The audience stares at Connor, the man already convicted of killing his wife. A few of the angriest members of the crowd raise their voice to jeer at Connor, but he barely hears them as he stands there in shock, unable to believe this is happening. The police, having not listened to Connor's protestations of innocence, did not listen to the crowd either. Instead, the police calmly continue to do their job, keeping the mob at the usual distance from the gallows and preventing any attempt to free the condemned man. The hangman ties Conor's hands behind his back and then, as is customary, asks Connor if he had any last words.

Connor sighed and said, mostly to himself, "I'll be joining you soon, my dear wife."

Conor's thoughts flash back to the horrible evening that leads him to the gallows. At that time, he had been happily married to Emily, his wife, for around three years. Sometime that day, Connor had lost his wallet. He could not find it among the scattered drafts and client requests on his desk, where he worked as a Graphic designer. Late that afternoon his best friend Nick called him to see if he wanted to meet at their usual place. When Connor mentioned his missing wallet, Nick laughed and agreed to pick up the tab that night.

They usually meet up at a dining restaurant near the community centre, smack in the middle of a nearby alley. While waiting, Connor can't help but light up a cigarette, filthy habit as it may be. In between drags, Connor gets a strong whiff of Blood, and with a frown, decides to investigate. As he made his way deeper into the already dark alley, the sun sinks the last little bit behind the building across the street. From one step to the next, the Alleyway darkens like he enters his own personal hell.

His thoughts started to run wild. As Connor tried to soothe himself, he saw something terrible. A pale white human hand lying near the dustbin and there seemed to be a considerable puddle near it.

'Calm down its just a mannequin.' Connor thinks to placate himself as he slowly approaches the hand. Something unbelievable caught his eyes, a tattoo. A tattoo of a bird on the back of the hand. Familiar pictures flash through his mind at that moment, Emily laughing and spinning in a field of flowers wearing her summer dress; Emily's hand holding his on the couch while we watch a scary movie. A hand that has a tattoo of a bird on the back of it. Bile is rising in his throat, he started to panic, but couldn't stop his feet from taking him closer.

Following the hand, the body was concealed in a black rubbish bag. Connor steels himself and, with a quick yank, tears a hold in the bag.

"Argh!" Connor thoughtlessly let out a scream.

His wife, Emily, staring back at him with crimson eyes. His wife's expression looks betrayed and appears to have been stabbed through the heart. A surge of feelings overstrains his heart in a split second. Connor grabs his heart, 'was this a heart attack?' he thought as pain lanced through his chest. 'It would be fitting to die alongside my wife, I can't imagine living without her,' he mused as he reached out to grab his dear wife's hand.

Connor started crying and screaming without caring about the surrounding passers-by that noticed what was happening due to his initial scream.

Connor himself still doesn't remember what exactly happened after that. The next few days were a blur, and before he could say anything to defend himself, the judge before him proclaim that he is guilty of first-degree Murder, and sentenced to death by hanging.

Connor is abruptly brought back out of his thoughts when the rope is placed around his neck. Followed closely by the executioner blindfolding him.

"Connor, do you have any last words?"

"I'll be joining you soon, my dear wife."

The instant he voices out the sentence, an unbelievable commotion breaks out.

The most noted sentence he heard was, "GO TO HELL YOU MURDERER!"

The moment he heard the voice, he knew who it was. His mother in law, who bakes the most delicious apple pie that his wife brings whenever she visited him at work, is the loudest voice in the crowd, screaming his condemnation.

Tears of sorrow unconsciously pour out from his eyes. He couldn't make them stop.

The last words he heard were, "Do it."

The sound of a switch being flipped and the floorboards fall out from below him.

*Crack