It was a few seconds after the noose was loosened, but Dennis coughed. Blood spilled from the corners of his mouth, but he breathed. It hurt. Breathing hurt. His neck hurt. His stomach hu-
Oh, God. He shouldn't have looked, even if he couldn't feel it. Besides the pain of breathing and the spot where the noose had been, everything else was just numb. His eyes rolled up in his head. His breathing was labored and sounded watery and garbled, but he was breathing. The blue around his lips subsided a little, though the blue around the tips of his fingers were a different story.
Blackness came in and took him. It was probably for the best just then.