Caught Red Handed
"Just keep your heads down, and there won't be any trouble!"
These frighteningly familiar words ran through Red Guy's head as he crouched under the counter. The check that he had been intending to deposit laid on the floor a few feet away. In his arms, a small pink child was crying softly, trying not to sob and attract the attention of the armed robber.
Her mother cowered against the front door of the bank. Her child had run ahead to play and say hi to the other customers in line, when the door had flown open with a loud crash. Red Guy had grabbed her and slid under the counter as the unwelcome robber had made his demands.
"Put it all in the bag!" If Red Guy hadn't recognised the voice before, he did now. The voice belonged to someone he had once called his friend, before he had left him to die at the river. The voice was a bit gruffer now, but it still had the similar convincing ring it always had.
He risked a peek from under the counter and his suspicions were confirmed. A puppet man, certainly not much older than Red Guy himself, stood filling a bag with money. He had covered part of his face with a hockey mask, but Red Guy recognised his navy blue skin, brown hair, and bold posture. Not to mention he was was wearing an old grey coat. He had told Red Guy the coat had belonged to his dad, and he had always been wearing it, even on the hottest days.
Thomas' eyes were bloodshot and kept darting around as if he was trying to keep an eye on all the customers at once. The hand that was holding his gun was sweaty and tense. Red Guy could tell that the other customers had noticed Thomas' unease, as they were trying not to make any sudden moves. They knew there would be consequences if they startled him.
Thomas had finished filling the bag, and was on his way back out the door, recklessly waving his gun at anything that moved. He scooped Red Guy's check off the floor, and was about to leave when the pink puppet lady's purse caught his eye.
"Open it up!" he demanded, and the lady quickly complied. The purse was mostly empty, save for a check and a few dollar bills.
"Mum." the little puppet girl in Red Guy's arms whispered. Red Guy pulled her into a gentle hug. She calmed down a little.
Thomas pointed to the money bag with his gun. "Put it in." he said gruffly.
"Please sir, it's all we have, and my daughter-" she began to protest.
"Put. It. In." Thomas made it clear this was not up for debate, and Red Guy could see his fingers on the gun start to twitch. Red Guy placed the girl back on the floor and turned her away from the scene, pointing her towards the wooden back of the counter. He covered her ears and prayed that the situation wouldn't go south.
"Please…" The lady tried again. A loud bang echoed through the room, and a small splatter of blood landed on the tiles. Everyone in the room froze. As Thomas stood dumbstruck, Red Guy regained his senses and pounced from under the counter. He tackled Thomas down, and his gun was sent sliding across the floor, where a robin kicked it even farther away. In a flurry of motion, the other customers in the bank came to Red Guy's aid, helping to hold down and tie up the criminal.
As the other customers dealt with Thomas, Red Guy walked over to the pink lady, who was sitting of the floor. She was clutching her leg and biting her lip, trying to keep from crying out. Her forehead was covered in sweat, causing her violet hair to stick to her face. Red Guy knelt down and pulled his blue scarf from his neck. He wrapped it firmly around her leg, and tied it in a tight knot.
He sat by her side and waited until finally he heard the sirens, and red and blue lights were flashing in the windows.
"I can't believe you would testify against me!" Thomas yelled into the phone. Red Guy said nothing in return, but looked at Thomas with half lidded eyes.
"We used to be friends!"
Red Guy sighed, he wondered when Thomas would play that card. "Twice now Thomas, my life has been endangered because of you. Even worse, you recklessly endangered others both times. Honestly, you're lucky they didn't charge you with attempted murder."
Thomas ground his teeth. "You think you're so smug with your emotionless face, and your monotone voice! Not all of us have it easy in life, you know? I heard you're a manager or something of some big company now, ya bigshot!"
"Or something, it doesn't pay as well as you may think," said Red Guy. "I just know how to save money. And I know that life can strike some people hard. Just look at that poor lady you shot. That meager check she was fighting you for is barely enough to keep food on their table, and now she can't work because of you."
Thomas sat back and huffed. They stared at each other for a few minutes.
A bear in a uniform approached Red Guy. "Visiting time is up, dearie."
Red Guy sighed. "I'll come visit you, I promise."
"Whatever." Thomas replied, fidgeting with a button on his orange jumpsuit. Red Guy hung up the phone.
"Don't let it bother you, dearie, there's likely little you could have done."
Red Guy glanced up at the clouds, there was a storm rolling in. "Maybe you're right." he sighed. "Either way, it's going to be a long ten years." Red Guy buttoned up the top button of his coat. He tried to tuck some of his long red hair into the collar, but he could still feel the cold air biting at his neck.
"You're really going to visit him, mmm?" The bear asked.
"I made a promise." said Red Guy.
"I don't go back on my promises." said Red Guy as he sipped the warm coffee. It refreshed his restless mind and warmed his cold throat.
"But, sir, it's just so much!" Canary replied. He was sitting beside his wife, who had a few tears rolling down her face. Her leg was bandaged and propped up on an ottoman.
"Our little shop barely makes enough to stay open! How would we ever repay you?" she whispered, smiling as her husband wiped the tears away with his soft feathers.
"No need." said Red Guy. He glanced at the little girl who was sitting on the floor, she was playing with an old, chipped wooden horse. The pink puppet girl smiled up at him, a lock of yellow hair falling in front of her face. She pointed at her mother, her face lighting up with a burst of eagerness.
"I'm going to be a doctor some day, so I can help people who get hurt, like mommy!"
Her mother stifled a happy laugh. "You should see her when we go shopping." she whispered to Red Guy. "She tells that to everyone within 20 feet of us."
Red Guy smiled at the little girl as well as he could manage. "That sounds like a noble ambition, Pepper."
Pepper giggled softly, and went back to playing.
"Still," said the pink lady, directing the conversation back to before. "We can't send you off empty handed!"
"It's fine Mrs. Bell, truly." protested Red Guy, but she would have none of it.
"Nonsense," she laughed. "Canary, can you get my knitting bag?"
Canary nodded and went off to fetch it. "And, please, call me Campanula, or Panula if you prefer." Panula insisted.
Canary returned with the bag, and Panula fished around inside of it. "I was saving this as a gift for my cousin, but I think it suits you better." She pulled out a green and yellow plaid scarf. "I figured you could use it, after I kind of bled all over your other one.
Red Guy took the scarf and wrapped it around his neck. "It's perfect."