Gregger the Executioner

Editor's Forward: This was based on a prompt that has since disappeared. I've added italics to that portion.

“Good, now I'm glad you came to me instead of the warden. Now we can get to know each other a little before tomorrow comes. I'm also grateful for that. I'm glad you didn't do what the warden wanted. It's not too late though. You could still redeem yourself, maybe you can show him that you're different from the others. You'll have to show him something. He doesn't exactly take suggestions well. Now let's get some rest, you look exhausted. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.

You fell asleep right away.

The next morning, the same guard who had previously given you a uniform brought you a tray of food. She told you that you had a meeting with the warden. You quickly ate and drank a cup of water before heading to the warden's meeting room.

The warden was a large man, at least twice your size. He sat behind a desk and the guards stood behind you in a half circle around the room. You stood before him with your head down until he finally spoke. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

Your knees trembled as you turned to him. “Please…I want to redeem myself. I want to become a better executioner.”

He laughed. “I'm not doing this to give you a second chance, I'm doing this because I think you'd be a good addition to the team. Don't worry, you'll still be a grunt, just a more useful one. Get out there and let me see what you're made of.”

You couldn't help the smile that came to your face. “Thank you.”

“Don't thank me yet, executioner. Still, this is a nice start. Now get out there and show me what you're made of. Guard, have the warden meet my eyes for any new recruits in the courtyard. You know how he is about new recruits.”

“Yes Sir. I'll tell him. Now get out there and show this newbie what he's missing.

Your steps were a little lighter as you headed outside. You tried to remain composed and head on past the guards and out the door but you could hear them all laughing as you walked away. You couldn't help but laugh along with them. You didn't care what they thought of you, you didn't care if you passed your test and got promoted. You were going to be an executioner.

You continued to smile to yourself as you walked at a brisk pace to the courtyard. The sun was shining brightly and it felt good. You breathed in deeply. The fresh air felt like an elixir.

You reached the courtyard and saw the warden sitting on a stone bench. He looked up at you and grinned. “Newbie!” He hopped off the bench and walked towards you. He handed you a wooden stick and a burlap sack. “Here are your instructions and your gear. Put on the sack and don't lose that. It's very valuable. Come over here and we'll get started.”

You did as you were told and put the sack over your shoulder and the stick in your hand. “Thank you Sir.”

The warden laughed. “Just don't call me Sir. We're not in the army, we're in a band of bandits. We're outlaws.”

You nodded. “Of course, Sir.”

“Now get out there and show me what you're made of.” He clapped you on the shoulder and headed back to his seat on the bench. You breathed a sigh of relief and began heading towards the arena.

You heard the sound of cheering before you even reached the arena. You looked over your shoulder and saw about two hundred people cheering for you. They must have really liked that you spared the prisoner. The warden would have been proud. You turned forward and finished the last few steps to the arena.

You walked in slowly with your head down and your shoulders slumped. You just wanted this day to be over. You looked up and saw the cheering stop. You looked around and everyone was staring at you. You raised your head and met the stares of those around you. You stood there waiting nervously.

Finally, the warden walked out and gave you a thumbs up. Everyone started cheering again. You took a deep breath and continued to walk forward with your shoulders slightly hunched. You were ready to begin.

You looked up at the high wall and saw the opening. You walked up the two steps and glanced at the wooden platform. You knew you had to make a choice. You could turn back or you could try to get up there and hope you made it.

You looked down at your feet and listened to the crowd. No one was willing to look down on you. Everyone wanted to see you make history.

You looked around at the courtyard and all of the people cheering. You glanced back up at the platform and noticed everyone had moved away from the opening, at all the people staring at you and you couldn't make yourself turn back. You had a destiny to fulfill. You were going to be a legend!

You slowly walked forward and reached the platform. You grabbed the edge and pulled yourself up. You looked over at the opening and noticed the platform was empty. There was no way you were going to get up there. You were going to have to leap off and hope you made it, or you were going to have to jump.

The crowd cheered wildly.

You glanced back at all the people below. This was your one chance and you weren't going to mess up now. You stood there trying to calm yourself and thought about what you were going to do. Finally, you jumped off the platform and landed in the dirt.

You looked up at the platform and noticed a small ledge that was just barely wider than you were. You leaped up and grabbed the lip and pulled yourself up. You looked around and saw the top of the wall. With a mighty shove you were able to climb up and over the wall.

You pulled yourself over the wall and collapsed on the ground. The cheers rang in your ears and you looked around to see everyone smiling at you.

