“Well,” Allison said with a devious laugh, “whether it’s hard or easy I guess one of us gets to dangle soon!” She put her hands up to her throat to simulate a noose, and made choking and gasping sounds.

    I had to smile at that. It was kind of funny. But it was kind of chilling too.

    “I guess this is the last night all three of us will be together,” I said.

    “We’ve been through a lot,” Jamie said.

    “Let’s not get too sentimental here,” said Allison. “Let’s talk about the future.”

    “Who do you think will get picked?” Jamie asked.

    “I hope one of you two has to hang,” Allison said. “Not me!”

    “It won’t be you,” I told her. “You have the personality for this job. It’ll be Jamie or me.”

    Allison shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not so sure. We’ll see.”

    “Let me tell you both one thing,” Allison continued. “If one of you is picked to hang I will do it with enthusiasm and good cheer. Do you hear me? I want to pass the test and you better expect no softness and no remorse – I’m going to do it and it won’t be pleasant for you.”

    “So look, if I get picked you better Goddamn well remember that. You better hang me really well,” she said. “If I’m going to die I want it to be for a purpose. If I find out I had to die and you didn’t do it well enough I swear to God I will come back to you as a ghost and I’ll will torment the shit out of you for however long you have to live. I will torment you in the afterlife too if I can. If I have to go I swear to God you better not get soft and sentimental and mess it up.”

    “It’s a lot to think about,” I said. “Yeah, if I’ve got to go I hope you two will do it right.”

    Jamie looked nervous. But she nodded and said, “If it’s me I’ll do my best to stay calm. Please do what you have to do to pass.”

    The bedroom was chilly by bedtime, like always. We got bare and got into bed and snuggled up under the thick, soft covers. No one felt like sleeping much right away. We stayed up talking about the next day. We talked about what would happen for those who passed – once we got released from the school we’d get 15 days of paid leave to go home or travel anywhere in the world. Then we’d have to report for duty at a penitentiary to start the 5-year apprenticeship. It was nice to think about graduating and having a more freedom.

    I thought about how close we’d become during our training. I realized that lots of the odd procedures at the school were designed to bring us together. Snuggled up under the covers I thought how strange it was that one of us would be dead in a day.

    In the past we weren’t exactly shy about touching each other – I’d let my fingers do some wandering and exploring around the bodies of my friends and they’d done it to me too. It was nice. Now, on our last night together I guess we felt even closer. It was even more fun to let my fingertips do some exploring along some soft, warm and gentle curves, and even to the most sensitive, secret places.

    At some point we must have drifted off because the usual alarm woke us up. We got dressed as usual and the girl in khaki (we never learned her name) unlocked the door at 7:30 sharp as usual so we could go to breakfast.

    I didn’t feel like eating much but I figured I should try. It might be part of the test to see if we can act normal.

    When we were at breakfast Susan came in.

    She’d been up early for a hard morning workout. Her face was flushed and she used a small towel to wipe sweat from her forehead. She wore some really tight, skimpy little black booty shorts over her slim hips. She wore a skimpy white tank top that was even tighter, plainly showing every contour of her slim, sexy waist and small, firm breasts. Through the fabric of her top it was plainly obvious she wore a pair of barbell studs pierced through her pert, perky nipples.

    “How are my gorgeous young ladies today?” she asked in a big, cheerful tone of voice. “Is everyone ready for a big day?” she said with a smile.

    I gulped. We all nodded.

    “Last night I found out what parts you’ll be playing today,” she said. “I’ll let you know when the time is right.”

    “I have a few things to do this morning and make sure our room is ready,” she continued. “Let’s meet back here at 1300. I can take you to the execution room and we can talk about what’s ahead. Let me warn you there are some really precise rules to follow. So when we talk later I want you all to pay very close attention. Are we clear?” she said.

    We nodded.

    “If any of you are curious the hanging is scheduled for 1600 this afternoon. In this business it’s important to be precise and punctual. You never want to be late and you don’t want to be too early. When you’re new it’s best to aim for about 15 seconds before the scheduled time. As you get better with practice you can get more precise. I usually aim for about 5 seconds before the schedule,” she said. “So anyway, when we get together at 1300 we’ll have plenty of time to talk and get ready – we won’t have to rush or hurry through the process.”

    “See you, girls!” she said with a wave as she walked away.

    In some ways it was really frustrating not to know who would be picked. But in other ways I guess it was nice not to know.

    I wondered what we were supposed to do all morning. We went to our usual classroom. Ms. Brown, our primary instructor was there. For the first time since we arrived at the school she seemed to be in a pleasant mood.

    “You all have a big day ahead of you, right?” she asked.

    We nodded.

