THE ROBBERY
371 Words
The office building stood silent beneath the cover of darkness.
Jamal slipped through the rear entrance, his heart pounding against his chest. Every sound seemed louder than it should have been. Every shadow looked like a threat.
Outside, Sadiq waited in a parked vehicle, watching the surroundings.
"Five minutes," Sadiq had told him.
Jamal prayed it would be enough.
Inside the office, he moved quickly toward the private room Kabir had described. His hands trembled as he worked on the safe.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Three.
Then a click.
The heavy door swung open.
Jamal froze.
Bundles of cash filled the safe.
Far more than twenty million naira.
His eyes widened.
There had to be at least forty million naira inside, along with a small black case.
He opened the case.
Diamonds.
For a moment, he forgot to breathe.
He hurriedly packed everything into the bag.
Then he heard footsteps.
The sound was getting closer.
Someone was entering the office.
Jamal's blood ran cold.
The office door opened.
Standing there was his boss.
The man's eyes immediately fell on the open safe and the bag of money.
Neither man moved.
Neither spoke.
Then Jamal drew the pistol.
"Don't move," he said.
His voice shook.
The boss slowly raised his hands.
"Jamal?" he said in disbelief.
"Lie down," Jamal ordered. "Now."
The boss obeyed, moving toward the corner of the room.
Jamal kept the gun trained on him while backing toward the door.
Just a few more steps.
Just a few more.
Suddenly the boss rolled sideways.
His hand reached beneath a cabinet.
Jamal's eyes widened.
A gun.
The shot exploded through the room.
Pain tore through Jamal's shoulder.
He screamed and stumbled backward.
Another shot shattered the glass behind him.
Ignoring the pain, Jamal burst through the door and ran.
Blood soaked through his shirt as he raced into the night.
Outside, Sadiq saw him coming.
"Get in!" Sadiq shouted.
Jamal collapsed into the vehicle clutching the bag of money and diamonds.
As the car sped away, he looked down at the blood pouring from his wound.
For the first time, he realized there was no going back.
The robbery had succeeded.
But his life would never be the same again.
- Writer
