Unholy Trinity: The Crime … by Dawn DeBraal
Our church worships at the altar of the Unholy Trinity. Its gospels are delivered as a trio of dark drabbles, linked so that Three become One. All hail the power of the Three.
The Crime
Angus showed them. For one shining moment, as a group, they were all of one mind, he’d brought them together. Not one of them turned away or tried to interject their opinion while he spoke. Complete silence, total submission. They all understood his point of view this time. It was very empowering. The look of shock and surprise on their faces was priceless. He never gave it a second thought, as the assault weapon sprayed bullets across the room, killing everyone. The debate was over. He’d won. Angus was very pleased with himself for he had gotten the last word.
The Punishment
Twelve years is a long time on death row. His time here is ending soon. They said the electric chair was his fate. He’d prefer to take his death laying down with his eyes closed by lethal injection. The phone outside the cell stayed silent. He waited for the Governor’s pardon. There were no more trials, no more stays of execution. He had run the course. He had his last meal. Odd that they would feed a man and then kill him. Compassion? More than Angus showed them, his victims. But their deaths were over quickly, not the endless waiting.
The Eternity
Angus entered Hell after his electrocution. It had been a painful death that was behind him. He watched all the other condemned souls. Hell didn’t seem so bad, they treated you pretty good. Better than he had been treated when he was alive. The head man came to see him telling Angus what a good job he had done spreading fear in the hearts of people, but Hell was meant punish the soul for eternity. The Dark One paid a visit and passed sentence on him. Angus was shocked. His punishment now was to face the electric chair every day.
Dawn DeBraal
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Stephanie Ellis writes dark speculative prose and poetry and has been published in a variety of magazines and anthologies. Her longer work includes the folk horror novels, The Five Turns of the Wheel, Reborn, and The Woodcutter, and the novellas, Bottled and Paused (all via Brigids Gate Press). Her dark poetry has been published in her collections Lilith Rising (co-authored with Shane Douglas Keene), Foundlings (co-authored with Cindy O’Quinn) and Metallurgy, as well as the HWA Poetry Showcase Volumes VI, VII, VIII, and IX and Black Spot Books Under Her Skin. She can be found supporting indie authors at HorrorTree.com via the weekly Indie Bookshelf Releases. She can be found at https://stephanieellis.org and on Blue Sky as stephellis.bsky.social.
