Chapter 10: I Want To Join You
I wake up with a throbbing pain in my head where he had hit me. I am still tied to the same rigid chair. I quickly take inventory of my body parts. My head. Two arms. Ten fingers. My bloated stomach. Two legs. Ten toes. I take a deep breath. Two. Three.
Before I can formulate any type of plan, the door creaks open. It is a different man from the one who hit me earlier. He wears a general's uniform and he walks with a purpose. Behind him are five other men. They look almost identical in their green military uniforms and their short buzz cuts. The five cronies begin setting up a livestream. The general assembles and loads a pistol with a single bullet. From this range, that's all he'll need.
My own life is coming to a brutal end right in front of me. It's about to be broadcasted not only for my family, but for an entire nation, just to set an example.
I didn't even do anything wrong. I had just been doing what I was taught: to serve the American public. I tried my best, like I always had, but I was never meant to succeed. It never should have gotten to this point, but I digress.
"Anything you'd like to say before we get this show started?" the general sneers.
No one is coming to save me: I accept that now. Who am I to expect a deus ex machina? It's just me, as it always has been and always will be. The decision is not simple, but my mind is made up.
"I want to join you."