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Another work week had come to an end, the constant drain of working at the telecommunications service center at least giving me a breather for the next two days. My shift had me on for Saturdays until six, so this was the night where I went to hang out with friends. Rob had already staked a spot out at a local bar, so we could snap a couple cheap beers back before hitting the club scene. He was probably more of a fan of it than I was, considering I was in a dedicated relationship already, but he was a free soul, and my fiance didn't mind me going, so long as it was for his sake only. Plus, he was gay, so it's not like I would find any targets.

Checking out of the office, I gave a swift goodbye to my boss, a tall German man, before disappearing to the elevator. The quicker I could get out of these khakis and into some far more comfortable denim, the better. It was summer here in central Florida, and even though it was early, the humidity was already thick as fog. The timid 80s we had as highs felt far more grueling and my boss was kind of stingy when it came to the air conditioning. It likely didn't help that I grew up in Alaska and only moved here for college.

Phone calls were an easy way for a twenty-two year old man to make some easy cash over the summer. It helped to pay for the bit of my tuition I didn't have covered by scholarships, as well as gave me some financial capability to have fun on my days off. I was studying electrical engineering, so the mindless work for a few months was actually a welcome break from the constant intellectual struggle that I fought through for the other nine.

My fiance and I had been dating for a little over a year, but she lived in Miami. Thankfully, I was going down south to the beach to visit her for a week on the 19th, just eight more days to go through, one more week of work. My thoughts were temporarily interrupted when the elevator doors opened and I rapidly left through the front office to get to my car. Rob texted me halfway back to my house, telling me to meet him at Oblivion around 10pm. That would give me a few hours to get a shower in and grab a small bite to eat. Oblivion had some fantastic food itself, so I would ensure to leave plenty of room for it.

I checked my calendar when I got home, having to remind myself that next week was Father's day, not tomorrow. Something in the back of my head told me to just give him a call, but I figured I could wait until tomorrow. He always was a fan of surprises, and he'd have no problem with me pretending I screwed up the dates, but it'd be way harder to pull that silly prank off if I called him on a Saturday. Marking down to call him around 2pm on Sunday, I headed off to the shower to clean the dried sweat off my skin.

After I dried off, I headed downstairs to catch a few episodes of Breaking Bad. Rob had demanded I watch it after hearing I was a Walter White virgin, and after some reluctance, I relented and we watched the entire first season two weeks ago. Already on season four, I no longer questioned why he had pressed me with such vitriol – this show was incredible and the characters so very well portrayed. When my phone's alarm went off at 9:30, I fist-pumped and quickly grabbed my hat from the shelf. I always got to our meets early to pick a table, as I knew Rob would have the two of us at the bar stools if he got to pick.

It was just before ten when I got to the doors, quickly sighing in relief when I scanned the bar and didn't see my shorter pal on one of the stools already. The wait wasn't long, as Rob came through the doors just as I was getting the initial water I always started off with. Waving him over, the Mexican male quickly caught the waitress and asked for a water as well before sitting down. Grunting as he sat down, he shot me a quick smile before asking me how my day had gone.

Rob and I had met back during his orientation, when I was working at the check in booth as a soon to be sophomore. He was a cheeky son of a bitch then, confident in himself and what he was after, which at the time was a Pepsi from any nearby vending machine. Pointing him in the right direction, he left, but returned several minutes later and handed me one, stating I looked like I could use a drink as well. After mentioning that I preferred alcohol if he was talking drinks, he asked me to show him the best places around the city. We were inseparable ever since.

I remember his disappointment when I told him I had a girlfriend, his admittance that he was gay and had thought about asking me out for over a year. It stunned me, as he was so open and up front about everything, but he said it just felt different in regards to me. He recovered after a week of melancholy behavior, deciding that if he couldn't have me, he might as well test the waters to find someone that would work. I offered to accompany him, and after getting the go ahead from my girlfriend, we started clubbing on a biweekly basis.

