Chapter 05: Asphyxiation

EVERYTHING began as I stepped into the building

“Do you want to write a message to the people you’re going to give this money to?” Adrastos suddenly asked me. 

I just awakened abruptly and without warning to the realization after spending a long time dwelling on the events that led up to my current situation of live suicide.

“Yes, please,” I replied to him.

He handed me a pad of clean paper and a black pen, so I thanked him before I picked it up. I poured all my heart and soul out into this letter to show them how much they meant to me. Before I said farewell, I wrote what I really want to tell them and thanked them for everything they had done for me. 

Hello Mom, Dad, and Sister! 

How are you doing? I hope you’re in good shape because I’m going to a wonderful and tranquil destination haha. Is it unfair that I went there first? That’s because I’m exhausted from wanting to run away, so don’t be upset and rush to follow me there! When you are tired, take a long break right away rather than waiting until the last minute. Don’t be stupid!

Thank you very much for bringing me up and educating me so properly. Even though our lives were challenging and pretty basic back then, I feel we are the wealthiest human beings in the world, not because we have a lot of money, but because you gave me a lot of love. It’s an overabundance! Chuckles. I can’t compensate for all the sacrifices you gave me, so can I just sacrifice my life? But my life might not be enough either... Joke!

Thank you so much to all of you! I’m hoping you’ll make really good use of the money I’ll be giving you. Enroll my sister in a prestigious college and advise her she should not get a boyfriend right away because she needs to strive diligently to achieve success and prioritize her family first. You should also switch to a bigger place where Mother and Father can take a break or go on outings because they have been under a lot of stress recently. 

I simply want all of you to have a happy and comfortable life, even without me. 

I looked at the last message I put in the letter before I smiled bitterly. ‘If you are reading this letter, I am sure I am no longer in the world, so please don’t look at me because I am always there by your side. I wish you happiness until we meet again.

Sincerely yours,

Alejandro Valencia. ‘ 

I have given my letter to Adrastos after I finish writing, so he can deliver it to my family and Carmina. “Thank you so much, I’m done,” I told him. He just accepted the letter and said nothing.

He looked at his watch after finishing what he was doing and he looked at me and said, “It’s time...” I just nod and smile. This is it, I’m ready. 

“Let’s go,” he told me, and I immediately followed him. He went to his location, so I headed to mine. He took up the microphone before speaking. “Hello there, dear viewers! Many people are waiting for Alejandro to die. Are you prepared to stay and witness his demise?”

Messages in the comment box bound and overflow with knives, bombs, guns, and broken heart reactions.

Comment box: 

@Cassia Rossi: 

I am so ready that I prepared his coffin. This will be my funeral gift for him! Thanks. 

@Mattias Whitlock: 

I already sent a funeral bouquet and food for his burial. Please @LiveSuicide check it out!

@Evaline Boone: 

I booked this whole cinema just to watch it properly because my kids won’t let me watch it in our theater room! Those damn brats. 

@CallaHale: 

I’m already eating my popcorn here. The only thing missing is his death. 

“Hahaha! I expected you were so ready to watch him die, but before that, I wanted to ask the opinion of Mrs. Amara De lacia on why she spent so much money on this man’s life,” he said. 

“Hello Mrs. Amara De lacia You can now attend this Live and open your mic so we can hear your opinion,” he continued. 

It surprised me. I didn’t know that the person who won the poll could just give an opinion. 

‘oh’ I said to myself. I know that this woman is furious at me. I expected them to kill me the moment I returned, but they didn’t. There is still something else to do.

My gaze encompassed the surrounding area in which I am now, but I found nothing that could kill me by hanging. 

“Nice to meet you, Adrastos. I am Amara De lacia, The Chief Executive Officer of Adelle furniture and crafts. My business is well-known around the world, even the current Miss. Universe of 3021 visits our company and stores,” she introduces herself and it surprised me. What the fuck did she just say? Is she flaunting her wealth to me? 

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. De lacia. Live Suicide is happy to see you here! We recommend Adelle furniture and crafts when you need something in your household,” Adrastos replied, and Mrs. Amara De lacia laughed in a pitched voice. 

“Hahaha! Please keep it as low as possible. Later, I’ll give you some of our most expensive items,” she said to Adrastos 

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Del lacia Live Suicide appreciate your generosity.”

