                                                 FINALLY, AN END



   > At long last I would be free of this cell, this purgatory, four years and counting, counting toward forever. < Hannah had screwed up badly and the cell was her reward. She and her boyfriend had figured that they were smarter than anybody else was and thus their plan was foolproof. No not just foolproof, brilliant, inspired even. Nobody smuggled drugs into or out of this small island nation and therefore nobody would check a shipment coming from there. Turned out that the locals weren’t quite as dumb as the plan called for. A raid, gunfire, lots of noise and confusion and total disaster, boyfriend dead, one cop shot, Hannah in cuffs. There was a very short trial where the judge decided to be merciful. Life without parole instead of the death she had earned. > Some mercy. I am stuck in a ten by ten cell with no windows. Not allowed to wear anything ever, not even a blanket to cover the foam pad on the bed. I see somebody once every two days when a male guard brings me a towel and watches as I shower. Everything happens in this goddamn cell, I haven’t been out of it in over four damn years. No books, no human contact, lights on 24/7, always on camera, just let me die. < 
    The offer had come some time before; the state was offering prisoners like her an out. If she wished, she could be executed instead of spending the rest of her life in her box. Method and time were not mentioned but the offer was the answer to her prayers. Some time ago, a different man had brought her towel and instead of just leering as she showered, he had told her of the offer. The next bath time he had returned for her decision and she had accepted the only way out that she knew would ever be offered. 
    Nothing happened for a long while and the hope in her had faded. >They’re just fucking with me, I’m stuck here forever.<  But she had not counted on the time it takes any government to reach a decision and now there were two men entering her cell and it was not shower day.
    “Miss, we are here to discuss your acceptance of your chance of status from life imprisonment to awaiting death sentence. Your application has been reviewed and approved pending the outcome of this meeting. We will explain a few things to you and if you agree, you will be executed shortly. Do you understand?”
    “I’ll agree to just about anything if it means I can get out of this hole. Being dead has got to be an improvement.”
    “That may be so but we still must talk. One , the method of execution is up to the  executioner- there are no restrictions on him except for a guideline not to cause extreme pain or suffering  unnecessarily, two- once you agree there will be no reversing your decision, three- at the present time if you choose to die today you will be dead before another week is out. Do you understand this also?
    “Say yes and be out of here inside of a week, even if I have to die to escape. Hell yes, sign me up.”
    “Also, there will be no special meals, no fancy clothes, nothing extra at all. You will wake up and at some time on the chosen day, you will be taken from here and executed. That is the offer and your executioner may make the only changes. He and he alone will have the final say but he will contact you before your day to discuss things. If you agree you must sigh this form and we will leave you to make your peace with your god.”
    Needless to say, Hannah signed and as she did the weight of the world lifted from her. At last some control and freedom, even at the price of her life it was worth it. All that was left was for the man who would kill her to stop by and set up the details. How would she die, would he be gentle as he killed her or would he enjoy making her pay as high a price as possible? 
    “Good morning Hannah, we need to talk. I am the executioner who will free you from this place. I have an offer for you. As you know, I can end your life almost any way I see fit. My position does not pay well and I have a large family therefore I am always looking for a way to increase my income. One way I do that is by filming my executions and selling the tape to people who are willing to pay well for them. I have a long waiting list for different types of executions and only so many chances. You are a gift that will make me much money. I am also a moral man who feels that before I profit from your death you and I must come to an agreement. To just use you without your receiving something in return feels to me like a sin. This we need to discuss and come to an understanding about. Normally I would take you to a small room just down the hall where you would be strapped tightly to a post. I then would place the muzzle of my pistol in your mouth and fire. The bullet would enter you skull at the base and angle up to destroy your brain stem and the back of your brain. Death is instantaneous and painless. While there are some willing to pay for the viewing of such I fear that they are few. No those who are willing to pay wish to see other things, hangings, garrote, impalements, firing squads, beheadings, poisonings, and almost any means of killing that you have ever heard of. That you are a young and pretty woman only adds to your value to me. It a sellers market and I will give you whatever I can in return for your cooperation. No matter how you die, there will be no more than a few minutes of suffering and in return I can offer much. Are you interested?”  
    “I don’t know what to ask for; I mean what is possible and what isn’t. How much time will I have to enjoy my rewards? I just don’t enough.”
    “OK let me tell you what I can do and you decide. Would you like a good meal, sex with someone, a walk in the sun, music, to pick your method of death, a good bath, a back rub, a pretty dress, a good stiff drink,  to sit and talk with someone, or maybe something else that I missed. I can do much but some things will require time to prepare so we must decide now.”
   “I want all of it that I can get, everything you mentioned sounds wonderful. Tell me more.”
   “We are on the edge of an army base, unused and quite pretty. I have quarters here. With a big bathtub, a full kitchen, large comfortable bed. Nearby there’s a beach and woods with some lovely grassy clearings. I have a large collection of music. My eighteen-year-old son is a very nice boy, handsome and strong. He has been the last lover for others in your place before and is reported to be a very kind and caring lover. You can have almost all day and will be without most of the chains you came here in. Usually you would only need a light pair of leg irons and a control collar. Much like a dog training collar, you misbehave and I can give you a shock, a shock that will drop you to your knees and can kill if I keep applying it long enough.”
