So today my boyfriend and me went to the eaton centre (in toronto) to go shopping with some birthday money i just recently got. the whole day was going great, we had been shopping for maybe 2 and a half to three hours. we were SO dehydrated and starving.. our original plan was to go to mr. green jeans.. but.. we are cheap and wanted to save our money for more clothes. anyways„ we went to the eatery.. and sat down for a bit to ponder on our options. eventually we got up and started walking to teriyaki and stopped to chat about what we wanted. all of a sudden we heard these 4 loud noises literally out of NOWHERE. i stood with a confused expression thinking something was going on in one of the kitchens… until i saw my boyfriend drop to his knees. from then my body turned into a statue. i felt paralyzed to thought of “holy shit madison, those are fucking gun shots. you’re going to die.” my boyfriend grabbed my arm and yanked me down so fast. i was litterally ducked down for maybe three seconds. the only thought in my head was i’m dead. this is the end of my life. after that, all i knew was my boyfriend threw me on my feet and clenched my hand and started running as fast as he could. i had never been so scared in my life. people were tripping infront of me over food and plates. i knew if i let go of sams hand… i would fall and get trampled to death. who would want to die that way? we were quickly rushed and pushed into a concreate hallway where people were rushing out of. managers were guiding us until we reached an underground parking lot. there was this huge hill, which seemed to be a 90 degree angle. after 5 minutes someone yelled “they’re here” and once again i found myself sprinting. then my asthma kicked in and i literally couldn’t run, while my boyfriend was dragging me by the fingers. when i reached the top i almost couldn’t breathe. i could not run anymore or i would have an asthma attack. i was not going to let that happen. so i took deep breaths and walked as far as i could. when i called my mom, i burst into tears. tears of happiness. tears that i managed to not get shot. tears that i am okay and alive. tears that sam and i were together and not seperated. tears that we all almost got out safe. later tonight i found out i was on a perfect diagonal for the shooter to aim at. we could have been the victims. 1 person died and 7 were injured. i think about 4 were shot as well. i am so thankful for my life and my boyfriends. it really just goes to show how much people value their lives. i am so thankful i am here right now.
