My Convict

18 - Pay Day✔️

+Brandy

You ever wake up and say that today is gonna be a good day, only to soon regret it, because life steps in and knocks the damn thought right out of your head.

Nope? 

Well, I have, several times. 

Which is why I'm currently burning sage inside the warehouse. Trying so hard to get rid of the negative energy, and anything else that's gonna ruin this day for me... well for us. My mom used to always say, "If you want a good day, burn some sage." It was like her favorite motto and now that I think about it, she almost drove me insane all the time she said it. 

"Mommy, it smells funny." Elliot whines, rubbing his eyes.

"You smell funny." I resorted back, playfully sticking my tongue at him. He awkwardly sticks his tongue back, before smiling at me, showing off his two missing front teeth. Another pair had just come out last night and me being the first time parent that I was, wasn't really sure about what to do... as usual. I was just as confused as the first time it happened. And since Elliot suffered from hemophobia, he was freaking out at the amount of blood coming from his mouth, which caused me to start freaking out as well. 

If it wasn't for Elijah stepping in... again, we would've probably never stopped freaking out. Him being the cool dad that he was, calmed Elliot down and explained to him again what was happening. Later on, he told Elliot to put both teeth under his pillow, so that the tooth fairy could take them while he slept. 

And then because of that, I had to spend an hour explaining to Elliot who the tooth fairy was, and how exactly it did everything. This resulted in lies, seeing as how I don't know who the tooth fairy is or how exactly it did anything. 

I've heard about it when I was a kid but that's about it. If my tooth ever did come out as a child, my mom would make me suck on some ice and call it a day. There was no candy or money left under my pillow. Hell, she even made me flush down my tooth because of the number of germs they carry.

When Elliot woke up this morning, he found two pieces of "now or later" candy under his pillow. There were four in total, but I couldn't help myself... 

"Now or later," are some good ass candy.

"You ready for daycare Elliot?" I ask, gently picking him up and placing him on my hip. I set the sage down on top of the table. "Jesus you're getting big buddy." 

"Daddy says I'm a big boy now mommy, you can't carry me around anymore." 

I playfully glared at him. "I carried you in my tummy for several months, I can do whatever I please when it comes down to you. Do you know how painful it was to get your big head out of my—"

"Hey!" Elijah shouts, disrupting me. "He doesn't need to know all that." 

I frown. "What the heck you mean he doesn't need to know all that. He already does. He knows about the birds and the bees and every single thing that happened while giving birth to him. He's even seen his birth video." 

Elliot nods. "It's true daddy, mommy's a screamer." 

Elijah's eyes widen, which causes me to suck my teeth and roll my eyes at him. "He's talking about when I gave birth, i***t. Get your head out the gutter." 

"He's too young to know about that type of stuff Brandy. You're gonna traumatize him." Elijah says walking forward. He places a kiss on Elliot's head and whispers good morning to him. 

"Since when are kids too young to know valuable information? It's for his own good. If I didn't teach him about the birds and the bees then he wouldn't know the difference between good touch and bad touch." I say while sitting Elliot on the table to tie his shoes. 

"Whatever Brandy." He rolls his eyes. "And he's never gonna learn how to tie his shoes by himself if you keep doing it for him." 

I look down at Elliot with a smirk. "You think your dad will recover if I stapled his mouth shut?" I whisper to him. 

He giggles, shaking his head no. "Superglue is probably best." 

I laugh at that. "You're so evil, I swear you get it from me." Letting go of his shoes he jumps off the table to get his backpack. 

"Mommy do I really have to go. Can't I stay here with you?" He asks, giving me his puppy dog eyes. If it were under different circumstances, I'd say yes and let him stay home. But I can't, not today... It's payday. 

"Oh no, you don't," Elijah says, quickly grabbing him. "Don't you start with them puppy dog eyes, you know you can't stay home today." He tells him. "Now, show me how much I love you." Elliot lifts up his arms and spreads them wide. Elijah nods. "Good, now show me how much you love me." Elliot does the same thing again, but this time he tries opening his arms wider. "That's right Ej. Always remember that." 

His lips quirk upwards in a joyous smile. "You know I love you right?" 

"I love you too daddy." He whispers, twiddling his thumbs. 

