Civic Duty

Civic Duty (One-Shot)

She couldn't do it.
She could hear her heart beating in her ears. Feel her pulse in each of her fingers. See the blood vessels in her eyes each time her blood circulated.
Her feet tapped to the sounds. It was a nervous habit, she tried to stop her toe from going up and down to the beat but always ended up moving it again. She bit down on her own finger to keep from screaming.
But this was all necessary, right?
The line moved forward. Fewer and fewer people in front of her. Her own thoughts raced through her her head, her heart just grew faster and faster. The line always seemed too short, and it just got worse and worse.
She thought about escaping. She could just run, there was nothing holding her in the line. The people around her wouldn't do anything. But she remembered what happened when she saw a runner while observing last year. The thought gave her chills.
Less and less people in front of her. Ten. Seven. Four.
One.
Once the person in front of her is done, she will have no choice. She pulled on her hair to distract her from the impossible task. The pain in her scalp didn't work.
Eventually the one in front of her stepped away. The eyes were on her.
She adjusted her skirt, straightened the ribbon around her collar and stepped forward. Her heart jumped into her throat and her vision blurred.
The attendant offered her the tray. The silver tray that held the end of someone's life. She gulped and kept looking forward as she had seen the others do. They brought out a man. Right in front of her, a scared man with a broken nose and blood all over his face. He had done something in his life, that's why he's here. The girl wondered if whatever he had done justifies this fate. And she wondered if she wanted to be the one to carry it out. But this was her civic duty, this is the price of living.
She had seen the splatter that the others had made when they shot. That red that signified lives ending. The others getting that red on their clothes and faces. Walking away from their own doing as if this is normal.
She took the grey killer off the tray and cocked it. The man opened his mouth to scream at her but no sound came out. While his mouth was open, the girl saw into it. He has no tongue, and his larynx has been cut up.
They had removed his ability to speak.
Blood was pooling in his mouth and he coughed it up before looking up at her again. His eyes pleaded with her. How can other people do this? She couldn't, she just couldn't.
She moved to put the weapon back on the tray but it was gone. The attendant was looking at her, telling her to perform the act with his eyes. She looked at the fearful man once again. Tears were pouring down his face as he tried to plead with her but she had no choice. She swallowed her own thoughts and doubts as she pointed the firearm to make a hole in his skull.
She took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.