She was shaken awake roughly, and opened her eyes to find several people standing around her. Most she didn’t know, but with a horrible jolt she saw Colonel Miller standing next to a fully dressed Ayers a few feet away.

“Rise and shine, you little cunt,” the Colonel said viciously. Someone tore the blanket off her, leaving her stark naked in front of everyone. She covered as best she could, but she was dragged to her feet immediately.

“Time to go,” he said, and her hands were forced behind her, where they were bound once more.

“Sir,” she started to say. “Can I get my clothes—”

“No, I don’t think so,” he interrupted, looking at her pile of clothing on the floor. “You want to live like a whore, you can die like a whore." He addressed the others in attendance. "Bring her out.”

She was marched from the shack into the first light of dawn. The cool morning breeze raised goosebumps all over, and to her embarrassment caused her nipples to harden. There were dozens of people outside already, and each and every one of them stared at her nude form as she was forced down a dirt path toward where the Colonel had set his outdoor desk up.

Alice glanced behind her to see that Ayers was following the procession, and the Colonel was giving him an earful. Please, she thought in desperation. Don’t hurt him. Let him escape this nightmare unscathed.

They reached the clearing by the trees, and her guards stood her with her back against a beautiful maple tree. A crowd formed, standing around her in a half circle, all come to see their former comrade be killed. Had she really been that unpopular?

Ayers walked up to her, and she felt her heart swell with love. He had a piece of cloth in his hand.

“I want to put this over your eyes,” he said very quietly. “I don’t want you to see it coming.”

“Okay,” she said, barely audible. “Be good.”

He reached around her head, tying the blindfold and planting a subtle kiss on her cheek while he did it. Her world was dark now, and once his hands left her, she lost track of where he was.

She shook on the spot, afraid of peeing herself in addition to everything else. There was indistinct chatter from all around, but something cut through it all: the terrifying click of a magazine being loaded into a rifle. She heard the action slam forward, and a voice said, “Ready, Colonel.”

She bared her teeth in sheer panic, panting hard. Somehow, not being able to see was making this worse.

Colonel Miller’s voice sounded, loud and authoritative. “Any last words?”