Beacon of Life

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s exhausted. Having successfully defended her client, accused of dereliction of duty and negl

her client. She didn’t relish starting a fresh case right away. But her client was a Captain, and he needed immediate counse

, at least one guard would have come out asking for identification. She peered through the window. Two guards lay on the floor. Their arms settled at odd angles and their faces buried in the cold, hard

d his guard dead on the floor. Moving through

eal? Was she ha

one of the cells. The contrast to the eerie silence

prison clothes, the dark-haired inmate was stri

to be transferred to Leavenworth, where they’ll lock me awa

sarcastically.. "But that's not what I meant.

ome kind of gas.But why would you and I have been immu

ank God! You won’t believe what is happening here in the detention center. Everyone has dropped dead, except on

. I have only found two people alive. No one answered when I called 911. I'

geted San Francisco and Washington

horrific car wrecks blocking all the roads. We need to see

talk again at four. Maybe we’ll know something by then.” Ji

cked up here. I'll die of st

ith me. You are a crimina

wife set me up so she

ur name?” Jil

m Gr

n was the

2021. I’ll never

de her want to believe him. “

ould go a

found out that he was having an affair with his wife. They found the murder weapon in his closet, wrapped in his bloody shirt. It was Brian’s blood. They had witnesses to a loud argument the afternoon before the

the cell. “I read your ca

alty. He said the panel wouldn't believe me because everything pointed to me.Some o

lazy and borderline incompetent. He was being investigated by the Judge Advocate

re, so I doubt anyone remembers seeing me. My meeting with my client was canceled so I went for a long drive to clear my head.

to check? No, according to the records, he did

Brian during the hours I was at work. Our families were very close,

p breath, To

oke. He told me he had been having an affair with my wife and that he felt so guilty about it he was going to break it off that night. His confession completely floored me. We had been friends since high school and

ng, but he told me how sorry he was. He wanted to do what he could to make things right. He had planned to see her that night because he knew I was going

long brunette hair wondering how she

en make excuses, but blamed me for working all the time and never being home. She said she was getting a divorce. I told her that was fine, but I was ke

te trying to work out

but she sensed the truth in what he was sayin

went and got my gun and some rubber gloves. She must have gone back to the living room wearing the gloves and shot him. I think she would have taken my shirt, dipped it in th

he house when Brian came, but the prosecution said I had come back and killed him. Onc

l you are only a danger to those who have betrayed you. And I can't leave you

how to open the cell and let Tom out. She started back into t

l find. There are homicidal monsters back there. I kn

w savage the prisoners could be. Wondering again if she had made a mista

ree to go your own way.” She grabbed he

re are yo

what you are going to do with your new f

? What do

deaths were confined to the prison. She

against the wall?

cisco. We have no way of knowi

her. They sat together, leaning against the prison wall. Both thinking of everyone who was gone, everyone they had lost. Shar

essee. My friend really needs me. Where

t think I would let you go b

interrupted

you. I meant it would be safer if the two of us

rything she had. Which was what? Nothing he couldn't get by breaking into one of the better houses in DC. Besides, her gut was still telling her to trust him. W

r her three-way call with Alecia and Tanya. She asked Tom to