My Only Friend, The End

They finally did it today.1

It was televised. The people have a right to see, they said. To bear witness to justice.2

Old habits die hard. Even in our modern white-washed world, the tradition of the public execution lives on.3

It was raining, appropriately enough. He loved the rain. 4

I wondered if they let him see it, touch it, one last time. 5

Probably not.6

I own no television, so I ignored the rain and walked to an electronics outlet with a front-window display. 7

On a dozen separate screens, I watched them lead him through the door. Hard to believe that narrow frame was strong enough. Hard to believe those little hands were cruel enough to accomplish what they say he's done.8

The torturous twins, Guilt and Regret, gave a hard tug on my chains of misery, seeing his malnourished frame, hollow eyes bleached antique gold by fluorescent overheads. What have they done to you in there, my friend?9

Ever since Hillock v. State, condemned prisoners have been allowed to determine how their sentence is carried out. It's more "humane" that way, the Supreme Court said. So I wasn't surprised when the canister of diacetylmorphine was uncovered. I smirked at the disgruntled expressions on the faces of those officiating. They must have hated that ruling forcing them to allow this. Heroin to execute a junkie. 10

Civilized nations don't need executioners, it seemed. We have Chief Medical Overseers instead, to scientifically and humanely dispense death. How advanced we must be.11

The prisoner stood motionless lifeless, drooping like a wilted poppy, as the sentenced was formally pronounced. 12

The volume was turned down, but this potential mercy was spoilt by my lip-reading ability.13

"Does the condemned wish to make a final statement?"14

I wanted to scream at them. Haven't you had your talons in him long enough? A dozen years behind bars while you twiddled your thumbs. Why won't you just let him go?15

On twelve glass screens, twelve simulacrum images lifted their head, looking away from the officials in their starched uniforms, away from the audience of victim's family members and the task force responsible for his capture.16

Somehow, he looked me in the eye, across thousands of miles of wire and metal. Looked me in the eye and smiled.17

"Don't worry," 'Cet said. "I'm going home now."18

I wanted to reach out to him. I wanted to destroy the ones who rolled their eyes, who crossed themselves, who sneered.19

I was glad I couldn't hear the words of the audience as they strapped him to the table. Its dull gleam of chill menace was bad enough. 20

There was no sound, but I could see him chuckling at the techs having so much trouble finding a usable vein. 21

I watched my brother die surrounded by his enemies in the arms of his one true love. I listened to my fellow citizens curse his name. 22

Trudging home in a fading drizzle, I reminded myself not to grieve. After all, even pinned to the ground, he got them to give him what he wanted. They may have executed justice, but 'Cet still got the last laugh. 23

He's free now, and all the rapists and other useless jerks he killed are still in Hell. He won.24

Cold comfort.25

I passed a dogpack hanging out on the corner, smoking and chatting.26

"Screw lethal injection! They should have gassed the freak!"27

"He called himself the Storm Warden, didn't he? Should've made him ride the lightning!"28

"With all that sick black magic, burning at the stake..."29

I went home and cried.

Author notes

I don't really know where this came from. The first line just hit me while I was sitting around doing nothing in particular. I'm not sure about it at all. I feel like I need to clarify it more, edit it, expand it... or maybe it's not even worth anything. I don't know. But I realized that, in all likelihood, there's no way Acetyl will end his life anywhere but on Death Row. So I wrote it.

My favorite flower is Papaver somniferum, the sacred poppy. This is for option 4.

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Comments

1 - 6 of 6

  • beezy92
    January 17
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    Whoa. This was so powerful. (: You deserve to win this contest. (: I'm so spot-lighting this.


  • XxXDreamWeaverXxX
    January 16
    Edit | Reply
    Good, most of humanity just follow as sheep, but in this story it shows someone has different opinion, and I love the fact that it exploits that humans don't alway see things fairly, and that voilence is the way of settling things, Hah! Sometimes I wish humatity would wake up and smell the salt...

    Well done!


    ~Cat


  • iPoopAThug
    November 13, 2008
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    I like it

    I think this story is pretty good in general. I like how the sibling justifies his killing by saying "rapist and other jerks" were all he killed. It was interesting to think that every time someone gets executed there are a bunch of people like the main character feeling the effects.


  • Darkhearted
    July 5, 2008

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    Great emotional discriptions. I now think of the man getting exicuted as a hero because of the 24th paragraph.

    'He's free now, and all the rapists and other useless jerks he killed are still in Hell. He won.'
    Did that mean he killed those people and that is why he got the death sentence? I like how u used the emotions, guilt and regret, in a powerful sentence that made them more realistic.

    Great work very few literary problems.
    I also love how u ended with the people talking about Cet and it enhanced the emotional tension.

    Excelent,
    Chey-Bear

  • detty
    June 29, 2008
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    It was an excellent idea to tell this story from the point of view of 'Cet's sibling, because I could really be able to sense their relationship and sympathise with the two that others would think were in the wrong! At the end also, the conversation between the two people discussing the execution, just made me feel such a stab of hate.

    Thanks for entering!


  • Tarja
    June 6, 2008

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    Wow... I have to admit I can understand those who did not sympathize with the 'Cet. However watching his death through his brother's eyes makes it a little more... ... easy to feel compassion. I think that you did a great job subtly easing in what was going on... you left the reader wanting more for sure... although I do think it could have been a little more emotional, I have to say, I was very impressed. Well done Oh...

    "The torturous twins, Guilt and Regret, gave a hard tug on my chains of misery, seeing his malnourished frame, hollow eyes bleached antique gold by fluorescent overheads."

    Fucking amazing. Seriously those lines... brilliance. Thank you for entering and good luck.

1 - 6 of 6