[ WP ] You are legally allowed to commit murder once , but you must fill out the proper paperwork and your proposed victim will be notified of your intentions

The doorbell rang. 
 
 My neighbor was at the door. He held in his hands a letter. 
 
 *It's going to be okay, * he said, *we'll all remember you. * 
 
 What? The hell is he on about, I thought. I looked at him as if he was a lunatic. What was going on? I snatched the letter from his hand, wondering what it entailed. 
 
 > Dear Mr. Christopher Puldowski, 
 
 
 
 
 > We regret to inform you that you have been selected as a legal target in the Department of Humane Homicide's ( who may also be referred to as the DHH in the rest of this letter ) database for a Ms. Kayla Adams. You have 5-7 days to prepare yourself in self-defense after this has been read. If this letter was delivered by a postal worker, then the date has been filled for you and the postal worker will come within the next 5-7 days to retrieve the letter. If not, please email us at dateverification @ dhh.gov or call the nearest office to verify the date. If the date is ***not*** verified with in the 5-7 day period, the homicide will become automatically approved and any self-defense laws will be nullified. Any attempt of self-defense after choosing to not verify will become punishable as illegal homicide. 
 
 > Jacob Luthers 
 
 > Head of the Department of Humane Homicide 
 
 Kayla. Kayla Adams. The name seemed familiar, but her face I could not recall. Kayla. My ex-wife name was Kayla. Kayla Puldowski. Was it a mere coincidence? Was she really remarried? No, she referred to herself as Ms. Was that her maiden name? 
 
 `` Is this who I think it is? The woman who I have n't seen in years? Kayla?'' 
 
 *Chris, I did n't think she'd come back like th-* I had interrupted him mid sentence. 
 
 `` Fucking Christ. I'm dead. I'm fucking dead. What the hell am I going to do?'' 
 
 *Chris, it's going to be o-* 
 
 `` Are you a fucking imbecile? I'm going to **die**.'' 
 
 I had n't lived in the best part of town. The projects, Martin Luther King Towers, were a few blocks away. I was sure I could get protection. I shut the door in my neighbor's face, locking it. The click of the lock echoed throughout the hallway. 
 
 I began to throw on some gray long-johns. I ran my fingers along the pattern of my long-john pants, something that I never had decided to do before. My dog smiled at me, thinking he was going out for a walk. For once, I let down my only dependent. As I put on my jeans, which were nearly ripped to shreds with a hole at the bottom-left seam of the left leg, I looked at the clock from my iPhone. It was 6:25 pm on Friday, January 31^st, 2039. My birthday was tomorrow and, fortunately, I had no one else to share it with. 
 
 After getting dressed in my Weatherproof brand jacket, I left for the projects. I knocked on every door there was up until I came across apartment 6H. I asked for something to protect myself with and explained my situation. I was welcomed into what looked like a flophouse. The large, fit man explained that he does n't normally sell to people outside his crew. He showed me a black Beretta 92 FS. As much as I hated to buy it, I did. 
 
 I was uncomfortable with a pistol in my waistband. It felt like a frozen, sub-zero object, who's only purpose was to cause discomfort. I was in the cold streets of Harlem, walking to my apartment on 110^th and Central Park North. My vision was blurred. All the colors were unsaturated. My time was near. 
 
 I spent the next day playing old video games from when I was a teenager. *Grand Theft Auto*, *Mass Effect 3*, *Midnight Club: Los Angeles*, and others. My dog began to shed his fur. I began to eat junk food. Cheeto Puffs, Spicy Nacho Doritos, Salt and Vinegar Lays, Mountain Dew, Monster Energy. I gained a few pounds. I gained them all by myself. And I thought to myself, `` It's going to be okay''. 
 
 Days later, about 7 days after receiving the letter, there was a knock on the door. I checked my iPhone for the time. 11:45 pm on Friday, February 6^th. And only one phrased echoed through my mind as I loaded up my Beretta, *it's going to be okay*. I had waited for her to break the door down. I heard the door open, not with a boom or a smash, but with a click. She had picked the lock. I waited in the living room for her on the same couch we made love on many years ago. 
 
 `` Hello, Kayla.'' 
 
 *Hello, Christopher, * she said, *I know you've received notice. * 
 
 `` Yes, I have.'' I had refused eye contact with her. 
 
 *Chris, I do n't want to take this out on the dog. Can you bring him out here? * 
 
 `` Yes, I'll go get him.'' 
 
 She took guard at the only exit to my apartment while I moved to the back, where my room was. 
 
 The dog looked at me, not smiling as usual, but worried. I said nothing, but my facial expression was enough. I grabbed my Beretta off of my desk, checking the safety to see if I had left it off like I had planned. I grabbed it and walked down my hallway softly. I begin to aim at Kayla. She turned around and threw her hands in the air. 
 
 `` Walk closer. I'd rather not have the building janitor clean up the mess.'' I was in complete control and I walked closer to her. `` I'm sorry you came back this way.'' I lowered my gun with my finger on the trigger and pushed it into her stomach. I gave her the last gesture of love I would ever give to her. I kissed her cheek. I moved back, still aiming my gun at her, but this time at her chest, specifically where her heart was. I had pulled the trigger, making her heart truly cold and lifeless. 
 
 Her body landed next to the letter given to me a week ago. 
 
 > If the date is ***not*** verified with in the 5-7 day period, the homicide will become automatically approved and any self-defense laws will be nullified. Any attempt of self-defense after choosing to not verify will become punishable as illegal homicide. 
 
 ____ 
 
 Chris told this story to his cell mate. His cell mate had assured him. *It's going to be okay. *
