Prologue
1091 Words
I have to get up and start my day exactly at 5 am. I don't even need to check my phone to know the time. On this neighborhood you are likely to hear a few shouts and car engines flaring once it's more or less 5 am.
Why? well blame that on the not so sound proof walls and the lined up of bars right around the curb. It is almost like the red lights district in this city. Though there are nastier places than that area.
Anyways, I got to start my day with either a cup instant coffee or an apple. It sucks when you brew coffee beans for a few hours in a weak and all you have on your cupboards is the cheapest instant coffee you can probably find in this country.
My normal days passes like this. I have classes from 7 am to 2 pm. By 3 pm I'd be off to the shop working till 8 pm. And the time left at night is spend on freelance gigs.
So, I woke up this morning ready to face the same routine. Got out of bed, hopped in the shower and grab a cup of coffee and some biscuits I also found in my fancy cupboard. Then off to school I go. Well, the morning was normal. The usual individuals in my class and the same professors.
Then here comes my 3 pm shift, thankfully I was more of a barista and all around not a waiter or else I would be drained by the time I got home. I work at quite a fancy coffee shop. The business has been doing great.
We have a lot of regular customers. Early morning and off duty hours are usually our hectic hours. With its location right in between 4 corporate owned buildings. It's a go to of a lot of employees.
Life seems like to love teasing me. Because right after I started working at the café, I found out that the company that I really wanted to work with moved across the street. So, I had to work 4 times a week for 5 hours per shift seeing people that I hoped was me.
But the thing is that was not the highlight of today.
Around 7 pm that day the door chimed announcing another set of customers. It was this tall gentleman followed by 2 other men who seems to be some sort of his left and right-hand men. They always come here so no biggie.
But that day I feel like something was wrong.
Not simple wrong but terribly wrong.
Then it happened. Shouts echoed on the café and shards of glass were suddenly flying across the room. Things where chaotic, people were screaming and crying for help. And all I can do that time was try to get help as soon as possible.
My knees were shaking and my hands trembling as another set of gun fire erupted. Who are shooting at us? With all the courage I can muster I tried peeping out the counter tops but all I can see was chaos. The tables were in disarray. Some people were laying on the ground some are injured and some profusely bleeding.
It seemed like an hour passed but I knew things happened just within a minute or two. I am not dying here not now, not yet. Guns were still firing. It was a deafening noise with shouts of people and just violence everywhere.
I tried to reach for the telephone on the counter it was then that I saw someone was firing back from within the café. It was them. That tall guy that I always see but I still cannot picture his face on my head but I knew that back. And I know it is him and the two other men with him that are firing back.
And oddly I feel safe. Then he looked my way. Our eyes met. And it felt like his eyes were telling me that I will be fine.
Then he shouts.
"Jolie! Call 911 and tell them to its Code Black."
I don’t know how he knew but I know I had to get on the phone as soon as possible.
I crawled and made my way on to the end of the counters and I finally saw the telephone with some shards on top of it. Thankfully it seems to still be intact. I reached for it and do as I was told. With my hands shaking I dialed 911.
It seemed like hours passed when I finally heard the dispatcher ask me what is the situation. And it was like I was the most collected as I can ever be.
So, I said
"It’s code black."
"More or less a dozen of people injured within the café and possibly outside in the streets too. Please prepare the hospitals on hand. Get as many officers on sight or a lot will die. I’m a café employee at Books and Coffee there’s a shooting incident here. Armed men are still outside the establishment."
"There are 3 men that are holding them up and firing back at the people who are shooting at us from outside."
Suddenly the fire alarm blared up and the fire sprinkler system drizzled. It was suddenly silent. An eerie silence.
There is someone behind me.
I felt the presence when it was already 2 feet near me. I don’t know who the person behind me is.
But I definitely know that if I turn around it might be the last thing that I can do.
But still I turned.
It was him.
The guy that knew my name and he was still holding a gun.
"Who are you? How did you know my name? What is happening? Who are shooting at us?" I asked.
"Do you trust me Jolie?" He said.
I don’t know how to answer him. Who would trust a man you don’t know but seems to know you. And who would trust an unidentified guy with a gun during a shooting incident.
But somehow I knew I will be safe with him around.
So, I just nodded instead.
And the next thing I knew is I woke up in a hospital bed with my co-employees laying at the beds next to mine.
Just who was he? I fell like I know him from somewhere but I also feel like I don’t know him at all.
"Trust me Jolie I will keep you safe."
- Writer