    “The hell with the dress but I want everything else, as soon as we can, I do not want to spent any more time in this hellhole than I have to.”
    “And your way of dying, may I offer a suggestion. My best costumer would like a garroting. You ask for much and I think it only fair that I get much in return. As deaths go, it is not a bad one and we could do it anywhere. You could die watching the surf and listening to the birds of music.”
    “I want to go to the beach but let’s end it in one of those grassy clearings where I can sit in the sun at the end. I trust you for some reason, we have a deal.”
    She spent the rest of the day deciding what she wanted to eat and drink and wondering about the son. >I hope the kid is as good as the old man says, I need to get laid really badly. Maybe he’s still at the always-ready stage. At eighteen, he should know something. Maybe he’ll even eat me, a good eating and a good long fuck would be worth it all. Even if it takes ten or fifteen minutes to die, it’ll still be worth it for a day of wonderful things and never having to come back to this hell. <
    The old man came back two more times to smooth out any rough spots and on the last visit. “Tomorrow is going to be a beautiful day; we will come for you early. A fine breakfast, a walk , a nice hot soak, some music, a long quiet time with my son, then more good food, a time at the beach, perhaps more time alone with your thoughts or with my son, then we go the woods. Does that sound fine to you? It is not too late to change the details but no matter what tomorrow will be your last day on earth. If you wish I can visit you tonight and we can talk about life and death and what comes after or I can leave you with your thoughts until tomorrow.”
    True to his word, the next day began early. She was awoken early and after being outfitted with a full set of chains and cuffs for the first time in years she was led outside. >My God, the sun, blue sky, there is still a world. A breeze, it’s been so long. I can die happy now.<  she was loaded into a small car and after a short ride they were at a small house set by it’s self. The beach was only a short walk away and behind it she could see small woods. Birdsongs carried by the breeze reached her ears and she stood and watched the gulls wheeling over the surf. > So this is the place, it’s just as he promised.< Her attention to the scenery was broken as the door to the house opened and the executioner and a younger version of him walked out onto the porch. They walked over and after signing some papers turned to her. “Hannah, welcome to my home. Come in and we will get those restraints off and you can eat or bathe. Which do you want to do first? This is my son, you may call him Eduardo, Eduardo this is Hannah, the girl I was telling you about.” 
    Breakfast was fluffy eggs and some kind of shellfish, toast with fresh fruit spread and good coffee. The tub was large enough for two and after a good soak; there was a knock on the door. 
“I thought you might like me to scrub your back or wish something.” 
    Eduardo was wearing only a loose pair of shorts as he stood by the door. >Nice , very nice. Shit girl, stop looking and take him up on the offer. Not much time left.< “ why don’t you join me in here and do a good job of it.” The back scrub of course quickly led to other more intimate things and they were both still wet and excited as they moved to the bedroom. His tongue and his fingers both knew what to do and where to do it. She was gasping and mewing with pleasure even before he slid up her body and entered her. She met his thrusts with needy movements of her own and the world shrank to the place where they were joined. Timeless moments and wonderful feelings later she felt him move toward his climax and joined him. She tried to pull him deeper inside herself as they ground against each other while their passions exploded. 
    > I think that was the best fuck I ever had. Hey, kid, need references, give you a good one. God he’s still moving, doesn’t he ever tire. If he’s giving I’m willing to take. Wow .< Without even  leaving her he soon began to move inside her. She thrilled as she felt him harden up and soon they were once more lost in the heated passion their needs fired.  
    By the time the knock on the door came they were both sated and were just quietly laying in each other’s arms enjoying the special afterglow that only great sex brings. Lunch was as good as breakfast. More seafood, fresh baked bread, veggies still crispy, a good wine, and behind it all the sounds of her favorite music. The three of them talked of life and of small things, Eduardo wanted to become a doctor and his father spoke of the boat he was building. >Man this is weird, I’m going to die today but here I sit eating and enjoying myself. Somehow dying just doesn’t seem important. I’m so full. One more dish of iced fruit maybe, I think I’ve got room.< 
    Lunch was followed by a walk on the beach. The leg irons and the collar seemed a small price to pay as she waded and fed the gulls. Out on the horizon there was a fishing boat and just for a moment the reality of her situation hit her. > Ah hell, they’re free to sail away while I’m stuck here. What have I got left, four maybe five hours. Damned if I’m going to ruin it by worrying.<
There was a small enclosed garden behind the house and she was led back there to enjoy some more time with Eduardo. This time however their lovemaking was softer and more loving. Somehow he knew that she wanted to share time with somebody who cared and understood. There were no words needed as they joined and she rode him for the last lovemaking of her life. Even soft and slow brought her to a climax that shattered her soul and reformed it into something peaceful and rested. 
