Election Night

Chapter Ten - Death Comes to Greenview

THE SUNDAY BEFORE ELECTION DAY

After last night's mass shooting, national news finally started to pay attention to the recent events in Wilford. To the locals, this all must have seemed like the end of the world. This is a town that's never on anyone's radar and then all of a sudden it's being discussed on the networks, on the 24 hour news stations and around water coolers across the country. And while its residents certainly had their share of opinions about the murder of Jamale Waters and the stabbing deaths of three police officers, Mike Sanders' rampage left many townsfolk shell shocked. All morning and a good part of the day, people were actually nice to each other. Nodding. Smiling. Holding doors open for one another, regardless of where their political allegiance lies.

But that wouldn't even last till the end of the day. Once the details of Mike Sanders' homicidal spree would come to light, things would quickly return to the norm in Wilford.

Lorraine Rourke stands over her kitchen stove cooking breakfast, despite it being two in the afternoon. Cassie is at the table, but she has no intention of eating anytime today.

The kitchen's mini-TV is tuned in to one of the big networks as they cover last night's shooting. Onscreen, they show a camera shot of two bodybags being taken out of a house. "We haven't been able to confirm this, but we're starting to hear reports that the gunman specifically targeted houses that supported the democratic mayor's re-election."

Lorraine turns to Cassie. "Well, if anything good comes out of this, maybe it will make people realize that there's more to life than fighting over politics."

"Republicans!" Maggie shouts as she bursts into the room. "That's why this shit happens! Because of you fucking Republicans, and your sick fetish for guns! Why does this guy need an AR-15? How small does your dick need to be that you need that?"

At the far end of the kitchen, a door opens up, revealing a small bathroom. Ed is sitting on the toilet, newspaper on his lap. "It has nothing to do with guns, Maggie! This guy was addicted to those stupid violent video games!"

"Video games? Are you serious!"

Lorraine shouts out at at Ed. "Close the door when you're taking a shit, are you kidding me? I got food on!"

But Ed's high beams are focused on his daughter. "And you know what, Maggie? Guess who stopped him! A good guy with a gun! Gee! How bout that!"

"He's supposed to have a gun, Dad, he's a goddamn cop! If cops were the only people who had guns, this kinda shit wouldn't happen!"

Just as the room explodes into a frenzy of yelling and profanity, Cassie gets a text from Leo. He's waiting outside.

"Thank Christ," Cassie says, one foot out the door.

Greenview State Penitentiary is a maximum security prison located just on the outskirts of Wilford's lower income section. It had previously been a psychiatric hospital but was converted to a correctional facility during the first of Mack MacKinnon's two terms as mayor. MacKinnon fought vehemently against the idea of a prison in Wilford, going against the governor in a heated public battle. Despite losing the fight, the passion at which MacKinnon protested united the citizens of Wilford behind him and led to him winning a landslide victory in his second term bid.

However, barely a year later, a story broke in the Wilford Gazette that MacKinnon had secretly struck a deal to turn the mental hospital into a prison in exchange for political favors from the governor. To make matters worse, the Gazette alleged that the deal was struck long before MacKinnon's public campaign against the prison. MacKinnon still denies those allegations to this day.