For the Greater Good

He coughed, sniffing against the cold.  The handle of the gun tingled with a fearful chill against his palm.  She'd been crying.

"Please."

The end of the gun sat firmly against her forehead.  He wanted to scream at her.  He wanted...

"Please."

...he wanted so much.  To live.  To breathe.  To be doing anything else but this.  His finger squeezed a little tighter against the trigger.  He stared into her red rimmed eyes, the bodies all around them watching, waiting, pulling at him with their fatalistic patience.  He should have...

"Please."

...should have done something.  Her eyes, green.  No...

"Please shoot me."

He shook his head, fighting the bile clawing at the back of his throat.  Her arms snapped up from beside her, fingers splaying out impossibly in all directions.  Her head stayed still as her eyes glanced down, as if afraid to look at the hungry claws that had a moment ago been her tear stained hands.

"DO IT!"

"NO!"

She screamed.  He squeezed the trigger.





And the world was saved.