Shock Therapy

Part 2

"Clayton!" a voice echoed through Howard's head.
"Get up, Clayton!" the same voice called out. Howard felt something slapping his cheek.
He finally managed to open his eyes. He saw an African-American prison-guard knelt down in front of him. Behind him stood the warden of the prison he was locked up in, as well as a priest holding a Bible in his hands.
"He's up." the black guard said and stood up.
Howard rubbed his eyes and slowly got up to his feet.
"Seems you've already fallen before the final fall." The warden chuckled. "Here's Father Matthew." The guard pointed at the priest.
The priest nodded his head at Howard. Howard nodded back. The priest seemed to be the only person with a conscious in Howard's opinion. The guard cuffed Howard's hands and his ankles with a chain connecting both locks.
"Okay. Let's go." The guard said and all four of them left the prison cell. "Can life insurance save me now?" Howard joked.
"Bullshit." The guard taunted.
All of them proceeded further down the hall. The guard kept shoving Howard on the shoulder to make him walk faster.
The prisoners in cells on both sides of the hall were shouting vulgarities and slamming their cage bars. Howard ignored them and continued walking towards the doorway at the end of the hall. They finally left the line of angry prisoners.
"Howard!" a redheaded woman embraced him. She slowly let him go and Howard saw the tears in her eyes.
"Don't cry, Suzanne." Howard told her.
"Daddy!" a five-year old girl came running towards Howard and they also embraced. "Why are you in these dirty clothes, Daddy?"
"A new fashion style, baby." Howard told her then turned to the guard.
"Please take off these cuffs, Samuel." Howard requested outstretching his wrists. "Just for a while."
Samuel looked at the warden at the latter nodded his head in confirmation.
Howard lifted up his daughter in the air as soon as the cuffs were removed. "Daddy's gonna be away for a while." He kissed her on the forehead.
"But you were already away for so long, Daddy." Jennifer pouted.
"I will be back." He lowered his daughter onto the ground slowly. "I promise."
He noticed his wife was standing with her back towards him. He turned her around. She was crying and wore a depressed expression on her face.
He pecked her on the lips. "I'm sorry."
"It wasn't your fault, Howard." His wife said.
"At least you believe me." He told her. "Also, I left my diary in my cell. Don't forget to make a request for it and please read it later on."
He kissed her again before getting cuffed again and being escorted by the two prison personnel and the priest towards the execution chamber.
"Howard!" a tall thin man with short blonde hair wearing a grey suit walked over to him. They exchanged nervous handshakes.
"Thanks for trying, Larry." Howard told him.
"I wish I was a better lawyer." Larry bowed his head in shame.
"Hey man!" a freckled man wearing a janitorial uniform came over to Howard. They also shook hands.
"I met your substitute today, Edward." Howard said with a grin. "He had a great sense of humor."
"My substitute?" Edward said surprisingly.
"Yeah, that weird guy, Miller." Howard said. "He disappeared after the power outage."
"I remember the power going out." Edward said. "But I don't recall anyone named Miller." Howard laughed. "Having the last laugh before I die?"
"Actually there's no janitor named Miller in this facility." The warden said.
Howard rubbed the back of his head in confusion.
"I have to talk to you about something in private." Larry held Howard's shoulder softly. "Please excuse us."
The rest of the crowd moved away from the lawyer and his client. Larry Graham was Howard's best friend since high school. He even acted as Howard's attorney at a low fee despite being one of Martyr Town's most expensive lawyers.
"What is it, Larry?" Howard said looking at his friend's downtrodden face.
"Now that you'll be...umm...gone." Larry muttered. "Jennifer and Suzanne won't have anybody to look after them."
"Suzanne has a higher income level than me, Larry. I'm sure she can raise our child as a single parent.
"Then you won't mind?"
"Won't mind what?"
There was a slight pause.
"Suzanne and I are getting married, Howard." "What!?"
"It's rather lucky for me that you'll be gone." Larry continued. "She dated me in high school too, you know."
Howard got hold of Larry by the shirt collar and shoved him against the outer wall of the execution chamber.
"You bastard!" Howard shouted.
"Help!" Larry exclaimed in fright.
The guard and the warden ran to them and broke the two up.
"Guess I'll see you in hell then." Larry snickered while being dragged away by the warden.
Howard tried his best to break from Samuel's hold but it was no use. "I'll get you for this. I swear I'll get you for this!"
"Quit struggling, Howard." The warden told him.
Howard stopped fidgeting and watched Larry walk away.
"Let's go."
Howard didn't move a muscle.
"Move it!" Samuel shoved him from behind and the prisoner started following the warden and the priest to the execution chamber.
The prison-guard, the warden, the priest, and Howard entered the room. It was totally empty besides a metallic chair in the middle of the room and a switch on the wall. The warden and Samuel seated Howard on the chair. The priest opened his Bible and began reading some verses.
"Do you have any last words?" the priest finally asked Howard.
Samuel finished adjusting straps on Howard's wrists and ankles and then put a helmet on his head.
"I just wish that..." Howard stopped. He opened his eyes and realized that nobody was there. Was he having a nightmare again?
Someone opened the door. A man with unruly hair wrapped underneath a cap and wearing a janitorial uniform entered the room and closed the door behind him.
"Miller!?" Howard's eyes were opened wide.
Howard was beginning to feel frightened. A chill ran down his spine. Cold sweat dripped down his neck. Miller said nothing and grabbed the lever on the wall.
"What are you doing?" Howard asked.
"Don't you wish you were free?" Miller said. His eyes were still covered beneath his hair and the cap. "Wish for something Howard and it shall be granted."
"I don't understand."
"You have a pious soul, Howard." Miller continued. "That's why you're being gifted three wishes."
"You're crazy!"
"It's your only chance." Miller said. "You want Larry to wed Suzanne? You want him to become the father of your only child!?"
"No!" tears of anger trailed down Howard's cheeks.
"Then wish for something. Anything!?"
"I wish I'd never entered that rotten grocery store in the first place!"
"Granted." Miller pulled the lever down.
Bolts of electricity shot through Howard's body. He tried to get up but the straps were too tight. An aching headache pounded his skull. His eyes were about to bulge out of the sockets. He screamed in utter agony. All he could see was Miller covered in red but it was because his vision was tainted by the blood pouring from his eyes.