    “It’s exciting,” she said. “We get to see if two of you pass, or get diverted for disposal at a later date. I can tell you the last class did not do quite well enough. That’s something for you to think about. We’ll see how you do.”

    “Anyway, no matter what happens you won’t be going back to your room any more after noon today. Two of you will get new quarters. So your job today is to get all your stuff packed up and labeled. Then I want the whole room and bathroom cleaned to perfection for the next class to use.” She added, “And yes, the degree of cleanliness of your quarters will be part of your overall grade for the day so you probably want to do a great job.”

    “I’ll be by at noon for the inspection,” she said. “Until then class is dismissed,” she said, with a slap of her hand on her desk for emphasis.

    I was glad we had a chore we could all focus on. I didn’t want to sit around all morning feeling worried and nervous. They gave us plenty of cleaning supplies. We got packed up promptly. They gave us fresh sheets and towels just like every week. We got to work making the rooms shine.

    Noon came quickly.

    Ms. Brown had us stand at attention while she took her time looking closely. The inspection went on quite awhile and I was more and more worried we might have missed some spot. But at that point there was nothing to do but wait.

    Finally Ms. Brown came to us and said, “At ease.” Then she said we were released for lunch.

    She didn’t say “good job.” I didn’t know if we passed. But she didn’t tell us to re-do any of the cleaning so maybe we did okay.

    I didn’t want to eat anything at lunch. Fortunately the usual lunch meal was light – just some thin broth and some sliced bread with butter. I tried to have a sip of broth and nibble a bit of bread to act normal. But my insides were churning. The other two seemed to feel about the same.

    Part of me wanted to get the hanging over with. Part of me didn’t want to do this at all – I would have given anything to be somewhere else.

    Susan came in the room at 1300. She was dressed in her executioner uniform this time, and holding a small leather brief case that looked worn. Her tight, very sheer white blouse looked as pretty as ever on her slim body. Under that she had on a sexy, sheer, skimpy little black bra that didn’t really hide anything from view. She had a big smile, which was kind of chilling. Maybe she was really having a great time. Or maybe it was her way of dealing with complex emotions.

    “How are we doing ladies?” she asked cheerfully.

    I guess we kind of nodded and said, “Good.”

    “Is everyone ready to have a little fun this afternoon?” she asked. “Each of you has a role to play.”

    We nodded.

    Well, if you’re ready let’s move downstairs. I think you’ll find everything you’ll need. When we get there we’ll have more time to chat.

    We walked with her down some corridors we’d never been through. She stopped at a big, heavy old door. She unlocked it and pulled it open. Then she looked around and spotted another member of the staff.

    “Julie,” she called out.

    Julie came over with a smile and said, ”Yes Ma’am?”

    Susan said, “Can you be a dear and lock the door behind us when we go downstairs?”

    Julie said “Yes Ma’am.”

    Susan said, “The key should go to Ms. Brown. She knows what time to unlock for us.”

    “Okay,” Julie said. “Are you all doing a final exam today?” Julie asked.

    “We sure are,” Susan said.

    “Wow – how exciting,” Julie said. “Well, have fun.”

    Susan turned to us. “Follow me girls,” she said. She passed through the door and down a long staircase.

    Behind us I could hear the door close. Then the lock went *snick.*

    At the bottom of the stairs there was another door. This one was unlocked. We went in.

    At first it felt like this basement room was a dungeon, with dark rock walls and no windows.

    My second impression was a bit different – the room didn't feel damp or cold like I would expect from a dungeon. The air was comfortably warm and dry, and the room was well lit.

    I looked around some more and I could see that the room that was obviously set up for executions.

    “Okay ladies,” Susan said, “This is where the magic happens. Why don’t you have a good look around – we’ve provided a lot of devices and equipment so you’ll have a wide array to choose from. Take your time – there’s a lot to see and you need to know where everything is located.”

    She wasn’t kidding. There really was a lot to see. There were tables all around the room filled with different types of gear. One table had different kinds of rope coiled up. Another had a variety of handcuffs and other restraints made from steel, nylon, leather and more. Other tables had other items like blindfolds, spreader bars, gags and more.

    I took some time to look over the whole room. In the middle of the room there was a big, sturdy overhead beam that was obviously suitable for hanging someone. I saw a couple of chairs and a footstool in the room – those could be useful. There was a nice, big clock on the wall, telling us the time.

    In one corner of the room there was a small holding cell, just about four feet by six feet.

    I couldn’t think of anything we could want that wasn’t thoughtfully provided for us. Well, the only thing missing was a trap door. That means the client would have to stand on a chair or stool. At the right time they’d have to step off or get pushed.

    After we had awhile to look around Susan called us together and motioned for us all to grab a chair. We gathered four chairs together near the center of the room.