My eyes softened at the scene before me. As much as Elijah hated to admit it, he was just as nervous as me. Just knowing that this could be our last time, together like this was nerve-wracking. 

"I know you don't like hugs, but can you please just let it slide today, for your poor old papa's sake?" Elijah asks. Elliot nods his head, uncomfortably and allows Elijah to pull him into a hug. Elijah singles for me to come over and I quickly do before Elliot decides to pull away.

My arms gently wrap around both of them, breathing in the scent of their clothes. The white tea lavender Gain Laundry Detergent was doing a great job at keeping their clothes smelling good. I made a mental note to buy some more for the house soon.

"I love you guys." I hear Elijah whispers, which causes my eyes to widen. 

"Aww, y'all having a group hug. I wanna join." Savannah says, quickly joining in our little moment. 

"Brandy Junior is allowing us to hug him?" Mia asks. "Better get in on this before he changes his mind." She runs to where we all stand, huddled around each other and joins us. 

"Michelle!" Savannah yells, crushing my eardrums. "Get over here. Elliot's allowing us to have a group hug!" 

"You don't have to tell me twice." She yells, jumping up from her blow-up bed, to run to us. We still haven't spoken since that one night in the car. Things were awkward between us, just like how they were awkward between Elijah and me. But I think we can put aside our differences this morning... hopefully. 

"Can't... breathe." Elliot gasps, shoving us away. 

Elijah looks down at his watch and then glances in my direction. "It's seven-thirty, he's gonna be late and if he's late then we're late." He explains. "You guys should get going." 

I nod, ignoring his dominating tone. "We're leaving now," I say as I pick up the car keys off my bed. "Come on my little egg, let's get you to daycare." I turn to look at Savannah. "You riding with us?" 

She nods. "Girl, obviously." 

I roll my eyes at her. "Mia, watch over the sage please."

"No problem." She yells out, as we near towards the door. Taking one final look of the inside of the warehouse, I walk out the door with uncertain thoughts. 

—————

"We have spent the last few weeks training for this day!" Elijah's dark voice booms throughout the warehouse. "Meaning, we've covered every possible way this heist can go down. There is no room for f**k ups because f**k ups lead to us being six feet under and that's the last place we need to be." He shouts seriously. The veins on his neck were popping out, that was how serious he was. "This s**t is the real deal! And we're gonna get it right so that we'll all be able to enjoy payday. As of right now, turn to the person you're entering the bank with and make sure they're all set. Check each other's mask, vest, and gotdamn guns." 

Turning to look at Michelle, I start with inspecting her vest first to make sure she had it on properly. When everything checked out, I did the same with her "Ha Ha Clown Mask" making sure it fits well and that it wouldn't come off under any circumstances. I had to drive to the next town over to get some random kids to go inside the Halloween store and buy these damn masks with cash. 

Crap came up to a total of fifty dollars. 

Everyone except for Elijah had on black long sleeve janitorial jumpsuits, that resembles the one Dave Chappelle wares in most of his comedy skits. Elijah was dressed in a black hoodie and some dark wash jeans, along with a pair of black Air Force one sneakers. 

I open my mouth to recite a black Air Force one meme but stop myself. Even though it would for sure make the girls laugh, it would only piss Elijah off and increase the chances of him giving me a lecture. "Remember, real gun on your left and fake gun on your right. You only use your real gun if you absolutely have to." Elijah reminds us. "No casualties! That's a must, shoot only the legs and further past that."

Taking Michelle's real gun, I make sure that it wasn't jammed and was fully loaded. "You're all good," I tell her, putting the gun back on the right side of her waist strap.

"Thanks." She says before checking me out as I had just done her. 

"Can we be cool again?" I finally decide to ask. "It doesn't feel right doing this when we're at odds."

It takes her minute, but when she makes up her mind, she nods. "Sure... just don't yell at me again." 

I nod. "I'll try not too," I say teasingly. 

She cracks a smile. "You're annoying sometimes, you do know that right?" 

"Enough with the chitchat. Focus!" Elijah yells. I was high key getting tired of him yelling. Both me and my eardrums. What was so wrong with speaking gently? "Mia, what's the time?" 

Mia glances down at her phone. "It's currently eleven thirty-two, if we leave now it'll take us about forty-five minutes to get there. Which gives us a couple of minutes to spare before going inside the bank." 

