End of the road

1. Goodbye

John woke from the pain from his stomach. The cancer had reached
his bones and several doctors had given him 3 months.

Tomorrow he was going to put an end to it all but first he had to
say farewell to his lady friend. As he sat on his bedside he took
an overview of his life.

He grew up Rhodesia as the name of the country was today. He was
selected for a special training program for those, whom were not
infected with AIDS and graduated with good grades. Then he took a
post in Denmark for his country and married after some time a
Danish woman and became Danish citizen.

His marriage didn't last, but he was accepted into the Danish
society and became a member of the Danish parliament some 10
years after he first came to Denmark.

Later he started to work for the European Union, until
journalists found out what exactly went by in the school where he
was educated. He was forced to retire because a lot of the stuff,
they had to do in order to wipe out the disease, was nothing that
could stand daylight.

He went back to Denmark living a rather anonymous life. 3 years
ago he got cancer and the doctors had given up all hopes.

His thoughts went for Ms. Jensen, which life he had saved when
she was convicted for murder and was to be executed. He commuted
her sentence to life imprisonment. He visited her a couple years
ago, but it turned out that she was insane and couldn't recognize
him. He couldn't come to terms with himself whether it was right
to spare her life.

He stood up and dressed. He had to see Gurli - his lover. She had
made his last years pleasant.

Half an hour later stood at her front door, where she greeted
him.

They ended up in bed where she as usual foundered him. Very
exhausted they lay side-by-side and talked.

"You know about my cancer. I am not going to be well, so tomorrow
I am going to a terminal-center to finish myself off."

Gurli began to cry. "Stop. I am in great pain every day. The
morphine is giving me nightmares. It is only going to be worse. I
want it to stop now."

Gurli stopped crying "But I love you."

"I have taken care of you being putted into my will, because you
have been there for me for the latest years. Could we eat
dinner?"

"I will make something special." Gurli went into the kitchen.

They ate a formidable with good wine to and ended up in bed once
more. He was going to miss her trim body.

He decided to walk home instead of calling a taxi. On his way he
dropped the application form into the mailbox at the
terminal-center.

2. Talking with the caseworker.

Next morning about 10 a.m. he entered the terminal-server. Miss.
August, as he could read on her nametag greeted him. "What a nice
elderly lady." He thought.

"Please take a seat. Your case-worker would be to see you in just
a minute."

After 5 minutes a man came to him. "Hello, I am Curt - your
case-worker. Please go to my office, so we can look at your
case."

Soon after they were at Curt's office where Curt started the
conversation.

"I have been confirming your information. It seems that three
different doctors has confirmed that you are terminal ill and
only have months to live. According to the Danish law, you have
then the right to terminate yourself."

"How will it happen?"

"We would provide you with all the tools to do it. It is
forbidden by law to aid you physically. No one must intervene in
during the process. Back some 60 years ago a circus-princess
aided her father and you know that they charged her with
second-degree murder. Of course back then, the laws weren't so
strict, so she was not whipped or so."

"The law was made this way so no one could claim that the helper
only did aid because they would have some interest in the person
being put to death."

"Could I do it at home?"

"No. That is not allowed. You have to do it here, because we are
trained in dealing with deceased people. If you do it at home
some relatives could discover your body. It would be a shock for
them at the Danish society would miss some tax-income if they
have to take days off. That is why it have to take place here."

"How is your staff trained? I thought it was a kind of
voluntarily work to work in a terminal-center."

"Yes. But we have day-jobs, where we see dead people. I am an
executioner. Sayed - the doctor works at the same place as me."

"Executioner. I am surprised. Why do you work here?"

"Because my work let me develop a conscience."

"I can in some way understand why, but people which is being
executed, has been convicted in a trial."

"Actually it was remorse from my previous career as parking
attendant that led me to do this."

"That explains all. What a terrible and evil job."

"What about Miss. August at the front desk?"

"Sometime back when she was about 20 years or something she
witnessed something. She doesn't like to talk about it, but she
has seen dead people. After she retired, she started here and
helps us part-time with the paper-work."

"OK. What kind of method can you offer in order to finish me
off."

"Hanging!"

"Long drop or short drop?"

"Short drop because there is too many things that could result in
unnecessary torment, if a long drop is being used. If the noose
is not correctly placed some of the skin could be torn off. If
noose is to long, the head would come off. Short drop or simply
suspension is a fast way to go, if small precautions are taken."

"The law recommends hanging because an injection would demand to
much regarding knowledge of how to inject and finding a suitable
vein. Shooting is difficult to explain to the public if one's
reputation should be kept."

"OK. Hanging using short drop then."

"Then we have to talk about what story you want to present to the
public. We have different prices for each cause. Traffic accident
costs 1000 euro. Sickness costs 500 euro. Victim of a crime: 1000
euro."

"Why are sickness so much cheaper?"

"Because everyone suspects that people have finished themselves
off, if they have a terminal sickness. We have to charge money
for a reliable cause: It is the governments policy regarding
user's fee we are up against."

