In the Name of Freedom

The stage is set, the final act is about to unfold. It’s been three long months of thought and planning. On their part. I knew all along how this would end. After all, the hand, my hand, was caught in the cookie jar. If I only had pulled it out more quickly.

It had taken me years of planning. Years of back breaking work to fully realize my dream. My dream of setting them free. Caged and tormented as they were. I knew it had to be done. Justice is fair. Stepping through the gate, paying my fee, everything fell into place.

I meandered around the paths, smelling the dung, dew and greenery in the air. I checked my watch.

“The zoo will be closing in fifteen minutes. Please make your way with your all your belongings to the exit,” sang blissfully on the speakers.

I ran to the janitor’s shed by the elephant cages and jimmied open the lock. Hiding myself in the closet I put on the extra janitors suit and waited. And waited. I waited for three hours when I knew the last of the employees would be going home. Only a few lonely night guards who made rounds every half an hour to contend with.

I ducked down and crouched out of the shed, looking around me, squinting my eyes to see through the darkness. Crouching to the right I crawled over to the lock holding the elephants imprisoned behind a flimsy fence. I pulled out my government issued laser (which I got for a steal on ebay) from the back of my pants and started my work. I opened the gate slowly and moved around, following the circular path around the zoo; unlocking, opening, crouching and crawling for a full 3 hours. Every so often I would jump behind a bush to avoid the rent-a-cop before moving on. It wasn’t until I got to the snake pit that the alarms went off. As I found out later, the elephants and zebras (the first to be freed) had finally noticed their liberty. I guess this caused some interest for the newly free lions. Needless to say, it was chaotic.

At this point I was running in full view around the zoo, unlocking the cages and enclosures. I had made it all the way around the pit and was heading towards the exit when I noticed a light heading right toward me. I turned around and ran 20 feet before I heard shouting coming at me. Panic.

I saw a fence to my right and ran towards it, jumping onto it, scrambling to climb over. I was about five feet off the ground when I was pulled down to the ground. The cheetah jumped at me, it’s claws extended. They dug into my skin. I fell to the floor. I could not scream or else I would be found. My blood must have been intoxicating for the cat then took a sizeable bite out of my right shoulder.

“I’m trying to save you, you stupid animal!” I tried to push it off of me. Then everything went black.

When I woke up my blurry vision slowly revealed my new surroundings. Bright lights were overhead which obviously weren’t made by the sun. I was lying on something cold and hard. I felt my shoulder, which was throbbing in pain, to find it covered. I could smell rubbing alcohol and hear tapping. I looked over to my right as my vision cleared to see a steel table, with two chairs, one of which, was occupied with a man in a black suit, with grey hair and piercing gray eyes, tapping a pencil. He was staring at me, with a small grin.

“Good, you’re awake. Do you know where you are?” I sat up, slowly and scanned the small room. White walls, a small toilet bowl in the corner behind the man, and right in front of me, bars. “That’s right, you get it now. Prison. And you must remember why you’re here. Your little act of animal audacity has landed you a one-way ticket to this stylish cell. Let me fill you in on what you missed. Your darling cheetah killed two men and mauled another one. Two security guards were killed and the janitor is in critical condition. Now as I see it, they’ll try you, you’ll be found guilty, and let’s be honest, we love our capital punishment in this state so you’ll likely be executed. You could try for an appeal but the courts will still hear that you killed two people.” His grin got bigger.

What had I done? My years of planning and I never believed that I could cause this kind of terror; the kind of pain and horror that those I was trying to help meant hurting and killing others. I felt the tears stream down my face. I had killed people. I had killed 2 people and seriously hurt another. I was only trying to save the innocent and the price was lives of others. My fate was sealed. Justice was deservedly swift.

Today is the day. They pulled me out of my cell this morning and I felt nothing but relief. As I stepped onto the platform the priest softly said “God be with you and keep you, my son.” I nodded. God? This was evenhandedness. I smiled. A few guards stood by me with the judge and lawyers present below. I felt the course rope fall over my shoulders and then scratch my neck as it was tightened.

“Any final words?” the Judge yelled from below.

“Thank you.” I whispered.

“Please step forward,” the guard said.

I close my eyes, take a deep breathe and all I can hear is the creaking of the trap door handle.

There's nothing to say

There's really nothing to say except that I have completely neglected my duties as blog holder and writer. With ambitions in my head and heart of becoming a true, working, professional writer, my love and passion for the short stories I have penned on these blog pages have been blown to the wayside. It makes me sad.

With a smile on my face now, I am turning a new page, or creating more new posts as this technology filled world goes. Here is a new story to titillate your senses...maybe.