The Vampire Prince's Beloved

Shock To The Bone

"May God be with you, Lily," the prison Chaplain said lastly to Lily before taking his leave.

It was almost time for the execution and the prison Chaplin had just concluded some prayers with Lily outside the execution chamber. Immediately after the Chaplin was done, the prison warders walked her into the execution chamber.

Cold chills ran down Lily's spine when she saw the wooden electric chair where her life would be drained out. It was news to her that she was going to be electrocuted that morning but the sight of the electric chair impressed the heavy weight death upon her soul. Her tummy began to feel like it was twisting. Her mouth felt dried and her eyes went dull.

The fading old brown paint on the wall contributed to making Lily feel sick. There was barely anything inside the room except for the instruments of death – the electric chair and its generator. A big light bulb was hung some distance above the electric chair but it was switched off. Only some dull lighting was provided. There was this huge cotton covering one part of the wall and Lily perceived that should be some kind of window.

Apart from the prison warders in the room, there were two other strangely dressed men who they met there. They had their heads covered fully in black masks. The only part visible on their faces was their eyes through two small holes cut out in the mask. Their clothes were black as night, down to their footwear. With the way they looked like Death's siblings, Lily knew they were the executioners.

"It will soon be seven o'clock," one of the prison warders who seemed to be higher in position, informed the two executioners. "We start exactly seven o'clock."

Lily remained where she was standing not too far from the electric generator in a white flare gown. She was handcuffed both on her feet and on her hands. There was no other chair in the room except the electric chair which, of course, no one wanted to sit on, so everyone stood at different positions as they awaited the arrival of seven o'clock that morning.

Lily was occupied with the thought of how hard the execution would hit her family and how they would be greatly affected but then, she overheard two of the prison warders discussing behind her in low voices which sounded almost like whispers. The room was quiet, so Lily could hear them from where she stood.

"What a pity" one of them started. "Someone this beautiful and wealthy would soon leave this earth, never to be seen anymore."

"There is no pity in this scenario. She also sent someone forcefully out of this earth in a terrible way," the other one countered.

Even though he was speaking in a voice lower than normal, Lily could hear the edge in his voice as he spoke. His voice was persuasive and he was convinced that Lily was getting just what she deserved.

"Have you forgotten that she f*****g daggered her Head accountant ten times on his chest and his tummy just because she felt he was stealing from her company?" he continued with a question. "Have you thought about the trauma his poor wife and his son are going through now?! Please, let's not get sentimental here! Whoever takes one's life, her life should equally be taken!"

Lily kept her head steady and pretended not to hear them discuss. It was no surprise that they talked about her that way. They didn't know better and it was no use narrating what actually happened to them. She had done that at the police station and the court but what good did it bring her? Besides, even if she managed to convince the prison warders, would the execution be forfeited? Definitely not!

"But I heard she insists she isn't guilty," the first one stated. "She claimed that there are some people behind it and they were the ones who set her up."

"It is no surprise she claims to be innocent. How many murders in this death row cell admit to being guilty?" the other warder insisted. "Didn't you read how she killed him? Purely amateur-like! No professional killer would kill –"

"It's seven o'clock already," the senior ranking warden announced and all side discussions seized.

The cotton on the wall was dragged to the side and a wide thick transparent glass was exposed. A large number of witnesses were seen through the glass seated in the room on the other side of the glass. They had come to behold the execution. The room was filled with people and no empty seats were remaining. A large number of them were relatives of the late Barry who came to make sure Lily was well electrocuted. There were journalists in the witness room and also a few people from Lily's side.

The senior warder presented Lily to the witness while the two wardens who were discussing her earlier stood beside her at each side. As the senior warden was presenting her to the witnesses, Lily ran her eyes through the faces of the witnesses in search of her family.

She saw Barry's wife and her son in the front seat. Her face was heavy with hatred for Lily and she had her left hand wrapped around her son. Lily felt pity for the poor family. She wished Barry didn't have to die because of his unwavering loyalty to her.

Lily kept scanning the crowd until she spotted her best friend on the fifth row. Ella, her best friend, looked like she was crying silently but she looked. She had heavy dark shades covering her eyes but Lily could still tell that she was crying. Thankfully, she was more composed than she was the previous day. Her hair was properly styled and her face had light makeup applied on it. Lily's bulldog was sitting on her lap. Ella had brought the dog along for Lily to see one last time.

Dan was sitting beside Ella with folded arms. He had his gaze fixed on Lily and his countenance was sad. All his efforts to save her life had been fruitless but still, he was hoping for some miracle of some sort. Both Ella and Dan were in black suits and on heavy sunshades. Another man was sitting beside Dan also in dark shades and a black suit but Lily didn't pay attention to him because she didn't know him. There were also a few other workers from her company that came with Dan and Ella.

