Awakening in an open field, Attorney Jed Murphy grappled with disorientation. "Where am I?" he mumbled, struggling to shake off the effects of a drug that had left him unconscious for hours. His efforts to move proved futile; his arms were immobilized, and a wave of panic washed over him as he realized he was buried, with only his shoulders and head exposed.
Sensations overwhelmed him. The scent of damp earth permeated his nostrils, mingling with the distant, acrid aroma of a smoldering fire pit. His eyes slowly adjusted to the eerie moonlight filtering through the trees, casting long, haunting shadows across the desolate field. He strained his eyes to see, his gaze darting about in search of answers, yet the moon's cold, pale light offered little solace.
Lying there, he felt the relentless chill of the damp ground seeping through his clothes, clinging to his skin, and causing involuntary shivers to ripple through his body. A gritty taste filled his mouth, a reminder of the earthy soil that surrounded him, its rough texture on his tongue.
Suddenly, a voice—cold and unrelenting—cut through the silence. It reached his ears, a disconcerting mix of calmness and menace. "Attorney Murphy, how are you?" The words seemed to hang in the air, chilling him to his core.
He attempted to turn his head, his neck protesting against the strain. He yearned to pinpoint the source of the voice, but his sight was limited, and he couldn't turn far enough. The soft, eerie crunch of footsteps on the ground circled him, moving closer and closer.
Then, abruptly, the footsteps halted right in front of him. Attorney Murphy's heart pounded loudly in his chest, his breath coming in short, shallow gasps. He dared to look up, his eyes meeting the sight of two-tone black and white saddle shoes, stark against the moonlit ground.
"Who are you?" he managed to croak out, his voice trembling with fear. His question hung in the air, unanswered for a moment.
The figure bent down, and he caught a glimpse of movement in the corner of his eye. The sensation of someone's presence so close sent a shiver down his spine. "I'm Raina," came the reply, cold and unfeeling. "You defended the animal that killed Nancy Willoughby, Dr. James Posey." With disdain, she spat on the ground. "Attorney Murphy, do you know why you are here?"
His mind raced, and Attorney Murphy stammered, "How did I get here?"
Raina admonished, "As an attorney, you never answer a question with a question."
With mounting confusion, Attorney Murphy muttered, "That guy last night must have put something in my drink. He paused for a moment then said, “I don’t know how I got here but go get help, now! “I am your help counselor, I’m going to release you as soon as we finish talking”, said Raina.
Fury contorted Attorney Murphy's face as he bellowed, "Get me out of this hole, girl! Stop playing games with me and help me out of here now!"
“You said games? Let’s play a game”, said Raina. She kneels down on one knee about six feet away from Attorney Murphy and draws a two-foot-wide circle on the ground with her finger, then pulls out of her pocket seven marbles placing five of them in the circle except for two of them which are larger. She places one of the two larger marbles in front of Attorney Murphy and moves back a couple of feet and says, “you ever played marbles counselor?” Attorney Murphy's face burned crimson, and his veins throbbed with rage. Raina tore a strip of duct tape and silenced his protests. She then began a game of marbles, flicking her shooter marble with precision, knocking marbles out of the circle one by one. Attorney Murphy watched helplessly as all the marbles were expelled.
Raina taunted, "Not bad for a 20-year-old girl, huh, Counselor?"
With muffled anger, Attorney Murphy struggled in vain to break free.
Returning to the marbles, Raina posed a question, "Attorney Murphy, do you think I'm pretty?"
Attorney Murphy's eyes bulged, his response stifled by the tape.
Raina continued, "Do you like the fragrance of my perfume?"
The attorney's frustration mounted, his attempts at speech futile.
"Good," Raina said, taking a shooter marble and placing all seven in her pocket. "Now back to business. You are here today because you defended a known rapist and murderer."
Raina stood before him, her attire a stark contrast to the gruesome situation. She addressed the attorney's sins and the punishment that awaited him.
His moans grew more desperate, but Raina remained unyielding. She walked to a pile of large white gravel stones, explaining the gruesome practice of stoning as a method of capital punishment.
"Attorney Murphy, have you ever heard of stoning?" Raina asked, holding a stone.
Panic gripped Attorney Murphy as he anticipated what was to come.
Raina continued, "No group here, so I guess I'll be the individual who kills the subject."
With growing terror, Attorney Murphy pleaded with his eyes, his voice forever silenced by the tape.
"Close your eyes and pray because this will hurt," Raina said, bowing her head for a moment. Then, she announced, "Showtime!" She retrieved an old, worn Barons baseball cap given to her by Lorenzo "Piper" Davis, placed it on her head, and picked up the first gravel rock. Like a pitcher winding up, she threw it, striking the attorney's face hard. Blood seeped from his wounds as the relentless barrage of stones continued. After fifteen rocks, Attorney Murphy teetered on the brink of unconsciousness.
Standing before him, Raina remained impassive. She removed the old baseball cap and donned it, then casually wiped away a bead of sweat with her sleeve and says, “You along with the others killed my mother, the stoning was for my satisfaction, this bullet to your head is for my mother.”
In a final act of cruelty, Raina took aim with a pistol, pointed it at Attorney Murphy's head, and uttered a chilling phrase, "I'm releasing you from this life."
She pulled the trigger, and the attorney's life ended abruptly.
Raina turned away, her heart seemingly untouched by the gruesome scene. With chilling indifference, she remarked, "Justice has been served”.
Leaving the field behind, Raina disappeared into the night.
댓글