He went silent.

There was no scream of pain, no prophetic dialog.

It just ended.

The lye water covered him. It foamed marvelously as she had predicted, but there was no effect save for the watering of her eyes and a choking feeling in her throat.

The cloud of corrosion created an unimaginable stench in the kitchen and she had to retreat to the den. His silence disappointed her.

“Is that it?” She mocked. The cloud held the powered lye and the particles of his corroded skin. “You monster! You think I am now you? I am vengeance. I am pure and light!” She took a deeper breath and coughed.

She needed to see him one more time, hopefully his eyes still held life. She had to peer deep into his soul at the moment his life was snuffed out. She braved the air and returned to the kitchen.

Nothing there!

Impossible!

A bloody foamy stain was all that remained. The Internet pages she read about lye water never said that it would eat through clothing and bone. Something was wrong.

The cane was gone!