a/n: Please review. Thanks!

Chapter 1

"Go fish."

"Damn it." Niall placed all of his cards on the table. He lost, again. Everyone at the table laughed at him, he only rolled his eyes. As he looked around the table, he realized how tired he was of their Thursday night card game. It was absolutely pathetic.

"I'm out." He surrendered. All pairs of eyes turned to look at him. There were seven, they belonged to his best friend Harry, his co workers, Perrie, Luke, Sophia, Ashton, Michael, and Callum.

"Best 3 out of 5?" Harry prompted but NIall only shook his head. He headed to the small kitchen and took a beer out from the fridge. The game resumed without him.

"I'm gonna turn in early."

"Night." They waved him away absentmindely, too engrossed in what NIall would call a children's game. Taking a swig of his beer, he made his way down the narrow hallway into his room. It was just him and Harry, they lived off of teacher's salaries. They couldn't get much in New York.

Niall sat on his bed as he began to take off his shoes. It was barely 8pm and he was ready for bed. When he and Harry met in college, they both talked about adventure and excitement. They had it all planned out. They would graduate together, travel the world, live out of suitcases, live off of beer and pizza, and enjoy life to its fullest.

When that plan failed, they agreed to move to New York together. Niall thought that it was impossible to not find adventure in a city such as this. They had lived here for three years. Their lives continued to drag on in the most unexciting way. Niall taught high school English, at 25 years old, Harry taught high school history, at 24 years old.

Neither one of them were married. Neither one of them had an actual life, an actual purpose or meaning. It didn't bother Harry, he enjoyed his life. Niall did too, to an extent. He was just looking for more than movie night with Harry, card night with their friends, bedtime at 9pm. He had been someone back home in Ireland. Granted, his hometown wasn't very big, but he was popular and everyone knew his name.

Here, he's just another faceless man in a sea of adventure that he's been excluded from. He wanted more out of life.

He turned the TV on as he loosened his tie. He took another swig of beer as he watched the evening news. He had just had enough until a breaking news bulletin made him pause.

"Police are still on the lookout for the criminals that escaped a Philadelphia jail last month. These three men, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, and Zayn Malik are said to have committed over 80 armed robberies in the past years, sold illegal drugs, and killed at least 10 people in the process. They are said to have been spotted in the Manhattan area but NYPD have no leads. These criminals are extremely dangerous and if anyone has any information, please call this number immediately."

"Wow." Niall turned off the television. That's the thing about big cities that he has yet to be accostumed to. Big cities mean big crimes and big criminals. "Now that's an exciting life."

He finished his drink and heard his friends laugh through the paper thin walls. He just wasn't feeling it anymore. He was sick of cards, he was sick of the norm.

Without bothering to change clothes, he pulled the blankets over his head and fell asleep.

He woke up bright and early, took a shower and got dressed. Harry was up, already dressed, and watching the news. Niall stood behind Harry and watched. They were still talking about the infamous criminals. Apparently they had robbed a convenience store but got away with it all.

"How the hell do they do it? They get arrested and go to one of the most guarded prisons but escape in less than two days. It's unbelievable."

"They're smart." Harry turned to look at Niall in horror.

"I mean they're dumb but they're really smart about it."

Harry shook his head and turned back to the television. A security camera showed two of the three men, holding hostages at gunpoint while the third one stole all of the cash. They didn't even bother to wear masks, they were proud of the crimes they had committed.

Internet personnel called them the Phantom Criminals. They showed up to commit a crime and disappeared before they could be caught.

Once all of the money had been stolen by their supposed leader, Louis Tomlinson, he turned to the security camera and gave two middle fingers.

There was no sound on the video as he called out to his members. They laughed before they turned and ran out of the store, not a trace left behind.

"That store isn't far from us." Harry said seriously. Niall sat on the couch next to him and wrapped an arm around his friend.

"You aren't scared, are you Styles?"

"I think I have a right to be."

"Aw, cheer up. Starbucks run? My treat"

"Yeah, that sounds good."

They both grabbed their jackets and briefcases and headed into the chilly November air. Another awful thing about New York, it was so goddamn cold all of the time.

Harry began to relax as he and Niall merged into the fast walking crowd on their way to work. When Harry was young, he had craved a life of adventure and mischief, but as he grew up, that dream faded. The difference between himself and Niall was, Niall's dream stayed alive.