You tried to catch your breath and get your mind off your aching back. You pulled everything out of the burlap sack. You were wearing a thick wooden belt with a large metal buckle. She had given you a wooden bat with a small metal ball on the end of it. It was used for practice on the toes to make you more accurate. She had given you a wooden pistol with a thick leather strap on it. The pommel of the sword was made of metal but the hilt was wood. It was your weapon of choice.

She had given you a change of clothing for when you made your escape and extra to put in a bag. There was a small oil lamp that you would use in the arena. You had a leather pouch with a metal ring on the bottom that held a metal ball about the size of a marble. She had given you a blanket to sleep on and a canteen of water to make you stronger.

You looked down at your watch and noticed it was 9:30pm. She had warned you not to make any noise that would disturb the others. The warden seemed to trust you and you decided to follow that. You were thankful that not only did Jane spare your life, but she took great care to prepare you.  She really cared, you realized.

You were hungry so you sat down by your burlap sack and looked through the contents. You picked at the food items one by one. The sausage was slightly crunchy, but tasted good all the same. You took small bites as you continued to look through the items. The cheese was congealed and smelled funny, but it was edible. You took another small bite as you continued to look through the items.

All of the sudden you heard a cracking noise. It sounded like thunder, but it wasn't near raining. You turned your head and saw the wall behind you. It seemed to shatter and you heard debris shower down onto the platform. You grabbed your blanket and jumped behind it. You peeked out from behind the blanket and spotted debris scattering across the platform. You heard a voice that sounded like it was coming from a great distance.

“You are no longer prisoners of The Fortress. You are now our guests.”

You peeked out from behind the blanket again and saw a line of torches lining the walls. You heard the cheering from the courtyard and realized everyone was looking at you.

Your curiosity got the better of you and you decided to sneak out of your hiding spot and find out what had happened. You walked over to the edge of the platform and peeked through a hole in the wall. The guards were lined up on either side of the courtyard and everyone was cheering. The torches were lit and they were cheering too.

The courtyard looked full of activity. You could see workers dragging sections of the wall down and loading them into carts. You also saw tons of barrels that had been brought from inside the fortress, and were being rolled to the center of the courtyard. There were a few people being led to the barrels and you realized they were being held prisoner.

You noticed the warden and Jane walking out to the middle of the courtyard. The warden stood in the middle of everyone and started making a speech.

“Everyone, I am pleased to announce that these prisoners have been spared and will be joining us here at The Fortress. Some of you may know this man. His name is Travis. It was Travis that led us to the location of The Key. It was Travis that came back to the courtyard after escaping and led us into the tunnels. He has also come back to The Fortress with us and he has been working to help rebuild this wall. So you can all rest easy knowing that he will be well fed and well protected here at The Fortress. Enjoy your meal and cheer for the man that alerted us to the existence of The Key. Cheer for Travis!

The crowd cheered and you smiled. They were cheering you! You tried to contain yourself and continue eating so you wouldn't embarrass Jane. Thankfully they never found out that you were the one who stole The Key from them. You ate a couple more sausages and started to feel more secure there at the fortress.

Your only worry now was escaping. You knew Travis would help you since he was working for you now, but what about the warden? How would you be able to get close to him? You continued to watch the courtyard with interest.

There were men and women dressed in leather armor wandering around the courtyard in small groups. Each group had three people in it and they all seemed to be talking about a topic. One group was debating about the food. Another was arguing about a prisoner who supposedly a spy was trying to escape. It looked like they were all having a great time.

You decided to try and get some information about the warden. Maybe you could get a group of people together to help you escape.

You were just about to leave your hiding spot when you heard a creaking sound. You knew it wasn't the walls that were creaking, they were made of wood. The torches all swayed slightly and you realized that the courtyard was alive with rats. Everyone else seemed to realize it at the same time and everyone started screaming. You saw a man with a pitchfork run towards the edge of the courtyard.

“Get the torches!” he yelled.

Your heart started pounding in your ears. You started to back away from the edge of the platform. Suddenly the torches all went out and the screaming continued unabated. You heard running footsteps coming towards you and the screams from the courtyard faded into the background. You turned to see the warden standing over you, his eyes full of blood.

“I promised you a fair trial and I deliver,” the warden said. “You will be the next Warden of The Fortress, but this will be your last day on this world. Tomorrow you will be thrown into the pit of the executioner's chamber. But before that you will help me clean up this mess and make sure everything here is prepared for the evacuation.”

