A Necessary Kill
Page 29
One wall is covered by a large floor-to-ceiling curtain, which is currently drawn. I wonder if there’s much of an audience on the other side…
There are three people present in the room. One looks like a doctor, and the other two look like guards. All three are wearing plain white uniforms and disinterested expressions.
One of the guards, a youngish guy with ginger hair and a scraggly beard, looks at me. “Step forward.”
I move over to the chair.
“Sit.”
I do, shifting in the seat until I’m reasonably comfortable. I place my arms in the rests on either side. The second man in white moves to my side, and along with the first guy they secure me to the chair.
I instinctively try to pull my arms free, testing the restraints.
Yeah… I’m not going anywhere.
They step aside and the doctor moves next to me. He runs an alcohol swab over my arm. Courteous, but slightly irrelevant at this stage I think. They’re about to kill me, yet they’re making sure I don’t get any last-minute infections…
Fuck me…
He inserts an IV line into my arm and connects it to an adapter linked to a second line that disappears into the wall. The doctor looks at me, nods once, somewhat regretfully, then moves over to the back of the room. The ginger guard walks toward the curtain and pulls a cord, drawing it back to reveal a large glass window. On the other side is a small viewing area.
My eyes widen a little in surprise. I didn’t expect to see anyone, but it appears this little event is a sellout. President Schultz is sitting front and center with Elaine Phillips by his side. He looks genuinely reluctant to be here, and when we lock eyes, his expression portrays an apology.
I don’t recognize anyone else, but I’m sure they’re all very important.
The guard next to me takes a step forward. “Adrian Hughes, you have been sentenced to death by lethal injection for the crimes of murder in the first degree and treason.”
The doctor moves next to me again on the other side and clears his throat. I turn to look at him. “You will receive three injections,” he says. “The first will be sodium thiopental. This will act as an anesthetic, making this as painless as possible for you. The second will be pancuronium bromide, which is a muscle relaxant to induce paralysis. And finally, potassium chloride, which will overload your heart, speeding it up until it simply stops beating altogether. Do you… have any questions?”
That was very technical…
I’ll be honest, hearing exactly what was going to happen to me like that made it all very real. I have no issue admitting that at this precise moment, I’m scared. I can count on one hand the number of times in my life I’ve known genuine fear. This is definitely one of them. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, trying to calm myself.
I look back at the doctor. “No questions. Hell, I don’t even have a sarcastic comment, and that’s really not like me.”
He smiles briefly and places a hand on my shoulder. “Go with the grace of God, sir.”
He leaves the room without another word.
The guard nearest to me turns. “Do you have any last words?”
I think about it for a moment. I gaze at the room full of onlookers. I meet Schultz’s gaze again. He looks a little worried. But I won’t embarrass him. I’ve never really liked the guy, but he’s always had my back, in his own way.
I smile to myself. “Last words… I didn’t really have time to prepare a big speech or anything…” I take another deep breath and survey the crowd. “Okay, here’s the thing. I was a soldier. I served my country well. Then I worked for the government, and I did that pretty well, too. I did questionable things for a greater good, and did so willingly. Then I retired and turned my hand to contract killing. Now that… that I was really good at. I was the best. I guess that makes me a bad person… So be it. I’m not looking for forgiveness. I’m not trying to justify my actions to anyone. But when you look at the people I took out over the years, each and every one of them was a certified piece of shit. Every… Single… One. I know people have to do what they have to do. For my part, I’m sorry I couldn’t do more. I just hope… I hope the world recovers. Genuinely, I do. And for the record… Cunningham? I’m just sorry I didn’t kill the bastard sooner.” I glance up at the guy next to me. “Do what you gotta do, kid. I’m done talking.”
He exchanges a glance with his colleague and nods. They both leave the room. The door slams shut, echoing in the remaining emptiness. A few moments later, my chair starts to rise. It tilts forward a little, giving everyone a nice view.
I take a couple of deep breaths, tensing my jaw muscles repeatedly as I fight to suppress the fear inside me. It’s a very strange, yet somewhat liberating, sensation, knowing this is it. I’m about to die.
I think about everything I’ve done, everything I’ve accomplished. If there is an afterlife, I suspect I’ll be heading down, not up. But at least I can hold my head high. I have no regrets. I feel sorry for Josh—he’s the only thing that meant something to me that I never lost. It sucks that I’m going to hurt him, cause him grief.
I let out a heavy sigh. Not much I can do about that now, is there?
A few moments pass.
Things are flowing down the IV into my arm.
Whoa, I’m starting to feel a little drowsy already…
Must be the anesthetic…
My eyes are… damn, they’re getting… heavier by the… second…
I look around… the room…
Schultz looks like he’s… about to hurl…
Heh… pussy! He’ll be a… a good president…
There’s movement… on my… on my right…
Holy shit… the second needle… must be kick… kicking in…
I can… barely… lift… my head.
More movement… Is that… ?
Looks like…
Ah!
Third… needle…
Oh… my… God! It hurts!
Crushing me… inside…
Tastes… like… shit! Tastes… bitter…
Bright light… moving to… the right… window…
No… Not a… light…
A man… bright… white suit…
Are… the guards… back?
No… it’s…
Looks like… Colonel… Sanders…?
Come to… watch… the sick… bastard…
I gasp…
I… breathe in…
The pain… it’s… too much!
Head… heavy…
He’s… staring… at me…
Ah!
Shit!
Oh… my… God!
Feels like… I’m running…
My heart… it’s going so… fast… too fast…
Man in white… smiling…
Oh… shit! My heart… it’s… I’m going to…
I can’t—
THE END
Dear Reader,
Thank you for downloading my book, and I hope you enjoyed it!
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James P. Sumner
(http://www.jamespsumner.com/)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
An avid reader from a young age, James has always had a passion for writing. In July 2013, he began work on his first novel and eventually published his debut thriller, True Conviction, himself o
n Amazon, where it has been downloaded over 100,000 times. In August 2015, he sold the international rights for True Conviction, and it will be published, mass market, in German in 2016.
His follow-up novel, Hunter’s Games, was a #1 bestseller in the Amazon UK Pulp Thriller charts, and every entry of his Adrian Hell series is a permanent fixture in the Top 20.
When he’s not writing, he’s either reading (usually thrillers or comic books), cheering on his beloved Manchester City, or enjoying one of the many TV shows he follows religiously—notably Strike Back and Banshee, which you may spot the influences of in his work.
ALSO BY THE SAME AUTHOR
You can visit my website to find out more about my other books, or click the links below to download them direct from Amazon.
THE ADRIAN HELL SERIES
True Conviction
Hunter’s Games
One Last Bullet
Deadly Intent
THE GLOBATECH SERIES
D.E.A.D. Till I Die
WILL ADRIAN HELL RETURN…?