Reporter Of The Green Mile (Edited)

25- Magic? Witchcraft? Or Miracle? (Edited)

The guards waited a few moments before heading to the restraint room, the door was unlocked and was opened slowly to reveal Percy sat with his back against the wall and tears streaming down his cheeks. "now, I want to talk, not shout." Paul started, "I take that tape off, you gonna be calm?" 

Percy nodded slowly as Roxanna watched from the doorway next to Harry with Dean behind them. Brutal sighed slightly before saying, "My mother always says you do it fast, it won't hurt so much," Paul listened and quickly ripped the tape off Percy's mouth who whimpered in pain, "Guess she was wrong." Brutal smirked slightly and took the cloth that had been stuffed in the younger guard's mouth away from him. 

Percy looked up at the older guards and said, "Let me out of this nut-coat," Roxanna could hear a slight waver in his voice and she could hear in his voice how much he had been crying. Paul spoke calmly to the man saying that it would happen in a minute but he was cut off by Percy "Now! Right now! I want out now..." his shouting was put to an end when he was slapped across the face by Paul and then helped to sit back up by Brutal. 

"Shut up and listen!" Paul started again forcefully, "Now you deserve to be punished for what you did to Del, you accept it like a man or else we'll make you sorry you were ever born. We'll tell people how you sabotaged Del's execution..."Roxanna couldn't take her eyes off Percy's face as Paul spoke, "How you pissed yourself like a frightened little girl. Oh yes, we will talk but Percy, you mind me now, we'll also see you beaten within an inch of your life. We know people too... like Roxanna's brothers, I'm sure they'll be happy to help after what you let happen to their sister." 

Roxanna's face stayed neutral but her mind was swirling as she hid a smile that was threatening to break out on her face. "Are you so foolish you don't realize that? Let bygones be bygones? Nothing hurt so far but your pride. No one ever need to know about that except the people in this little room." 

Brutal looked at the young man and spoke up, "What happens on the mile stays on the mile."

A silence hung in the air for a moment before Percy quietly asked, "may I be let out of this coat now?" his voice was gentle and scared and Roxanna knew that he was expecting to be left there for a while longer. Brutal and Paul lifted him up and turned him around so they could undo the ties and release him from the restraints. 

Percy shrugged his jacket back into place and ran his hands through his greasy hair, his face was covered with sweat and his eyes were cast downwards, his things were passed to him from over Paul's shoulder as he spoke, "Think it over, Percy" Percy looked up at the men around him and answered "oh, I intend to, I intend to think it over very hard... starting right now."

Percy walked out of the room and began to put his belt on Roxanna watched from next to Harry as he did, but she didn't notice the prisoner getting closer to the bars. Suddenly, John's arm shot out between the bars and grabbed Percy by the neck, Roxanna gasped loudly in shock which alerted the guards to look in the same direction as the reporter as Percy gasped for breath. The guards rushed to help and tried to get John to let Percy go but he was not backing down. Roxanna watched as John leaned closer and a cloud of bugs flew from his mouth and into Percy's and when it had finished John let Percy go coughing. Percy's baton hitting the green floor was the only sound to be heard as everyone stood in shock watching as Percy stumbled backwards. Roxanna moved forward slightly so she stood next to Brutal and whispered, "It's like he's a zombie" Brutal nodded slowly as they listened to Paul trying to get Percy to answer him. The younger guard didn't, all he did was walk down the mile, stumbling over his feet slightly, a blank look on his face, when he reached Wild Bill's cell he stopped and turned to look at the inmate who had just woken up and stared blankly at him.

Roxanna's ears rang with anticipation as Wild Bill began to shout at Percy as he stood and stared at him with tears gently falling from his eyes, Roxanna couldn't fully comprehend what happened next as it happened so fast, one minute Percy was standing still and the next he was firing continuous shots into the cell, all meeting their mark. Roxanna jumped at the sound and her mouth hung open as the guards rushed and tackled Percy to the ground. All Roxanna could do was stand and stare as Wild Bill gasped his last breaths and then limply fell on his side and then her eyes looked down to Percy on the ground who also gasped as the swarm of bugs flew into the air from his mouth as they had done with John.

The group didn't know what to do and all sat or stood in silence until Paul stood from the ground and made his way to John who had collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. Everyone's eyes followed him as Coffey spoke, "I punished them, bad men. I punished them both." 

Paul stepped closer to the cell, his brow scrunched in confusion, "Why? Why Wild Bill?" Paul asked. 

Roxanna looked towards the inmate with tears in her eyes as he answered the guard, "I saw in his heart when he grabbed my arm, I saw what Wild Bill had done, saw it plain as day. You can't hide what's in your heart." 

Paul bent down so he was at eye level with John and asked, "You saw what?" Roxanna watched with caution as John held out his hand for Paul, "Take my hand, boss. you see for yourself." 

Brutal shuffled on his feet and shouted to his friend, "Paul, no." Roxanna was frozen as she watched Paul slowly reach out his hand and clasp the inmates tightly. As soon as their hands touched they both let out gasps and grunts, Paul begged John not to do something but Roxanna had no idea what she did not understand what John was doing but what she deciphered was that Paul was being shown something but she was unsure if she wanted to know. 

The light bulbs burst which caused Roxanna to scream lightly and cover her head with her arms, Brutal stood from his crouched position after making sure Dean and Harry were right with Percy and made his way over to Roxanna. Brutal hugged the reporter close protecting her from the flying glass as Paul began to sob loudly and he continued to grunt and pant.

Paul and John let go of each other as the inmate spoke, "he killed them with their love, they love for each other" John sounded sad and angry, "Now you see how it is, that's the way it is every day, that's the way it is all over the world."