Here’s a guest post from Bror for April’s JURY Blog Battle!

Roanoke Project

By Bror Orgenthorp

“We have found the accused, Mr. William James Hagglesburth, guilty of crimes against the Galactic Coalition and therefore fit for the sentence of death by firing squad,” Juror Number 8 said calmly and slowly as to let my ears bleed with every syllable.

A chuckle arose from my throat and echoed in the room as I looked up with a grin. “Guilty? Guilty? What exactly is a ‘crime against the Galactic Coalition’? Answer me. ANSWER ME!” A silence swept the room as if it was a rip tide, drowning the Jury and Judge. “That’s what I thought. You don’t even know what you’re charging me for. How could you sentence me to death for a crime you don’t even know?” I slowly sat back in my seat and laid my head on the desk in front of me.

“Why do we have to know what crime it is? Didn’t you just imply that there was, in fact, a crime to be worried about? Then I believe we have every right as the jury to impart this sentence on you, stranger.” Juror number 5 spoke boldly while standing up tall; his voice was deep and could rattle you to your soul.

“Stranger? Is that what this is about? You feel comfortable with murder as long as we aren’t on a first name basis, Number 5? What did you do to pressure the rest of the Jury to this decision, Number 8? It seems you’re out for my death in a huge way. I don’t want to hear any more from Number 5 or 8.” I let the words rattle off my tongue directly from my heart; my belief in what I was saying couldn’t be more solid.

“I-I I know w-w-what you did!” Juror Number 1 stood up and stumbled a bit, a perfect parallel to her speech. She was thin and fair as fresh snow; her voice was soft and comforting even though her words were the opposite. “You-u used a wo-wo-wormhole illegally to jump into th-this galaxy.” As Number 1 finished, the rest of the Jury looked shocked.

“Ha. I’m surprised one of you knew the charge. My answer is this, so what? What’s so wrong about entering a wormhole?” I ended my sentence with a smirk and winked at Number 1. Her face went red, and she seemed to turn into a different person.

“You could’ve brought unknown diseases into our Galaxy, and you don’t even care to give a second thought? You could have ended the lives of billions of Coalitionists and you have the audacity to smile? You disgust me.” Number 1 spoke with a conviction that was on another level. Her tone had changed from a soft comfort to a terrifying rage.

My whole body became hot and my heart beat faster, a wave of guilt passed over me. Am I in the wrong here? My thoughts ran wild. I fell to my knees, but I was pulled back up by the guards on either side of me. I began to feel lightheaded, and my vision started to go black.

***

Nothing. Just the deep darkness that pierced my eyes. I could not feel. I could not move. It was as if my existence was just an empty void, a black hole. And then suddenly a comforting sound, a song, a sweet and tender voice, the pitter-patter of feet, screams akin to those of rodents who had been lit on fire, alarms, explosions, crying.

***

My eyes opened and nothing had changed, I was still me in a courthouse, being Judged for a crime against the Galactic Coalition. Number 1 stared at me with such a deep distaste that it burned my skin.

“Now that has been settled, I hereby sentence William James Hagglesburth to death by firing squad, please take him to be prepared.” the mechanical Judge said coldly and without emotion.

I felt my left arm be grabbed first, then my right, then both my feet. The guards carried me face-down into a white room. In the room was one bed, a form of IV, and a woman. The guards dropped me on the bed roughly and the woman seemed to tell them off. I couldn’t have cared less. I rolled over and looked only at the ceiling.

“You poor thing,” the woman said, a comforting sound, “let me turn on some music for you.” She pulled out what looked to be a CD player, quite the oddity for this futuristic Galaxy. She popped in the CD of her choice and something that sounded like 90s pop filled my ears, a song. “I’m gonna do some tests. Is that ok?” Her voice was like an angel; it almost made me forget that my death was just hours away, a sweet and tender voice.

I remembered the void. The inside of the wormhole. They claimed it’d be instant travel, but it felt like I was in sensory deprivation for a thousand years. I remembered the emptiness and the sounds, the sounds that occurred. My brain connected the dots. It was some kind of prophecy, right? I’ve already heard the first three, so what’s next? Outside the door I heard it, the pitter-patter of feet, running from something. I looked over at the woman, who seemed worried. I couldn’t get words out of my mouth to warn her. She fell to the floor and started screaming and clasping her chest, screams akin to those of rodents who had been lit on fire. Suddenly an alarm, explosions, and an out-calling yell. I stood up and left the room. The woman had already passed. The hall was filled with smoke, but the fire was nowhere to be seen. I walked the hall for what seemed like an hour before coming to the end. A door marked with the word, “EXIT”. I reached for the handle and began to twist.

“You. Stop.” The voice was clearly Number 5. I turned to look back at him and let go of the handle. He was holding the woman in his arms, tears running down his face, crying. He dropped the woman and pulled a pistol looking object from a holster. An electricity sound emanated from it as it began to glow. “You killed her. You killed her. Now it’s your turn. Sorry it’s not the firing squad you deserve.” He smirked as he pulled the trigger, and a blast of blue light shot at my chest.

I looked down to see a gaping hole. The wound was devastating. I fell to the floor. “So, this is how it ends? A lot of good that vision did for me.” My words bounced off the walls and reached the ears of Number 5.

“Why are you still alive…?” He turned to look at me once more, sobbing, “I told you… to DIE!” He pulled the trigger again.

***

Darkness. And then my eyes opened. I was being carried by two guards to the courtroom, my trial was about to begin once again. No matter how many times I tried I was always stuck in a temporal loop.

“We have found the accused, Mr. William James Hagglesburth, guilty of crimes against the Galactic Coalition and therefore fit for the sentence of death by firing squad,” Juror number 8 said calmly and slowly as to let my ears bleed with every syllable…

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