Chapter Text
I was picked for the responsibility no cop wanted to deal with.
I wasn't sure who told me how death row detail was decided; someone probably did tell me once, but I put it out of my mind, probably naively thinking there was no way I would be picked for such a responsibility. Now I wish I had listened, so I could find some way not to be standing there at attention, my dress uniform feeling more like an executioner's robe from some cheesy medieval flick. The guys on either side of me were stiff as boards, and I didn't dare look over at them to see who they were, not that I thought I would know for certain; they were probably city cops anyway.
The first call was made, and I somehow managed to keep myself facing forward as the prisoner was escorted through the hall. It was almost surreal, how glaringly bright it was in the room, to the point where it reflected off of the kid's hair and made it look more silver than the dull grey I was used to. It was a stupid thing to focus on, but it was a… sort of distraction from the thing I was being forced to do.
The second call was made, and I knew that the kid would be stopped outside the Buddha statue in the next room for last prayers. Something told me that he wouldn't bother, though; he didn't seem like the type that would bother to pray for… whatever. Forgiveness? No way; he knew he couldn't be forgiven for what he had done.
The third call was made; I didn't want to think about what would be happening in that room now. That kid was being put in position, and… well, I was stepping forward with the other two cops, heading to the wall shared with the other room, where three buttons were bolted into the wall. I knew what we had to do, and it was coming up so fast… I didn't want to do this, I didn't even know why I was picked. I would have thought having close ties with the prisoner would have been reason enough to be exempt from this, but apparently not.
The forth call was made, and… I hesitated. My hand reached out like it was supposed to, but my fingers just brushed the plastic surface. I could get away without pressing it, right? Surely the other guys had the button that was the trigger switch for what was going to happen out there. This totally wasn't something I had to worry about, right?
Right?!
"Uh… detective?" someone began. "The call has been made."
I turned my head, trying to see who had spoken, only to see that the guy on my right was gone. I whipped my head around, to see the other guy had vanished too. Had they both pressed, and then just walked off?
But no, that wasn't true; of course it wasn't true. I looked forward again, only to see that the button under my fingers was the only one on the wall. Even the wall disappeared after a moment, giving me a straight shot into the room beyond. Everything suddenly went white around me, and I could see him just… dangling there, his head bent at an odd angle, like it wasn't properly attached at the neck. He was swaying back and forth slightly, like he had just been dropped, and I could feel my stomach hit the floor at the thought.
It didn't help when his eyes suddenly opened either.
Yellow eyes stared back at me as a broad, death-like grin spread across his face, and I found myself stepping away. My heart was hammering wildly in my chest, to the point where I was almost sure it was going to leap straight out and get the hell out of here, much like I wanted to do if I could get my legs to just move. A hideous, raspy laugh escaped from him, sounding like his vocal cords were stressed to their limits.
"Looks like you got to kill me after all, detective…"