    Susan turned her chair around so the back of the chair was toward our circle. She sat down on the chair facing us, with her knees spread wide apart and she rested her arms on the back of her chair. For a young woman wearing a short skirt it was not really a lady-like pose. But she looked really cute and I had to admire her IDGAF body language.

    “Okay, I have your assignments for this exercise,” she said. “I can tell you now if you want to know. But …” she said, looking at the clock, “we have plenty of time and there’s no need to rush into this. I need to give you some detailed instructions. Before we do that maybe you’d all like to take some time to chat. You must have a lot of questions about what’s it’s like to be a hangman at a real penitentiary. So why don’t we hold off a little while on giving you your assignments and we can just talk a bit.”

    “You can tell us who is going to hang whenever you’re ready,” Allison said. “We’re not scared to hear who has been picked.”

    “Okay,” Susan said. “Let’s hold off a few minutes. I’ll tell you soon. Now what else is on your mind?”

    “Are the executions always done by hanging?” Jamie asked.

    “Mostly, yeah,” Susan said. “Occasionally there’s something different. I had a firing squad a few weeks ago. We have a garrote we use once in awhile. There’s an electric chair that gets used rarely. You have to take an extra one week course to be qualified on the electric chair.” She added with a grin, “And no, those who take the electric chair course are not required to electrocute one of their classmates in order to pass. Let’s see, we have a drowning tank I think the warden wants to use in a couple of weeks – if I’m back at work at that time I’d like see that. We sometimes threaten to do a crucifixion but so far we haven’t done one any place where I’ve worked.”

    “Who was the last person you executed?” I asked.

    “Just before I came out here I got called in for a rush job on this lecturer. She gave talks and wrote books on human history and diversity. I guess she was discussing too many forbidden ideas. People were posting her words on social media and they were attracting others who were spreading forbidden thoughts. So someone decided she had to be on a fast-track for execution. She was pretty shocked and stunned by the whole thing. She told me very clearly she didn’t want to die. Also, her father had some long-term health problems and needed her care. But there wasn't anything I could do – I just carry out the sentence. And I guess the new speech laws are there for a reason. She didn’t resist the set up process. So when she was all set up we had plenty of time to chat. She was a real sweet person. I noticed she was really slim and fit – we talked about how much we both love working out. She had done a lot of travel around the world so we got to talk about places I've visited and places I want to go. It's always a little funny to have a conversation with a client who's naked and cuffed and standing on a stool waiting for their time to drop. But it was nice – one of the best conversations I've had with a client. When I had wind down our chat I felt sorry. I had tell her that her time was approaching and she had to put herself in the right frame of mind. I got her hanging right on schedule and wow, you could really tell she didn’t want to leave this world. Some people put up a heck of a struggle. Plus, slim women often have a tough time with the noose because they don't weigh enough to get it to close up properly, at least not right away. But,” Susan said with a sign, “the noose did its work in the end. It always does. I guess some of her supporters will be rounded up soon and get their fate, but that work isn't as urgent.”

    “What else do you want to know?” she asked.

    “Did it hurt to get those piercings?” I asked.

    She smiled. “Yeah, they hurt a lot. They still do sometimes,” she said. “I'd say they hurt in a good way. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for quite a while. I made a promise to myself that if I got through the apprentice program then I’d get the piercings for myself as a gift and a treat. Some days when I was feeling down or having a rough time I’d think about that and it helped to keep me going.”

    “What do you want to tell us? What should a new hangman know?” Jamie asked.

    “The biggest thing I've learned is ways to get compliance,” Susan said. “You can always use force. There are teams of security guys on duty all the time. You can call a team any time you need to get compliance. But it's bad form, okay? If you call a security team more than once or twice a year then you'll get a reputation for being incompetent. The goal for a hangman, especially a girl, is to get compliance with your words and your looks and your attitude and your personality.”

    “You need to be able to play different parts,” she continued. “Sometimes it's right to act sweet. You can act the part of a dutiful daughter or grand-daughter. Sometimes it's good to be grim and focused and 'all business.' Sometimes it's good to be the angry psycho queen bitch from hell. It's a lot of fun to play that part when I'm in the right mood, and it can be a good way to get compliance – if you use it in small doses. Sometimes it's fun to pretend I'm a horny, out-of-control nymphomaniac to get compliance,” she said with a sweet little smile and a shrug.

    “Better yet,” she said, “Sometimes what works best is to switch quickly from part to part. That's a great way to keep the client mentally confused and off balance – and a confused client is most likely to cooperate. The clients are all so different. Their strong emotions are all unique and the end of their life. What works great with one client might be totally different from what works great with another client. You have to use your intuition very quickly, and be ready to change quickly as needed. Sometimes it's really exhausting to play so many different parts but sometimes it's fun too. I think lots of girls can be pretty good at manipulation when they want to. A hangman needs to be an expert.”