The presentation was over and it was time for the main event. The huge light bulb above the execution chair was switched on and Lily swallowed heavily. She was escorted to the chair. The air around her suddenly felt cold as she stood before the chair, though the room was warm. The handcuffs were taken off her hands and legs and she sat on the chair. One of the executioners strapped her into the chair immediately after she sat on it.

"Do you have any last word you would like to say before the execution begins?" the senior warden asked Lily.

"Yes, I do," Lily said in a low voice. She cleared her throat and started in a cold but clear voice.

"Go ahead."

"I have said this countless times but this is literally the last time you are going to hear me say this: I didn't murder Barry. He was one of my most trusted employees. The real murderer is out there or probably here with you. There was a conspiracy going on in my company and that was why Barry was murdered so that he didn't expose them. My heartfelt condolence goes to the bereaved but justice has not been served. Get justice for Barry so that his soul could rest in peace . . . and mine. I love you Dan, Ella and my cute little puppy, Mia. I would miss you all. Goodbye."

By the time Lily was done talking, murmuring had broken out in the crowd but it began to die down as soon as the capital punishment process began.

"Tell that to the devil when you meet him in hell." Lily heard someone say among the spectators.

A moist sponge was placed on Lily's head and it made her shiver a bit. Her face was covered and a metal restraint was put on her bare head. One electrode was attached to her head and another was attached to her leg to provide a closed circuit. All the hair on the head and her legs had been shaved earlier that morning for easy conduction.

Lily didn't struggle nor did she cry or scream. She was very calm, waiting patiently for her end. She felt a cool gentle wind blow against her skin and the hair on her skin stood erect. It was like death just walked into the room and was waiting to take her away. She drew in a deep breath and exhaled loudly as the other executioner was adjusting the volts of the generator.

A song popped up in her head and she decided to sing it. She sang with the same clear and cold voice she used in dictating her last words,

"I had a dream

I got everything I wanted.

Not what you'd think

And if I'm being honest,

It might've been a nightmare

To anyone who might care

. . . Nobody cried,

Nobody even noticed

I saw them sitting right there

Kinda thought they might care

I–"

Lily felt a sudden shock in her head and snatched away the song from her lips before she could finish singing it. She became unconscious from the shock and the executioner finished the execution process by reducing the voltage. After a few minutes, the electric generator was switched off and a doctor confirm Lily's death after checking her heartbeat with a stethoscope.

Lily suddenly saw herself travelling at lightning speed through violent winds. A quick documentary of her life played before her eyes as she travelled. Suddenly, the violent wind died and everywhere became totally dark again. It was so dark that she couldn't even see herself. She tried to pick up sound waves in the surroundings to make up for her loss of vision. She didn't know where she was but she felt the urge to leave there. Her hope rekindled when she heard some voice around her but she couldn't tell where it was coming from.

The voice was that of a young male and he was singing a familiar song. It wasn't the voice of the warden or anybody she knew but the voice was sad. Had she gotten to the heavens' door? Probably the voice was mourning her unjust execution. But why was it only one sad voice that she could hear singing? Weren't there innumerable numbers of angels in heaven? Or was it her late dad singing? Certainly not! The voice she heard was the voice of a teenage boy.

She became baffled when she noticed that the voice was singing the exact song she had been singing before she left the world. Her inability to see a thing around her began to trouble her. What could have happened to the lights? Wasn't heaven supposed to be filled with lights? OR WAS SHE IN HELL?!

The thought of her being in hell, made her struggle to see. She discovered that her eyes were closed and that was why she hadn't been able to see. She tried to force her eyes open but her eyelids seemed like they were made of brass. They were too heavy for her to push. She needed to know where she was so she pushed her heavy lids with everything she had until she began to see a little light rays. In a few seconds, her eyes were fully open but her vision was blurry.

She blinked her eyes twice and objects became clearer. She could still hear the voice singing around her and it was closer than she had expected. She turned to the direction the song was coming from and saw a young teenager singing with a downcast tone. She wondered who he was because she had never seen him before. The boy's eyes were fixed on the ground and he appeared to be sobbing as he sang

She opened her mouth to call his attention but no sound came forth. She tried to move her arm but she was too weak to do so.

She tried calling him again and this time, her voice came out in a faint tone. Her voice sounded strange but she didn't pay attention to it. That wasn't the problem at hand.

"Excuse me!" her voice finally came out strongly after a huge strain and the song seized.