Q1: I haven’t killed that many in the wild.

For training purposes, maybe 100? I guess that is a lot. I can close my eyes and know exactly which body part/organ my weapon has entered. Gross but true.

Q2: One.

You might wonder why I count her as one, when you know as soon as she was bit it was over. Partially it was ‘cause she hadn’t turned, so you know, still human. But we don’t wait for that to happen before we do it anymore. No more bedside vigils, knife or other sharp implement at the ready.

Mostly I count her because I have a secret.

Q3: You know why I did it. Because no-one deserves that other fate. And it had to be me, her best friend, sitting there in the sunshine, with the warm breeze, birds chirping, holding her hand. We cried a little bit. She gave me messages to pass on. After a while she said, ‘Okay, enough canoodling. Just do it, whenever, soon. Make it a surprise.’ I tried to wipe my sweating palm as sneakily as I could but I swear her breath hitched a little.

I used my metal skewer.  She was leaning against me. My left arm was already around her shoulder. I cradled her head in my left hand –she froze- and I used my right. Through the temple: quick, relatively gentle and pin-hole neat. A two-second surprise.