24
The dream didn’t come.
There was no dream. There was nothing but blackness, emptiness, a dark hole that ate everything else.
For the third time in as many months, I woke to a heavy knock at my door.
“Jack? Get up. You’ll want to see this.”
Willy.
The rain had stopped.
Hazy, early morning light filled my window.
At some point, I kicked off my sneakers, but I still wore the same jeans and sweatshirt I had last night, still soaked, as was my bedspread, the sheets, and probably my mattress.
“What is it?” I muttered.
“On TV. You need to see it.”
I glanced at the digital clock beside my bed.
6:05.
I crawled out of the bed and made my way to the living room. The television provided the only light, the volume low.
The news.
A helicopter shot of a house.
Stella’s house.
The pool in back. The fountain. I knew immediately.
“Is that—” Willy said.
“Yeah.”
I sat down on the edge of the couch, nodded at the television. “What’s going on?”
“Something really bad. Eighteen dead so far, and they’re still pulling out bodies. I just turned it on, but I heard something about guns and explosions, fire.”
“Eighteen?”
Stella.
Willy nodded. “Sounds like one of them might be a cop.”
Smoke rose from the west side of the house, thick black cords trailing out the windows and doors, a hole in the roof.
The camera cut from the aerial back to a reporter. “We’ve been told by Pittsburgh Police that we need to relocate. They are expanding the perimeter to include not only the house and surrounding property but the cul-de-sac, too. From what we can gather, this is to make room for additional emergency vehicles. I can see at least two firetrucks attempting to get through now, and between the narrow streets, press, and spectators, they’re having a tough time of it. If you are just joining us, this is Pete Lemire with KRWT CBS, and we’re standing outside a private residence located at 62 Milburn Court where at least eighteen people are known to be dead, including at least one police officer. Pittsburgh PD has not released any names at this time and said they will not until next of kin can be notified. Two of the dead appear to be security guards at the gatehouse behind me, victims of apparent gunshot wounds.”
Lemire looked off to his right, nodding at someone. “Again, we are being asked to relocate. I’ll hand it back to Christie in the newsroom. Christie?”
The camera switched back to the aerial. No voiceover.
“Milburn Court is only about a mile from where you got hit on your bike. A few blocks off Nobles in Burlington Hills. Really nice area. Old money,” Willy said.
