A Surprise Party?
Chapter Four
We pass Bride's Bay 1st National Bank, but Gerard just keeps driving. He turns a corner and we drive down a few alleys, then he stops.
"Alright Frankie, now you see that building right next to us?" I nod. "And you see that alley right beside it?" I nod." We're going to get our shit together, we're going to walk through that alley, and it comes out right next to the bank." I nod. "We're going to rob that bank, and we're going run back through that alley to our car. Then we're going to drive down that alley," he points ahead to a long alley that seems to come put at a side street. "and we're going to drive to the next town to steal a different car. Then we'll be on our way." I nod.
We get out of the car leaving the doors open and the engine running and Gerard opens the trunk. He opens one of the suitcases and pulls out the gun he decided on for me last night.
"Put your gloves on first." He orders. I do. I take the gun and he reaches into my pocket for my bandana, and ties it around my head cowboy style. He puts my hat on.
He puts his gloves on and his bandana and gets his gun. He locks the suit cases back up and closes the trunk. He expertly hides his gun under his coat. He glances at me.
"At least try to hide it." I try but it's still pretty obvious.
We walk down the alley, I totter a bit under the weight of the gun, but Gerard looks pretty cool, and just as he's about to open the bank door he turns to me,
"And Frankie, know that if you try anything funny, I will open fire on everyone in that room, and all their blood will be in your name."
"Alright! Everybody one the ground!" a few women scream but everyone's on the ground in the blink of an eye. "Frankie man the door!" I do. Then he turns to the bank teller, whose already got her hand on the telephone.
"If you pick up that phone, I'll kill everyone in this room." she removes her hand from the phone.
"Same goes for you!" He turns to the people, "Don't any of you try being heroes!"
"Alrighty then," he glances at her name tag, "Sheila, I would like 30,000 for my friend and I."
While she gets the money Gerard just struts around the room, glaring at people. Occasionally he kicks at one, so they jump and whimper, but never actually making contact. "I'm in control now, people. I bet you though it was your God that had almighty power, but not today. Today I'm your God...."
He shoots at a portrait of Richard Nixon, "Fucking Bastard" A few people screech in surprise. He shoots a clean line inches above their heads, people scream and he laughs. Then he turns back to the bank teller,
"Have you got it all together?" he asks politely. She nods stiffly and hands the sack to him over the counter.
"Thank you deary." he says softly. She winces and he laughs.
He walks calmly over to me, "C'mon Frankie, lets go." We run back to the car, Gerard tosses the money in the back seat and hops in. My heart is beating in my throat as I run to the passenger's seat and climb in. I can hear the sirens already. Gerard gets us down the long alley in second and soon we're on the main highway.
"Fucking Christ!" I yell as soon as I can talk again. I burst out laughing. Gerard does too. It's the kind of laugh you get after the roller coaster comes to a stop, and the relief hits you like a punch in the face.
"That was fucking awesome!" I yell. It couldn't have taken more than five minutes but they were the longest and shortest minutes of my life. I pull my bandana down.
"I knew you'd love it." Gerard says quietly.
"Any person in their right mind would!" We laugh at the irony of this statement.
"God, the fucking rush!" We laugh in fond remembrance. "Fuck."
"So where to now?" I ask after a long time.
"Little Falls to get different car."
We pull into little falls after about another hour. Gerard wants to get as far from Bride's Bay as possible before we really have to get another car.
"Why do we even have to get a different one? They didn't see the car." I ask. I don't want to have to steal one. Robbing a bank doesn't really hurt anyone, the government just refunds the money. But actually taking a car from someone is different.
"No, they didn't see the car back in Bride's Bay but they definitely did back home, and no doubt they'll connect it to me."
"Oh," I say. "Us." I say quietly.
"Huh?"
"Us." I say louder. Gerard thinks for a minute, then it hits him. He turns to me excitedly,
"So you're gonna be my accomplice?" He says like I just got him a fucking puppy. I sigh.
"I guess I have to be now."
We drive through a deserted side street.
"Let's take that one!" Gerard points to a shiny black Corvette.
"No!" I say. I'm not ready to take something that nice.
"Frankie, it's some rich prick's car. He'll just buy a new one."
"How do you know that? How do you know it's not some old man's and he worked his whole life for that car?"
"Frankie, look its parked in front of a fucking law office. Humble old men don't flaunt their cars at a lawyer's. They don't spend time with a lawyer." I think about it. Fuck he's right.
"Fine."
"Yay!"
Soon we're cruising down the highway, both windows down. The sun is setting, Gerard's got his hand resting on the roof, his elbow on the window edge and cigarette dangling lazily out his mouth, he's watching the road, thinking. And there's 30,000 dollars in the trunk and a suitcase full of guns. I smile.
