Nature of the Beast

[angstclot]

It began as an almost silent ringing in their ears just before the end of the first commercial break, quickly followed by a dull throbbing behind the eyes and a slight turn of the stomach. In the control room, the producer rubs his left temple and speaks into his headset as sweat begins to bead on his brow.

"Rachel, pivot and ready towards camera two...And we're live in 5, 4, 3, -, -."

The newswoman turns to begin the next segment: NEW LONDON - BPA DCI William Pruett called a press conference earlier this afternoon in reference to an arrest involving the December death of a 2-year-old.

DCI Pruett announced that 24-year-old Collin J. Stevenson, the child's father, turned himself into the Lambeth North Police Substation yesterday on the felony charge of culpable negligence.

Constables responded to Stevensons' flat just after 3:30 a.m. on December 18, 818.

In spite of her quickly growing nausea, the CNS anchorwoman holds her composure and continues to read the teleprompter as the ringing in her ears becomes louder and a tickle begins in her throat.

Inspectors said 2-year-old Geoffery Eli Stevenson apparently got a hold of an unsecured firearm that his father left in the closet within reach of the child, and shot himself.

Geoffery was transported to Lambeth Medical Center where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Rachel didn't notice that her nose started to bleed.

'"'Unfortunately, now a family is grieving once again. First for the death of a child and now for the arrest and subsequent prosecution of the father for his negligence which caused death of child,' said DCI Pruett."

Unable to hear the growing panic within the control room through her earpiece past the now deafening tone in her head, she involuntarily lurches forward and expels blood from her mouth in lieu of her last words just before the stroke.

A fate shared by every employee in the studio in communication with the control room.

Ten floors below, a man cut the power from a small transmitter in his hand and called the police as he disappeared into the evening foot traffic.

All he said to them when they answered was, "Gaia will not bleed."