Kim Chi’s Final Breath

Starring Kobe Lee and Kim Chi

Wardrobe: Prison jumpsuit, bra, panties, flip-flops.
A mix of full body shots and head to toe pans during and after the execution scene, facial closeups during struggle, foot closeups (especially twitching).

Kim Chi is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection for the crime of murder. She waits in her cell. Dressed in a prison outfit and flip-flops. She thinks out loud about the execution: whether she’ll die quickly. What she might feel and how her body will be treated afterward.

The executioner (played by Kobe Lee) arrives and calmly says “Kim, it’s time, please come with me.” Kim suddenly feels terrified, and drops to her knees. She begs to be spared, claiming that she is innocent. The executioner has to help her to her feet and practically drag her into the death chamber.

At the execution gurney

The executioner orders Kim to remove her flip-flops and lay down. She reluctantly complies, then starts to cry as she’s strapped down. Once she is secured, the executioner opens the top of Kim’s outfit to attach the electrodes for the EKG. “Is it gonna hurt?” Kim whimpers nervously. “Don’t worry,” the executioner replies, “It’ll be over before you know it”. Kim is still terrified, and starts to tremble. “It’s so cold in here,” she says quietly to herself.

The executioner backs away and reads out the death warrant: “Kim, you have been found guilty of murder and sentenced to die by lethal injection. A mixture of drugs will now be injected into your body, which will cause unconsciousness, followed by death. Do you have any final words before your sentence is carried out?”

Kim makes a final, frantic plea for mercy

“Please! Let me talk to my lawyer! I’m innocent! I don’t wanna die!” Her words fade into pitiful sobbing as the executioner marks the start of the execution at 7:30 PM. Kobe Lee administers the first drug. Kim feels a sting as the needle enters her arm. “NO!!!” She screams and tries to pull away, but she’s firmly tied down. She struggles against the restraints and begins to cry uncontrollably.

Kim feels her heart racing, and she begins to hyperventilate. The overdose of sedatives in the first syringe quickly takes effect. After a minute or two, she starts to feel drowsy, and her breathing becomes more labored. She panics, ignoring the executioner’s advice as she tries to fight off her urge to sleep. “No…no…I don’t wanna die,” she repeats as she stares at the ceiling and forces her body against the straps. Slowly, she stops resisting and eventually lies still. She continues breathing deeply, and it seems as if she’s unconscious, but her eyes remain open. The executioner gently closes them and turns on the EKG monitor as she prepares the second injection.

Initially, Kim’s body shows no reaction as the second poison is plunged into her arm. Then, her breathing starts to get slower and weaker. After a few moments, she gasps loudly. Her body starts to struggle, but her mind is barely conscious. The EKG beeps rapidly as waves of adrenaline force her body to stay alive. Her eyes open halfway and stare blankly at the ceiling, but all she can perceive is a pulsing white light.

A few minutes later

Her body tenses up, and her fingers and toes curl in her final throes. Her cheeks blush as her oxygen-deprived brain releases a flood of endorphins. The last thing Kim feels is a warm sensation wrap over her entire body. Her eyes open wide, and her last thoughts flash through her mind. Finally, her senses begin to fail, and she gives in and collapses limp onto the gurney with a final grunt of surrender. Her lungs take a few short dying breaths, and her feet twitch as her heartbeat slows down. She groans as though she’s in pain, but her face stays relaxed.

The beeps of the EKG slow down until it barely registers a pulse. A final shudder passes through Kim’s body, and her fingers and toes clench tightly. Even though she’s practically brain dead by this point, her body still refuses to give up. Finally, she dies, her last breath escapes in a long sigh and her heart flatlines on the EKG. Her unseeing eyes stay locked in a death stare, and her lips are slightly parted. Her feet and hands continue to twitch every few seconds.

The executioner approaches the gurney and closes Kim’s eyelids, then turns off the EKG monitor and manually checks for a pulse to confirm that she’s dead. There’s no pulse, and the only movements are a few final spasms of Kim’s feet. She announces the time of death and says “Kim’s sentence of death by lethal injection has been carried out successfully”. She slowly undoes the restraints, and strips off Kim’s clothing, leaving her naked body exposed on the gurney for the morgue crew to pick up.