Katz Game: Inside the Madden Mass Shooting

[Universe]

"Everyone keeps saying tragedy with vague disdain, as if the shooting was just a mad dream, not some kid adding his personal darkness to a collective shadow that had already spread across our lives." - John Englehardt

Based On True Events

Jacksonville, Florida - August 26, 2018

All roads lead to Las Vegas - Let the annual Madden competition begin
Five thousand dollars to the winner; One E-Sport Classic position at risk
It started long before second half, which began with an onside kick
David Katz didn't react; His opponent hit pause right quick
"Is that even allowed?" the opponent asked; Officials assured him it is
"Most regulations change for pro players with tournament wins"
Pro players... Katz was never one to crack a true grin
Or ever act on a whim, his emotions were trapped deep within
In fact the matchups were even until that bastard who blitzed
Fumbling in the endzone got Katz sent home after two wins
The real battle's within... He didn't doubt that one bit
Katz asked EA Sports reps about the whereabouts of "Young Kiv"
A top Madden player in the league and his online nemesis weekly
"He went to the hotel to watch the Twitch stream..." David's face twitched briefly
He's not leaving Jacksonville with his online career in ashes
He grabbed his Ravens backpack and adjusted his mirrored sunglasses
Left Chicago Pizza and Sports Grill and went back to his car, stressed
He had driven eleven hours from Baltimore, a small gun ca-che in his armrest
Brought handguns to claim his title, that would make a statement, right?
A .45 calibre and 9mm with extra ammo and laser sight
Went straight inside... Now making an impact is almost a certainty
It's absurdity; Over 150 people in the building with no security
Brought bullets for a third of these; Victory means having nothing to lose
Had lists of people he wanted to shoot, now most were under one roof
He shouldered through various gamers, the now soon-to-be witnesses
This skinny kid was unusually quick as he stepped into the thick of it
Katz held the 9mm in a sweaty grip, reached out to point and aim it
He directed his laser sight at the chest of Eli "Trueboy" Clayton
The red dot appeared at awkward angles before it stopped and stared...
New bullets would follow, and like news bulletins he had a lot to share...
He pulled the trigger, unprepared for the destruction ahead, scared
What was once a livestream would soon be nothing but dead air...


Controller, Disconnected

I'm used to bottling my emotions, I can't swallow the problems they cause
Pick a topic of conversation, I'm probably not responding like God
All is absolved when on my Xbox and mom's at her job
Then she'd come home and lock it up; I'd punch the laundry room wall
Way brighter than starting a brawl, or knocking out her daylights
It's not just a game to me, alright? It's how I escape life
Say I'm stark Raven mad cuz I won't wash my Baltimore sweater
It's whatever... After seeing a shrink my problems were larger than ever
They try to bring me down for good measure, turn me to anything that they wanted
Emotional issues? FUCK YOU! I got a magazine with your name on it...
Prescription drugs would illicit shrugs; I don't believe in clinical highs
They called it "depression" - I called it being sick of their lies
Mom was never on my side, always poking and prodding me
I wrestled her for the TV cable cord - The bitch called the cops on me
Obviously this family is not what me and my brother need
The judge agreed; My parents divorce meant a struggle for custody
Writing our judge asking him to side with my father wasn't hard
A NASA engineer - I looked up to him while HE looked up to the stars
Kids at school think I'm from Mars, they see me as some little geek
Always angry; I only speak through a clenched jaw and gritted teeth
Friends are enemies anyway... Nobody can get my interest peaked
I sleep on a pull-out bed with sheets to avoid bullet riddled dreams
Shy as can be, but in this state of mind I'm a regular guy
People hating their lives... All of them were just fake and disguised
They called me white bread... Fuck it, I wore that label with pride
Made my Madden profile tag "Bread" in every game played online
My love for football couldn't be denied - I was borderline obsessed
Gaming all night, memorizing scoreboards; Every quarter dropping bets
I never planned to stop and yet, we follow these rules none understand
I'm not a fan; With a controller in my hand I am ruler of this land
Trash talk's the refuse of Man; I'm at the back of the group it seems
Acting out with impunity got me cast out from Madden's community
They're mad at me usually... I stayed safe behind screens for years
No emotion; A win would simply keep me on an even keel
Losses I can't seem to deal with, so before I soak in your tears...
I'm cutting ties like a cats game...

There will be no winners here.