“What evacuation?” you asked.

“You heard me,” he hissed. “Tomorrow you will witness the evacuation of this entire facility. Once everyone is off this island, I will allow this place to be overrun by rats. I will watch as this entire island becomes a living infestation of the creatures I loathe most. Then I will become one with them. Now you will help me clean up this mess, and then you will witness my glorious evacuation.” You tried to run but he grabbed you by the neck. “You think you can escape from me? I am the warden of The Fortress!” he hissed.

“But you just said you were going to let the island become overrun with rats!”

“And I meant it,” he said. “But I had to keep you around as insurance in case you decided to try and run away again.”

You couldn't move. All you could do was watch as he dragged you to the wooden door that led into the executioner's chamber. You couldn't escape. You couldn't fight. All you could do was wait and see if Jane could help you.

The warden pushed you in and slammed the door behind you. You could hear the bolts being slid into place. You could hear the chains being dragged across the floor. You stood there completely still. For a moment you thought everyone had left and you were alone.

Suddenly you heard a key rattle around in the lock. The chains came to life and you heard the sound of wood being torn down. The bolts shriveled against the walls as the door began to creak open.

You ran towards the door.

“You can't escape!” the warden shouted. “You heard my deal. The island will become overrun with rats. I will become one of them.”

You reached the door and pulled it open. You ran through it as quickly as you could and slammed it shut behind you. You could hear the chains being dragged across the floor as the door began to creak open.

“No, wait!” you heard Jane shout. “It's a trap! The door's trapped! Get away!”

“Run,” you heard the warden shout. “It's no use! They will tear me apart!”

You ran as fast as you could away from the door, towards the corner of the room. There was a sharp pain in your side and you realized that one of the rats had bitten you. You started running again, but with the rat's saliva in your side you felt yourself losing strength. You stumbled and almost fell, but caught yourself against the wall. Your side felt hot and wet and you knew that you needed to stop and find cover.

You ran into a room that had once held a water wheel. The wheel had long since fallen off the shaft, but the room was still used as a storeroom for water. A large barrel had rolled to a stop against the wall and rested against a wooden table. There was another barrel leaning against the wall, but it had rolled off the table and lay on its side. You grabbed the second barrel and rolled it onto the table where you placed your injured side. You lifted the heavy barrel and slammed it against the wall, crushing it into place.

You lifted the second barrel and placed it on top of the first. Then you grabbed several more and stacked them on top of that. You found a few more, and used them to reinforce the structure. It took all your strength, but you kept slamming the barrels against the wall until you heard the splintering sound of wood.

Then the whole thing collapsed with a loud crash!

You rested a moment, panting. You were sweating and shaking. Blood was pouring down your side and soaking through your shirt. You needed to find someplace safe to lie down and recover. You found another empty room and collapsed onto the floor.

Your side was throbbing and pain radiated out from where the bite had punctured your skin. You lifted your shirt and saw that your side was already becoming a dark purple and surrounded by an angry red line. You lifted your shirt again and pressed it against the gash. The warm water pressed against your skin helped to stem the bleeding, but it stung like crazy.

You climbed to your feet and stumbled out of the room. You needed to find a safe place to continue healing. You spotted a staircase, and decided to climb to the very top of the lighthouse.

You opened the stairwell door and stepped inside. You grabbed onto the railing as you climbed the steps two at a time. You reached the top of the stairs and pushed open the door to the lantern room.

The door opened to a dark, windowless room. There were no markings or markings on the walls, just the hardwood floor and the dim light coming from the lantern room above.

You climbed the steps to the lantern room and pushed open the door. It opened to a strange world of white. You stepped inside and looked around. A large, fluffy down comforter covered a large bed to the left. It was neatly made with pillow shams and smelled of sun and spring water. A large pitcher of ice water sat on the bedside table. To the right was a small table covered with picture frames. You could see a small stuffed dog, a few antique dolls, and a large stuffed teddy bear. A large sliding glass door opened to a small deck off the back of the room. Beyond was the bright daylight of the island, and the ocean water of the Pacific.

You stepped outside and closed the door behind you. You leaned on the door and closed your eyes. You felt at peace and ready to fall asleep. You heard a noise and opened your eyes. A short, dark haired man was standing in the doorway. He wore a white tank top and loose white shorts. He had a pair of large binoculars around his neck.

“Hey,” he said. “You're hurt.”

“Yeah,” you said. “A rat bit me.”

“Where?”

“Right here,” you said, pointing to your side.