The wings were delicious as usual, though Rob went all out and snagged some fries and cheese sticks with his. He was a bit more portly than I was, but he never seemed to care about his gut, saying it was a comfier pillow for people to lay their heads on. We smiled and laughed with each other as the beers helped get our comical sense of humor going, pre-gaming in preparation for the few hours at the nightclub we generally went to. Knocking back the last few sips, I called for the check, ready to get the party started. Leaving a decently sized tip, the two of us headed back out, ignoring the parking lot for now and beginning the half-mile walk towards Pulse.

Aptly named, the club played a lot of electronic style music, from trap to hard-style, rolling in some crazy dubstep when they had a DJ for it. Gratefully, they did have some rock bands show up, even comedy acts, from time to time to keep the atmosphere from becoming too stale. That was likely a huge reason behind why they were one of the most popular clubs in the entirety of the large city of Orlando. The Saturday nightlife was as crowded as usual, making purposeful walking a difficult task, so the two of us just meandered our way on over, chatting away like good friends generally do.

With the sun below the industrial horizon, the air was cooling down enough to not cause sweating, which I genuinely appreciated. Out of all the feelings I hated, the feeling of your own body's liquid running down your body was at the top. When we hit the line, it took about fifteen minutes before we were inside. The dance floor was already humming, though not quite packed yet. The music blared on through sub-woofers that couldn't handle the insane amount of bass pumping through them, sounding distorted, but no one here cared. All we wanted to do was dance, drink, socialize and wind down from a stressful week at work with others who wanted to do the same.

No one judged others here. Several patrons were smoking in the back, lounging and talking; others hung out at the bar, knocking back drinks and getting buzzed and wasted. The majority of the group was on the dance floor, some flailing aimlessly while others tried to show off their dance skills to impress a potentially interested party or individual. There were men and women in here of all sorts of looks, ethnicities and backgrounds. All I knew in here was a sense of acceptance and love, where even the straightest of men could walk in, sit down close by others and not feel in the slightest bit uncomfortable.

I wasn't much of a dancer myself, but given enough drinks, I found myself nearby Rob, being one of the more reserved flailers, as I didn't have two left feet, I somehow had three. Time passed unknowingly, the hours ticking by until Rob mentioned he had to piss and would be back in a few minutes. Clapping him on the back, I told him to hurry, though I wasn't even sure why. He slipped through the crowd and left, my vision turning back to the stage and the others around me. And then shit fell apart.

The popping sound caught me off guard, my vision first turning to one of the close speakers, thinking it might be giving out, but then I realized the staccato beat was entirely out of rhythm. That realization came just as the first bullet slammed into my abdomen, sending me reeling back into a few others who quickly became the next victims. Another bullet tore through my leg before a third shattered my rib cage and tore through my left lung.

Collapsing on the floor, I saw dozens of others, plummeting to the ground as the rest of the crowd screamed in terror as a couple seconds' pause allowed me to reflect on my whole life. I saw every flash of my past blaze in front of my quickly darkening vision, my rapid breaths barely providing a puff of oxygen to my brain as my blood freely flowed out into my internal cavity. The first sensation outside of agonizing pain I noticed was the cold. My whole body felt frigid and my eyes simply glazed over as I watched in horror as several more people fell to the ground trying to run past the gunman to the closest exit.

My fingers did all they could to struggle towards my pants where my phone was. My only thought was to try and text goodbye to my dad, my instant regret hitting me harder than any bullet for not having given him a call earlier. Blood was quickly blocking my ability to breathe, my vision flickering in the darkness as I heard the sound of panicked footsteps heading towards the bathrooms. I saw the man, clad in dark clothes, brandishing an assault rifle, running to where I hoped Rob wasn't at anymore.

Try as I might, my hand wasn't listening to me anymore, my vision closing into a tunnel, every thought, every love, every dream of the future of my job and my hopeful wife spilling out onto the floor with each weakening pump of my heart. I sobbed silently and without tears or movement as the blood completely clogged my airway and I began to suffocate. Weak gurgles splattered blood onto my lifeless tongue as my eyes locked onto the ceiling above me, the last flicker of life passing from them as my future died along with forty-nine others that night.