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May 1 - May 17, 2025
of purpose and excitement course through Ian. He’s never felt more alive. More than two years of planning and preparation would pay off today.
Write nothing. Say nothing. He can’t remember exactly when the fascination with school shooters started. Middle school, probably. Miss Danbury had asked them to write an essay about somebody they admired. Ian chose Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold of Columbine fame. That had earned a trip to the principal’s office, two lunch detentions, and a glorious freak-out from his mother.
Instead, he’s become a model citizen. He is still a mediocre student, but somebody the case managers mention among their triumphs.
Guns are beautiful weapons. A bit loud and brash, but sleek and elegant too.
They don’t judge like people do. They simply point in one direction and destroy upon command.
Too early for that much cheer.
What do you hope to accomplish?
Interestin question
Adam Lanza killed his mother, 26 more people at Sandy Hook Elementary School, and then himself,
Ian knows as well as anybody what protocol tells teachers to do,
The fear in the students’ eyes haunts Naomi.
His wife, Jennifer, works at one of the local elementary schools, and he likes to think a similar situation would prompt an urgent response from any of his fellow officers.
Stepping into the unknown with no backup is foolish, but if those pops turn out to be gunshots, his primary job must be saving lives.
There has never been a need for it before now.
He can’t adequately control even six people if half of them remain out of his sight.
“Be brave,” says Alycia. “Remember, I love you. You drive me nuts, but I love you. We’ll make it.”
“Ah, that’s better. Thanks.” Naomi’s certain she could manage sitting upright on her own now, but she also doesn’t mind giving Joey something to do. If it keeps him seated, she’s all for it.
Like a glimpse into a dystopian future, groups of students file out of the building from every exit, hands held high.
sh—uh, the stuff that went down.”
“Heroes are only needed when things go wrong, and today, things went very, very wrong. People shouldn’t need to do this kind of saving. Our society should be better than this.”
There’s something poetic in forcing the state to both prosecute and defend you.
Every single bus driver offered their services,
Morbid curiosity will have everybody asking questions. Social media will buzz with stories, cries of outrage, pictures, memorials, and a thousand unsolicited opinions.
Maybe helplessness or heartbreak would be better terms. I regret that our society has not only come to this but continues to come to this time and again. Hardly a week passes without news of a shooting death. Ours might have resulted in 17 deaths and 30+ wounded but even an event with one death or one wound is too many.
Everybody has the capacity for madness, most just have more self-control.
That’s the trouble with pain. It often masquerades as something else.
Evil is not a disease we’re going to cure any time soon, but love can go a long way in healing what was lost and broken. There is good in the world. Sometimes, you have to look hard to find it. We can never let horrible things permanently steal our peace.
because that’s certainly not the case. All lives matter, and many more than those listed here or on the longer list have been affected. The wounds don’t have to be physical to be devastating.