“Let me look.”

He lifted the fabric of your shirt up and pressed it against your wound.

“You need a doctor,” he said.

“No, it's OK,” you said. “I'll be fine.”

“You should go to a hospital.”

“I can't just go into a hospital. I need to get back to my cabin.”

“Do you have any pain pills?” he asked.

“I don't,” you replied. “Where is Jane?”

“She went for a swim,” he said. “In the ocean. She thinks it will help her body absorb the poisons in her system.”

“Poisons?”

“Yes, she was poisoned. A couple of months ago her father was caught smuggling opium into the islands. He was executed.”

“Opium?”

“Yes.”

“Does Jane know how to swim?”

He shook his head. “I don't think she's ever even been in the ocean.”

“We need to get her then,” you said. “Come with us. We'll go back to the beach and find her.”

“No way,” he said. “I am not leaving this island.”

“Suit yourself,” you said. You ran towards the beach, leaving the man behind.

The sun was just beginning to rise, when you saw the girl sitting on the beach, staring out at the ocean. She had her knees drawn up and her arms wrapped around her legs. She was shivering.

You walked up behind her and tapped her shoulder.

“Jane,” you said. She jumped and screamed. She quickly put her hand against her belly and held it there. “It's me, Jane,” you said.

“Oh, you,” she said. She stood up and wrapped her arms around you. She buried her face into your neck. “I was so worried about you.”

“What were you worried about?” you asked.

“I was afraid you'd be captured by pirates,” she whispered. “I wanted to get off this island, but I didn't know how.”

You squeezed her tight. You kissed her head and smelled her hair.

“I want to get off this island, too,” you said.

“How?” she asked.

“I'm not sure, but we will get off this island, and we will do it together.”

“You promise?”

“I promise,” you said.

You sat down beside her on the beach and put your arm around her shoulders. You leaned your head against hers and looked out at the ocean.

“I'm sorry I got you into this mess, Jane,” you said.

“I'm not,” she said. “I'm glad I found you.”

You spent the rest of the day with Jane. You swam in the ocean with her and lay on the beach with her. You talked and laughed. By nightfall she had calmed down from her earlier hysteria. You walked her back to her cabin and held her hand as she walked. She leaned against you as she walked. The moonlit beach was quiet and secluded. No one else was out this late at night.

When you got to her cabin she said, “Let's sit out here tonight.”

“OK,” you said.

You walked over to your cabin and sat at the table. She sat down across from you.

“I want to know something.”

“What?”

“You promise you won't get mad?”

“I promise,” you said.

“Can you kill people?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to kill people?”

“Yes.”

“Can I kill people with you?”

“Maybe,” you said. “We'll see.”

She looked into your eyes and said, “I want to kill people, too.”

“It's a deal then, my little pirate captain.”

You kissed her and began to unbutton her shirt.

“I want to do something first,” she said.

“Like what?”

“I want to undress you.”

You frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I want to undress you. I want to see you naked,” she said. “I want to see what you're like.”

“Oh. OK,” you said.

You unbuttoned her shirt and she unbuttoned yours. You pulled off her shirt and she did the same to you. Then she said, “Turn around.”

You turned around and she slowly unbuttoned your pants and pulled them off. She stood up and took off her pants and underwear. She stepped out of them and slowly removed your underwear. She looked at you and smiled.

“Turn around, again,” she said.

You did and she smiled. She slowly ran her hands across your chest.

“I think you have the most beautiful back I've ever seen,” she said.

“Thanks,” you said. “I think you have a beautiful butt, too.”

“Butt's aren't my type,” she said.

“I think you might be my type,” you said.

She straddled your hips and began to kiss you.

“I'll show you my type,” she said.

When she lifted her hips she tensed her vagina muscles and made a loud “Ooooo” sound. You moaned.

“I like your vagina.”

“I like your moany,” she said.

She slowly lowered her hips until she was lying on top of you.

“Will you show me your penis?” she asked.

“Yes.”

She lifted her hips and you lifted yours. Your penis came into alignment. She smiled.

“It's OK,” you said.

“I think it's OK, too,” she said.

She slowly lowered her hips until she was lying on top of your penises. She tensed her vagina muscles again and made another “Ooooo” sound. You tensed your penis and made an “Ooooo” sound and then released.

“Is this OK?” she asked.

“OK, OK, OK,” you said.

She smiled. “Do you want to do it like this?”

“That's fine.”

