The Circle of Life - (Re)Birth

The playground was empty. I walked down the street, taking in the night site, listening to the sound of the living. . . living. 20 mins later, I was back the playground, it was still empty. I headed back to my apartment, as soon as I got in. I heard loud moans, I shrugged my jacket off and headed for the bathroom, he was awake. I asked how he felt. Awful, replied. His mouth had a funny taste and he couldn’t move his limbs.

I smiled, put the toilet cover down and sat on it.

Tetrodotoxin, I said, it would do that to you.

He opened his mouth as if to say something but only saliva came out. I knew what he was going to ask, so I went ahead and told him.

How? Your pills. . . for the ulcer, I laced them with Tetrodotxin.

His eyes questioned

Why? I don’t know really, at first It was about feeling alive but that would have been selfish. . . you know and then you said something, remember that night you walked me home, saw the homeless people and you said they were scum and no one would miss them and I thought. He is right! We should get rid of the utterly useless

I got up, opened the cabinet and brought out a shaving stick and shoving powder and turned back to look at him.

That was not a nice thing to say but you know what or rather who is funny? You are. See, because of your money and your glitzy apartment and fancy shoes, you don’t really see useless your life is. I mean of what value are you to mankind? Can anyone say their lives have changed because of you?

I pressed some shaving cream into my hand and knelt by the tub. I rubbed it on his head and began to shave. He tried to move but he was paralyzed.

Oh sure you have a roof over your head and you are not slumming in a park but you and the likes of you are the biggest scum of the earth. The haves who makes life hard for the have-nots.

I scoop the cut hair and flushed it down the toilet.

Your online clients will get their money back, so no one will come asking any questions. Your golf buddies will get a note telling them you’ve moved. Your condo and the rest. . . well, it is a good thing we named each other next of kin.

I sat on my heels, hands on my lap.

What am I saying? If you disappeared today, no one will miss you.

His chest raised and his eyes widened.

That’s your diaphragm collapsing.

I wiped his now clean shaven head with a towel and began to undress him.

Convulsion is going to start soon and some other messy stuff.

I threw his shirt on the bathroom floor and went for the shoes and pants.

Soon, he was completely naked. On his eyes moved now. I looked at my watch it was just a almost 12 o’clock, I felt his pulse. . . it was slowing down.

I went for my tool box and brought out a scalpel.

Under normal circumstances, this would hurt but you won't feel a thing. . . I promise

I smiled gently and started strategically punching holes on parts of his body to drain him.

When it was done, I played around with the thought of going to be bed but I was too wired. I wanted to speed up the process but that would be cheating. So I waited, when he started foaming in the mouth, I waited. When his bowels loosened and he lost its content, I waited.

By 4am, he took his last breath and I began the process of cleaning him. I bathed him gently him like one would a baby, went to for the bags of ice I had gotten the day before. It took seven trips to get finally get him iced.

I brushed my teeth and went to bed.

Saturday – Bought the biggest luggage I could find.

The rest of the day passed relatively quickly.

Sunday – This was it! The hardest part of it my entire plan. With ABBA playing in the background, I was finally going to practice the skills I had learned in my one month residency of forensic pathology. It wasn’t the best setting but it would have to do.

I drove all night to different cities until it was all gone.

Monday – Woke up, performed my morning ablutions, had breakfast on the go. . . cereal bar. I walked to the park and he was there. He smiled when he saw me, I smiled back. Instead of a loaf of bread, canned apricots, cookies and milk and freshly squeezed orange juice. . . I handed him a small box.

“Everything you need to start a new life”

Without waiting for a response, turned and left. Some would call it identity theft, I called it setting things right.

I walked into the hospital with the feeling of control over life. . . and death itself.