Campfire Story

    She was stunned. She had been so close to surving a life threatning situation with minimal difficulty, only to have that inkling of hope smashed.  Therefore she was slow to respond to his demand for the keys.
    The masked man was now in a panicked state, and the calmness Louis had mustered early on during the robbery was disappering rapidly. The situation was spiraling out of control and even the three customers laying quietly on the floor began to moan in distress. The assaliant yelled again , "Throw me the god damn keys!"
    Louis ran her hands through her hair to buy a moment of time to think.  keys, keys,keys. She thought to herself.  She took too long.  Before she realized what was happening the intruder had hopped the counter and grabbed her roughly by the collar of her yellow mini mart vest the gun bulky in her peripheral view.  "What keys!"  She screamed startled.
    "Fuck them keys, where's the back door?"
    She pointed to the narrow hall to the left of the counter. "Down that hall and to the left." She said glad to know at least he had plans to leave and not draw this thing out.
    "Thanks, now come on," he said quickly spinning her around,  placing his arm around her neck, and placing the barrel of his gun to her rib cage. 
    Today was just not her day.

And not just a bad day, but going to hell in a handbag at the speed of light.

            Louis’s mind started racing faster than her feet were scrambling to stay under her as the masked gunman dragged her toward the back of the store.  Following her directions, he turned left at the end of the hall.  The emergency exit was directly ahead.  Louis quickly decided to try to reason with the gunman.  “You know,” she struggled to say, “you don’t have to do this.”  The gunman came to a quick stop, releasing his grasp on her and pulling her to a fully erect stand all in one fluid motion.  “Keep your fucking mouth shut,” he hissed, “and you might make it out of this alive.” 

            They were standing so close that the gunman’s words hit her square in the face, accented by his foul breath that quickly made Louise think of fresh sewage on a hot summer day.  Holding Louis roughly by the arm, the gunman had his other hand on the handle of the door about to make his escape with Louis in tow.  Just before pushing the door open a voice boomed in from the outside filling the entire store.  “Gunman, this is the police.  We have all exits of the store covered.  Come out now with your hands up and no one will get hurt.”

Louis struggled against the gunman's tight grip, but failed to get loose. She wanted to run, wanted to hide, but the cold steel of the gun was a reminder that her efforts for survival would be in vain. Her only hope was to ride this nightmare through. This man wanted to run and hide, just as much as she did, he was stuck in a building, surrounded by armed police. Louis tried to picture this mans parents and whether they were good people. What could push a person into a crime like this? Or into any crime for that matter? Where were the people who loved him? Was he loved? She knew she shouldnt be sympathetic towards this crazed man's situation, but she couldnt help pondering his life.  Seconds of deliberation were enough for the gunman to decide that this exit was just as bad an idea as the first.
'Fuck!! Are there any other exits?'
Louis hesitated for a few moments as her shocked state took in his question. Looking up at her captor, she stutted, both scared and exhausted.
'Fucking come on! Where are the exits?'
He put the barrel of his gun against her temple and pushed it deep into her skin. The pain jolted her brain to life and she fired directions to him.
'There is a side door which leads into the next building. The police might already have it guarded, but its the only other option.'
Louis looked at him fiercely, half pleading for him to end this plan. He removed the gun from her head and pushed her roughly forward, causing her to trip over and fall onto her front.
'GET UP SLUT....COME ON, SHOW ME THIS DOOR.'
Steadying her balance as she stood back up, Louis wondered at how all this would end.