DEADLY

by elfin


He slams the heavy iron maiden�s door.


Later, he hears banging, the muffled cries.

He opens it with fingers that shake like jelly.  His sergeant stands ramrod-straight inside the torture device, eyes wide.                                 

�You closed the door.�  The accusation is almost in jest.

He holds out his hand, lifts Ben�s into it, helps him step out.  �Any punctures?�  It�s almost a joke. 

In another life Ben will shake his head, everything will be okay.  In this life he nods, like he�s surprised.  Then he falls forward.

Tom catches him, hands bloody as his sergeant stumbles and dies in his arms.