    We all nodded.    

    “Do you only have female clients?” Allison asked.

    “Mostly,” Susan said. “Sometimes I get a guy. When I get to work and see there's a male on my schedule that's kind of fun. It’s a nice change of pace. Honestly men are easier. Women can be exhausting – some of them just want to talk, talk, talk, or be all passive-aggressive, or try to be manipulative. Sometimes I'm glad when it’s time for a woman to drop so the rope and gravity will finally make her shut up. Guys are different. They’re more matter-of-fact.”

    “I always thought it was odd,” she continued, “some people care about the sex of their executioner. I get that with women a lot. I guess they imagined a male executioner and when they meet me they’re kind of unhappy or disappointed. I think to myself, ‘Why do you care? Your about to hang – what difference does it make if it’s done by a man or a woman?’ It doesn’t make sense to me. But some women care a lot. I guess if they have to imagine being executed they like to imagine an executioner who’s a big strong, sexy, guy. Then there are others who seem very happy and relieved to learn their executioner is a women. I don’t know why they find that comforting – some people do.”

    “I heard a rumor that female executioners sometimes ….” Jamie said nervously.

    Susan smiled. “What rumor?”

    “Uh … well …” Jamie said.

    “Just say it,” Susan said. “What's the rumor?”

    “We heard that men who have a female executioner sometimes get a BJ before they hang,” Allison said.

    Susan smiled. “Yeah, that's a common rumor. It's not true. But it's a useful rumor get a guy to do what he's told – if he thinks compliance might help him get lucky you can use that to your advantage,” she said.

    I sensed there was more she wanted to say.

    “Well,” Susan said with a pause and a bit of a smile and a blush and a shrug. “I won't say it never happens. Maybe once in awhile. If I'm in the right mood, you know … there's no harm while we're waiting for the time to hang. I mean if the guy is just standing there on a stool naked and handcuffed and he's all, you know … engorged, then I think it's okay to give him a little thrill and help him feel more relaxed if I feel like it, and have a little girlish fun,” she said with a grin.

    “Men let you do this?” I asked.

    Susan shrugged. “Every person is so different. That's the main thing I've learned doing this job. Some men smile. Their attitude is like 'Hell yeah!' Others are confused or nervous when they sense I'm starting to focus on their penis. Once in awhile one of them will say 'No' or 'Please don't' or 'Please stop.' I'm not sure why. Maybe the guy is religious and doesn't want to sin, especially when he's about to meet his maker. Or maybe he's married and wants to feel like he's been loyal to his wife to the end. Who knows? When the guy is naked and wearing a noose and handcuffs and standing on a small stool he really doesn't have much choice, especially if I've got a good grip on his, you know, vulnerable anatomy. If he's got an erection or if I can coax an erection with only a little effort then I feel that's my permission to do whatever I want,” she said with a matter of fact tone.

    “The last guy I did was just barely 18,” she went on. “The poor guy was scared – I mean he was really frightened much more than most people are. There wasn't much I could say to ease his mind – he had to hang and I knew it would be painful. But I figured while we were waiting maybe I could give him a little something else to think about – something else to focus on at least for a short time. Young men get an erection easily for very little reason or no reason at all,” she said with a little smile. “So we had a little bit of fun. When I was done I think he was still just as scared to hang but maybe he had a little bit of a smile too.”

    “Anyway,” she continued, “I don't feel like I have to do it. You shouldn't either. Don't let the other girls call you prudish if you're not in the mood to do it. Run your executions the way you want. You can be a tease and a flirt. You can be an icy bitch – some guys are turned on by that. You can give compliments if you want – tell him how big and hunky and handsome he is. You can give a BJ if you're in the mood. Being a hangman is difficult and we all have to deal with our emotions in our own ways. Some of the girl hangmen will tell you it's a funny feeling to do that with a guy when you know the guy will be dead in less than an hour, and you're the one who's going to execute him. It feels feminine and sexy and scary and strange in ways that are good and bad. It may bring out feelings of fun, or power, or pity, or whatever. Maybe some of you will enjoy those feelings. Or at least maybe you want to give it a try some day.”

    There was some silence. It was a lot to think about. There was more I wanted to ask but I wanted the others to have a chance to speak up. And I wanted Susan to speak if she wanted.

    After a pause Susan took a breath. “You’re lucky to do this with three people. I was in a class of two. It was just me and my best friend from childhood.”

    “Oh God,” I thought, “how horrible.”

    Susan paused. “I think about her every day,” she said softly. “I wish I could have been the client instead. But that’s not how things worked out. I remember every detail even though I wish I could put it out of mind.”

