Silent Witness - North Shore Community College

Page 14 – NSCC Pennon
A Meeting With Death (Part 2)
BY: NELSON BAKER
CONTINUED FROM MARCH ISSUE
“Come, on. Let’s go,” he
ordered.
I looked around my cell but then
I realized there was nothing I
needed to bring with me. This
was the last time I would be
here anyway. I was going on a
trip, but if I forgot to bring a
jacket or brush my teeth, I don’t
think it would matter so much
this time.
I guess I was saying goodbye to
my room, my home. It was
strange. I was never really an
emotional guy. As I matter of
fact, I felt very confused. I had
known all along that this day
would eventually come. Now
that it had come, I felt different
than I have ever felt before. I
was not afraid of dying, rather,
what was inside was already
killing me.
“I said now! I’m not kidding
with you.”
I needed more time to figure
things out, but this guy felt the
need to threaten me, even now.
Why? Because I wanted to have
one last minute to look around
my cell before I die? Did he
really think anything he had to
say to me would frighten me in
the least at this moment? I
looked him in the eye and contemplated
killing one last time,
but then decided it wouldn’t
take away what I was feeling.
Something was taking over me.
Taking over my thoughts, my
emotions. Killing the guard
would surely put a smile on my
face, but it would have distracted
me.
One last look around, and we
were on our way to the death
chamber. With my hands cuffed
behind my back, I walked with
my head down, for maybe the
first time in my life. I had very
little time left on this planet, and
these new feelings that have
come over me, I could not get
out of my head. Images of the
ones I’ve killed still remained in
my mind, but now, as I watch
the blood wash away the smiles
on their faces, I feel something
peculiar. As those beautiful
PHOTO BY: LOTHAR ADAMCZYK
DREAMCA7CHER.DEVIANTART.COM
women whose lives I have so
forcefully taken plead with me
to stop doing what I am doing, I
am wishing I was once again
there, in reality. And I realize
now that there is no turning
back. What I am feeling, this
powerful thing that is ruling me,
binding me and hurting me, is
regret.
Not much longer to go now,
only a couple more turns. I can
feel it. The room where I will
be injected with a lethal dose of
poison is close by. They are all
set up I am sure, just waiting to
take me out to the trash because
of the things I have done. I
guess I understand now that
maybe, I am deserving of this.
An explosion rocks the entire
building as both the guard and
myself are thrown against the
walls. Something has gone terribly
wrong. Either an explosion
in the boiler room or maybe
a plane crash landed. Whatever
it was obliterated much of the
prison. I got up, somehow unaffected
by the disaster. There
was little sound. More than
likely, many had died.
Smoke was everywhere, and it
was beginning to burn my eyes.
I continued on down the corridor
and still, not a soul in sight.
I turned the corner and saw an
enormous gaping hole in the
side of the building, and the
night sky caught my attention. I
knew I could walk outside at
this moment, and possibly even
escape undetected. They would
have suspected I had been killed
a l s o .
There would be no question,
not with the damage I was seeing.
But something was holding me
back. I could not exit the building.
I knew I was going
nowhere. Today was my day to
be executed. This was my final
hour. The things that I have
done, the innocence that I have
destroyed in those women, and
their family’s, I need to be
accountable for. I can no longer
accept what I have done and
continue on like it means nothing
to me. Somehow, now, it
does mean something to me. I
cannot take back any of it, but
what I can do, is take my punishment.
I walked back where I had come
from, beside the guard, and took
his pistol out of its holster. He
wouldn’t be needing it any
longer. I brought it with me as I
walked through the building
where everything had changed.
I covered my mouth with my
hand, passing by body after
body. Fragments of the broken
building and all that inhabited it
were scattered everywhere. I
stepped over people, ones that I
knew, and ones that I didn’t.
Finally, I found the death chamber.
The only thing left upright was
the chair, with the straps on the
arms and the cloth for my
face. Bodies lied still on either
side of it. I sat down, and the
smoke was still ever
present. I looked straight ahead
through the smoke, remembering,
regretting. Tears
began to stream down my face.
How could I have done those
things? I began to raise the
pistol toward my mouth but the
smoke had already filled my
lungs. The strength in my
arm was now gone, and my eyes
slowly closed.
Short Story of the Month
is a new section we’ve
added due to all the wonderful
short stories we
have been getting. We will
read and vote upon what
we think the students and
faculty will like. We would
love to put them all in but
only one will be chosen
per month.
If you would like to
submit a short story for
consideration,
please send it to:
Pennon@northshore.edu
Dilbert
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