THE E-CHAIR

LYNANN FIREHEART

“Shoot him now and you and your unborn child get to live, the cruel voice commanded.

“I can’t kill my husband. I can’t, I can’t”, the woman whispered vehemently. She started sobbing uncontrollably then the voice said to her, “I guess you haven’t had enough of the electric chair.”

How did it all happen?

Mark and his 8 months pregnant wife went on a shopping spree for their unborn child. On their way back they were double crossed by a couple of men in black and they were taken to a basement in an abandoned building.

Blindfolded, on their knees with their hands tied behind them, Mark tries to console Grace, telling her they were going to get out of this mess they were in. All they had to do was to provide what the captor wants. If only it was that easy.

Grace whimpers in pain as she tried to adjust her pregnant belly into a comfortable position. Then, the door opened with a loud bang and someone walks in dragging a chair along.  The sight Grace and Mark saw would surely scar them for life if they eventually manage to survive this ordeal.

The man who is obviously their captor crackles heavily and said, “oh, look what we have here.”  At this point, whatever courage Grace had mustered vanished without a trace for she started whimpering in fear. Mark was still in the negotiable state as he asked the captor what he wanted. He promised he would provide whatever the man wanted in exchange for their freedom. The captor chuckled and said, “I like this man.”

Taking a chair and sitting in their middle, he requested for the location of the Governor’s safe house. A huge shock went through Mark. Grace being oblivious claimed that he has no idea of anything related to the man’s request and begged for their freedom.

“Ah, I thought you’d do anything in exchange for your freedom” the man said, “why aren’t you saying anything?”

Mark stammered and said that he was just a secretary in the governor’s office, he doesn’t have access to information like that.

The captor decided he needed a little persuading.

“There is a known theory for humans. They all break when someone or something they love most is on the verge of dying. Let’s put that to test shall we”.

“Oh no!” Thought Mark and Grace. Grace pleads with her eyes for Mark to grant the captor’s request. She was lifted up and placed into an electric chair. As the captor secured her straps she kept muttering, “ my baby, my baby.”

“Oh true”, the captor mused. “I have no idea what the electric chair does to an unborn child. It’ll probably fry it from the inside or deform it. I guess we’re about to find out.”

And then unexpectedly, he puts on the electric chair and Grace groaned.

Oh, I was just testing the chair”, the captor claimed and grinned, it seems like it is working perfectly well. So Mark, are you ready to spill the beans?

Mark adamantly claimed he had no idea of what the captor asked for and on the electric chair went and screams of agony were heard. Mark kept begging the captor to stop. He demanded for the location of the governors safe house and still Mark kept his silence. The captor kept manipulating the voltage of the chair and Grace kept screaming and screaming until she went silent all of a sudden. She passed out. The captor promised them another visit soon and he left their holding cell.

Finally, Grace woke from her slumber and begged Mark vehemently to answer their captors request. She told him that if he wasn’t aware of what the captor wants, they wouldn’t be here in the first place. She pleaded for him to pity their unborn child but no, Mark wouldn’t say a word. It seems that keeping this secret is a better option for Mark than her life and that of her child. He didn’t just care. And that broke her. She was supposed to be the most important thing in his life not the location of some damned governor’s house.

Days went by, without food or water, Grace was getting weak. Then the door opened, their captor was here. He poured water in semi conscious Grace to wake her and began his torture again. Grace screamed and screamed until she could no longer scream. She pleaded with Mark to talk, say anything but Mark refused. She was getting paler, her screams hold no strength, her breathing was getting shallow. The captor mused, “I guess he doesn’t love you”.

When Mark saw that Grace was in the verge of dying, he then said the location of the safe house. The captor now angry decided to kill both of them for his wasted time. Grace used her last strength to beg for her life. The captor decided to have mercy on her and asked her to perform a simple task and she’ll be free. What task? He asked her to shoot Mark, her husband and she’ll be free.

Grace shook her head in the negative, “I can’t kill my husband. ” No! No! I can’t, I can’t”, she kept repeating until the captor reminded her of the electric chair.

“I guess you haven’t had enough of the electric chair”

She then thought of it. The man had offered to let them go if only Mark gave him a location but he refused. Despite watching her suffer, watching her baby…their baby go through this suffering, this torture, he refused talk. He didn’t care about them at all. If he had, he would have spoken up with all her pleadings. Why should she pity him then? He was content with her and her child dying on the electric chair. Shooting him is a quicker death than he deserved. She agreed to kill him. With that, Mark started begging her not to do it. He tried explaining himself that he didn’t trust their captor to release them if he told him what he wanted. And even if he did release them, they were going to die in the hands of the government because he would have committed treason. He told her that even if she kills him, he will still end up killing her.

Grace having made her decision shot him in his shoulders and knee joints and watched him screamed, begging for his life like she begged for hers and that of her child.

“If you had ever loved me or cared for our child, you wouldn’t be comfortable watching me getting tortured. Those were her last words as she shot him in the head.

The captor then applauded Grace, nice one woman, I never thought youd had the guts to do that.

Can I leave now? she whispered. The captor acted like he was thinking and said No! Grace shrunk back. Oh no! What has she done?

Pity, pity your husband was right when he said I wouldnt let you go. My plan was never to let you both leave. Your husband is a smart man.

Please, no, no, no, Grace kept begging. I did what you asked me to do. You promised to let me go.

My, my! Calm down woman.

Youre not even bothered about my identity or the reason why you are here instead of ten or twenty other people.

Why? she asked.

He peeled off the face he was wearing and Grace gasped loudly.

No! It cant be!

Then he shot her in her pregnant belly three times. Her last words, you were supposed to be his brother. And a bullet went straight into her head.