She lifted her hips and placed her hands on your shoulders. You lifted your hips and placed your hands on her buttocks. Your penis slid in unison and you both moaned.

“Ooooo,” she said.

“Ooooo,” you said.

You continued to thrust in unison. When she reached her climax she tensed her vagina muscles and pressed down on your penis with her butt.

“Ooooo,” she said.

You tensed your penis and went over the edge, too.

“Ooooo,” she said.

You slowly came down from your climax.

“I think we did OK,” you said.

“Yeah, we did,” she said.

You slowly got up. The two of you looked at each other.

“I like you,” she said.

“Yeah, me, too,” you said.

“Do you want to see each other again?”

“Yes,” you said. “When?”

“Tomorrow,” she said. “How about you and I go for a walk in the woods?”

“I'd like that,” you said.

“Will you stay with me tonight?”

“Yes,” you said.

The next day, you met Jane again.

You walked down the road to the woods. She walked next to you. You noticed she wasn't carrying any weapons. She seemed to trust you not to attack her.

When you entered the woods, the sun was shining through the trees, and birds sang happily. You sat on a log and Jane sat next to you.

“I'm thinking about what you said.”

“What did I say?”

“About having a boyfriend.”

“Oh, that.”

“Yeah, that.”

“I don't want to be your girlfriend,” she said.

“What?” you asked.

“I don't want to be your girlfriend. I want to be your friend.”

“But why?” you asked.

“Well, for starters, I don't want you to be like everyone else. I want you to be you. Also, you're an attractive boy and I am an attractive girl. But I'm also still a criminal and people are mean to me most of the time. I don't want to be with somebody who gets hurt.”

“I'm not going to get hurt,” you protested.

“But things can go wrong. Also, I don't want you to get tired of me. I want you to be in love with me.”

“I love you,” you said. “I just want friends.”

“Friends come and go. You'll have new friends tomorrow and you'll leave them in a year. But you're the only friend I'll ever have. You're the only one I'll ever love.”

“I'm not going to leave,” you said. “I'm not going to leave you.”

Jane smiled. “I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring.”

The two of you sat there until nightfall. You held hands and shared a piece of bread from your sack.

When night fell, Jane walked back to her hut. “Good night, friend,” she called.

You walked back to your hut. You sat on your cot and thought about Jane. You felt a little sad.

“See you tomorrow.”

You spoke these words as you fell asleep.

In the morning, you arose and walked to the woods. Jane was already there, waiting for you.

“Did you sleep OK?” she asked.

“Yes,” you said.

“Good,” she said.

The two of you walked down the road.

That evening, Jane was sitting on her favorite log. You sat next to her.

“So, what do you want to do?” she asked.

“I don't know,” you said.

“Do you want to go for a walk in the woods?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to climb the tower?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to go for a swim in the river?”

“Do you want to go for a horseback ride?”

“Yes.”

You sat there happily for a few minutes in the glow of the sunset. You felt like some romantic adventure was about to happen, and you couldn't wait.

“So,” said Jane, “where do you want to go?”

“Let's go to the tower.”

“I knew you'd say that.”

The two of you walked up the road.

When you reached the tower, you sat on the ramparts and Jane climbed the tower and joined you.

“So, what's the tower?” she asked.

“It's the best known landmark in the Empire.”

“I don't know what that means,” she said. “But I like it.”

“Good.”

You watched the sunset for a while. Then you said, “Do you want to sit down?”

“Yes.”

You sat down. You wrapped your arms around her and held her close.

“I wish I could stay here forever,” she said.

“Me, too.”

“But we can't, right?” she asked.

“No, we can't.”

“I wish I could stay here with you,” she said. “I'm scared that one day, I'll look around and it'll all be gone. And I don't want that to happen.”

“I understand.”

“But I don't want to stay here without you.”

“I know,” you said.

“We could go somewhere,” she said. “We could go and hide out in the forest. We could be outlaws.”

“Do you really think we can be outlaws?” you asked. “The Empire would find us.”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“Well, how about this: We'll go and hide, and if the Empire catches us, I'll kill us. And we'll stay dead. Forever.”

“Forever dead,” she said.

“Forever dead.”

You leaned in and kissed her gently.

“Why are we whispering?” she asked.

“I don't know.”

“I like you,” she said. “I really like you.”

“I like you, too.”

“But we can't be together.”

“Yes, we can.”

“We'll be killed.”

“I don't care.”

“I care.”

“Well then, we'll be killed together. I'll kill us.”

“I hope it'll be fast.”