    There was another pause. She said, “Some days I think about tying up one last noose and joining her. But I know that’s not a good idea. She’d want me to keep living, trying to find things in life to enjoy, and doing the best I can.”

    There was another pause. I didn’t know what to say.

    “And on that note,” she said with a deep breath, “how about we get started on your final exam? Are you all ready to do that?”

    I gulped. I figured I was supposed to nod.

    “And by the way,” Susan continued, “I don’t know how they decide which part you get. Maybe it’s random. Maybe there are reasons why each of you gets a certain part. Maybe it was decided months ago, before you got here. I don’t know.”

    “So if you’re happy with the part you get,” she said with a smile, “you don’t need to thank me. I had nothing to do with it.”

    “And if you’re unhappy with the part you get well …” she continued, “you can be mad at me if you want. But it won’t do you any good because you still have to play the part you get.”

    She took some papers out of her bag.

    “Okay girls,” she said, “this is a test to see if you can do what you’re told. There are specific rules and I’m not going to repeat myself so give me your attention.”

    She looked around and we all nodded.

    “Today there are three parts to play,” she said. “One will be the officer-in-charge who directs what happens. One will be the action-officer who carries out the directions.”

    She looked up at us to see we were paying attention.

    “And one of you will be the client,” she said with a hint of a smile.

    We all nodded. My heart was racing.

    “Now let me tell you what might be the hardest part of the test – I need you all to do this silently. Young women love to talk, especially when they’re nervous. It’s a tough part of the test, to see if you can do what you’re told. I don’t want to hear anything. I don’t want to hear ‘Oh God’ or ‘Oh no’ or ‘Oh shit’ or anything else – not a word. The officer-in-charge can read from the script but those are the only words that can be spoken.”

    “That goes for the client too. I need the client to die in complete silence – not one single word of any kind and I know that’s going to be a challenge,” she said. “If the client says one single word then the other two don’t automatically fail – that wouldn’t be fair to you. But what you have to do is take the cattle prods we’ve supplied and shock the client as punishment in order to keep from failing. And I don’t mean a single shock – I mean repeated shocks again and again all over her body, including the belly and breasts and pussy and every other sensitive place. If you’re the client you might want to think about that – if you don’t want to be in that kind of pain, and if you don’t want to put your friends through that sort of thing, then I need you to not say a single word. Are we clear?”

    We all nodded.

    “I won't torture you any more,” she said with a smile. “Are you ready to learn your parts?” she asked with a hint of a smile.

    I was scared but I was ready to know my part.

    “Okay, the rule of silence is in effect right now,” she said, “No talking – not a single word.”

    “Jamie,” she said, looking right at Jamie.

    Her eyes got big with fright but she nodded.

    “You’re the officer-in-charge,” she said. “Nod if you understand.”

    Jamie exhaled. She nodded.

    “Okay,” Susan said, “I want to see a really good, professional hanging. I’ll give you the script in a moment.”

    She nodded again.

    “That leaves you two,” she said, turning to me and Allison.

    My heart was beating even harder.

    “Allison,” she said, looking right at her.

    Allison nodded.

    “You get to be the client,” she said sweetly.

    Allison looked stunned for a second. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back. She opened her mouth. I thought she was going to say something but she didn’t.

    “I need you to nod if you understand, sweetie,” Susan said. She seemed to have an almost upbeat tone. It was almost as if she was enjoying herself.

    Allison took a big breath. She exhaled. She paused. Then she nodded.

    “That's a good girl,” Susan said with a soothing tone as if speaking to a small child. “I'm sure you'll be a very brave girl for us. We'll get a great show when you're hanging.”

    Again I thought Allison was going to say something. But she didn’t.

    Susan turned to me. “Carrie, you’re the action officer,” she said. “Nod if you understand.”

    I nodded.

    “Okay ladies,” she said with a cheerful tone. “You all have your parts. Each person has an exciting part to play. Here’s the script.” She handed a piece of paper to Jamie.

    Her upbeat tone was chilling to me. Was she always this chipper when someone was going to die? 

    “Now I'll be watching closely. And I'm not an easy grader. We have a terrific client today. Allison is a beautiful, fit young woman who is vibrant and healthy and in the prime of her life. I know she is going to do her part -- she's going to dangle and die for us and we'll all get to watch a good little show. I want you other two to do a good job with this hanging,” she said. “And no talking. Go ahead and show me what you can do.”

    I think we were all scared and stunned. Thank God Jamie collected her thoughts enough to look at her script and read the first line.

    “Secure the client,” she read.

    She stood up and motioned for us all to stand up.

    She turned to me. She made a gesture to her blouse, then pointed at Allison. I knew what she meant.

