Chapter 81: Slaying the Slayer?

 Pandemonium broke out as the judge delivered this verdict. Outside the court where a large crowd had gathered, the news spread like wildfire. Screams of joy and jubilation were heard as people broke down into tears. Every news outlet in the country and globe at large displayed that verdict on their screens to their viewers and listeners the moment those words left the judge's mouth.

'Ole ole ole ole, ole ole' the song of celebration and victory started to rent the air from the court halls down to the main gates. Like an infectious virus, the song resonated in the minds of many as it was sang by everyone who heard it and was awaiting that verdict. Justice had been served according to them. The kids at home started rejoicing when their parents told them that the modern day Boogeyman was about to be put out his misery. Parents were ecstatic.

Women and girls were thrilled for the Serbian Slayer who had the tendency of going after women, was now served his humble pie. The joy was overwhelming for millions.

But those who were most emotional about this ruling were relatives of the deceased. They all breathed a sigh of relief after a very long wait. Justice had been served and most of the took this news to heart as a message that they can now move on with their lives. They are the ones who fell infront of the courthouse, in their houses, in the halls, in the courtroom, in hospitals, airports etc when they heard that their beloved ones had not died and become forgotten. These were the brothers, sisters, mothers, daughters, husbands, relatives of the victims who had suffered in the hands of the Serbian Slayer. After what seemed to be an eternity of waiting, they could gladly say rest in peace to their loved ones with a content heart.

That decision was going to leave a mark in the history books. The conviction of the Serbian Slayer was not just a small feat to acknowledge but one of the biggest since Panem got it's independence nearly two centuries before. But this was just the beginning. Not overlooking the fact that there were two sides to this coin

The moment the verdict was announced, it wasn't all joy and happiness for everyone. To some it spelled doom. To others it spelled heartbreak and to one couple, it spelled the end of their world.

Alpha's heart shrank and dropped into his stomach when the ruling was made. He was prepared for a win but it dawned on him that people don't always get what they desire. He had put so much trust in the Krovaçic brothers to handle this case and make sure that they deliver him a victory but that was not the case. To make matters more confusing, he wondered why Jason had such confidence when going into this case and they still lost the case. He had utilized the best asset in the whole industry and still lost the case. It didn't seem realistic at all. For a split second he thought he was dreaming. He shut his eyes tightly for a second and opened them hoping to find himself waking up to this day but no, they were still in the courtroom and some people were still celebrating the decision. He could see Maurice shake hands with a few prominent people including the some presidents who were there to determine the fate of Magraff after that ruling. His eyes shifted around the room and settled on the brothers who looked as astonished as he was. They were speechless and the three of them just looked at each other lost of words to say.

Their attention was snatched by Belinda who was now by their side pleading with them to talk to the judge. She was erratic. Her voice was hoarse and her make-up had been washed off by her tears.

"Tell them he's not a killer! Tell them! Please tell them" she pleased as she went on crying.

" He could never harm a soul, especially not my baby girl " she went on as she clutched on to Mikhail's shirt and tugged at it relentlessly. They didn't know what to do or how to help her in such a state. All they could do was just look at her and then at each other in dismay over what had just happened

"You promised that he would win! You promised" Belinda said as she turned and looked at Alpha who was now seated and his chin cupped between his two hands in dismay.

To the people who supported Magraff, the feeling was unbearable. They all sat and watched in disbelief as the rest of the people rejoiced. For those who had banners over their heads, they placed them on the ground and took a moment to absorb the information that they had just heard. Everyone who believed that this was part of the government's plan to put an end to the biggest manhunt in the history of manhunts, who's trail had gotten cold,was heartbroken beyond explanation.

For Loki, the mayor and the commander of Sin City, this was exactly what they needed after Hunters had escaped. One problem was solved for good and they had fewer things to worry about.

But for Magraff himself, he was still seated in his stand. From the moment the ruling was made, he didn't move an inch. He just stared into nothingness as his eyes were blank. One might have thought he had looked into the eyes of Medusa who turned him into stone. His vision became blurry for a few seconds but he managed to remain conscious. It was as he was looking into the abyss. His whole world was crumbling infront of his own eyes and there was nothing he could do about it. He reflected back to his life when he was happy. He had a good family, a loving wife and a healthy daughter who was growing up rightfully.

He thought about how he now sat in that seat and almost everything was about to be taken away from him. The first one was his daughter. He could now see his wife breakdown by the Krovaçic brothers. As if that was not enough, he knew more was about to come for the ruling was not over yet. He blamed himself for stumbling on something he shouldn't have found. He blamed himself even more for sharing such information with his daughter. If it was not for his mistakes, he wouldn't be in the predicament that he was in right now. 

After everything had settled down, the courtroom was once again in order as the guards did their best to silence the audience so that the hearing could come to a close. The noise and celebration inside died down but they could hear in the halls and outside the crowds singing in jubilation.

"Order in the court!" The senior judge said

" In accordance with the constitution, according to article IV, subsection three of the constitution in Execution of Justice, the constitution states that if a person is found guilty of such crimes he/she is to be put to death after a vote has been passed by not more than seven and not less than three heads of state who are in the Arms Agreement with Panem. "

" I hereby give my last personal statement before we go to voting to Mr Magraff. You have been declared a menace to the society and you have thus forfeited your right to live among us in the society due to your demented ways and sadistic behavior. I therefore sentence you to death by the bullet infront of a firing squad, effective after the vote has been passed." The judge said with what looked like disgust in his face. All this while, Magraff still hadn't moved an inch. He was still staring into the unknown making some wonder where his thoughts were.

"Dear heads of the different states that you come from, I believe this is the first time that such a vote is being cast in history , therefore I must make some rules clear. Infront of you, there's a tablet that has two choices. A yes and a no. Click on the yes if you are in favour of the sentence and a no if you're not in favour of the sentence. On the count of three make sure that you have made your decision as the results will be displayed on the screen that is to your left" the judge said as he turned their attention to a big screen tv that was mounted to the side of the courtroom 

"In addition to this, your decision will be kept anonymous should there be any vote that is considered controversial."

On the table of heads of states, there were a few presidents including the president of Serbia and Loki himself. As the judge counter from three, they were all ready to vote. When he reached one all the judges had voted and the results started displaying on the screen.

The Serbian president cleared her throat when the first 'yes' was displayed on the screen. She waited for the second and third votes to be displayed which were 'yes'.

"Your honor, you forgot about a major detail in explaining the rules of the vote otherwise known as the Vote of the Heads" she said as the fourth 'yes' was displayed

"What's that?" The judge asked

"If one member of the Heads of States disagrees with all the other heads, that head's single vote can cancel all the other votes making them null and void. " She responded

" You're talking about as veto vote" the judge said

" Yes"

" I understand and acknowledge that section but I don't think..... " The judge started to explain but as he was midway, he saw the Serbian president pointing to the screen and on it it displayed the last vote which was a 'no'

"I, Sophia Bush, president of Serbia, veto the decision to sentence Mr Magraff to death by facing a firing squad" Sophia said with confidence sending the whole courtroom into shock.