Monday morning, March 26, 1984. Shermer High School, Shermer, Illinois.

The halls, for the most part, are empty. Locks dangle from red lockers, untouched. Around back, cars continue to pull into the staff parking lot. Mrs. Burner, Senior English teacher, has her door cracked open slightly; the faint tapping of her keyboard drifts into the silent hall, along with music from her record player.

The attitude in the library is completely different. A startling kind of silence. Richard Vernon, principal, stands with his hands on his hips. Mrs. TeAll, librarian, quickly slams the door to her small office. Behind the sign-out desk lay many items, some missing, with destroyed books scattered on the floor.

"Damn kids," Vernon huffs.

In the hall, Carl the janitor wheels around a trash bin and mop, whistling quietly. He pauses as he notices an unlocked and open locker. He quickly peers around the empty hall before rifling through it. Nothing of much interest. A math test with a failing grade. Pencils strewn on the bottom. He grins in triumph as he finds an unopened pack of gum. Taking a piece, he stuffs the rest in his pocket, slamming the locker shut.

The bang echoes through the dead halls.