Savannah pipes in. "Because of the hurricane warning, I'm not seeing much traffic on our scanners. But that can change at any given moment. From the look on the bank feed, we've got a good amount of people already there and as predicted two security guards and one police officer is inside. The money truck reaches the bank in about fifteen minutes, so by the time we get there, it won't be in our way. All our routes are good to go." 

Elijah claps his hands together. "That's what I'm talking about!" He says, more calmly. He's finally found his inside voice. "Leave your cell phones here, take your burners." 

"Wait, can we pray first? I think it's a good idea if we do." Savannah asks, with her arms crossed. 

"Girl no, not everyone believes in all that." Says Mia. 

Savannah glares at her. "You're gonna regret saying that one day." 

"Bet I won't." She remarks back. 

Elijah sighs. "Alright, fine. Savannah, if it makes you more comfortable, go ahead and do it." 

"Thank you." She says with a smile on her face. "Everyone, gather around and hold each other's hand." We all hesitate. "I said, now!" Savannah commands, which causes us all to move faster. Once we form a circle with our hands in one another, we bow our heads and close our eyes. "Dear Heavenly Father, we come to you today to ask that you forgive us for what we're about to do but also find it in your heart to help us accomplish it. We know it's wrong in so many ways, lord but we need that money. We need it for all the greatness we're about to do with it. Surround us with your divine hedge of protection. Encompass us round about with your strength and your might. Let all who take refuge in you be glad, let them ever sing for joy. And may you shelter us, that those who love your name may exult in you. For it is you who blesses the righteous man, O LORD, You surround him favor as with a shield. In the name of the father, son, and holy spirit we pray, Amen."

"Amen." We all say in unison. 

"Michelle and Brandy, you guys take car A, while Mia and Savannah take car B," Elijah says, putting on his baseball cap. "You guys know what car I'm taking and how it looks." He says while packing up the laptop. "If anything goes wrong, run to it and I'll probably be able to get you out of there." Elijah clears his throat. "You guys ready?" We nod. "Good. Now, Move out!" He yells, causing us to jump. 

Just when I thought he found his inside voice, he proved me wrong. 

"The bags are in your car." Mia states. "All ten of them and don't forget your sweats and hoodies. They're in the back seat, same with the bags." 

"Thanks," Michelle replies. She turns to look at me. "I call shotgun." She says, before walking to our car. 

I sigh, before walking outside to the old Honda Civic Si. It was a dark blue car that was, if I remember correctly, built in the 2000s. The car was a traditional two-door, with a very good engine. Whoever, it belonged to, took very good care of it. "I'm tired of driving," I say as we get inside. Once she puts on her seatbelt, I take off after Elijah's car pulls out. Savannah mirrors me, all three cars driving behind one another. 

"So, what time does Elliot get out of daycare?" Michelle questions, while looking out the tinted windows. 

"Six. His daycare has that after-hours watch thing, where they watch your kid after their regular hours." 

"And how'd he take it when you told him that?" 

I sigh. "He was anxious, even started crying and everything. That's why it took me a while to get back. He was holding onto me so tight, that for a second I really did think about just dropping him off home with Niah and Yonnie. But, as you can see I stood my ground and convinced him I'd buy him a new book if he calmed down and went inside." 

Michelle shakes her head. "You should've told him a couple of days earlier, maybe it would've given him some time to prepare."

"Nope, if I had told him in advance he'd fake like he was sick." Which he's done plenty of times before. "And when the acting wouldn't work, he would've had an episode." I shake my head. "And when he has his episodes... it's tough to get him out of that state." 

Michelle nods. "Last night with the whole teeth thing, was that an episode?" 

"It was. But believe it or not, it wasn't that bad." I tell her. "Honestly, last night was just a bruiser. When it's a bad one..." I pause to make a turn. "You'll know. I've tried everything in my power to keep him from having a huge meltdown. But it's been hard lately, with all this going on."

Michelle frowns. "What do you mean?" She questions.

"Well, for starters an autistic person's brain is already in hyperdrive when senses come in. Therefore, a change in routine can be enough to tip the scales in sensory input and cause a meltdown." I explain. "Me not being with him all the time to make sure everything is running by his schedule puts him at risk of having an episode. That's why whenever I leave him with you guys I always give you all a schedule to follow. The schedule keeps him... collected." I bite the inside of my cheeks. "Sometimes I swear I'm a bad mom when I leave him." 