    I turned to Allison and gestured to her to unbutton her blouse.

    She didn’t seem happy about that. She took some deep breaths. She shook her head. Then got to work getting it unbuttoned.

    While she did that Jamie walked over to one of the tables where the gear was stored.

    When Allison slipped off her blouse she tossed it several feet away from herself.

    I made a gesture at Allison’s bra. She nodded. She took a pause to exhale and inhale. Then she slipped off her bra. Then she tossed it away too.

    Jamie walked over to us with a pair of the small sized leather handcuffs. Allison always enjoyed the leather cuffs the most so I thought that was a good choice.

    Jamie handed the cuffs to me. I took them from her and looked at Allison.

    Allison nodded. She held out one wrist toward me without being told.

    We'd put cuffs on each other a hundred times before for practice. But this time was different. I was so nervous that my fingers weren’t working quite right. I had to pause, take some breaths, and try to calm myself. Then I got the first cuff on her okay. Her wrists were slim but the cuffs were quite small and I knew they’d hold her well if I got them on right.

    When one cuff was on I made a motion with my finger for her to turn around.

    She nodded. She turned away from me. She paused for a moment, maybe to gain her composure. Then with a big inhale and exhale she was sweet enough to put both hands behind her back without being asked.

    I fumbled some more with the handcuffs, trying to stay focused. I remembered how much we used to joke and laugh hard and have a great time putting handcuffs on each other. It felt really fun and sexy. This time was different. Jamie didn't resist in any way – she held still for me even though I knew that must be difficult for her to do. After a little difficulty I got the second cuff on her nice and snug.

    I breathed a small sigh of relief. “So far we’re doing okay,” I thought.

    I had Allison turn back to face me. I bent down in front of her. I unhooked and unzipped her skirt and pulled it off of her. When it was on the floor she stepped out of it and kicked it aside with one foot.

    I hooked my thumbs in the waistband of her panties. I looked up at her at her and gave her a smile.

    She rolled her eyes at me. Then she looked down at me and nodded.

    I eased her panties down to the floor. She stepped out of them too and brushed them aside with her foot.

    I knew it was okay to let her keep her shoes and her sheer, dark thigh-high stockings. I stood back to have a look at Allison. I walked around her a couple of time looking her over. I wanted to make sure I was doing everything I was supposed to do.

    She looked magnificent, standing there patiently.

    Jamie came over to me with a leather head harness and handed it to me.

    Allison saw the harness. She took a few deep breathes and seemed to groan or sigh. But she didn’t say anything.

    There was no need for haste so I took some time putting the head harness on her. The straps buckled around her head and under her chin. In front it was a big leather shield that covered her whole face except for her mouth. There was generous black padding inside the face shield, so once it was on the wearer would be thoroughly blind.

    I got it buckled on Allison. Then I took some time to double check each strap and see if I could make it one notch tighter to make it all real snug.

    Jamie handed me a ball gag as well. It was not one of the smaller sizes.

    I nodded. I tuned to Allison. She was breathing deep but otherwise standing there rather calmly I thought.

    I tapped the ball gag to her mouth once or twice.

    She didn’t open her mouth so I tapped again.

    Again she didn’t open and I was starting to get a little annoyed.

    I tapped a third time, this time a little harder.

    Allison exhaled. She took a pause. Then she opened her mouth. I had to get her to open up much wider in order to get the gag in, but eventually I got it inserted. First I quickly attached it loosely so she’d have no chance to push it out of her mouth. Then I spent some time getting it as tight as I could, forcing the big ball deep in her mouth. One thing they told us often during our training is that if we’re using a restraint on a client we should use it properly. Do not put it on loosely – that just telegraphs weakness to the client and encourages resistance. I put it on nice and snug. I wanted to show I’d been paying attention in our classes and learned the lessons they taught us.

    I stepped back to take another look. The gag was obviously very uncomfortable in the mouth and jaw area. Allison kept moving her mouth jaw a little as if trying to get more comfortable. I must say though, there’s something about a young woman wearing a shiny red ball gag that looks super sexy. I wished she could see how good she looked.

    Jamie came over to me with a short length of chain and two small padlocks. She motioned toward the holding cell and I had an idea about what she had in mind.

    She had me lock one end of the chain in the middle of the leather cuffs. Then she gestured toward the holding cell.

    I guided Allison toward the cell with just a little pushing and prodding to help her find the way. Jamie grabbed a chair and followed us.

    I guided Allison all the way into the cell. Jamie came in behind us and set the chair down right in the middle of the holding cell. She gestured toward a metal eye bolt in the ceiling and I knew what she meant.

    I stood up on the chair. I took the free end of the chain. I was worried the chain wouldn’t be long enough but I had to try to make it work.

