Billy (45 page)

"Oh, Billy," Wilson Wagner's words
c
om
e
low, "son, if sh
e
could, she would. God knows she would. She loves ya so much and wants you to be a big boy and be brave. She want
s
ya to remember about Jesus, she's ask
e
d Jesus to love
yo
u too
.
She's asked Jesus to be with you."

"Ah don't wants ta be electrics." Bill
y
lifts his head and his eyes fall into Wilson Wagner's face.

Wilson Wagne
r
clo
s
es his Bibl
e
and brings Billy into hi
s
arms, holds him close, then whisper
s
,
"
Try not to think ab
o
ut it, son, close your eye
s
and think of J
es
u
s."

Billy's quivers still, but he shakes with
eve
ry stir or
s
ound. Wilson Wagner sits holding him i n th
e
dark, som
e
tim
es
thinking he's asl
e
ep, th
e
n look ing down and s
ee
in
g
h i
s eyes
still open, just staring. In a
s
il
e
nt pray
e
r, that Billy do
es
n
ot

206 I Albert French

hear, Jesus is called and Wilson Wagner tells Him it
i
s time to
come.

The cellblock l ights come on, the big heavy door clanks open, Bi1ly jerks and looks out his
cell
bars.

The footsteps
come.

Billy jum ps from
.
Wilson Wagner's arms and runs to the
corner
of his cell and just stands there until the footsteps
get
closer, then turns h is face to the cracks of the walls and tries to hide in the darkness there.

"Billy Lee Turner, it's time,
son.
I'm
sorry,
but i t's time." Warden Casey Herman's
voice
fills Billy's
cell, even
the dark
corners,
then he motions to Guard Ed Welte to open the
cell. "Come
on, boy," Ed Welte says as he
opens
the door, his voice is harsh. Wilson Wagner
jumps
to his feet and looks
at
the guard,
saying,
"For God's
sakes,
man." Guard Ed Welte steps back and looks at Ward
e
n Cas
ey
Herman. Th
e
warden looks at Billy in the
corner
and says to
Wilson
Wagne1;
"WiL
we
got
to get the boy out of there, he
still got
a little time left:· Wilson Wagner
steps
back and Guard Ed Welte
goes
into

Billy's
corner
and grabs his
arm.

"Naw, naw. Lets me
go.
Naw
. . ."
Bill
y
screams and tries
lo
squirm away,
bu t Guard Ed
Welte
k
ee
p
s
pulling on
his
arm
and
yanking
him into the
center
of the
cell.

Wi lson Wagner tu rns quickly to
Warden
Casey Herman, looks into h is
face,
then turns back to Billy and Guard Ed Welte and just
stands shaking
his head.

"Come
on, hoy,
come
on,"
Guard Ed
Welte ke
e
ps
saying as
he tries to
get
Bill y to wal k on h is
own.

With all his
strength
and will, Billy
jerks and
twists
out
of
Guard Ed Welte's
grasp
and runs back to his
corner,
puts h is face i nto the
shadows. 1rnd screams. "Mama.
Mama. Mama . . ."
'

B I L L
y
I
207

"Git him out of there," Warden Casey Herman's
voice
is sharp.

"Come on, boy," Guard Ed Welte shouts and yanks Bill
y

by the arm and starts dragging him through the cell.

"Lets me go. Ah don'ts wants ta be electrics. Lets me
go.
Mama. Mama," Billy screams and tries to
grab
on to his
cot,
then grab on to Wilson Wagner's legs.

"For
God's sake,"
Wilson
Wagner
shouts
at the warden
,
then quickly turns back to Billy, saying,
"
It's not time
yet,
Billy, we still have time, we're just goin to another
cell.
Bil ly, listen to me, we still have time,
son,
we
still
have time."

Guard Ed Welte
yanks
Billy out of the
cell,
then has
to
pry his hands off the bars he's trying to hold
on
to.

"Lets me go, lets me go. Ah don'ts
wants
La be on fire.
"
Billy's screams wail through
the cellblock.

"Hey, boy, hee . . . hee . . . hee . . . they
gonna
burn
ya
ass

. . . hee . . . hee," Dil Martin
shouts
into Billy's screams. "Shut that man up
,"
Warden Casey Herman yells to the

other night guard, Joe Ellis.

Guard Ed Welte drags Billy by the arm.

Wilson Wagner follows, Billy keeps lookin back to him.

The faces in the
cells
watch Billy being dragged by, the boy's cries silence the men, even Dil Martin let Billy pas
s
withou t a laugh.

