Right, it's been a while now, but finally the fourth chapter's up... I hope you'll enjoy it, and please review, that's what keeps me from giving up this writing. ;) Right, back to the action:
***
I admit it. Having a gun pointing directly at me did make me loose some of my valuable confidence. But I've had worse guns than this one pointing at me before, and survived it. I could survive this.
The difference was, this time I couldn't morph.
"You're dead." For some strange reason, Gene the Bank Robber kept repeating himself. "You are so dead."
"Oookay," I said with a stupid grin. "Whatever you say, pal."
"I'm not your pal!" Gene insisted. "I'm a goddamn bank robber! And you're held at gun point, so I suggest you think before you speak!"
"Sorry, that's not how I work." I grinned again, with a feeling telling me that Gene wouldn't pull the trigger. He just didn't seem ready for it, although he insisted he would.
"You're dead," he said again. "Stop making those stupid comments all the time! You're distracting me!"
"I didn't know one could get distracted from robbing a bank," I said. "I mean, sure you could if the police interrupted, but you've got that problem sorted out. So what can be so distracting? When you're robbing a bank, you're just supposed to run in, get the money, and run out. Shoot whoever's in the way."
"And I will!" Gene said in a high, shaking voice that really made me more afraid than the gun he was pointing at me. This guy didn't seem too okay, he seemed... crazy. At best.
"Shut up, kid, you're so young," the other hostage on the left moaned to me. This was the sensible guy, of couse, not the maniac who I'd been standing next to up against the wall. "You don't wanna die."
"Shut up, or I'll shoot YOU!" Gene screamed at the guy, turning the gun towards him.
"No!" the guy yelled. "I just wanted to help the kid! Shoot him, he's the one who's showing you no respect! I'm up against the wall with my hands in the air, I'm innocent! I'm just a bystander, really."
"You're as big a coward as the other guy," I muttered. The other guy, the really scared one, stared angrily at me through the thousands of tears pouring down over his face.
"Shut up, you idiots!" Gene practically collapsed. "I'M the robber here! I tell you to shut up, and you SHUT THE HELL UP! Understand?!"
The two other guys nodded. Gene the Bank Robber turned towards me. "And you, kid... I swear, if you annoy me again I will honestly and sincerely kill you."
"Whatever you say, Bullett," I grinned. "I'll try to behave."
"You better," he replied and started walking backwards towards the door, probably to try and negotiate again with the police, hoping that I wouldn't interefere this time.
I checked my watch. Yep. Three minutes ago, the film started. Polly was out of my reach. She probably thought I hadn't cared enough to show up. That she wasn't important to me. That seeing a movie with her wasn't that interesting...
This was all that stupid Gene's fault! I'd lost the most important evening possibly of my LIFE because of him!
"This is just GREAT," I moaned and sat down in the chair again. No money, no movie, no Polly. Just Gene the Bank Robber.
I'd been like a father to him. I'd consulted him when he was afraid of the police, and I'd cracked jokes to make him feel better. This was his reward? To delay this hostage situation long enough for me to miss my movie? He was so ungrateful...
"Well, there's no more playing games!" I heard Gene cry to the police. He left the door and went back to us. The mad look in his eyes had gotten even crazier now, it looked as though his very eyeballs were about to pop out. The shivering hands and the sweat didn't make his apperance any better, either. "Look," He said, staring at us three hostages. "The police won't take me seriously. They believe I have arranged this hostage situation, to make them believe I would kill somebody if they didn't let me go. YOU made them think this," he said to me. "YOU, you stupid little kid! With your stupid talk about Bahamas and us going into business together! You made them think I wasn't serious about killing one of you! But I am. Oh, you bet I am!" He was shaking wildly, pointing the gun at each of us in turns. "Should I shoot you first?" he said to the most frightened guy, who just replied by gulping and crying out, and probably wetting himself as well...
"All right, all right." I sighed and got up again. "Gene, my man, if you're gonna shoot anybody you should shoot me. I'm the reason you're still in here."
"The first sensible thing you've ever said," Gene replied.
"However," I continued, "YOU are also the reason I'M still in here. So I guess we're even."
"What are you talking about? You've got no right to complain, kid! You can't talk to me about morals, I'm a ruthless criminal! You're under my mercy!"
"Nah," I said. "You know, Gene, I had some respect for you at first. You're just trying to make it in this world, like the rest of us... This is your way of survival, I respect that. At least you're trying, right? But I lost my total respect for you - lets see - seven minutes ago."
Gene just stared at me. I think I was driving him crazy. But hey, I was going to leave him with some guilt, after I'd lost my big chance with Polly because of him. "You made me miss one of the biggest moments of my life," I explained. "I had... a DATE. And what did you do? You kept me here! Stupid jerk!" I was moaning now, more than explaining. I had to get my feelings out, right?
"Do you think I care about some stupid teenage date?!" Gene cried. "Why are you telling me this? I'm gonna kill you! I am, this time it's for real! I'm gonna show those stupid police men that I'm a real criminal, not some idiot making his friends fake a hostage situation... I'm gonna kill you, kid!"
He pointed the gun at me again, and I felt I'd experienced this too many times with him by now. But at that moment, as I stared at him and towards the gun, I noticed something rather strange...