"Alright Frankie, now you see that building right next to us?" I nod. "And you see that alley right beside it?" I nod." We're going to get our shit together, we're going to walk through that alley, and it comes out right next to the bank." I nod. "We're going to rob that bank, and we're going run back through that alley to our car. Then we're going to drive down that alley," he points ahead to a long alley that seems to come put at a side street. "and we're going to drive to the next town to steal a different car. Then we'll be on our way." I nod.
We get out of the car leaving the doors open and the engine running and Gerard opens the trunk. He opens one of the suitcases and pulls out the gun he decided on for me last night.
"Put your gloves on first." He orders. I do. I take the gun and he reaches into my pocket for my bandana, and ties it around my head cowboy style. He puts my hat on.
He puts his gloves on and his bandana and gets his gun. He locks the suit cases back up and closes the trunk. He expertly hides his gun under his coat. He glances at me.
"At least try to hide it." I try but it's still pretty obvious.
We walk down the alley, I totter a bit under the weight of the gun, but Gerard looks pretty cool, and just as he's about to open the bank door he turns to me,
"And Frankie, know that if you try anything funny, I will open fire on everyone in that room, and all their blood will be in your name."
"Alright! Everybody one the ground!" a few women scream but everyone's on the ground in the blink of an eye. "Frankie man the door!" I do. Then he turns to the bank teller, whose already got her hand on the telephone.
"If you pick up that phone, I'll kill everyone in this room." she removes her hand from the phone.
"Same goes for you!" He turns to the people, "Don't any of you try being heroes!"
"Alrighty then," he glances at her name tag, "Sheila, I would like 30,000 for my friend and I."
While she gets the money Gerard just struts around the room, glaring at people. Occasionally he kicks at one, so they jump and whimper, but never actually making contact. "I'm in control now, people. I bet you though it was your God that had almighty power, but not today. Today I'm your God...."
He shoots at a portrait of Richard Nixon, "Fucking Bastard" A few people screech in surprise. He shoots a clean line inches above their heads, people scream and he laughs. Then he turns back to the bank teller,
"Have you got it all together?" he asks politely. She nods stiffly and hands the sack to him over the counter.
"Thank you deary." he says softly. She winces and he laughs.
He walks calmly over to me, "C'mon Frankie, lets go." We run back to the car, Gerard tosses the money in the back seat and hops in. My heart is beating in my throat as I run to the passenger's seat and climb in. I can hear the sirens already. Gerard gets us down the long alley in second and soon we're on the main highway.
"Fucking Christ!" I yell as soon as I can talk again. I burst out laughing. Gerard does too. It's the kind of laugh you get after the roller coaster comes to a stop, and the relief hits you like a punch in the face.
"That was fucking awesome!" I yell. It couldn't have taken more than five minutes but they were the longest and shortest minutes of my life. I pull my bandana down.
"I knew you'd love it." Gerard says quietly.
"Any person in their right mind would!" We laugh at the irony of this statement.
"God, the fucking rush!" We laugh in fond remembrance. "Fuck."
"So where to now?" I ask after a long time.
"Little Falls to get different car."
We pull into little falls after about another hour. Gerard wants to get as far from Bride's Bay as possible before we really have to get another car.
"Why do we even have to get a different one? They didn't see the car." I ask. I don't want to have to steal one. Robbing a bank doesn't really hurt anyone, the government just refunds the money. But actually taking a car from someone is different.
"No, they didn't see the car back in Bride's Bay but they definitely did back home, and no doubt they'll connect it to me."
"Oh," I say. "Us." I say quietly.
"Huh?"
"Us." I say louder. Gerard thinks for a minute, then it hits him. He turns to me excitedly,
"So you're gonna be my accomplice?" He says like I just got him a fucking puppy. I sigh.
"I guess I have to be now."
We drive through a deserted side street.
"Let's take that one!" Gerard points to a shiny black Corvette.
"No!" I say. I'm not ready to take something that nice.
"Frankie, it's some rich prick's car. He'll just buy a new one."
"How do you know that? How do you know it's not some old man's and he worked his whole life for that car?"
"Frankie, look its parked in front of a fucking law office. Humble old men don't flaunt their cars at a lawyer's. They don't spend time with a lawyer." I think about it. Fuck he's right.
"Fine."
"Yay!"
Soon we're cruising down the highway, both windows down. The sun is setting, Gerard's got his hand resting on the roof, his elbow on the window edge and cigarette dangling lazily out his mouth, he's watching the road, thinking. And there's 30,000 dollars in the trunk and a suitcase full of guns. I smile.
I stayed up till 4 am reading this and I have absolutely no regrets <3
10/29/15