They secured the area when the body I’d killed was found, refusing to let anyone leave. The investigation proceeded, threads unraveling, and I knew that the evidence would eventually damn me. I tried to slip out of sight to discard it, but one person saw and followed. Impulsively, I pulled him close, firing a fatal shot through his chest. Now, I see the others, having heard, come running. I know it’s over, and place the barrel in my mouth. The gunshot is deafeningly silent, and time slows. I fall back flat, painlessly, and unrelenting coldness slowly consumes my body.