I walked to the back of the car and opened the trunk. Looking into the trunk I saw a man gagged and bound with duct tape.

“Okay,” I said to myself, “I can do this.”

I pulled the man out of the trunk. He tried to scream and struggle but I did too great a job with the duct tape. I moved him beside the car and looked around.

The sun was just beginning to rise and I could see for miles in each direction down that flat prairie road. There was no sign of any other cars and I knew that it was unlikely for one to show up anytime soon.

I took a deep breath, reached into the back seat and pulled out a small box. Inside the box was a latex glove, a handgun, a bullet and a note that said “This will all be over soon.” I took another deep breath and tried to steady my hands as I loaded the bullet into the gun.

The man was on the ground staring up at me, pleading with his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” I said tearfully as I cocked the gun, “but I love my family.” I aimed for his head and squeezed the trigger. “click”