“Me, too,” you said. “I'm going to kiss you right now.”

“You're gross.”

“You're so pretty.”

“I look horrible.”

“You're funny.”

“I'm not in love with you.”

“You will be.”

“Bye.”

Jane sprinted off towards the woods.

You watched her go, and you got up and ran after her.

You ran through the woods and you heard a scream.

You ran even faster and you found her there. She was kneeling over the dead body of her best friend. Blood was everywhere. The body was torn apart. The bandits that had been chasing her had stabbed her friend in the back.

She looked up at you.

“I'm going to kill us,” she said. “I'm really going to kill us.”

She was in a rage.

“I'm going to kill you,” she said.

“What do you mean?” you asked. “Why?”

“Because I can't stand by and watch you kill people,” she said. “I can't do that. I'm going to kill us.”

“You can't kill us,” you said. “You're not an executioner.”

“Yeah,” she said. “I am.”

“No, you're not. You don't have the coat.”

“The coat doesn't make an executioner.”

“Yes it does.”

“No it doesn't. I'm going to kill us.”

“You can't kill us.”

“I can too.”

“No, you can't. You're just a girl.”

“I'm going to kill us,” she said again.

“You're a girl. Girls can't kill people. Girls are nice.”

“I'm a bandit.”

“No, you're not.”

“Yes, I am.”

“No, you're not.”

“Yes, I am. I'm a professional killer. I've killed fifty people. I don't have a conscience.”

“You don't have a sword though.”

“I'll get a sword.”

“You can't kill us.”

“Watch me.”

“Jane, no.”

“Don't worry,” she said, “you'll get your chance to kill someone. I'll teach you.”

“No, Jane, please.”

She lunged at you.

You moved out of the way.

She stabbed wildly at you.

You blocked the attack with your arm.

She stabbed at your neck.

You blocked the attack with your forearm.

Her arm was sore where you blocked the attack.

You punched her in the jaw.

She reeled and fell back, stunned.

You took her sword and her coat.

“Stop. Please.”

You looked down at her.

“Stop. I have to kill you now.”

“Jane.”

“Stop.”

You looked around. The sun was shining. Birds were singing. Butterflies were dancing.

There was a glint of gold. In the distance.

“Jane.”

“What?”

“It's time to go.”

Jane wiped the blood from her eyes. “I can't.”

“Yes, you can.”

“No, I can't. I'm sorry.”

“You don't have to.”

“I do too.”

“You don't have to.”

“I do too.”

“Well, I'm not letting you go.”

“Me neither,” you said.

“We can be executioners together.”

“Yeah,” you said.

“I'll be your first target. I'll show you how it's done.”

You shook your head.

“No,” you said, “you won't. I'll be your first target.”

“You don't have to.”

“Yes, I do. I'll learn from you.”

“No, you won't. I'll learn from you.”

“No,” you said. “We'll learn from each other.”

“No,” she said, “we won't.”

“Yes, we will.”

“No, we won't.”

“Yes, we will. We'll be good together. We'll be great together.”

Jane sighed.

“Jane. I'm ready. Let's do it.”

Jane fell to her knees and bowed her head.

“What?” you asked.

She looked up at you. Her eyes were shimmering with tears. “Please, Adam, let's do it.”

“Yeah,” you said.

“Yeah.”

You drew your sword and held it above your head.

“I kill people,” you said. “Because I must. I live when I kill. I die when I kill. That is the way.”

“I'll be your first target,” Jane said.

“I will be your first target.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

You shrugged.

“No,” Jane said, “let's do it together, okay?”

“Okay.”

Jane took your hand.

“Ready,” she said.

“Now,” she said, “let's kill someone.”

You smiled.

Then you lowered your sword.

You heard a crack, then a scream.

The blood spurted high.

She fell forward.

Her eyes rolled back in her head.

You knelt beside her.

A boy ran toward you.

“You killed her! You killed her! I knew you'd kill her! You're a monster!”

“Leave me alone,” you said, “or I'll kill you too.”

The sky was dark.

The earth was warm.

You were alone.

You looked down at Jane.

Her clothes were soaked with blood.

You pulled her up, and carried her back to the cart.

You strapped her down and covered her with a cloth.

You climbed in and the cart lurched forward.

You glanced at the road ahead.

The sun was shining.

The birds were singing.

You noticed a glint of gold.

Editor's Thoughts: Suppose he had to follow thruogh in the end. Feels like the A.I. completely forgot who she was by the end, but the faithful death ending seemed to close the story.