The Diversity Story

Chapter 9: Electric Chair Escape

Down in the cellar, the Fletchers were finishing up on putting together their contraption. It buzzed and sparked as Mr. Fletcher made his way to his wife.

"That's champion, that's what it is," Mr. Fletcher muttered. "What is it?"

"It's an electric chair. This device will help us gain back power from those heathens. If one tries to escape, they will be shocked with 10,000 volts of electricity. They'll think twice before trying to leave again."

"How does it work?"

"Get me a nigger, and I'll show you."

Mr. Fletcher thinks for a moment until he sneers: "I know just the one."

In the building, Jaliya spots Mr. Fletcher coming out of the cellar.

"He's coming!"

"Alright, everyone! Beds, now!" ordered Regina.

While Mr. Fletcher was walking, the children went to their beds. Mary hid Charlie under her bed and covered the side of her bed with her covers as Regina turned off their lights. Just as Mr. Fletcher entered the building, Mary was under her blanket. She heard the door open and footsteps approaching her bed. Mary laid still and held her breath for a moment. Charlie looked to see Mr. Fletcher's boots by the bed. Suddenly, she screamed as she was being lifted from the bed and held an inch apart from Mr. Fletcher's face.

"Hello, love," he hissed. "I got a score to settle with you..."

Charlie listened to Mary's pleas while Mr. Fletcher carried her out of the room. He crawled out from the bed and looked out the window to see the man dragging Mary down to the cellar. Regina and the others ran to the window, fearing the worst. Some even began to cry.

"They got Mary! They're gonna whip her!"

Charlie looked around to see the orphans yelling and panicking. Jaliya and Violet were hugging each other while Cato was on his knees and letting out a mournful prayer. Regina was trying her best to keep Akela calm. After what Mary told him, he didn't think it was possible, but it was true. This is what they deal with. This is their reality. Refusing to stand by, he leaves the window and rushed out of the room.

"Charlie? Where are you going?"

Charlie ignored Regina and ran down to the hallway. The orphans yelled for Charlie to come back as he ran out of the building.

"Boy, you go in there, and it'll be your head!"

Charlie didn't listen. He just ran to the cellar. There, the Yankee tiptoed down the steps and reached halfway when viewing the electric chair.

"Look at the size of that thing," he thought.

He saw Mr. Fletcher walking towards the chair with Mary. His wife, smiling sadistically, watched as her husband strapped Mary in the chair. While in the chair, she noticed Charlie slinking down to a pile of crates. He motioned her to be quiet while he made his way to the wires.

When Mr. Fletcher was done, he went over to his wife and handed her the remote. Charlie found a set of pliers lying on the floor next to the chair. Before Mrs. Fletcher pressed the button, Charlie used the pliers to cut the wires to the chair, causing it to shut down. Mary braced herself for the shock, but nothing happened.

"It's not working," Mrs. Fletcher grumbled as she pressed the button. "What did you do??"

"N-nothing. I followed the instructions and-"

"Go check the chair!"

While Mr. Fletcher scrambled to the wires, Charlie slipped around to the front of the chair. He began to free Mary when Mrs. Fletcher caught him.

"You! Get away from her!" She uses her whip on Charlie but misses.

While he finished unhooking Mary from the chair, Mrs. Fletcher grabbed her husband's rifle and aimed it at the kids. As she was shooting, Charlie pushed Mary out of the way. Before she could shoot them, Mary used Mrs. Fletcher's whip to trip her, sending the bullet straight into the electric chair. The chair started to spark and glitch until it was too much to handle and soon exploded. In a cloud of smoke, Mary and Charlie ran out of the cellar and back to the orphanage. Mr. Fletcher emerged from the smoke and saw the damaged chair and his wife staring angrily at him.

"....at least it works."