"I don't care about reputation. The journalists have already
destroyed it. I take the sickness cause. I can't take the pain
anymore. Charge it on my credit card."

"Then you have to pay the Danish government three months of tax.
Tax you would have paid if you had chosen to live until you would
have died of your disease. It would be 4500 euro."

"Charge it on my credit card too."

"Thanks. I have to complete the transaction now, because your
assets would be frozen when you die. It seems that we have been
trough all the items on my list. Let go down to the checkout
chamber."

3. Ready to go

We left the office and went down the hall. There were ten doors
with thick padding and numbers on them.

"We can take number 4. It's free."

They went inside. Inside in the room a raised platform dominated
the room. Above the platform the noose hang loose. Down from the
ceiling hang a remote control in a cord. At the sidewall a coat
rack was mounted. There was a leather belt, leather two cuffs and
a leather hood on the rack.

"Now I would explain how it works. Then I have to leave in order
to follow the law."

"First you to undress. Then you have to take the leather belt on.
Please notice the two D-rings in the front of the belt. You have
to hook the cuffs on. The reason is very simple. Then you suspend
yourself, you can't control yourself and you would instinctive
try to get your hands into the noose. It is only natural and if
your hands were immobilized, then it would be prevented."

"The belt also has a cock ring and a leather strap, which is
supposed to go between your buttocks. If you fell like doing us a
favor you can take one of those butt-plug and insert it. There is
lubricant in the box in the corner. It would make our cleaning
procedure easier."

"What about the hood?"

"It is to prevent rope burns. It is a fully leather hood with
blindfolds and mouth gag. You have to use the mouth gag. This
place has neighbors and we must not be noisy. If something goes
wrong, people during the hanging often sound like pigs. You can
however choose if it should be a panel gag only or you also would
like to mount the gag-ball. People seem to use the blindfold. We
consider it a option only."

"The remote control is to be activated when you are ready. Once
you have activated it, there is no going back. When you press the
bottom, the platform would lower slowly."

"But until you active the remote control. You are free to have
second thoughts about the procedure. If you choose not to go
trough it, you will get a refund. We would only charge 100 euro
for our talk. Did you get it all or should we go over it again?"

"Yes. I did get it."

"Then I will leave. Good luck then."

Curt left and John undressed. Then he took the belt on. When he
inserted the plug he moaned. Nothing had been inserted into his
behind since his meeting with Irma several decades ago.

After he had taken the cuffs on, he stood up on the platform.
Then he laced the hood on. He had chosen to use the gag-ball
also. He felt a little sore in his jaw after the gag was in
place. Then he did put the noose around his neck. He noticed
where the remote control was and strapped the blindfold into
place.

He took the remote control in his hand and hooked the cuffs onto
his belt. Now he was ready.

4. Hanging and kicking

John stood on the platform and thoughts ran trough his head. He
remembered back in Rhodesia where he also stood hooded and waited
for his faith but destiny had saved him. He remembered the
feeling of having a noose around his neck not knowing when the
torment would start.

He also remembered all those speeches from people, which were
going to be executed, when he was on the parole board. Now he
could feel how they have had it when they waited about 60 seconds
in darkness.

Then he felt a sharp pain in his stomach and remembered why he
was here. He pressed the bottom.

He could feel how the slack of the rope was disappearing.
Suddenly he was forced onto his toes because the noose pulled
tight. Breathing became oppressed.

The platform continued to lower itself. Suddenly his feet were
off the ground. His hands went for his throat but the belt and
the cuffs stopped them.

The noose tightened a little more. His feet began to seek for a
foothold but there was none. His neck hurt as his body began to
twist around. His body began to feel heavy. Suddenly his arms and
legs were jerking out of his control. The noose duck in deeper in
his neck. He was getting no air. He felt his lungs crumple like a
plastic bag. Every second felt like 1000 years.

The pain in his neck was intense. Suddenly he saw a bright light
coming out of nowhere. The pain stopped.


Inside the control room, Curt and Sayed sat and watched at the
surveillance monitor. They could see John preparing and position
himself at the platform.

"He is not going to scratch." Curt had seen a lot of people. He
knew when they meant business.

They could see the platform being activated. When John's body was
suspended they only waited inevitable noose dance.

As the dance began Sayed commented "Quite normal. A few minutes
and it is over."

They watched as John's movement began to slow down. When the
jerking turned into shiver Sayed said. "Now he is unconscious. I
will check on him in 15 minutes." They switched to another
chamber where a new client was ready to take the final step to
the eternity.

15 minutes later they switched back to John's chamber. Because
the law is very strict regarding aiding people, they were not
allowed to enter the chamber before 60 minutes had gone
since the platform was lowered. They had to conclude from the
picture they had on the monitor only.

"He is quite dead. Contents of his bowel are dripping down and
his dick is hardened. The blood flow in his body has stopped and
now gravity had ensured that blood is accumulate in his lower
body causing death erection. We will collect him when the 60
minutes has passed."

About an hour later, John was taken down and sent to the
undertaker.