My forehead furrowed. What exactly is happening? What’s going on? Do they use Live Suicide to endorse their business to others because everyone here is wealthy and influential? Don’t tell me she handed me all of her earnings with the explicit intent of doubling it because a large group of obscenely rich people will come to go and see her enterprise. Is that correct?

“What the fuck...” I cursed in my mind. 

“I wasted a boatload of dollars on this despicable guy, Alejandro, because I abhor people like him. I can’t fathom what they’d be doing to someone who is crying and pleading with them not to continue it. I couldn’t fully understand how they can do that to defenseless people who are simply walking down the street at night, playing, alone, and based on a woman’s clothing,” she said in a serious voice.

I thought she was just using Live Suicide for her interest, but she has advocacy. 

“I just want to be capable of defending women from predators like him. There will be even more victims if he does not cease to exist from this world. That’s all, thank you,” she said before leaving the life.

I respect what she stated because her statements are similar to what my father had said. My father taught me to treat women with respect, thus I despised people who did not value and genuinely love women. 

She has a solid motive for wanting me to pass away, but she killed the wrong person because I’m not a sexual predator but have been accused of being one.

“Hmm, You’re right. Let’s all give a round of applause to Mrs. Amara De Lucia!” he said and clap his hands. 

“Now that we’re done, this is what you’ve been waiting for! Let’s all witness the last moment of Mr. Alejandro!” he said, and then confetti suddenly exploded in the area. 

Suddenly, men entered while carrying the tool that will use to kill me. 

My jaw dropped on the floor because I can’t believe what I am seeing. They are holding a Garotte, what the fuck!

I was about to be hung up, not that thick big-ass Garrote! Where is the rope? Fuck, give me the rope! I’ll be the one to hang myself.

I looked closely at the garrote. It was a chair with a metal collar into which I was supposed to insert my head, while the back of the garrote is constructed of wooden and is attached to the iron collar that will shackle my neck while spinning the hand-wheels.

They dropped the garrote near my seat. “We are done, Adrastos.” 

“Thank you very much. Tie Alejandro’s hands and feett,” he commands them but I immediately stopped them. “W-Wait! I thought I was going to hang myself?!” I asked them. 

“Hanging is quite prevalent in modern or ancient times to kill yourself, hence why we use a garrote, which would also be strangulation,” he remarked, as if what he was saying was uncomplicated. 

“What? Wait!” He ignored me and ordered the men to tie me up. I tried to fight back, but there were many of them, so they laid me on the floor effortlessly and tie my hands.

The men carried me out to the garrote and tied my foot to the chair. “Can’t I just hang myself?” I asked them, but Adrastos shook his head. “No, Alejandro, look at the comments box. Even they are optimistic and eager to use garrote on you,” he exclaimed while gesticulating his hand to the screen where the responses were presented. Thus that I could look at them.

Comment box:

@Ethan Fleet: 

Thank goodness for the garrote; I was afraid he’d just hang himself. 

@Percé Rock: 

Live suicide never failed to amaze me! Garrote for the win. 

@Ashton Dash: 

I almost fell asleep, but it jolted my blood awake when I saw the garrote.

I bit the lower part of my lip. Fuck, you guys are really happy when you see someone who has had difficulties in your eyes. I didn’t fight back anymore and accepted what would happen to me. 

They Inserted my neck into the metal collar. “Everything is ready, Adrastos,” said the man. 

Adrastos just nodded to them. “Hello, dear viewers! Are you ready?!” he asked with excitement in his voice. 

The comment box rang several times to give a reminder that they had a chat, but I didn’t bother to look at it because I already knew their answer.

“I’ll count one to five seconds! And each second represents the number of times the garotte is rotated. Okay?!” he said and the comment box boomed many times. 

He moved toward my location and looked me in the eye for a few seconds before he went behind me. “Are you guys ready?!” he shouted into the mic while holding the hand-wheel behind him. 

I closed my eyes emphatically. “It now my time, goodbye,” I whispered into the thin air. 

“One!” he suddenly whirled the hand-wheel once.

“Two!” My neck instantly tightened and felt as if it were about to snap.

“Three!” I gradually lost my breath and consciousness.

“Four!” Adrastos shouted. That was the last word I heard before darkness completely swallowed me up. 

* * *

“Five!” Adrastos yelled before they heard the loud sound of Alexander’s neck-breaking.

