Gas Chamber Strory 1: Melinda's Last Walk.
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Ok, I thought I would give this a try. For those who like the two novels I have published I now give you a short story. I will write and post a few more in the future when I get time to write them. Also, I am working on the third book in my series and it should be finished by the end of the year. Here is story one called Melinda's last walk.
Melinda sat quietly in the cell clutching her rosary as a matron carefully watched from a folding cell right outside. She looked up as the big steel door that separated the holding cell from the gas chamber opened and the warden walked in. “How are you doing? He asked.
She shrugged her shoulders, “I guess I’m ok, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t scared. I’m more worried for my mother, she cried a lot when I saw her.” She handed a letter to him, “Will you give this to her after it’s over?”
“I will make sure she gets it. Do you want to see the priest again?”
She shook her head for no, “Just have him walk with me.” She looked down, closed her eyes and shook her head again, “Please tell my mother that I’m not a killer, I never killed anyone. I’m just the one who has to die. Momma warned me about the guy I was with and it was him who killed the store clerk. The police shot him and that left only me to answer for a death.”
“The priest is nearby, he’ll be here as soon as you are ready,” he said as a nearby door opened and two female guards entered the cell block and the nurse who had been sitting nearby approached. The prison doctor followed the two female guards. He held a harness along with a stethoscope to place in the harness. The warden touched Melinda on her shoulder and smiled at her, “I will be leaving now, these people have to get you ready. Goodbye and good luck.”
As soon as the warden was out of sight the nurse and the doctor approached Melinda. “We need you to change into this dress,” the nurse said as she held a simple light blue button up dress out to Melinda. “First the doctor has to put a stethoscope on you, so he can listen to your heart.
Melinda removed her dress and bra to allow the harness that would hold the stethoscope in place be placed on her body. She then pulled on the new dress and buttoned it. The nurse then pulled Melinda’s shiny nut-brown hair into a pony tail and secured it with a white ribbon.
As the doctor left the cell guard placed a long runner rug onto the floor of the hallway leading to the gas chamber. The nurse looked at Melinda and said, “take off your shoes.”
Melinda looked down as she nodded and then slipped off her flats, exposing her bare feet which were now touching the cold cement floor. She looked up just as the priest arrived at the door of her cell along with an assistant warden who looked at Melinda and said, “It’s time.”
Quietly the 21-year-old stepped on the edge of the carpeted rug and walked out of the cell, holding her rosary in her right hand. Turning right toward the hall that led to the gas chamber. One small step and then another she took as she walked into the anteroom. She stopped and shook for a second as she watched a guard open the door to the gas chamber, exposing the two metal chairs inside the chamber. Two male guard stepped up, one on each side of the chamber’s door. One of the matrons tapped Melinda on her shoulder and she walked toward the two men who motioned her into the chamber.
They turned her around and sat her in the chair left of the chamber’s door. One guard secured a chest strap to the young woman while the other placed a strap across hers to her stomach. They then strapped her elbows and wrist and then her knees and ankles. One of the guards connected the stethoscope and they then left the chamber. The door was closed, making a low squeaking sound as it shut and then it was sealed by the large wheel on the door.
Melinda’s eyes darted around the chamber and then she looked up and prayed as her fingers wrapped around her rosary, as she prayed. The warden looked at the clock and listened for the phone. Was he going to have to give the signal to start the process that would end the girl’s life or would the governor call and commute her sentence.
The second hand of the clock moved closer to the point where he had to give his first order. With a nod of his head he signaled one guard who turned two valves that released sulfuric acid, allowing it to drain into the mixing vats below the chamber’s chair. The warden looked back at the clock waiting for the last second call as the clock’s second had ticked closer to the point of no return. He then looked and another man and gave him a nod. The guard then pulled the lever that released the cyanide pellets into the sulfuric acid.
Two wisp of grayish smoke rose from beneath both chair, then soon cleared away as Melinda stopped breathing and counted silently to ten, waiting for the air inside the chamber to be replaced with gas. Her counting stopped at ten and Melinda took a deep breath and then another, then finally a third.
Suddenly, Melinda’s head fell backward as her back arched and her chest heaved against the straps. Her hands clenched, tightening her fingers tighter around her rosary. Her toes spread apart and then tightened together before flexing downward. Her eyes closed but her mouth remained open. Her body remained tensed for about a full minute then suddenly relaxed. Her head rolled sideways and then fell forward, bobbing as her chin touched her breast.
The clock continued to tick as her heart slowed. The doctor looked at his watch and then recorded the time on the death certificate before removing his stethoscope and nodding to the warden.
An unexpected buzzing came from the phone that was a direct line to the governor. The warden picked up the phone and listened to the person on the other end of the line. “It’s too late,” the warden said, “it’s over.’ He then placed the phone down and walked away, looking at the letter he would have to soon deliver to Melinda’s weeping mother. He decided not to mention to anyone that had the governor had called sooner Melinda would not only be alive but may have soon been a free woman.
