Making the Cut by SD Hildreth Page B

what I’m gonna do to you, it’ll make sure you don’t do what you did to those little boys to anyone else. And I’m gonna guess if I gave Timmy’s mom this knife, she’d do a lot more to you than I’m goin’ to.”
    Toad reached down, grabbed the man’s hand in his, and as he held it, sliced his wrist. After releasing his hand, he sliced the man’s other wrist the same way. After dropping his hand, he reached between the man’s legs with the knife. With a deep grunt and a tug of the blade, he sliced through the man’s pants and deeply into each of his thighs. Quickly, his pant legs began to discolor from the blood he lost.
    “Damn, Toad. I thought you’d cut his throat,” Otis said under his breath.
    “Read it on the internet. The article said it’d take up to thirty minutes from cuttin’ the wrists alone. Said maybe he’d last 5 minutes if I cut the femoral in the thighs. I’ve seen Marines die from having a femoral artery cut, even with a tourniquet. Thought this would give him a few minutes to think about what he’d done,” Toad said as he leaned over and wiped the blade on the man’s shirt.
    Toad was right. If a parent had seen the videos the man had taken while he abused their children, and later been handed the knife, the killing would have been far more brutal. As difficult as it was to allow myself to believe what I watched was real, it was not something I would ever wish a parent to participate in.
    Without speaking, we stood and watched the man slowly die. I’d seen several stabbings, and been involved in several shootings where men had died. I had never, however, calmly stood and watched a man die. I’m thoroughly convinced each time I see a man die it takes a little piece of my own soul, bringing me that much closer to death. It must be the price we are required to pay for witnessing the final deterioration of one of God’s greatest creations; mankind.
    As I crossed my arms and blankly stared until he finally went completely limp, I thought of all the children and what he’d done to them. I silently wondered if God was watching as we kidnapped the man, or as Toad cut him. And, as the man bled until his last breath escaped him, I wondered if God witnessed the entire event; and if so, why he didn’t intervene.
    As he peacefully drew his last shallow breath, I came to a conclusion. God did witness it. And he, not unlike me, had no place in his heart for a man who sexually molested helpless children.
    And, God was using the Selected Sinners to do what he wasn’t able to do.
    Because God is forgiving.
    And the Sinners are not.

 
     
     
    AVERY
    Saturday nights at the bar were a pain in the ass. Although I made more in tips during the night than I made the entire rest of the work week combined, at the time I’m working the shift, I always felt like I wanted to quit my job and become a librarian. Today had been a little more busy than usual. A local poker run ended, and bikers filtered in and out all afternoon starting about four o’clock. As Sloan and her 2 added cups worked the dining area, I tried to keep everyone happy from behind the bar.
    “I’ll take another Budweiser,” the man at the end of the bar said as he raised his hand.
    I reached into the cooler and pulled out a bottle of Bud. I grabbed my opener, popped off the lid, and held it in my hand as I handed him the bottle. After he grinned and accepted the beer, I turned toward the trash can, which was roughly fifteen feet away, and tossed the lid in the air. As the lid hit the back side of the can and fell inside, I pumped my fist in victory.
    “Nice shot,” Budweiser bottle said from behind me.
    “I know, right?” I said over my shoulder.
    I grabbed my bar rag and began to wipe the bar as I scanned the dining area for Sloan. She stood talking to a table of three college aged guys who were all focused on her tits as she spoke. One of them had ears the size of the palm of my hand. I rolled my eyes and grinned at the three