Everyone witnessed Alejandro’s penultimate moments before he finally died, but instead of being sorrowful because they watched a death right in front of them, they even had a celebration in the comment box and handed away free money

Adrastos left his seat and stepped aside from Alejandro’s seat to confirm if he had a pulse or was still alive. “Congratulations! Our suiciders are already dead tonight!” he told the audience.

Suddenly, an icy wind blew around after Adrastos announced Alejandro was dead.

The audience gave a message on Live Suicide because they liked what they saw tonight. 

Comment box: 

@Zack Machess: 

Thank you Live Suicide for such an amazing night! I will never forget the crunchy sounds of his neck when it breaks and the face he makes when he is gasping for air.

@Alessandra Banalle

@LiveSuicide, you’ve never let us down, which is why I’d like to donate $50,000 to your account; please accept it.

+1000 replies. 

Adrastos put the mic on his face. “This is where it all ends! Thank you so much for watching. See you tomorrow night!” He said before ending the live stream.

He ordered the men to take Alejandro’s body after he finished the Live. “Put Alejandro’s body aside and cremate it.” he ordered. “and then throw away all the things sent by our viewers.” He left immediately and went to his office to arrange the money and the letter that Alejandro wanted to give to his parents. 

Everything was in a particular area the next day to hand the payment to Alejandro’s parents. Adrastos ordered his male companions to deliver the money to his parents and Carmina. “Xeros, give this money to the address listed here and make sure they accept it all. If they ask who it came from, don’t answer and just leave immediately.” Xeros just nodded.

Xeros goes to the address given by Adrastos and searches for Alejandro’s family home. When he saw the house, he knocked. “Hello! I am a delivery man! I have a delivery for you!”

Alejandro’s dad opened the door. “Who are you?” he asked.

“I am Ros, I’ll just deliver you something; all you have to do is accept it and sign the paper,” he said, handing over a package containing money and a letter.

“What is this? Delivery from us?” he asked after getting the package and letter.

“It’s just nothing, just look at later when you come in and just sign this paper,” he said and Alexander’s father signed the paper and after he signed it, Xeros left immediately. 

Alexander’s father shouted. “Sir! Who did it come from?!” but Xeros didn’t answer and just waved his hands. 

Alejandro’s dad slumped over his shoulder and grabbed the package.

He called his wife and daughter Danica to check the contents of the bag. When they opened the package and it surprised them at what they saw because it was full of money. 

“Who did it come from?!” Alejandro’s mother asked while her heart pounding out of her chest. 

“I don’t know, someone just handed it to me earlier.” They noticed the envelope and opened it. 

Their eyes widen as they freeze on their seat while reading context of the letters. 

They are trembling in sadness and having difficulties to swallow up as when they finished reading the message. 

It was Alejandro’s letter.

No ones dare to move from their seat. 

They loved Alejandro so much that they threw him out because they wanted him to confront the transgression he had committed.

“A-Alejandro... My son!” his dad cried.

The family just hugged each other while crying because they knew they would never see Alejandro again.

After Xeros gave the money to Alejandro’s family, he immediately went to Carmina’s house. He rang the doorbell several times, and a man opened the door for him. “Is Carmina there?” Xeros asked.

“What do you need from my wife?” the man asked seriously. 

“I just need to give her something.” So the man just shrugged and call Carmina to come out.

When Carmina arrived, it surprised her because she did not expect any visitors. “What do you need from me?” she asked.

“Please sign this paper and accept my shipment,” Xeros said, so Carmina did nothing but sign it and take the package and letter because she thinks it was from her parents.

“is this from my parents?” she asked, but Xeros immediately turned around and left.

The man earlier gripped Carmina’s shoulder firmly. “What is that? Who is it came from?” he asked while he glance sideways, finding the man. 

“I don’t know, Z-Zander,” she stammered. The man just hissed it and turned his back on Carmina before leaving. 

Carmina opened the bag, and it surprised her because it contained a lot of money, so she immediately opened the paper and read it. 

Hello Carmina, 

Please accept this money because I want it to go towards our child’s future. Even though I wouldn’t have had the experience of being his father, I wanted to do something for our baby as his father. I love you to the moon and back. Farewell.

P.S. Don’t find me anywhere because I’m just everywhere. 

Carmina broke down in tears on the floor, clutching Alejandro’s letter in her hands. She gave a sad smile as she stared at the sparkling object in her right hand; it was a wedding ring.

She tied the knot a week after she abandoned Alejandro underneath the bridge.