    A short walk in the woods refreshed her, she stood and listened to the birdsongs and watched as they flitted from branch to branch. Bright colors in the sun and shade, moving with a freedom she had lost. The trail led to a clearing, a small pond with grass around it, sun dappled and blue and green. Yes, there was time to stand and enjoy. No one had said anything but she knew that this was the place chosen for her to die. 
    “Come Hannah, we need to go over there now. It is time.” She followed around a small grove of bushes by the water’s edge. For the first time she saw the instrument of her death. A wooden killing machine was waiting for her. A single post about a foot square with crossed feet at the base. Staked down so it was solidly anchored it was about seven feet tall. A low stool was mounted on one side and there was some pieces made of steel lying on the ground next to it.
Telling her it was for her own good and only until she was safely held in the embrace of the garrote he cuffed her hands to a belt and led her to sit.
    >Help me God, I’m going to die and I’m scared. I don’t want to die, take me back to my cell, I’ll spend the rest of time in darkness. Just don’t kill me.< As her thoughts raced and she shrank away from her fate he strapped her upper body to the timber. One around her chest and another around her head secured her. She saw the first piece of steel as he placed it around her neck. A U shaped bar with a flat spot in the center, it slid through a slotted piece of steel on each side of the upright. She could hear him assembling more parts behind her head. > I guess this is it. Somehow, this thing is going to snuff out my life and there isn’t a thing I can do about it. I asked for it. I traded my life for a walk on the sand and a roll in the sack. Shit, I’ve really fucked things up good this time. Hell, I’ll try to be brave.<
   Her resolve lasted as she felt the bar snug itself up against her soft tender throat. She even thanked the old man as he removed the last of her chains. The cameras went unnoticed as she sat and looked at the beauty of her dying place. She felt the panic behind the wall she had constructed in her mind as both Eduardo and his father disappeared behind her. The wall that would be surely be tested in the moments to come. > I will be brave, I will be brave, I will not panic and thrash around, I will die with dignity, I’ll show them, I will.< Brave thoughts but no match for the steel holding her around the neck. The steel that would squeeze and crush that soft and pretty throat until she was nothing but a piece of dead meat. But for now she clung to her dream of somehow beating it, of somehow winning over the need to breathe. It was a valiant effort and a fine attempt but she had no idea of the forces that would whip her. Forces that would drive everything from her mind except the fight for even one sip of air.
   At the first sound of the threads turning and at the first tightening of the steel she started to hyperventilate. Trying to store up as much oxygen as possible before it was denied her. The man behind her smiled as he listened to her attempt to live an extra few seconds. This was going to be a good movie part of his mind thought while another part grieved for the girl, so young and pretty. He had sent Eduardo away before he started; this was something he did not want his boy to see. Better that he remember her as she was while they made love. What she would become in only a few seconds was not something he wished his son to see in his dreams.
    By trying to breath as much as possible she was able to postpone the panic for a few more seconds. Her breath sounds were noisy and labored before he stopped turning the screw. She was still getting air but she was working very hard for even small amounts. The wall was crumbling under the assault of her desperate need to breathe. Her hands tried to pull the strangling steel clear and failing that reached back to loosen the screw but it was just beyond her reach. She kicked and pushed against the ground trying to loosen or escape the crushing force of the garrote. That the cameras were recording her struggles, taping the view of her heaving breasts , recording the exposure of her pussy, the flying drops of semen and other love juices left from her time with the boy, and noting the almost sexual movements as she fought was less than nothing. Time stopped for her she had always struggled thus and would struggle until the end of eternity. The saliva running down her throat threatens to drown her, her tongue is forced out from between her darkening lips and still she fights. Blood drips from the corner of her mouth to stain her pale body, shockingly red against the pale skin. Now more leaks from her nose. He notices a slowing of her struggles and checks his watch - almost ten minutes. She cannot believe it. For some reason she can breathe more easily as she hears the turn of the screw. Only a little bit, not enough to ease her struggles but only enough to prolong them. She sucks greedily at the extra air and the small part of her mind still functioning behind her wall hates him for allowing her extra time to undergo the agony and pain of the garrote. She has dug long deep furrows in her neck. Her nails dig at the unforgiving steel until they too are no match for it or for the hard wood it is mounted on. Her fingers now have no nails on their raw and bleeding tips; they have been torn away in her fight. The stool she had been sitting on is kicked away and she is hanging as she strangles. Finally he takes pity on her and the bar moves back toward the post. She whistles and gasps as the last small airway left is slowly crushed. No longer does she have the strength or the will to fight. She hangs with only small movements in her broken body. Once or twice, her hands try to lift and her feet try to find traction under her but it is really all over. Peace descends over her tortured soul as she now hears the birds between the thunders of her pulse. With a last shudder, her body loses the battle and the control over itself. She is still as the sound of liquid hitting the base of the garrote frame mixes with the sound of the breeze in the leaves. A last few quivers and twitches and she is still for all time.
   He sits and studies her body and reviews her death in his mind. It was almost perfect and his customers should be pleased. She is left hanging in the embrace of the steel and wood for an hour before she is removed and taken out to sea to be dumped overboard with the rest of the trash. Unknown, unwanted, unloved, and forgotten.