They walked to the nearest Starbucks and on the way, they passed the recently robbed convenience store. Harry wanted to look away but he couldn't help it. He saw the police cars parked outside and he saw the police interviewing the man who was behind the cash register in the video.

He looked petrified, as did the onlookers around him. There was no telling where or when these criminals would strike again.

Niall nudged Harry and gave him a reassuring smile. With the kind of life the two of them lived, they were guaranteed to not cross paths with the criminals, their lives were just too boring for something as exciting as that.

When they got to Starbucks, Niall ordered for the both of them, the same thing they always got. A plain coffee and cheese bagel for Niall and a chai tea latte and blueberry scone for Harry.

They sat at their usual spot by the window. They ate slowly with plenty of time to kill. Harry's phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and groaned.

"Your parents again?" Niall quizzed. Harry nodded and answered. They were always trying to loan Harry money. You see, Harry Styles came from The Styles family, they owned a really successful companies and shit like that. It didn't look good if their son was living in a mediocre apartment with a mediocre job.

Harry just wanted to break away from his parents' shadows and he succeeded at that. That didn't stop them from calling and asking if he was sure he didn't want a few thousand dollars to buy a "nicer" apartment.

"Thanks but no thanks. Look, I have to get to work. I love you. Bye."

Niall cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrow. "I don't know. It may not be so bad to get a better apartment."

"I don't want their money." Harry shook his head. Niall understood. He also came from a family of wealth. He had determined long ago that it wasn't successful to be born into money. It would be more successful to earn it. They both came from rich families but kept their distance. That's one of the reasons why they became friends. They understood one another.

"Ready to go?" Harry asked when Niall had taken his last bite of his bagel. He nodded, mouth full, as they threw away their trash. They walked the short distance from Starbucks to the high school they taught at. It wasn't the best school in the world and it wasn't in the best area in the world but they both enjoyed it and that was what mattered.

To start out his first class of the day, Harry began to lecture about the Revolutionary War. He received some interested looks, some bored looks, some uncomfortable looks from the girls who found him attractive, and some obnoxious whispering.

"Tina. What did I just say?" He decided to pick on the whisper queen in the class. She looked startled.

"Something about the war."

"What about the war?"

"Who cares about what happened like 100 years ago or whatever."

"Well, you seem to be interested in something completely different. Why don't you share with the rest of the class?"

All eyes turned to stare at her and she rolled her eyes. She couldn't pass up a chance to talk about anything but history so she took the opportunity.

"I was just talking about those insane criminals. You know, the ones who're wanted for murder, robbery, and illegal drugs."

"What about them?" Harry prompted.

"I don't know. It's kinda scary, I guess. I mean that store is just down the street."

As she said that, others in the room begin to whisper nervously. They were slightly freaked out amidst the crimes in their hometown and the countless school shootings in others.

Harry began to wonder then why he and Niall moved there. Oh, right, they were looking for excitement.

"Everyone, calm down."

It took a second for the whispering to stop. Everyone turned to Harry with a nervous expression on their face.

"I know it's scary. It really is. Listen, none of you have anything to worry about. The police will catch them soon and we can all sleep a little easier. But until then, have a little faith."

Slowly, they nodded. Harry continued class to get everyone's mind off of things. When the bell rang for lunch after 3rd period, he put his chalk down and headed to the teacher's lounge.

The television was turned on to the news again. In less than 24 hours, they had struck again. It was another convenience store that was further from the last one. Like before, this one had security footage of the three men who disappeared into thin air.

"Can't anyone find something else to talk about besides this?" Harry wondered as he went over to fill a paper cup with water.

"It's the talk of the town, mate. There are many criminals in NY but these guys are badass." Luke said.

"I just hope they get arrested soon. It's scary." Sophia spoke up. Niall rested an arm around her shoulders.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you." He joked. She cracked a small smile but the worry didn't leave her face.

Harry took it upon himself to change the channel. He had had enough. "Case closed. We're done talking about this. Let the police handle it."

"Well they seem to be doing a shitty job or they would have been caught already." Niall said and received a pointed look from Harry. Still, they agreed to keep their mouths shut.

The students were already scared, the teachers were scared, and the city was scared. It was best to not think about it.