Beyond the Tragedy

🎭Nina🎭

Two days after

Stay awake, Nina. You have to see her. You have to get there.

Nina was sure she was getting a few odd looks on the bus, standing like she was near the back exit, forehead against a pole, looking like an over caffeinated zombie.  She didn't care. 

It was two days after the Massacre and everything had gone to shit.  14 people were confirmed dead but only a few names had been released so far. Nina didn't know any of them. The shooting had made national news and their were prayer vigils being held daily all over the country. The President of the United States had held an emergency press conference, talking about gun control, mental illness, and the tragedy that occurred. He promised to speak with every family that lost a loved one in the shooting and vowed to enforce stricter gun laws. The whole city of Battawa was in chaos and you'd often hear weeping just by walking down the street.

Terrified of reliving that day in the theater, Nina had refused to sleep, instead preferring to buy coffee and energy drinks with what little money she had on her. She had spent that first night sitting on the bench outside of the library looking at the stars and wondering what happened to people after they died. She didn't need any help staying awake then. 

As dawn broke the next day and details of what happened at Wilson (and details of the shooter) came to light, Nina was more focused on finding out about her friends.  She looked for anyone she might know, not being held at home by parents or grief, begging for answers on the fate of Mr. McGee, Marla, Jackson, and Bridgette. 

Oh, Bridgette.

The name of the girl made Nina want to cry but she held it together for fear of being kicked off the bus.

Nina hadn't known if Bridgette was alive or dead or what. To her surprise, she hadn't been able to find any information online or in the newspapers about the Goldroy heiress. 

It wasn't until she found the young couple, that she was given any inkling of information. 

As the sun set the previous evening, Nina was contemplating going to Barney and turning herself in. She hadn't been in touch with her foster family and was sure they wouldn't want her back. It was cold out, she had ran out of money. As she stood around the corner from McDonald's and the foster care services building, it seemed like she would need to turn herself over if she wanted to live through the night. 

Until she spotted them. 

At first Nina thought what she was seeing was a sleep deprived, caffeine induced hallucination, but quickly shook her head and ran over to them. 

"You're alive." Nina breathed at the pair who stood in front of McDonald's locked doors. 

Jackson and Marla whipped their heads around at Nina and seemed just as surprised to see her, their eyes widening.

"Yeah...we're okay." Marla's voice wobbled. "And so are you." Nina prayed she wouldn't cry again, considering how that worked out last time. 

"Yeah." Nina said, choosing to speak to Jackson instead. "So is Beverly. Do you know about Mr. McGee or Bridgette?" 

Jackson looked uncomfortably at the sign on the door that stated they would be closed due to the community tragedy, and then at Nina. "We know a lot about McGee. A little about Bridgette. But not here, I'm fucking starving." 

And so it was that Nina and Marla followed Jackson to his house where they all ate sandwiches and soda while he told the story of what happened after the three of them had left the theater, Marla having to excuse herself several times because she was crying so badly.

Mr. McGee had found them in the bathroom down the hall and the three had stayed there until they heard the gunman walking closer. 

"I think that he was just gonna walk by, go somewhere else, but then Marla started to really freak and was making noise so my hand was over her mouth and I was trying to get her to be quiet but Mr. McGee must have thought the shooter would hear us so...he..." 

Mr. McGee sacrificed himself in the hope of saving his students. 

It worked. 

He is dead and Marla and Jackson are alive.

Nina felt numb, it was her fault. She had left the door unlocked. A man was dead because of her. 

Jackson went on to tell how his dad works for the Goldroy corporation, "Some shit with quality assurance.", and he had heard that Bridgette was alive in the hospital. He didn't know her injuries or if she would live but, last he heard she was alive. 

When Nina left early that morning with bus fare borrowed from Jackson and a red bull in her hand, she couldn't bring herself to look Marla in the eye. 

Now, as Nina stepped off the bus and stood in front of Battawa general hospital, she felt lost. 

She didn't know where she would sleep tonight, where her next meal would come from. She didn't know if Mr. McGee had a family that was mourning him or if he would be buried or cremated. She didn't know how she would possibly be able to live with herself.

But if Bridgette was alive, Nina wanted to see her.