    I stretched the chain toward the ceiling, forcing Allison to bend over. She didn’t resist, but it took some effort to stretch her wrists high enough so I could lock the chain to the eye bolt.

    Allison was forced into an uncomfortable strappado position, bent over with her wrists pulled up and back just a bit over the height of her head.

    “Well, she’s definitely not going anywhere,” I thought to myself. It was a rough way for a person to spend an hour or two at the end of their life. But I figured it was important to show we take security seriously.

    Jamie wasn’t quite done yet. She went over to the tables with the equipment and selected a spreader ban. She handed it to me.

    Putting on one end of the spreader bar was easy. I tapped Allison on her ankles to tell her to spread her legs.

    She did it little by little. I had to keep tapping her to tell her to go further. She seemed reluctant but she did it little by little. As she spread her legs further apart I figured it was putting more and more pressure on her shoulders. In class they always taught us that “Pain is the client’s problem – not yours.” I tried to remember that.

    Eventually I got the spreader bar on both ankles, forcing her to keep her legs spread wide apart.

    I stepped back to take another look.

    Once again I could sense how uncomfortable she must she. She squirmed and fidgeted in the restraints. Once again I had to admire how gorgeous and sexy she looked.

    I guess Jamie was satisfied with the restraints because she motioned for me to close the door of the holding cell. I locked it and took the key.

    Jamie had picked out some rope. It was hemp, about a half-inch diameter. It was a classic choice for a hanging, I thought.

    I’d tied a billion nooses for practice during my time in training. We all did. They made us do it over and over.

    This time was different. It was hard to make my fingers move properly. It was tough to think that I was tying a noose that was really going to get used. But it had to be done – I remembered Allison’s words about doing a good job.

    As I tied the noose Jamie set two chairs in the middle of the room under the big beam.

    I stepped up on one of the chairs and adjusted the length of the rope where I wanted it to be. I knew it was a huge error to set the rope low enough so the client could brush the ground with her feet. Even a slight graze was not allowed. But a perfect height was not too high off the ground either. The perfect length of rope would keep the client just 1-2 inches above the floor. That’s what I was going for.

    When that was done I stepped back to see if everything looked okay. I couldn’t see any problems and Jamie didn’t indicate anything else to me.

    I knew that the target time to get someone set up to hang was 30-60 minutes before their scheduled execution time. Allison would just have to wait until the time was right. It must be a strange feeling, I thought, to wait to hang – especially with no way to see a clock so she’d have no good idea how much time she had left.

    There was really nothing to do until it was time to get her set up. I knew it was critical for us all to stay silent. I just took the time to slowly browse the equipment tables and review all the gear that was set out for us. It was quite a collection.

    The minutes went by slowly for me. I took some time to stroll over by the holding cell and spent some time watching Allison as she swayed and squirmed and fidgeted. Some drool slipped out of her mouth from time to time and dropped onto the floor. I wondered what she was thinking about. I always thought she was a beautiful young woman. Since the day we arrived at the school we'd been doing tough daily workouts – that made her body even more slim and toned and gorgeous, especially her long slim legs.

    Jamie came over and stood next to me. We quietly watched her together.

    Allison was such a beautiful, healthy, lively young woman I felt horrible about what was in store for her.

    After what seemed like forever, Jamie read the next part of the script. “Prepare the client,” it said.

    Allison’s ears seemed to perk up at that. She lifted her head and moved it side to side as if trying to see what was going on around her, though the face shield kept her from seeing anything.

    Jamie gestured to the holding cell door.

    I unlocked the door. Next I unlocked the chain holding Allison’s wrists up and back. She was able to stand up normally and I think she breathed a huge sigh of relief at that.

    Next I got the spreader bar off of her ankles. The head harness, gag and cuffs stayed on.

    I guided her toward the two chairs in the center of the room.

    When we got there I tapped her on her leg, telling her to step up.

    She did not seem eager to step up. But eventually I got her to do what I wanted. She stretched out her leg until she could sense the location of the chair. Then she put on leg up. It was hard for her to step up because of the heels she was wearing and her arms fastened back. I did my best to help her stay steady and eventually we got her up on the chair.

    I positioned her properly and then had to pause for a few deep breaths. My heart was beating fast. I could only imagine what Allison was thinking and feeling.

    I knew I couldn’t put off the next part any longer. I opened the noose a bit and slipped it over her head. I got it positioned where I wanted it and pulled it as snug as I could without choking her.

    I stepped down from the chair.

    I wondered if Jamie was going to select any more restraints, like maybe for her ankles. But she didn’t seem to have that in mind. So once again there was nothing to do but wait. We had about 30 minutes to go.

