c//: even if it kills me again“He said he could bring Jeremy back.”
“Jeremy’s been gone a decade.”
“But what if he can? What if it’s possible?”
Born September 9th, 1972 to Mary and John Kronbach in Great Falls, Minnesota. As the oldest of two kids he’s both stubborn and protective, the former by instinct and the latter by necessity. With John’s violent outbursts and propensity to gamble away most of the family income, and Mary’s neglect in response to Ricky acting as a “tomboy” from a young age, home life for the Kronbach siblings was less than stellar.
To catch a break, Ricky would get into his allowance and bike down to Freddy’s with his little brother Jeremy in tow. It happened often enough that multiple servers and one of the owners’ daughters knew them by name. But late one Friday in November of 1987, tragedy came rushing up to meet the Kronbach’s when Jeremy, aided by the owner’s daughter, requested to see the Bonnie animatronic up close. No one exactly knows how the nine-year-old managed to get his head stuck between its jaws, triggering the springlock mechanism that killed him.
Following these events, John blamed Ricky for the death of his “only son” and unleashed a reign of terror on the teenager that would only end in further tragedy. When questioned about the events that took place during “The Christmas Massacre of '87”, Ricky would claim to have been asleep during his parents’ murder. At no point does he confide in anyone about the night terrors that lead up to the event—of the 7ft tall, striped marionette that led him towards the knife block on the kitchen counter.
The night terrors continue well into adulthood, even after his suspension from MSU’s post-grad program, when he threatened one of his professors and picked fights with several classmates for unspecified reasons. With a criminal record and infamy attached to his family name, Ricky is forced to seek professional help when no one would employ him.
In the Spring of 1996, Ricky meets his career counselor, Steve Raglan, who offers him a night security gig. Ricky turns down the opportunity, and upon exiting the office he notices a magenta Chevrolet that seems familiar. Disconcerted that he can’t pinpoint where he’s seen it before, Ricky decides to skip town and start a new life altogether, as far away from his past as possible.
“I’m thinking Anaheim. Become an Imagineer. Someone who puts a smile on kids’ faces, y'know?”Strangely enough, in a Denny’s out in the Middle of Nowhere, Colorado over a year later, he comes across the same car, the same career counselor, and Ricky is now certain “Steve Raglan” isn’t who he claims to be.
“Steve Raglan” knows the name Kronbach, knows about Ricky’s past and his impressive academic record, so he makes him one more offer the young man can’t possibly refuse: if Ricky helps him finish an old project him and his old business partner set out to create in the 80s, then “Steve” can bring Ricky’s brother back from the dead.
The "beginning" of Ricky's story: Driving Through Tunnels
Character playlist: down the rabbit hole.
