I pushed until I felt his [Donovan's] body grow still, the tendons in his neck relaxing. I pushed until I felt the mouth beneath the pillow droop, one last dull groan fading into silence. And I kept pushing, because I couldn't bear to pull the pillow away to see what I'd done.

"You're free," I said. I closed my eyes, saw Donovan as he had been. One last smile, then he faded.

Author: Alexander Gordon Smith