Chapter 3
Thankfully,
no one even glanced up as Brian and A.J. entered the store. Brian was actually
surprised that there were people there. He noticed an older man, a woman
picking up some milk, and a younger girl, college age perhaps, who looked like
she as fighting a cold. She was the only one he paid attention to, because it
was likely that if anybody recognized them, it would be her. He scolded himself
quietly; it’s not like one girl could create a mob scene at this hour of the
morning. He and A.J. headed over to the junk food.
“We
have to find the perfect balance between sweet and salty,” A.J. said seriously,
and Brian agreed. It was the same way with all of them: junk food was an art.
It was not to be taken lightly. Brian went over to look at sodas, and A.J. crouched
down to get a good look at what was available on the bottom shelf of one of the
aisle ways. Flips! He thought excitedly. Perfect.
He
did not see the door open. He did hear the bullet.
The
sound whipped through the air, shattering the quiet of the night.
Instinctively, he threw himself flat on the floor. It was cold, hard, and
filthy, but that was not his primary concern. What the hell? He thought
frantically.
Brian
had lifted a six-pack of Pepsi out of one of the freezers when the pop of the
bullet made his blood run cold. He jumped and dropped the soda, which hit the
floor with a crash. The cashier screamed.
“Everybody
get down and stay there. Nobody fucking move, or you won’t move again. Do you
get me?”
All
the color drained from Brian’s face as he realized what was happening. This has
to be a dream, he told himself. It’s just a dream. You’ve watched too many
movies. That’s all it is. He blinked a few times, and to his dismay, nothing
changed.
Shit.
Shit. This is not good. Why the hell does it have to be tonight? Why did they
have to pick tonight? Damn it, Kevin is going to be pissed. This just might
make me miss our departure time. He wanted to smack himself at that last
thought. Why on earth was that important? He forced himself back to reality,
and tried to get a grip of what was going on. He realized that he couldn’t see
A.J. Oh my God, he thought, panic welling up inside of him like a volcano
getting ready to blow. The gun. It went off. Where is A.J.?
“Who
got shot?” he shrieked, icy fear wrapping itself like a vise around his heart.
“Who got shot?”
He
froze as the gunman pointed his weapon straight at his heart.
“It’ll
be you if you don’t shut up.”
His
heart racing, and his whole body trembling, he focused his gaze on the assailant.
Make
that assailants.
There
were two men standing there, dressed in dark ragged clothes, and ski masks.
Both were carrying guns. They looked to be in their young twenties. Probably
younger than me, Brian thought. He sucked in a sharp breath. Where was A.J.?
Where the hell was he?
A.J.
thought furiously. He had heard Brian start to freak, but he didn’t want to
risk standing up. There was a chance that the crooks didn’t know he was there,
and he couldn’t lose that advantage. If only Brian doesn’t give it away, he
thought anxiously. He had to do something, and it had to be fast. He could hear
the panic rising in his friend’s voice.
Suddenly, his eyes went wide, and his hand flew to his back pocket. Yes!
He thought triumphantly. He fumbled around and pulled out a cell phone. He
pulled up Howie’s number from the memory and pressed send. He laid the phone
out on the floor close to his side.
“Everybody
just stay still.” The second of the two men was yelling and brandishing his
weapon. “All we want is the money, but
if you so much as blink you will get a bullet in your face!”
Brian
shuddered. This man was not one to be messed with, not because he was strong or
menacing, but because he was a lunatic. There was no predicting what he might
do. The first still had his attention on the cashier.
“Empty
the drawer. And don’t even think about pushing that little red button.” The
woman nodded, obviously scared out of her wits.
A.J.
could hear Howie pick up on the other end. He did not dare say a word to him,
for fear of giving himself away.
“Hello?”
came the faint voice over the line. “Hello? Who is this?”
Look
at the caller ID, dumbass, A.J. thought. He heard a click.
Damn
it!
He
pressed send again.
“Hey
man, I just want my beer.” Brian’s jaw dropped as he stared at the middle-aged
man who was speaking.
“You
stay the fuck quiet.”
“I
want my fucking beer!”
“You
want beer?” the second screamed. “I’ll give you some fucking beer! Or even
better! Have some fucking lead!” Before Brian knew what was happening, the
drunk was flung back against the glass, shattering it into a thousand pieces.
Blood squirted out of the new holes in his flesh, and he crumpled down to the
floor. Brian gasped in horror as some of the blood sprayed across his shirt.
“No!”
he shrieked. He backpedaled frantically and hit the wall, and wound up sitting
down hard on the floor.
A.J.
was still lying where he had been since the first shot was fired. All of the
sudden Brian lurched into view, and the only thing that A.J. could see was that
his shirt was stained red. He threw his fist into his mouth to keep from
screaming. Brian’s been shot, his mind shouted at him. Brian’s been shot!
***
