A Chinese Fire Drill

This week we had a fire drill at the school. We were warned what day it was going to be, but I was a little disconcerted with the instructions about how to act during the drill. The supervisor of my department, "Linda," told me to run to the exit. I wasn't sure I would have to do this, and I didn't plan on trampling over the students in order to make my escape.
They do strange things here at the school, things I am sure would not pass muster in the west. Some of the exits from the school are padlocked shut. There are plenty of other exits, but I wonder what would happen if someone absolutely had to use one of those padlocked exits to escape.
Anyway, the siren for the drill sounded last Wednesday morning, and it was LOUD! It was like one of those old air raid sirens, only it was just in the hallway, so it kind of startled me. By the time I put on my hat and picked up my coat, the other teachers and the students were GONE.
I was astounded. In those few seconds, they had done what they were told, and had run right out of the building. By the time I descended from the third floor out to the walkway in front of the building (through an exit unlocked for the drill, and re-locked the next day), they were all in the athletic field.
They left me to burn to death!
Heh.
"Annie," who co-teaches History with me, said that I should have run. And when we had a second drill later that day, she kept urging me to go faster. She even got behind me and started giving me little nudges in the back.
Oh boy.
So that is a genuine Chinese fire drill.