Melinda sat quietly in the cell clutching her rosary as a matron carefully watched from a folding cell right outside. She looked up as the big steel door that separated the holding cell from the gas chamber opened and the warden walked in. “How are you doing? He asked.
She shrugged her shoulders, “I guess I’m ok, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t scared. I’m more worried for my mother, she cried a lot when I saw her.” She handed a letter to him, “Will you give this to her after it’s over?”
“I will make sure she gets it. Do you want to see the priest again?”
She shook her head for no, “Just have him walk with me.” She looked down, closed her eyes and shook her head again, “Please tell my mother that I’m not a killer, I never killed anyone. I’m just the one who has to die. Momma warned me about the guy I was with and it was him who killed the store clerk. The police shot him and that left only me to answer for a death.”
“The priest is nearby, he’ll be here as soon as you are ready,” he said as a nearby door opened and two female guards entered the cell block and the nurse who had been sitting nearby approached. The prison doctor followed the two female guards. He held a harness along with a stethoscope to place in the harness. The warden touched Melinda on her shoulder and smiled at her, “I will be leaving now, these people have to get you ready. Goodbye and good luck.”
As soon as the warden was out of sight the nurse and the doctor approached Melinda. “We need you to change into this dress,” the nurse said as she held a simple light blue button up dress out to Melinda. “First the doctor has to put a stethoscope on you, so he can listen to your heart.
Melinda removed her dress and bra to allow the harness that would hold the stethoscope in place be placed on her body. She then pulled on the new dress and buttoned it. The nurse then pulled Melinda’s shiny nut-brown hair into a pony tail and secured it with a white ribbon.
As the doctor left the cell guard placed a long runner rug onto the floor of the hallway leading to the gas chamber. The nurse looked at Melinda and said, “take off your shoes.”
Melinda looked down as she nodded and then slipped off her flats, exposing her bare feet which were now touching the cold cement floor. She looked up just as the priest arrived at the door of her cell along with an assistant warden who looked at Melinda and said, “It’s time.”
Quietly the 21-year-old stepped on the edge of the carpeted rug and walked out of the cell, holding her rosary in her right hand. Turning right toward the hall that led to the gas chamber. One small step and then another she took as she walked into the anteroom. She stopped and shook for a second as she watched a guard open the door to the gas chamber, exposing the two metal chairs inside the chamber. Two male guard stepped up, one on each side of the chamber’s door. One of the matrons tapped Melinda on her shoulder and she walked toward the two men who motioned her into the chamber.
They turned her around and sat her in the chair left of the chamber’s door. One guard secured a chest strap to the young woman while the other placed a strap across hers to her stomach. They then strapped her elbows and wrist and then her knees and ankles. One of the guards connected the stethoscope and they then left the chamber. The door was closed, making a low squeaking sound as it shut and then it was sealed by the large wheel on the door.
Melinda’s eyes darted around the chamber and then she looked up and prayed as her fingers wrapped around her rosary, as she prayed. The warden looked at the clock and listened for the phone. Was he going to have to give the signal to start the process that would end the girl’s life or would the governor call and commute her sentence.
The second hand of the clock moved closer to the point where he had to give his first order. With a nod of his head he signaled one guard who turned two valves that released sulfuric acid, allowing it to drain into the mixing vats below the chamber’s chair. The warden looked back at the clock waiting for the last second call as the clock’s second had ticked closer to the point of no return. He then looked and another man and gave him a nod. The guard then pulled the lever that released the cyanide pellets into the sulfuric acid.
Two wisp of grayish smoke rose from beneath both chair, then soon cleared away as Melinda stopped breathing and counted silently to ten, waiting for the air inside the chamber to be replaced with gas. Her counting stopped at ten and Melinda took a deep breath and then another, then finally a third.
Suddenly, Melinda’s head fell backward as her back arched and her chest heaved against the straps. Her hands clenched, tightening her fingers tighter around her rosary. Her toes spread apart and then tightened together before flexing downward. Her eyes closed but her mouth remained open. Her body remained tensed for about a full minute then suddenly relaxed. Her head rolled sideways and then fell forward, bobbing as her chin touched her breast.
The clock continued to tick as her heart slowed. The doctor looked at his watch and then recorded the time on the death certificate before removing his stethoscope and nodding to the warden.
An unexpected buzzing came from the phone that was a direct line to the governor. The warden picked up the phone and listened to the person on the other end of the line. “It’s too late,” the warden said, “it’s over.’ He then placed the phone down and walked away, looking at the letter he would have to soon deliver to Melinda’s weeping mother. He decided not to mention to anyone that had the governor had called sooner Melinda would not only be alive but may have soon been a free woman.
Great to see someone else posting here. This is exactly what I hoped would happen
Like the story - especially the "What might have been" phone call from the Governor at the end
Like the story - especially the "What might have been" phone call from the Governor at the end
I will have more shortly, just a little busy and back up right now.
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