Tick Tock

I put down the reciever,
a wave of dread, thicker than the water around us, washes over me.
All I can hear, is the sound of my own heart
the oxygen slipping away.
Tick, thud
Tock, thud

Twenty-one cups infront of me.
Fifteen and mine poisoned.
Each cup filled with whiskey.
I know my men.
They will not question my orders, not with the promise of drink.
I hear my pocket watch tick.
In sync with the heavy beat of my heart.
Tick, thud
Tock, thud

They gather before me, twenty pairs of eyes gaze at me with trust.
I utter the toast and hear fifteen clear clups clatter to the floor.
I tear my eyes away from the lifeless bodies.
Although my conscience is far from clear.
Five stand before me.
Five will survive.
Tick, thud
Tock, thud

With my cup in hand,
there is only one thing less to do.
My pulse raises violently, as
I raise the cup to my lips
And then stops --
Tick
Tock