In a grocery store on western side of town, a young woman stands bored while watching the self-checkout lanes. Customers come and go, some of them friendly to her, some of them stealing product while she doesn't look, but none of them remain longer than they need to.
Everyone has a reason to leave the store, whether it be to return home to their family, to smuggle their stolen goods out the door, or to just enjoy some time alone. Almost a month ago, one man left the store permanently, shortly before going on a homicidal rampage and killing himself.
'Why'd he do it...' Morgan Coughlin asks herself for the hundredth time. The man she's thinking of is Patrick Deemer, a very friendly fellow associate. He came to work on time, spoke happily about every subject, and never once hinted that he'd kill three people before killing himself.
It rained the previous day, making Morgan unable to do her usual run. Instead, she focused on kung-fu moves from various movies she's seen. To do cardio on this day would mess up the entire rotation, so she'll have to do weights when she gets home.
After work, Morgan goes home. With her workout routine and college finals coming soon, she doesn't have time to hang out with friends to go to parties. Boys are constantly inviting her to obscure get-togethers, but she instantly denies them all. She's got her whole future planned out, and a silly frat party has no place in it.
While doing warm-up squats, Morgan has a television on in front of her. Normally she'd be watching a drama series, but this last week's news reports have been very strange. Animals are attacking people in foreign countries, and magicians have developed new techniques that look exactly like the real thing.
Halfway through Morgan's first set, the Emergency Alert System takes over the television's display and audio. It plays several annoying beeps, then a person begins to speak.
"This is an emergency alert for residents in Carroll County. There are currently many swarms of deadly wasps and hornets. Residents are advised to stay indoors. Keep all doors and windows shut. Keep insect and wasp killer nearby, but do not go outdoors to get it. Close all entrances to your homes. Do not go outside. The alert will be updated soon."
'Wasps?' Morgan questions the alert. Wasps are annoying, but far from deadly, especially when you're not irritating their nest. She's been stung by wasps in the past, but they only caused her mild pain for a few hours. Even out of all her family members, only her cousin ever had to go to the hospital because of bee stings.
"Morgan, are you watching TV?" Morgan's mother yells from the first floor of the house.
"Yeah, it just played some emergency message," Morgan yells back.
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"Don't open any windows or go outside," Morgan's mother warns her.
"I know, I listed to the alert!" Morgan yells back, this time irritated at her mother.
Morgan continues her warm-ups until dinner when her mother calls her down to eat. Her mother has prepared a dinner of butter chicken with sides of broccoli and mashed potatoes. To drink, there is a pitcher of sweet tea. Minding her weight, Morgan opts for a glass of water instead.
Sitting to the right of Morgan is Jason, her father. He is nearing sixty years old and works at a nearby military base doing something with computers. It's all confidential and top secret, meaning he can't share with the family.
Across from Morgan is Alex, her brother. He's three years older than her, a bodybuilder and eats more than anyone else at the table. He works for a digital forensics lab in DC which is, once again, top secret and cannot be shared.
Sitting to the left of Morgan is her mother, Elizabeth. She's eight years younger than Jason and manages the finances for a local business. Her relationship with Morgan isn't the best, especially considering Morgan's career path.
Jason got his degree from MIT late and has been working his entire life to better himself. Alex partied a little too hard in college but was able to get a good job thanks to Jason's connects. Since being hired, he's gone well above anyone's expectations and is now a highly valued employee at the forensics lab.
Elizabeth was born into a bad family. She got her GED and left home at 15, traveled the states for several years, and eventually met Jason when her car had broken down. Since her life was so difficult, she wanted to provide the best for her daughter. Morgan never smoked marijuana or needed to be bailed out from jail, but she still disappointed her mother.
Morgan was aiming for an art degree from the local community college. She wasn't trying to raise her social class like Jason did, or live an easy and carefree life like Alex did, or escape a dangerous situation like Elizabeth did. No, she was just coasting. Drugs are bad, and she hasn't used them. Sex is bad, and she hasn't done it. At nineteen years old, Morgan's life could be described by a single word: uneventful.
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Morgan's brow furrows as she reads the boxes of text floating in the air over her plate of food.
"Something up, sis?" Alex asks, noticing Morgan's changed expression.
"No... it's nothing," Morgan replies and continues to eat her meal, ignoring the boxes of text. As soon as she does, the boxes disappear, as if knowing her intention.
The diner continues uninterrupted. No more boxes appear, but Morgan can't help but space out as she contemplates the meaning of the words. In addition to the words, their method of delivery was extremely profound. The box of text looked like something from a video game.
"Thank you for the meal," Morgan stands and says after finishing her food, then takes her plate to the sink to clean it. After placing the plate and utensils in the dishwasher, Morgan goes back to her room upstairs.
"She wasn't listening to anything we said," Jason says, watching his daughter climb the stairs.
"Maybe it's just too hard for her to believe," Elizabeth says. "I'm a little shocked too that an entire school bus of kids was killed by hornet stings."