We All Did It

• Christina Ohis, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2015

Left, Right, Left, Right, Halt!

Without moving my head, I look at the two soldiers who stand beside me. Their faces impassive, calm, neutral. It is as though this has no effect on them. It is as though they will be able to live with themselves after doing this.

Simultaneously, all five of us aim our guns at the man who stands before us, dressed merely in a prison jumpsuit, barefoot, his face and hair full of dust and dirt. He has a faraway look in his eyes, like he has already met Death.

One of us will have the bullets in our gun. It’s like a game of Russian Roulette. We don’t know who will be the one to kill the man. No one will know.

Fire!

I squeeze my eyes shut as I pull the trigger.

One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.

I hear the man fall to the ground and I force my eyes open. He lies there, unmoving.

No, we all shall know who killed him. All five of us soldiers. We all did it. We all killed him.

At once we all turn to march off, leaving the man’s body to rot amongst the others.
I feel tears prick in my eyes. We all did it. We all killed him. I killed him.

Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right.