"Don't think that way. You're a great mother." Michelle tells me. "And you're doing an excellent ass job as a first-time mother. And that's the truth. I know plenty of kids Elijah's age, that's already cursing their parents out. You're doing what you can and that's all that matters." 

"Thank you." 

Michelle sucks her teeth. "You don't have to thank me, it's the truth. Even though he doesn't express it all the time, your kid loves you and that's clear as day." She glances at me. "How's Yonnie?" 

"Fine," I reply, not really in the mood for a conversation about Yonnie. All it would do is stir up an argument between both of us. As of right now, I'm not entirely sure if I wanna keep any of them in the loop of what's happening with her. 

She raises her eyebrows. "Just fine?"

"Yup," I conclude. She must've caught my tone because she didn't press the situation anymore. 

————

Michelle's burner phone buzzes, causing me to sit up in my seat. We were sitting in the car, across the street from the bank, waiting for the time to come. Michelle bites down on her lower lip before releasing a breath. "It's from Elijah." She says, "He says to put on our earpiece and turn it on."  

Reaching into the glove compartment, I pull out a small red velvet box, labeled S.N.W

Opening it, I take the earpiece out and place it into my ears but not before turning it on. I pass the box to Michelle and she does the same thing. 

It takes a second to adjust and when it does, the sound of Elijah's voice is in my ear. "Can you guys hear me?" He questions. 

"Yes." We say in unison. 

"Good, I've just made it inside Starbucks." He informs us. "Everything seems fine." You can hear the sound of the laptop keyboard typing together as he speaks. "From my street view, there's no sign of any cops within our perimeter. It's pretty packed inside the bank." 

Glancing out the window, I watch as cars pass us by, clueless to what's about to happen. "We've got three minutes, till one." Mia reminds, through the earpiece. My palms get sweaty. "Tell me I'm not the only one nervous as hell." 

I chuckle. "We're all nervous." 

"We've got this," Savannah says. 

"My heart is pounding so hard in my chest," Michelle confesses. 

"As it should be." Elijah mumbles. "We're about to pull off the biggest bank heist in Georgia." 

My stomach shifts uneasily. "I've got this... we've got this," I say to myself. "Everything will go as planned. It has too." My fingers pinch into my skin. Looking down at the time on Michelle's burner, I gulp. "Two minutes left." 

Michelle reaches in the backseat and hands me the black hoodie and sweats. With quick paste, I put them on and she does the same. "Put everything in the backpack." She tells me. 

"We've got this." Savannah, repeats again. I think she's freaking out, mentally. 

Leaning my chair back, I gather everything and place it into the grey dickies backpack. "Here," I say, passing it to Michelle. She takes it and places it in between her thighs. "Take deep breaths guys. It'll do us no good if we pass out." 

"One minute left," Mia whispers. 

Jesus, why the heck is the time going so fast?

I can feel my pulse thumping hard in my temple. 

"Is it me or is it getting hot in here?" 

No one answers. 

They sit quietly, letting their thoughts consume them and I do the same. 

The memories of my mother start to pile up in my mind. All the times she'd get angry at me, celebrate my accomplishments, and even embarrass my ass at school and church. That woman was way too good to me... I wonder if she's ashamed of what I'm about to do. 

"Forty-four seconds left." Elijah voices. "I'll begin the countdown soon." 

Savannah sighs. "Lately I've been going through some things, That's really got me down. I need someone, somebody to help me come and turn my life around." 

I frown, tilting my head in thought. "Is she... singing?" Michelle asks before I can. We both share a confused expression. 

"Please don't start with this s**t Savannah." Mia groans, banging her hands on the dashboard. 

I burst out laughing, before deciding to sing as well. "I can't explain it. I can't obtain it. Jesus Your love is so, It's so amazing." 

I turn to look at Michelle and she groans. "Oh what the hell." She says, smiling wide. "It gets me high, up to the sky and when I think about Your goodness, it makes me want to Stomp!" She sings along. 

My head bobs to the sound of their horrible voices. "Makes me clap my hands. Makes me want to dance and Stomp! My brother can't you see I've got the victory, Stomp!" 

"Guys focus." Elijah pipes in. "I'm starting countdown right now. Ten. 

