A Texas Hero

Abby’s heart jackknifed into her throat. Mr. Harmon’s hand shook as he punched in the code and used his key to open the door. The robbers pushed them all inside.

The one wearing a gorilla mask pointed a gun at Mr. Harmon. “Open the vault. Now!”

Mr. Harmon’s fair skin turned even paler, but he managed to open the vault. The bank didn’t carry large amounts. Just enough to cash payroll checks, but it was probably more than the two would see in a lifetime.

The robber shoved Walmart bags at her. “Fill these up. Fast. And don’t push any alarms and no color bombs. You got it?”

Abby nodded, entered the vault and threw wrapped twenties into the bag. Her hands shook and she kept repeating what she’d learned in classes for just this type of situation. Stay calm. Do as asked. Do not risk your life.

The last one stuck in her mind as she pushed the silent alarm. It was hard to detect and she flicked her hand across it as she pulled out stacks of twenties. She handed the guy two bags and just then a siren wailed in the distance.

The gorilla-masked guy shoved a gun in her face. She trembled. “Did you push an alarm?”

“N-o, no. You watched me the whole time.”

He pressed the end of the barrel against her temple. The cold steel on her skin propelled rolls of shivers through her.

“If you did, bitch, it’ll be the last thing you do.” The odor of sweat mixed with marijuana clogged her nostrils.

“O-oh. Oh.” Mr. Harmon clutched his chest and crumpled to the floor.

“Mr. Harmon!” She fell down by him to see if he was okay. He was so still. She wasn’t sure he was breathing.

“Man, we gotta go,” the one with the clown mask shouted. “The cops are coming.”

The other robber grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet. “We’ll take her as a hostage. If she set off the alarm, she’s gonna pay for it.”

“Let’s go! Let’s go!”

The guy dragged her out of the vault. She couldn’t think. Her mind was wrapped around a cold ball of fear.

“Come on, man,” the stranger spoke up, cool as ice water. “She’s a woman. She’ll only slow you down. Take me.”

“C’mon,” the clown guy at the door yelled. “We’re losing time. The cops will be here any second.”

“We’re taking both of them,” the other robber decided, pushing them toward the door and to the van.

Never get into a van. Never get into a van. The warning ran through her mind and she dug in her heels. “I’m not getting in.”

The gorilla guy slapped her hard across the face and knocked her halfway into the van. The stranger jumped him but was stopped when the man shoved a gun into his ribs.

“Get her into the van,” the guy growled. “I’ll deal with you later.”

The stranger lifted her inside. He was gentle. That was the only thing that registered besides the sense of doom clogging her lungs. The doors slammed shut and they roared away onto the freeway.

The clown guy drove and the other one sat in the back with them. The van was dark. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust. A piece of dirty, stained carpet was on the floor and heat rose up from the hot highway, warming her backside. That was the least of her worries. Her jaw ached and she couldn’t think clearly. Chloe. Her precious baby. Would she ever see her again?

Suddenly, the siren was closer and the wail was deafening. “Lookie there, Rudy, it’s an ambulance. She didn’t alert the cops.”

“Shut up, you idiot. Now they know my name.”

“So? Dead people don’t talk.”

The stranger moved beside her. “Stay calm,” he whispered.

“What did you say to her?” Rudy demanded.

“It’s damn hot in here,” the stranger retorted. “Doesn’t this thing have air-conditioning?”

Rudy waved the gun. “Shut your trap.” He reached behind him and pulled out a roll of duct tape. “Tape his wrists together,” he said to her.

She didn’t move. The heat and gas fumes hampered her breathing.

“Now!” he screamed.

She dragged in air and reached for the tape. The stranger held his wrists together and she nervously wounded the tape around them. His hands were strong, his fingers lean.

“Tighter,” Rudy yelled.

She pulled until her arms hurt and then she used her teeth to rip into it. The stranger’s dark eyes watched her. There was something in them she couldn’t define. A message, maybe. Trust me. Or was she reading what she wanted to see?

“Holy shit, Rudy,” the driver called. “There go four police cars and a SWAT van. The old man must have woken up and called them. Too bad, suckers. We’re long gone.”

The van rolled to a stop.

“What the hell you stopping for?”

“Red light, dude.”

“Watch the man so I can tie up the woman.”

The vehicle was basically a shell with two seats. The driver pointed a gun at them and Rudy whipped the tape around her wrists. He still had on the mask and all she could see were his dull green eyes staring at her from behind a gorilla face. Goose bumps popped up on her skin.

“Hey, dude, we got a looker here. I might keep her.” He ran his hand up her arm and she jerked away. “She’s feisty, too.”

“Leave her alone,” the stranger snapped

“Shut up,” Rudy hissed, “or I’ll tape your mouth.”

“There’s a cop car behind us,” the driver said as they moved through the light.

“What the frickin’ hell?” Rudy looked out the small back windows. “His light’s blinking. Don’t stop.”

“No way. I can lose him,” the driver bragged.

“He’s going around us.”

“Yeah, Rudy. He’s turning around up ahead. Must be heading to the bank to give assistance. Sucker! Cops are idiots.”