    I took more time to browse the equipment tables.

    I took more time to watch and admire Allison as she waited on the chair. She seemed to be breathing hard, although it was a little hard to tell with the gag she was wearing. That was the only clue to her thoughts. Sometimes she moved her head left and right as if trying to look around the room, though of course she couldn’t see anything.

    With about five minutes left, Jamie indicated to me it was time to remove the gag. That was good news to me – I couldn’t imagine how uncomfortable it was for her and I’m glad she’d get some relief. I was also feeling very sad because it signaled the last few minutes of her life.

    I stood up next to her on the empty chair. I put my hand on her shoulder so she wouldn’t be startled by my presence. Then unbuckled the gag.

    It was hard for her to open up enough to let me get it out, but eventually we got that done.

    She didn’t say anything but I could sense her huge relief as she opened and closed her jaw several times.

    I put my finger up to her lips as a reminder to stay silent.

    She nodded.

    I took the second chair away.

    We came down to the last few minutes.

    I felt horrible about what I had to do. I could only imagine Allison’s fear, and the pain she was about to go through. But I remembered what she told us about doing a good job.

    Jamie placed herself where she could see Allison and the clock.

    With about two minutes left she read from the script. “Start the process on my command.”

    Allison didn’t say anything but I could sense her tense up at that. I nodded.

    With 60 seconds left Jamie raised her left hand.

    I got into position.

    At 15 seconds before the hour she lowered her hand.

    I used my shoulder to gently bump Allison in the back of the knees. I knew that only light pressure was needed at this location. Sure enough a light bump was enough – she stumbled forward and tumbled off of the chair with a gasp. I took the chair away immediately.

    I knew we were both supposed to watch closely – it was part of the test.

    Allison swayed. She immediately started kicking. She kicked hard at first. Then a second later she became frantic. She jerked and kicked and convulsed her whole body. She thrust out her legs in all directions, trying to reach some kind of footing. But she could only reach empty air. She made some gasping and gurgling sounds that were terrible to hear. She put up a huge fight with the handcuffs on her wrists, trying desperately to get her arms free, but the cuffs held firm. She twisted hard, with her shoulders, hips and breasts sometimes seeming to move in opposite directions. The muscles in her belly spasmed and released again and again as her whole body shook.

    Each minute while she battled with the noose seemed to take forever. We watched her slowly lose the battle. After awhile her movements changed. We could see her body shutting down. Eventually she was still, just swaying and twisting slightly as she hung in the noose. A few minutes earlier she had been a warm, lively young woman. Now she hung there dead, with no movement other than some post-mortem twitches..

    I knew that Allsion had to hang the regulation time, even though she was clearly gone. Everyone does.

    While we were waiting Susan said cheerfully, “The next thing we need to do is take a class photo.”

    I wasn't in much of a mood to pose for photos. But I figured it was required. Jamie and I stood next to Allison while she dangled naked. Susan used her camera to take a series of photos, telling us to smile. I did my best but it was hard. I was sad Allison was being photographed this way – naked and bound, with her pretty face contorted and blue and her tongue sticking out. A few drops of drool dripped onto her bare chest. Her nipples were large and pointy, sticking straight out in a way that was almost obscene. She was such a pretty and lively girl and I didn't want people to remember her this way. I thought about the little pep talk she had given us the night before – about not being soft. If Jamie and I pass the test I figured it was because of the confidence she gave us to do things right. After awhile I was glad when Susan said she had enough pictures.

    After the test the school needed a few days to evaluate the records of the two remaining girls and decide in a committee meeting if they’ve passed. While they’re waiting for the decision Jamie and Carrie are made to get naked and they’re taken to a small holding cell. In the cell are two girls from the prior class who didn’t quite pass. The four are locked up together. Susan tells the new girls to work really hard to get a great friendship and rapport with the two who are already there, because if the new girls didn’t pass then all four of them will be spending months together in that small cell waiting to see if the next class will pass. It’ll be hellish if they can’t be friendly and get along well. It’s an emotionally complex situation for Jamie and Carrie. On the one hand they want to make very good friends with the two girls from before, in case they all have to be locked together for a long time. But if they pass, Jamie and Carrie know they’re going to have to hang the two young women. If that happens, being good friends with them will make that emotionally difficult.

     After several days in the holding cell Jamie and Carrie start to suspect they failed the test. Then finally someone comes to see them. She tells them they passed. They'll be released from the cell in the next 24 hours. Then they'll get clothes and new quarters. In the next week or so they can do their out-processing paperwork, find out what prison they’ll be assigned to for their 5-year apprenticeship. "And, oh by the way," she says, gesturing to the two girls who failed, "we need you to hang these two losers before you go – it'll be fun and you'll get good practice."