We ignore him. "Oh, oh, oh, oh, Stomp on the enemy 'cause I've got the victory. Stomp on the enemy 'cause I've got the victory." The three of us chants together. 

"Nine."

Mia sighs heavily. "I hate y'all." 

"Eight."

"We love you too Mia," I remark, chuckling. 

"That song has been playing in my head, forever," Savannah confesses. 

"Seven." 

Michelle nods. "Kirk Franklin sure does know how to write a song." 

"Six."

"Where should we celebrate after we're done with this?" Mia questions. 

"Five." 

"Definitely, Fox Bros. I've been craving ribs and fries for a minute now. And their barbecue is banging." 

"Four." 

"Guys, I've got to agree with Savannah on this," I say. "Even though I'm not a fan of pork, their French fries are good as hell. And do is their Mac and cheese." 

"Three." 

Mia moans. "Y'all making me hungry." 

"Two." 

Michelle claps her hands together. "So it's settled. Fox Bros it is then." 

"One." 

Taking a deep breath, I nod my head. "It's showtime," I whisper.

"Team A, all the security cameras on your side have been disabled. The same for the ones inside the bank. You guys have two minutes to move in." He informs us. 

Michelle turns to look at me. "You ready?" 

I nod. "Ready as I'll ever be." Quickly opening the car door, I step out, remembering to keep my head low. My boots smack roughly against the concrete as I walk towards the bank's entrance. Michelle tails me, her backpack shuffling with every step she takes. My sweaty hand grabs onto the stainless steel door handle and I pull it open, entering the bank.

The frigid air of the bank blows in my face, causing all the little hairs on my face to erect. It's been a while since my last facial, I'm sure by now I've got a little mustache growing. 

Holding the door open for Michelle, she walks in and quickly separates herself from me. In the sea of rich people, no one pays us any mind. 

Someone could shoot up the place and they wouldn't even notice, that's how distracted they all are. 

I avoid eye contact with everyone, trying to make my way around the packed place. From my line of vision, I could see one of the security guards, sitting at his desk, looking at something on his phone. Michelle speaks up. "Bathrooms clear."

"Copy that," I whisper, making my way towards her. "Elijah, do you have eyes on the other security guard?" 

"I won't have eyes on him until the cameras cut back on. Which will be any second now. But from the looks of the thermal energy scanner, I do know that the officer is near the vaults hallway."

Pushing open the bathroom door, I walk in. "Damn this place is clean," I comment while looking around. The bathroom was equipped with gleaming tiled flooring and walls, spotless mirrors, hand dryers, and some pretty nice sinks. 

Michelle locks the door and throws her bag on the ground. She unzips it and we start rapidly removing our hoodies and sweats, before placing on our mask. "Cameras are back on." Says Elijah. "I've got eyes on the second security guard. He's inside the break room, talking to an employee." 

Just like earlier, we look each other down, making sure everything was on right. "We've just finished with everything." Michelle comments. "We're ready whenever you are." 

Elijah clears his throat. "Keep your position. Team B is moving in now."

I brace myself at the door, my gun in my hands, aimed at the ground. Michelle takes her stance beside me. Her gun in her left hands, while her other one grips the lock on the door. My whole body shakes anxiously, my heart pounds so hard against my ribcage as I try to get ahold of myself.

"We've reached the front doors," Mia announces. "Waiting on you Elijah." There's a pregnant pause. "Elijah?" No response. "Elijah." 

"I'm here." He answers. "Go ahead, move in. I've shut off their communication." 

"Copy that." Says Savannah. "Three... Two... One." 

"Hands up!" Mia yells. "Put your mother f*****g hands up! This is not a drill, this is a stickup!" The sound of gasps and screaming pierces my ears. It sounded so chaotic out there. "Hands the f**k up!"

Michelle unlocks the door and I'm the first to step out. Everyone was running around, trying to get away from Mia and Savannah. "Stop f*****g running, and put your hands up!" I shout, aiming my gun up. They stop running and face me. "We don't want to hurt you, we just wanna get what we came for and leave."

"But we can't do that if you all keep freaking out. We don't want to hurt you, trust me, but we will if you get in our way!" Michelle shouts. "Lay down on the ground, with your hands on your head. Keep your head down and don't move. And please people, don't be a damn hero. It never ends well for the hero." Some of them get down, but others don't comply. "I'm warning y'all!" 

