Lingchi - Uncut

Every word, every look, every subtle hint of disgust slowly destroyed Ben Kleris, a 10th-grader at Derrick Slander Community High.  Every year since he entered high school in 8th grade, he would return to face his classmates, detesting them further each day.  He was now back for September of 2006, and he could no longer see a future for himself.  He couldn't look ahead to college, or even the next school year.  He was filled with despair, and lived an empty and directionless life.

No one noticed, and if they did, they certainly didn't care.  He found solace in the mundanities of life: coming to school each day at the same time, attending the same classes with the same students.  He liked the illusion of control.  Little did they know, he was secretly conspiring to control more than that.  He wanted to control their worlds.

Over the course of the 2006-2007 school year, Ben Kleris focussed on one thing: achieving his wish.  He kept his grades up to appease his parents, which was not hard for a student like him, and saved up enough money to buy a Glock .22 and hollow-point ammunition.  He acquired the gear at a gun show with the help of an older friend, as he had only turned 16 in January 2007.  No one, not even his parents, had any idea of what would happen next.  By extension, no one is to blame.

Journals recovered from his room revealed meticulous planning, which had always been a strength of his, but the motive remained unclear to the public.  The media pinned it on a number of things, and they were always wrong, naturally.  The true answer, one which many have yet to accept, is that there was no real motive.  He was depressed, alone, and saw no other way out.  He also hated everyone.  To Ben, this was the golden ticket.  This was the one thing that gave him happiness and purpose.

On April 20, 2007, Ben Kleris entered Derrick Slander Community High with the loaded pistol concealed under his t-shirt and ample ammunition strapped around his waist.  He also geared up with knives in case of melee combat.  He took the risky front entrance, but as usual, there was no security.  It wasn't necessary for a school like Slander.

He first entered the office, still hiding the weapon, and approached the secretary.  He began to ask a random question, one that was so arbitrary that no one can remember it, and then quickly drew the weapon, shooting her in the face.  He sprinted to the vice principal's office before anyone could realize what had happened, and shot her twice in the head.  The principal was now standing outside the office, and Ben shot him in the chest to get out.

He ran down the second floor hallway to the class he was supposed to be in: German 201.  There were many people he hated in that class.

He shot the teacher first, and then promised the students he wasn't going to shoot them.  They looked visibly relieved.  He then proceeded to methodically shoot all of them, in the chest, head, or both, leaving his "favourite" victims for last.  He could've stopped at any point, but his classmates had years to stop.  They didn't.  He didn't.

Twenty-eight people were killed before he left the classroom.  On his way out, his drama teacher tried to intercept him.  He nobly tried to talk him down.  It didn't work.  Twenty-nine.

Ben Kleris calmly returned to the German classroom, feeling safe now that everyone was dead.  He cradled the body of the student he'd saved for last.  He had been contemplating not killing him, but after murdering all his friends before his eyes, he couldn't let him suffer.  The bullet had gone straight through his skull, leaving an exit wound, splattering blood and brains everywhere.  The boy slumped softly in his arms.  He looked peaceful.  Ben pulled up a chair next to him, and with the faintest trace of tears in his eyes, shot himself in the left temple.

Thirty.