A Doctor's Note

David is a textbook paranoid schizophrenic with violent tendencies
His mind never at ease - A ghost town that is haunted endlessly
He's in a "psychiatric crisis" thinking people "mess with his head"
Depression inhibits his eating, sleeping and the need to get out of bed
He began taking antidepressant medication and Risperdal in quarters
An antipsychotic drug for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
Parents are in the midst of a divorce; He is in a state of denial
His father claims his ex-wife was "drug dependent" raising their child
An FDA study was entered into evidence, and the family was questioned
It mentioned suicidal thoughts of young people who take antidepressants
At 13 David would strip naked and hide in the attic bare
In 2007, he spent approximately two weeks in psychiatric care
Had an icy erratic stare, he could streamline moods too
To quote his father, "It was like he could see right though you"
Went to a therapeutic wilderness retreat studying teenage conditions
When he's agitated or depressed, he'd crumble to fetal positions
Or lock himself in his mother's car and pound his hands against his head
Symbolizing lack of control manifesting as a method of self defense
Bad grades plus detention; He's physically stable yet mentally maimed
David would forgo education to "stay up and play video games"
It's a shame... His suspect online behavior left his mom afraid
She told a county judge: "His hair would often go unwashed for days"
E-sports virtually storm the brain if you don't disconnect the cord
David and his mom waged war over games like it's quote, "Xbox court"
No friends supported him... He of course didn't join sports teams
His mother reported he would play games 'til four in the morning
Unfortunately gaming builds self esteem... He was bound to burst soon
I found disturbing that without them he'd walk the house in circles
These ups and downs were hurdles; He was released in a maze of traps
Based on this, I would suggest immediate treatment for David Katz
Patient should be sedated without antidepressant drugs given daily
I believe he has become a threat to both himself and public safety.

- A report by Dr. Sheldon Brown, MD
May 7, 2016


Like Pulling Teeth

Despite his struggles, Katz's history wasn't a past stuck in the weeds
By 2017, he'd put together a string of successful Madden victories
He was clad in mystery... People were leery of his random fits
Yet he had the "best moment in the NFL Club Series Championships"
Playing in the finals of the Buffalo division, Katz threw a Hail Mary for the win
Beating the number one seed in the process... and he barely even grinned
Was given money and a trip to L.A. for the Club Series title
No one knew it then, but peers and rivals would soon fear reprisals
He was weird and entitled... Never talking like veterans did
In a congratulatory tweet by the Bills, Katz appears gaunt and expressionless
It seems gaming got out of hand like his Xbox control had seized
An announcer said on-air getting Katz to open up was like "pulling teeth"
Like he's scared to breathe... Who could predict the incoming storm on tap?
Something inside just tore or snapped... And it wasn't a quarterback...


Jacksonville, Florida - August 26, 2018

Eli Clayton slumped in his chair, shot in the chest like a heart attack
People started to scramble... Shrapnel hit body parts and demolished glass
Officials didn't ask who'd blown a gasket; People were all on their own
Like livestream games on screen, there was a brief pause and reload
Target known; One moment could be the last for those in his tortured path
Tony Montagnino hoped it was fireworks, but somehow knew it was more than that
Was the grown up of the pack, as he took in the groans and gasps...
He was facing away from Katz when he felt something hit his lower back
He hoped to be still intact amidst awful screams and stomping feet
Ironically, police were doing a training exercise just across the street
Within minutes they'd be on the scene; Tony tried to run but blew his hip
He let out a loud moan... "Oh, what the fuck did he shoot me with?"
He flew behind a plastic table after the announcer's one broke
Catching David's emotionless face hidden by a cloud of gun smoke
He knew now this was no joke as almost a dozen others fell
Panicked onlookers saw David Katz mumbling something to himself
What's underneath this Hell? People ran and tripped on the last entrant
Taylor "SpotmePlzzz" Robertson, a new father, lay dead by the back entrance
It was just as chaotic on the deck - People fleeing frantically in all directions
Tony thought Katz might eventually come outside to end it
So he stumbled back inside the game room, pounding on the bathroom door
But the scared people on the other side locked it down as a last resort
Tony gave up; He felt a tangible terror had just breached the store
He would die fast or bleed in horror... He was prepared for either or...
In the meantime, he surrendered himself to the cold wet awful floor
With thoughts toward if the gunpowder stung his throat or nostrils more...
The madness stopped; It fell quiet - The dead show faith to stay alive
Travis Scott's "Stargazing" played on a pair of headphones that lay nearby
Tony heard people pray and cry; That loud static had once endeared him
Now his ears bled with the last soundtrack of that NASA engineers kid
He began scanning the area quick, spotting a custom-painted controller
The words, "Why So Serious?" mixed with the white rundown face of the Joker
Saw a Dead Space poster... Ending on a high note's a scary trip
No one dare admits death sentences tend to hide most periods...
Fighting delirium, Tony thought of his girls while lying on his back
But all he heard was a scream of agony:

"I told y'all that guy was coming back!"


