By Robert Sparrow-Downes
James told himself that he was like a veterinarian—this was his job; he was mandated to do it. He prepped the three needles in silence: midazolam, vecuronium bromide, potassium chloride.
It never got easier.
He looked at the gurney, the heart monitors, the intravenous drip, the leather straps. Never the face. And when the curtain rose, he resisted the witnesses’ faces as well. James could always sense their anxiety, which worsened his own.
He just wanted it over with.
When the time came, he started the series of injections.
He felt no different than the man he was putting down.
Fantastic!
Really deep and thought-provoking piece.
Jim
Interesting insight into his inner world. Very good.
A thought-provoking piece. Very good – although, I confess, I didn’t initially understand the choice of title and had to Google to see the connection.
Nice work ramping up the tension in 101 words! To bring clarity to the title, it would be great if you could free up enough words to add something like “He might as well be wielding an axe.” Or some other tool used for beheadings.
Very powerful piece!
A perspective seldom thought of, well done.