E-Jhay C.

Onia 12/06/2022
Grade 12 St. Aloysius Gonzaga

 Tanner wrongly accused of murder, is sure he is going to be executed, until

new
guard turns out to be his estranged brother, Evan. Can they work together to save
Tanner from death row and rebuild the trust that had been broken so many years
before?

Tanner Frost lingers nervously in his cell, awaiting that day and that time when he will,
at long last, meet his fate. He had waited for this moment earnestly, not because he did
want that moment to come, but because his earthly ordeal would finally end. His life had
been a waste, anyways. He lived a rough life after their family became destitute. He
succumbed to substance abuse. He committed crimes to sustain himself, not being able
to finish his education and with no one willing to employ him due to his violent character.

It was during one of these criminal sorties that he inadvertently killed one of his victims.
He wanted to steal, to assault, but never to take the life of anyone. He still had some
sort of conscience. Shell shocked, he soon found himself caught and bound by police.
He was taken to a prison, a place he has never been before. After a trial, the judge
handed out a guilty verdict for murder. He was to be executed through electrocution. He
was shocked, but he was silent all throughout. It was all in a day’s work, he said.

His sentence should have been carried out just one week after the verdict. However, the
sentence was suspended for another two years over a technicality. He was outraged.
He wanted to die now, if he was going to die. He tried strangling himself inside his cell,
but the rope broke and he was left with arm injury. He was given a permanent watch by
his guards, who tried to observe his every move, day and night.

One day, a shuffling of prison guards within the correctional district was ordered. There
were going to be new guards in the death row prison. For Tanner, there is also a new
permanent watch. Tanner never knew the names of the guards assigned to him, until
now. This time, he recognized the guard. His heart skipped a beat as he called out the
name of his estranged brother: Evan.

The two brothers instantly embraced each other like close friends, like there was never
some rift between them before. Evan was pitied with the situation of Tanner. They
talked and talked, reminiscing their moments together, reconciling their differences, and
conversing about things into the night. Then, Evan contrived a plan to set Tanner free
from his cell and from the prison. The plan was flawless and full of artifice. Had it been
done, Tanner would have escaped from death row. This was Tanner’s opportunity to
walk free again.

Tanner, to the surprise of Evan, refused. Tanner felt that this is truly the time, that he
paid for his sins and rectified his malice. Evan persisted on insisting, but Tanner
continually refused, even reminding him of his duty as a law enforcement officer.

At that moment, the order came. Tanner was to be executed now. He will meet his fate
today. Evan could do nothing but cry as Tanner was brought out of his cell.