The door at the far
end
is opened by Guard Joe Ellis. Guard Ed Welte drags Billy through. Guard Joe Ellis wait
s
until Wilson Wagner
comes
through, then he closes the last door of
cellblock
nine.

The waiti ng cell has a bright l ight,
cot,
but no blank
et.
Billy is shoved in, Wilson Wagner follows. Guard Ed W
e
lt
e
and Joe Ellis lock the door and
stand
in the walkway. Warden Casey Herman
goes
into the next room.

20/l
I
Albert Freuclt

Harvey Jakes has already
started
taking notes, he has
left
Helen Marks in the main office of the prison
,
where she could have
coffee
and
sit while
she waits for him. He was told he
could
not ask questions of the prison officials during the last hour, which has begun. He
stands
off to the
side,
watching the men tinker with the straps and gadgets on the chair. Other
spectators
are in their seats and just watching and waiting.

Ely Hampton shakes Wi lbur Braxton's hand, nods a brief
greeting, says
nothi ng el se. Red Pasko and his
son
David
si
t
i n the front row and
say
nothi ng to anyone. Warden Casey Herman mingles with
some
of the official guests and makes
sure
to let Wilbur Braxton know his line is still open to the Governor.

As the hour eases
on,
the room
begins
to
still.
The lights over the rows
of chairs
are low-watt bulbs,
beyond
the hand rail where the big
chair
waits the lights
are
brighter, giving the room a two-dimensional look.

Billy had
calmed in
the waiting
cell,
but his tears
still
came rolling down his
cheeks
as he
sits on
the
cot
listening to Wilson Wagner,
and
peering
out
through the
bars
at the waiting guards.

Wilson Wagner do
es
two things, he
reads
from his Bible and he hopes his Jesus
will
really
come.
He knows the Gov ernor's
call
isn't
coming.

Billy
starts
l
ooking
around nervously.
Wilson
Wagner
forces
his eyes to
lo
ok
at the time, i t is
eleven-fifty.
He looks
at
Billy, sighs, then
says, "Billy,
let's pra
y
together. We
can do
that."

Billy remains
s
il
ent,
hut keeps looking around.

Wilson Wagner pleads agai n,
"Billy,
let's talk to Jesus to gether. He wants us to."

B I L L y
I 209

Billy looks at Wilson Wagner, steadies his
eyes, and asks,
"Is Jesus be out there too? He be out theres?"

"Yes,
Billy, you won
'
t
see
Him, maybe
you
will, but He'll see you. He's there. He'll be with
you,
I promise
you."

Wilson Wagner knows they
will come soon,
Guards
Ed
Welte and Joe Ellis begin to
stir
outside the
cell
door.

"Billy," Wilson Wagner almost
shouts
to
get
Billy's atten tion just on him.

Billy looks.

Wilson Wagner speaks quickly,
"Billy, ya
must listen
,
ya
hear? Listen,
son,
for God's
sake, listen
to me."

Billy keeps his eyes
in Wilson
Wagner's
eyes
for a
moment,
but then looks away.

Wilson Wagner speaks quickly again,
"Billy, just keep your eyes
on me, don't look at
anybody else.
Just look
at
me
and
listen to my
voice,
Billy. Jesus
is goin to
tell
me what to
say
to
you,
just keep your
eyes
on me,
son, ya hear me?"

Billy keeps his
eyes down
to the floor
until
the
door opens
and the guards begin
to open
the
cell.

"Naw. No . . . leaves me be. Mama.
Mama. Ah
don'ts
wants
ta be electrics." Billy's
screams
now
shatter all
th
e
silences everywhere.

Warden Casey Herman
stands
at the
open cell door and
motions for the guards
to get the prisoner.

Wilson Wagner
stands and
walks
out into
the
walkway,
quickly
opens
his Bible,
and starts
to
read and pray.

"Naw,
leave me be," Billy
cries as
hands
grab at
his
shoul
ders and arms.

"Come
on, boy,"
Guard Ed Welte says
soft
ly
as he is pull
ing Billy out of the
cell.

Guard Joe
Ellis gets Billy's other arm and the
two
big guards
lift
and carry
him to
the
last
door.

2 l 0 I Albert French

Warden Casey
Herman
glances
at his
watch,
looks behind
at
the two
guards,
nods, and opens the door.

David Pasko thought he heard
someone screaming
and turns when the
big
door
opens.
Warden Casey Herman
enters
the room
slowly,
then the
guards come
in draggi ng Billy,
twisting and
jerking in their
grasp.

"Naw. Naw.
Mama,
Mama.''
His
cries
fill the room.