<div class="floatright">(http://moe.animecharactersdatabase.com/images/dnangel/Dark_Mousy.jpg)</div>Daichi stared at the PA box in stunned disbelief at the terrifying announcement that had been abruptly cut short. The boy’s PE locker room abruptly burst out into shouts of panic as bodies all around him, in various states of dress, pressed their way out of the space. In a matter of moments he was the only one remaining in the room as the weighted doors slowly closed on their own accord to gradually muffle the screams of terror and agony that were coming from the other side. At first glance, one would possibly assume that the purple haired young man was frozen in terror to the point of being catatonic, but once the doors closed with a dull thud he retied the gym shoes he had been in the process of taking off moments before.<br/><br/>Like the rest of the students that had been around him Daichi’s instinctive reaction was to join the masses in the fear driven evacuation, but he had quickly reigned in his emotions before they could cause him to act recklessly. In the short time it took for him to double knot his shoes and put his shirt back on, the mundane activity allowed his mind to race as it plotted out a rational course of action based upon the few facts he had.<em>Rule number one: No Thrashing.</em>he thought to himself in the systematic process he used in just about any situation where thought was essential, be it for tests or survival. The first and possibly most important step was a reminder to think before acting lest he risks making matters even worse. He had to approach things from a rational and logical mindset that was devoid of distracting emotions such as fear and anxiety.<br/><br/><em>Rule number two: Seven to seventeen seconds.</em>It was at this step he began organizing what little facts he had at his disposal and determine his ultimate objective. Clearly, the school was in a state of emergency and an evacuation has been issued. However, the threat, whatever it may be, was already inside the building and was something that was not isolated into one place given the principal’s surprise. There were gunshots as well, which was not only shocking in its own right due to how it was nearly impossible for a civilian to possess a firearm, but it also conflicted with the orders to evacuate. In the event of a school shooting they should have been ordered to lock themselves in their classrooms, turn out the lights, and remain as quiet as possible to avoid drawing the gunman’s attention. Filling the halls with a sea of panicked bodies was about as close to shooting fish in a barrel as the gunman can get without actually having a fish or barrel handy. Daichi shook his head, deciding that he did not yet have enough information to accurately identify the threat itself so he instead focused upon the situation. Presently there are hundreds of panicked individuals running through the hallways in total chaos. Those who don’t get trampled along the way will quickly find themselves pinned in place once the masses reach a chokepoint that would only lead to more injuries at the hands of their peers alone. All the while they will subject themselves to whatever threat is out there, practically trapping themselves rather than evacuating as they had intended. Ultimately, he decided he needed to gather more information before he could decide upon a best course of action, but avoid getting caught in the torrent of moving bodies in the process.<br/><br/><em>Rule number three: Baby Steps.</em>It was now time to act, but by focusing on keeping them as simple and easy to accomplish as possible so he doesn’t take on more than he could handle. First thing was to prepare for any potential hostilities, be it student or the threat itself. Reaching into his locker, Daichi withdrew his wide-mouth quiver of target-point arrows and slung it over his shoulder followed by his composite longbow which he strung with familiar motions until the staves were held taunt by the bowstring. He glanced at the other lockers, most of them having been left unlocked, if not entirely open after everybody filed out. For a moment he considered grabbing one of the baseball bats or another quiver that he knew would be among them, but decided to hold off until he knew what he was going up against. The last thing he wanted was to encumber himself in a situation that would require agility and speed.<br/><br/>“Alright,” he mumbled to himself to keep his nerves at by while he approached the door that opened towards the gym, “let’s see what’s going on out there.” Bracing his foot along the door’s swing plane, he place it in a position that would only allow it to open an inch or so without resistance. Just enough to peek out while giving him an advantage should somebody try to force their way in. With one hand on his bow and the other on the door handle, he slowly opened it just enough to be able to peer out and see what awaited on the other side with abated breath.