Chapter 9

I heard her voice. I heard it perfectly. I heard her say three seconds...

I was petrified. This man’s life was not worth more than mine, but my daughter’s life, alone in this world if anything should happen to me, was. My daughter was above everything and everyone.

“Two.”

I didn’t have much else to think about. I had chosen this life. I had chosen to work for it. I had a goal...

“One...”

I dropped the lighter, with the flame at full strength, on the man. The fire ignited quickly, and the gag could no longer dull the cries of despair from the man, who was shaking and convulsing, trying to escape. His life and his meager strength went into it, and even though all of us there, including himself, knew that he had no options, he tried. I suppose he also had reasons to live... And I had just executed his death sentence.

I had just killed a man. I didn’t even know who he was or what he had done. I had taken the life of a stranger to save my own.