***
Right, that's it for now... I'll try to get the next chapter up soon, we're closing in on an ending here... Please review!
***
I admit it. Having a gun pointing directly at me did make me loose some of my valuable confidence. But I've had worse guns than this one pointing at me before, and survived it. I could survive this.
The difference was, this time I couldn't morph.
"You're dead." For some strange reason, Gene the Bank Robber kept repeating himself. "You are so dead."
"Oookay," I said with a stupid grin. "Whatever you say, pal."
"I'm not your pal!" Gene insisted. "I'm a goddamn bank robber! And you're held at gun point, so I suggest you think before you speak!"
"Sorry, that's not how I work." I grinned again, with a feeling telling me that Gene wouldn't pull the trigger. He just didn't seem ready for it, although he insisted he would.
"You're dead," he said again. "Stop making those stupid comments all the time! You're distracting me!"
"I didn't know one could get distracted from robbing a bank," I said. "I mean, sure you could if the police interrupted, but you've got that problem sorted out. So what can be so distracting? When you're robbing a bank, you're just supposed to run in, get the money, and run out. Shoot whoever's in the way."
"And I will!" Gene said in a high, shaking voice that really made me more afraid than the gun he was pointing at me. This guy didn't seem too okay, he seemed... crazy. At best.
"Shut up, kid, you're so young," the other hostage on the left moaned to me. This was the sensible guy, of couse, not the maniac who I'd been standing next to up against the wall. "You don't wanna die."
"Shut up, or I'll shoot YOU!" Gene screamed at the guy, turning the gun towards him.
"No!" the guy yelled. "I just wanted to help the kid! Shoot him, he's the one who's showing you no respect! I'm up against the wall with my hands in the air, I'm innocent! I'm just a bystander, really."
"You're as big a coward as the other guy," I muttered. The other guy, the really scared one, stared angrily at me through the thousands of tears pouring down over his face.
"Shut up, you idiots!" Gene practically collapsed. "I'M the robber here! I tell you to shut up, and you SHUT THE HELL UP! Understand?!"
The two other guys nodded. Gene the Bank Robber turned towards me. "And you, kid... I swear, if you annoy me again I will honestly and sincerely kill you."
"Whatever you say, Bullett," I grinned. "I'll try to behave."
"You better," he replied and started walking backwards towards the door, probably to try and negotiate again with the police, hoping that I wouldn't interefere this time.
I checked my watch. Yep. Three minutes ago, the film started. Polly was out of my reach. She probably thought I hadn't cared enough to show up. That she wasn't important to me. That seeing a movie with her wasn't that interesting...
This was all that stupid Gene's fault! I'd lost the most important evening possibly of my LIFE because of him!
"This is just GREAT," I moaned and sat down in the chair again. No money, no movie, no Polly. Just Gene the Bank Robber.
I'd been like a father to him. I'd consulted him when he was afraid of the police, and I'd cracked jokes to make him feel better. This was his reward? To delay this hostage situation long enough for me to miss my movie? He was so ungrateful...
"Well, there's no more playing games!" I heard Gene cry to the police. He left the door and went back to us. The mad look in his eyes had gotten even crazier now, it looked as though his very eyeballs were about to pop out. The shivering hands and the sweat didn't make his apperance any better, either. "Look," He said, staring at us three hostages. "The police won't take me seriously. They believe I have arranged this hostage situation, to make them believe I would kill somebody if they didn't let me go. YOU made them think this," he said to me. "YOU, you stupid little kid! With your stupid talk about Bahamas and us going into business together! You made them think I wasn't serious about killing one of you! But I am. Oh, you bet I am!" He was shaking wildly, pointing the gun at each of us in turns. "Should I shoot you first?" he said to the most frightened guy, who just replied by gulping and crying out, and probably wetting himself as well...
"All right, all right." I sighed and got up again. "Gene, my man, if you're gonna shoot anybody you should shoot me. I'm the reason you're still in here."
"The first sensible thing you've ever said," Gene replied.
"However," I continued, "YOU are also the reason I'M still in here. So I guess we're even."
"What are you talking about? You've got no right to complain, kid! You can't talk to me about morals, I'm a ruthless criminal! You're under my mercy!"
"Nah," I said. "You know, Gene, I had some respect for you at first. You're just trying to make it in this world, like the rest of us... This is your way of survival, I respect that. At least you're trying, right? But I lost my total respect for you - lets see - seven minutes ago."
Gene just stared at me. I think I was driving him crazy. But hey, I was going to leave him with some guilt, after I'd lost my big chance with Polly because of him. "You made me miss one of the biggest moments of my life," I explained. "I had... a DATE. And what did you do? You kept me here! Stupid jerk!" I was moaning now, more than explaining. I had to get my feelings out, right?
"Do you think I care about some stupid teenage date?!" Gene cried. "Why are you telling me this? I'm gonna kill you! I am, this time it's for real! I'm gonna show those stupid police men that I'm a real criminal, not some idiot making his friends fake a hostage situation... I'm gonna kill you, kid!"
He pointed the gun at me again, and I felt I'd experienced this too many times with him by now. But at that moment, as I stared at him and towards the gun, I noticed something rather strange...
***
Right, that's it for now... I'll try to get the next chapter up soon, we're closing in on an ending here... Please review!