"f**k you!" A red-haired man curses. He had on an expensive white suit. "Do you have any idea who I am? Let me out of here!" 

"Sir, I assure you that at this given moment, we don't give a s**t about who you are. Now unless you want to be a victim of the damage when can do, I suggest you lay down on the ground, with your hand on your head!" He doesn't bulge. I nod towards Savannah. "Take him out." Savannah raises her gun and shoots him right in the knee, with a rubber bullet. The red-haired man falls to the ground with a grunt, yelling in pain. The sound of the gunshot, causes others to scream in panic. "Now, does anyone else wanna be difficult?" The few people that were up, get stoop down. "I didn't think so." 

Mia quickly runs to the man on the ground to tie him up and tapes his mouth shut. The fake blood inside the rubber bullets does its job in looking like it's real. 

"Angel Eyes, tie them up too," I say, pointing at both security guards on the ground. 

Angel Eyes was Savannah's code name and Angel Face was Mia's. 

Michelle was Angel Ears and I was Angel Brow. 

Mia's goofy self chose the names...

The names were meant to throw people off. 

See, the brain only has several amounts of seconds to process something. So when you hear a name and repeat it many times, to remember it. You only remember parts of that word. It's kinda like how the game telephone works. The first person repeats something and by the time it gets to the last person, it's not even close to what the original thing was. 

With all our names starting with Angel, everyone will most likely remember that part but forget the body part that comes after it. 

"Brandy, move quicker." Elijah rushes. 

"I'm on it," I whisper back. Turning to glance at Mia, she's already up and ready. "Angel face, we're up." She nods, picking up the bags. I grab my set from Michelle. "It's your show now, keep them tamed," I tell Michelle. 

"Got it." She mumbles. Both her and Michelle take their place somewhere cleared out, so they can see everyone. 

"The cop knows something's up. He's trying to get in touch with his precinct, but I'm jamming his signal. I'm not sure how long I can do it for." Says Elijah. 

"We're almost there," I tell him. "Mia, run." Our boots pound heavily across the tile floor, the cold air biting into our lungs. It takes us less than a minute to get to the other side of the bank. Once we make it to the hallway, we slow our pace. Keeping our eyes out for the cop. "We've made it A," I say, trying to catch my breath. "Where's the cop." 

"Turn right, and he'll be there, guarding the entrance that leads to the vault." 

"We can use the smoke grenade to draw him out," Mia suggests. "Shoot him and then try knocking his ass out." 

"Do it." I agree.

Mia takes the smoke grenade and passes it to me. She pats her stomach, signaling her baby. A smoke grenade is pretty harmless, but she didn't want to risk it. Getting the message that she was trying to send, I took the grenade from her. 

I've never held one before. 

It's heavier than I'd expected it to be. 

Walking to the corner of the hall. I pull the pin and quickly throw the grenade. It makes a big popping sound and then quickly, a whole mist of smoke erupts from the hallway. The smokes grey wisps curl in the air heavily, which made it hard to see.

The sound of the officer coughing causes us to draw our guns. We wait for him to get out in the open, before firing two shots at his legs. He falls to the floor, yelping. His eyes haven't met us yet. 

"We're running out of time," Elijah complains. 

Mia slowly creeps forward to tie him up, but I quickly stop her. "We've got no time for that, knock him out so we can be on the move." 

She nods, before walking forward. She pistol whips the cop with her gun, causing him to fully lay on the floor. "He's out cold." 

I pick up the officer's bank badge and pass it to her. "Unlock the door. I'll keep watch." I tell her. "Elijah, the door that leads to the vault is about to open. How long do we have till the alarm system cuts back on and notifies the police?"

"Ten minutes." He replies, which makes my blood run cold. 

"What the f**k? I thought we'd have more time. How the f**k do you expect us to unlock the damn door and then pack all that money in the bag?" I question, angrily. 

"I've got it under control Brandy, just do what you gotta do." 

"It's unlocked," Mia tells me. "Just one more door left." 

I quickly ran into the vault room.

Inside the four by four-room, the first thing that catches my attention is the steel-reinforced concrete. The golden vault glistens from the light above us. "Of course it's golden. What an Italian thing to do." I mumbled underneath my breath. The second thing that catches my attention is the vault door already opened and the amount of money stacked on top of each other. 

