In a heart-wrenching conversation, high school sophomore Arielle Bowling and her mother, Tabatha, opened up about the terrifying experience of surviving a school shooting at Apalachee High School. On what seemed like an ordinary day, Arielle found herself in the midst of a tragedy that has become far too familiar across America. She recounted the moments leading up to the shooting and how it forever changed her perception of safety.

A Normal Day Turned Into a Nightmare

Arielle was leaving her classroom with a friend to head to the vending machine, unaware that danger was only moments away. As they walked down the hall, gunshots echoed through the corridors, turning an ordinary task into a race for survival. Without hesitation, Arielle and her friend sprinted back into their classroom, joining others in the corner as they tried to make sense of the chaos.

“We just all piled up on top of each other in the corner,” Arielle explained, her voice still heavy with disbelief. The sound of gunfire had broken the safety bubble that school once represented. She recounted the sheer terror of hearing shots and wondering if the shooter was coming closer.

The Aftermath: Witnessing a Horrific Scene

As the school was cleared and the lockdown ended, Arielle and her classmates slowly emerged from their hiding spot. What awaited her outside was a scene of devastation. She recalled seeing a lifeless body on the floor and a fellow student with a gunshot wound to her leg. The trauma of witnessing such a horrific event left an indelible mark on the young student.

“I saw a deceased body on the floor, but it was covered up, and I saw a female with a shot wound to her leg,” Arielle said. The reality of the violence they had just experienced was impossible to ignore. Her words painted a vivid picture of the scene that no student should ever have to witness.

A Mother’s Worst Fear

For Tabatha, the news of the shooting came in the form of a phone call from her daughter. Arielle managed to contact her mother in the midst of the chaos, letting her know that the unthinkable was happening at her school. At first, Tabatha was unsure if the call was a prank or an exaggeration, but Arielle’s urgent tone quickly made it clear: this was real.

“She called me and told me, ‘Mom, there’s an active shooting at school.’ I didn’t believe her at first. I told her it’s not something to joke about,” Tabatha said. When Arielle confirmed it was serious, her mother gave her simple but vital advice: hide.

“I told her to run into the classroom and hide in the corner, to be quiet and follow instructions.” But the moment that chilled Tabatha the most was when the phone went silent after she heard five gunshots. The fear that her daughter might be injured, or worse, overtook her as she waited desperately for more information.