Endgame

First responders who were conducting a training exercise across the street...
Arrived with no protective gear in what's best defined as 'Swat-less teams'
Katz retreated with swift movement to the restaurant shootin'
Each step had no blueprint - Two were dead; Eleven were wounded
No plans to live through this; For him there would be no happy end
If life's a threat then what is death? He won't even have to guess...

I took it all in... I did it! Let these guys wonder what's next
Mumbled nonsense? I was counting bullets fired under my breath
No thoughts of regret; I had to make sure I had one shot left...
To force the barrel passed clenched teeth to the back of my neck
Just like sex; What ejects from guns makes my tongue go erect
Flirting with death was a stretch yet I'm gonna come in a sec...
My brain freezes, squeezing the trigger seems to shut off the rest
A burst of searing heat, then a strange peace floods in my chest....

Yessssss.

It was over in a matter of seconds, like the real act was pretend
"Where'd he go?" they screamed... Nowhere, really...

This will happen again.


Until Then...

They say death comes in threes so if age is a number we need...
Tell that to Taylor Robertson & Eli Clayton, now both young and deceased
One week later, cross necklaces covered the bare street
Outside Chicago Pizza biohazard tape fluttered in the breeze
Lights near the game room flickered like a missing puzzle piece
A family eating on the patio next door was nothing unique
The kids here are hunters that will never be hunted it seems
But stuck in the shallow end of life doesn't mean the struggles aren't deep
These kids play handheld games under the table like it's something discrete
Studying screens yet never once noticing the dried blood by their feet...

......

- EA Sports made a $1 million contribution to the victims’ families.

- As a tribute, Eli Clayton & Taylor Robertson, the two casualties of the shooting, were both put into Madden 19 as players...

David Katz was not.


Audio of Shooting:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nDLIlH9Oyvo

[Pharaohs Army]

This looks detailed and researched...
And slept on... and right up my alley subject matter wise (the madden, not being a mass-shooter, lolz)...

Will be back for a few lines on this when I get a chance to read it fully... clearly /&un-interrupted...


**Reserved for brief feed s00n--- if you're not sick of interacting with me... This is me trying to make peace with you, or as you say "riding ur dick"...More like me having 2 straight weekends to check old league and OMs...i drop a lotta material over the years, but am surprised how much You and some others have dropped as well.. just thought it might deserve a few thoughts... bbl

**

[Pharaohs Army]

Hope your retirement / life / screenplay ideas are all working out well.

Moving on,
First stanza
========
First, my line nitpick/SUGGESTION, then some content analysis:

Pro players... Katz was never one to crack a true grin
Or ever act on a whim, his emotions were trapped deep within

Perhaps you're overcomplicating a bit for the sake of your multi streams?
I could argue the words "true", "ever", and "deep" can all be cut out, for a smaller but more compact/hard hitting mutli of "crack a grin", "act on a whim", and "trapped within"...
You (and Lars) are too good for yourselves sometimes... The flowery multis are certainly important but always ask yourself if something can be condensed and still have the impact.
Yes, ever rhymes with never...but it's redundant, as is true&deep...so that's just an editor's eye IN A GREAT VERSE WHERE IT'S HARD TO FIND THINGS WRONG...Lol, bud.

TO that point I thought (as it went on) and towards the ending the "Actions/Descriptions/Timeline/Character's thought processes" ETC...were all very impressivly encapsulated by an (as we know) very talented writer... All that detail in the second half of this first stanza is so efficient...the term "Went straight inside" is a 3-word haymaker of simplicity...just so smooth and it's 3 words to transition to HELP A RHYME ANNND get to the next plot point.
Impressive little details all over....like I said "inside the character's head/motivations"...down to the details of his mundane actions/lunch stops.. @Universe is basically a private detective in his writing life...whatever it takes for character depth or plot smoothness.

=======
Rest of the Stanzas to be edited in later****
Lol, new edit:
Just read the 2nd large stanza...pretty friggen dope, man.. Will have to feed it soon before I move on and finish...I think it deserves it
BE BACK

[Scar]

fuckin nasty, U. i'll be back to read a few more times

[emcee squared]

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