"Some banks leave them open after the money truck deposits all the cash inside. It's easier for the bank manager to go inside and count it all." Mia states. She bends down to get a good look at the gate that was keeping us from getting inside fully. 

"How long till you get past it?" 

Mia licks her dry lips and sighs. "It's a combination-based lock, so it should take a couple of minutes, four tops with hope. The only problem is that." She points at a small black box on top of the vault's ceiling. "If I get numbers wrong, that damn thing is gonna alert the whole cavalry." 

I nod, sweat soaking into my mask. "Good thing you've been practicing for a long time then." I clear my throat, before speaking to Elijah. "You heard that A, four minutes for us to get through." 

He starts to say, "I'm trying to st—"

"Shh, guys." Mia cuts him off. "I'm trying to concentrate." 

"Sorry."

"Only two more numbers left to go." She cheers. 

"No cheering, it's bad luck," I say, closing my eyes. 

"I guess you're right." She mumbles. My foot taps against the floor as we all continue to wait for Mia to finish. 

My body was starting to heat up. I had on way too much stuff and the adrenaline in my body was no help. My back was turned to Mia as my eyes and gun stayed trained to the entrance of the hallway. I'm not sure how long the cop would be knocked out, it was only right that I'd be ready just in case he or someone else came through.

"Got it!" Mia yells as the heavy lock falls onto the ground. 

My eyes widen. "Yes!" I cheer, as she pushes the gate door open. We step into the vault fully and quickly begin stuffing the money into the bags. "We're really doing this!" I say out loud. 

"There's so much," Mia replies, zipping up her first bag. I was already on my second bag. "I feel bad that we can't take all of it." There'd be too much of a struggle if we took it all. We only trained our body to carry a specific amount, any more would just slow us down. 

"Guys hurry," Savannah says. "There's this one guy here and he's acting funny." 

"What do you mean funny?" Mia questions. 

"Funny like he's about to do something stupid." She responds. 

"We're almost done, but if you see him do anything else. I don't care if he only winks, shoot him. We don't need other folks thinking they can take us down. That'll be a problem." I tell her. 

"Guys don't panic. But the silent alarm went off a couple of minutes ago." Elijah tells us. "The cops have been notified and it'll take them about five to six minutes for them to get to the bank... probably even less since it's a white neighborhood."

Mia chuckles darkly. "Really Elijah, you tell us this now. Thank Goodness, there's only one bag left." 

"My fault." 

I finish zipping up the last bag, before standing. "Got it, we're on our way back." Grabbing the gym bags, I feel the weight of them pulling me down. As we make our way outside the vault, the straps of the bags dig deeply into my skin, causing my veins to show. We trace our steps back to where we came from, passing the officer that laid on the ground, thankfully he was still unconscious. Bursting through the doors that lead to the reception, my eyes land on Savannah and Michelle. 

"Glad you guys could make it to the party," Michelle says, sarcastically. 

"Yeah, took ya long enough," Savannah grumbles taking three bags from me as Michelle kept watch, her gun pointed in the direction of everyone. 

"Get out of there." Elijah urges.

From a distance, we could hear the sound of sirens. Our eyes widen. "That's our cue lady's and gentleman's," Mia says handing three bags off to Michelle. "Thank you all for your corporation and congratulations on being able to tell people you survived at bank heist." 

Michelle chuckles. "See ya soon." She says happily to the people. Savannah and her were the first to walk outside. 

"Wait till we leave before you get up!" I shout, watching as the people on the ground tremble at the sound of my voice. I turn around to face the front doors. 

Both Mia and I were inches away from walking outside until we heard a big bang. 

My body freezes, just as time seems to slow down. That heavy feeling from this morning, is in my stomach again, weighing me down to the pit of hell. There's ringing in my ears and it's so loud that I'm sure something has been damaged. It takes my mind a moment to register what that sound was, but when it finally does, my breathing hitches. 

My eyes dance around my surroundings, trying to get a glimpse of what just happened. 

Blood. 

That's all I see, there's so much of it, I can feel the bile in my stomach rising to my throat. 

The ringing in my ears is still there, but it's subsided enough to the point where I can hear the sounds of sirens approaching. 

It was at that point I realized that my time... was up.