Jerem stretched and yawned as he made his way into the small kitchen of his new apartment. Turning on the TV to a random news channel, he opened a cabinet and started to make coffee. Mind occupied by some new algorithms for Bloodgnarl II, he wasn't really listening to the news, until something caught his ear.
"And in Fullerton, California's Ilium High School, there has been yet another tragic school shooting. Troubled students Craig Robert Mockery and Mark Warner shot and killed 25, leaving more than 50 injured. More at 10."
Jerem grimaced. Thank God he had gotten out of that hellhole, and away from his feral older brother. Yes, telling his hacker friends the name of his hometown had proved to be a very bad idea.
But, for all his cynical ruminations, Jerem still found himself in front of the TV at 10 o'clock sharp, waiting for some news about the shooting at the school three of his siblings had gone to. Finally the commercials ended and the news started.
"In Ilium High School at 9:07 AM, Mark Warner pulled the fire alarm and exited the building into the courtyard. When dozens of panicked students followed him a few minutes later, he and Craig Robert Mockery were waiting for them with a pile of guns, and immediately started shooting. When the alarms died down, 25 people were dead."
Jerem stared at the screen. Nothing he didn't already know. Could they please get on with it?
"Among the people in the courtyard that day were Allen, Molly, and Madeleine Mockery, siblings of Craig Robert Mockery, one of the shooters. Molly Mockery approached the clock tower, at the top of which Craig Robert Mockery was standing, in a possible attempt to talk him down. She was shot and later died in an ambulance. Madeleine Mockery—"
Jerem felt his coffee mug slip out of his hand and crash on the floor. He heard the newsperson say something about how Echo killed Warder and Krieg, and then attempted suicide. He even saw Allen shouting at a reporter for a second. The program eventually moved on to a helicopter accident in Oregon, and Jerem, in a daze, turned it off.
Molly. The last time he had spoken with her was over the phone, with her screaming and crying and him cold and dismissing. Jerem hadn't cared about her then, so why should he now? During that phone call, he had just been annoyed that an unwanted distraction wouldn't leave him alone, so why did it feel like the sky was falling? Where did this desolation come from, and why was it here? Jerem didn't know. All Jerem knew was that his brother killed his sister and he wanted to go back to bed.
Jerem unconsciously prepared to leave, stuffing some money in a pocket and lacing up a pair of shoes. Soon he found himself on a bus to Fullerton. When he got off, he walked to the house that used to be his and stood there awkwardly, lacking the courage or real incentive to open the door. Suddenly the door opened and Bobbo came out.
He looked exhausted. Mom dying was a shit-worthy event, and Dad dying was a HOLY SHIT-worthy event, but this probably topped it all. Jerem was sure that Bobbo was facing an inquisition by his snobby employers. Fleibag, Forbes, and Schmeck would not tolerate connections to anything remotely undesirable.
Bobbo seemed to notice Jerem standing there, but he either did not see anything noteworthy of this or he was just too tired to care. Jerem accepted the nonverbal invitation and walked inside.
Allen was standing in the kitchen, making a sandwich. Jerem stared at him, and Allen stared back. Finally Allen put down the sandwich. "Asshole."