message, obviously written in great haste by university officials urging everyone to stay inside and away from windows.
While talking to Reed, my phone started making the dreaded low-batt beep, and my charger was in my dorm. So I texted my parents, and got on AIM. Talked to Melinda (roommate), and other people I knew on campus. Then I heard that someone was saying 7-8 people were shot in Norris. I was skeptical, thought it was a rumor. Luckily Reed got on AIM on his phone and I could talk to him. He had heard that too. He said that they were watching TV in his classroom. I don't know why but I didn't occur to me that it was a big enough of a deal to be on TV.
Local news was interviewing someone that was on the 2nd Floor of Norris. His class heard shooting coming down the hallway, opened the door and realized it was getting clooser, their only escape was to jump out the window. He said he heard at least 30-40 shots, and that they kept going. The TV anchors were flat out skeptical, saying previous reports were of 10 shots. I was skeptical. I mean 7-8 people shot was terrible, but it was comprehensible.
New report came in of 10 people killed, and that just seemed fantastical. I eventually used Reed's roommate's phone to call him. A bit later Reed called me. He said "They just came in the room..." and then there was static and nothing. I call him back, and it rings to voicemail. I call again and he answers, "Hey sorry it's really windy." Oy. Cops had come into his room, and pretty much told them to fucking run away. I had a key to his car, and we rendezvous at Crossroads (a music store just north of campus), which sadly was our meeting place this fall when there was also a murderer on campus.
We get back to his apartment and his roommates tell us the new number: 22. Not 22 shot, 22 dead. My jaw dropped. There was no way that could be possible. There were another estimated 20-30 people shot. The wind was gusting at 40 MPH and helicopters couldn't medivac people. Area hospitals were full so some had to go as far as Roanoke, which is 40 min by car. That number was gonna go up.
Rest of the day was just watching TV, AIM, Facebook, checking in with friends. Watched Stegler and Chief of VT Police cover their asses and deny their fuckup. Something I found particularly sick was the media kept doing this ranking. We "beat" out Columbine's death toll, but apparently as far as death tolls in schools go we're still 2nd to a 1926 bombing in a Michigan school with 58 something deaths.
As far as shooting deaths go, it's apparently the worst in American history. How can you comprehend that? I know these places, I had friends that used to live in AJ. I had Bio class freshman year in Norris 136, or "The Pit" as it was known by students because it's one of the worst classrooms on campus and impossible to find. Hell, in the VT Rocky Horror Picture Show production theres a callback for when Rocky is running away from Frankfurter, "Can someone tell me where Norris 136 is, Norris 136?"
Now they have all the big network reporters coming in. I really resent them. I know 90% of them had never even heard of Virginia Tech until today. They give lipservice to "how safe and peaceful Blacksburg is", "Shattering the silence", etc. They don't know this town. I love this town. It is so safe. Such a nice change of pace from northern Virginia. It's a world of its own wedged in southwestern VA. I'm not normally one for school spirit, and I could give a shit about football, but I hate to think of the lasting impact this will have on VT's reputation. No one's going to send their kid here, and a lot of freshman will probably not return. While I totally understand that, I want to tell people that this is not how Virginia Tech is. It's a good school, and it is so safe.
Reed and I were going home for our 2nd anniversary, we got tickets to TV on the Radio at the 9:30 Club thursday night, and I have a job interview at home on Friday. As of now, we have classes on Wednesday. I have two year long projects due next week. I feel like life isn't stopping enough for this.
Now the "number" is 32.