Robbery in Progress

[JUDE FROST]

”Next time Jim decides he wants to tell someone they can have their car fixed over the weekend then Jim can do it his damn self, know what I’m sayin’?” Jude held open the door to the bank and Derek strolled right in past him. No thank you, no nothing. Not that he expected that from any of the guys that he worked with, but Derek had totalled his bike after a night of drinking and Jude was now his personal taxi service apparently. He didn’t even bank here but Derek had to deposit his check. And who do you think had to drive him there? Jude. ”I’m telling you, ya gotta lay your foot down or they walk all over you.” “Heh.. yeah, I know.. you’ve said this six times today. Three on the way to work and three on the way here...” Jude kept his voice low not wanting to draw attention to them but Derek was already doing enough of that for the both of them. As they headed to the short line of people that were waiting for service a few people glanced over their shoulders at them. Derek didn’t know how to speak softly and Jude offered the people in front of them an apologetic smile. If he could shut him up he would but he already tried.

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In the bank there were three tellers behind the bullet resistant glass. Two of them were helping clients while one had its back to the teller line sorting through papers. There was one older gentleman behind a desk near the lobby who handled the opening of accounts and any sort of customer service that was needed, but nobody was sitting in front of his desk. There were two people waiting ahead of Jude and Derek and one more standing behind them in line.

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Jude watched as the little old lady at the far right window counted what appeared to be pennies, putting one at a time in the little tray that dipped between the counter and the glass. ”Thirty-four.. thirty-five.. thirty-six..” He heard her shaky voice as she counted out loud for the teller that was assisting her. The teller looked like she was growing impatient and Jude covered his forming grin with his hand trying not to show his amusement. The other teller had just helped a man who was leaving her station, causing the line to move up as the first person in line headed to the now vacant station. He really wished that the third teller would start helping out so that the line would go faster and he could get Derek home so that he’d be rid of him. He just wanted to get home, open up a bottle of beer and wait for his uncle to swing by and raid his fridge the way he did every Friday. Most people spent Friday nights going out on dates or heading to the movies. Jude preferred to spend his Fridays with his uncle, listening to him grow funnier and funnier the more he drank and Jude made sure to keep a fridge stocked full of beer and a liquor cabinet filled.

Derek continued to go on and on about how he shouldn’t have to come in over the weekend and how Jim should have taken care of it and told the customer they could have picked their car up on Wednesday not first thing Monday morning. He looked up to the ceiling and let out a quiet sigh. ”Seventy-two... seventy-three..” How many pennies did that old lady have?

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The doors of the bank opened up two more times. The first time letting in another customer and the second time a man who walked straight toward the restrooms. He kept his head low and his hands stuffed in his pockets trying to go unnoticed from the looks of it. Nobody seemed to pay him any mind, just some guy going to the bathroom before doing a transaction, no big deal. But once the man made it into the restrooms and checked to make sure nobody else was inside with him he pulled out a cell phone and hit speed dial. After a couple of rings someone picked up. “All set,” the man said into the cell phone before hanging it up and pocketing it.

[ANDY ROCCOGRANDI]

Andy hated going into the bank. She preferred to roll up to the ATM or the drive-thru tellers and do whatever business she needed. Walking into the bank and waiting in line was the last thing Andy ever wanted to do. She was always in a hurry and she didn’t have time to waste on actually stepping into the building. What was it that funny black lady said? “Ain’t nobody got time for dat!” That was the story of Andy’s life. Even though she’d taken the day off, she still had a deposition she needed to review tonight before she submitted it to Dani in the morning for her review. Dani was very thorough and she wanted the weekend to make sure everything was in order, along with the five other depositions the woman had to read. Honestly, her new boss had enough energy to run a small country. Maybe if Dani Drake was president of the U.S. she would find some way out of the mess they were in. Andy would vote for her. But all of that was beside the point. The point was that she had shit to do and this line was taking FOREVER. She blamed the little old lady counting pennies for this. Of course Andy didn’t say anything, though. She just sighed heavily and shoved her hand not clutching the handles of her purse into the back pocket of her jeans. Her white t-shirt displayed the cover of Led Zepplin’s fourth album, their best in her opinion. It hung loosely on her lean body, perfect for sitting around in. If only she was sitting around.

“Next time Jim decides he wants to tell someone they can have their car fixed over the weekend then Jim can do it his damn self, know what I’m sayin’?”[/b] The loud, gruff voice caught Andy’s attention and she turned to look over her shoulder at the door opening. Two men walked in, one older and obviously complaining in a very loud voice, and the other young and…well, very handsome. She checked the younger guy out briefly before he could notice her staring before she turned back around. Maybe this trip wasn’t a total bust after all. Perhaps she should thank the pain in the ass movers she’d hired for making her get a money order to pay them. On second thought, they’d scratched her coffee table and hadn’t even bothered helping her put the big stuff where she needed it, so no, she wouldn’t thank them. But still, it was a nice consolation prize that she had something pretty to look at. “I’m telling you, ya gotta put your foot down or they’ll walk all over you. “Heh…yeah, I know…you’ve said this six times today. Three on the way to work and three on the way here…” The young guy talked softly, but Andy was standing right in front of them and she had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. So she wasn’t the only one who thought the guy he was with sounded obnoxious.

The guy was going on and on and the old lady was still counting her freaking pennies and Andy let her eyes wander so she wouldn’t kirk out. That’s when she noticed the guy walking into the men’s bathroom. She didn’t pay much attention to him, just noticed his presence. Finally the line moved up one and she moved with it before turning to look back at the doors again. There were a couple of men approaching the door, but Andy found herself glancing to the pretty boy behind her. Their eyes met and she instinctively gave a small smile in acknowledgement. She wasn’t expecting the next interruption.

[JUDE FROST]

The bank doors opened again but this time the two men who came inside together both had on dark jeans and dark hoodies, which was strange for how warm it was that day. It wasn’t winter anymore.. but it wasn’t the hoodies that made them stand out. It was the ski masks that were covering their faces and their hands that were stuffed into the bulging front pouches of their hoodies. One of the men had a canvas bag in his free hand.
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Jude didn’t even notice the two men that came in behind them. Derek was still ranting about the same damn thing and Jude was doing his best not to pay much attention to him. He nodded every so often and even grinned but he didn’t say anything. When the woman in front of him turned around and made eye contact he was surprised. He figured someone was going to give them disgruntled looks because Derek was so loud but he didn’t expect the person who looked at them to be so good looking. He couldn’t keep himself from offering her a friendly smile and wondering who she was. He couldn’t help himself.. he was a guy after all and they thought about the ways they could speak to a woman they found attractive.

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”Everybody on the ground! NOW!” The masked man (#1) with the bag shouted while the second masked man (#2) pulled his hand out from the front pocket of his hoodie and waved a gun in the air for everyone to see. He grabbed Derek by the collar of his shirt and tried to push him down to the ground. The man who had gone into the restroom came out with a mask covering his face (#3) and he too flashed his weapon. He moved towards the man at the customer service desk and yanked him out of his seat, pulling him with him towards the teller line and pointing his gun at his head. “Nobody fucking move! YOU!” He pointed toward the old woman at the teller station who was counting pennies. “Get your ass on the floor!”

The old lady turned her head and looked at the man in the mask for a long pause before she turned back to the teller window and scooped up her pennies out of the tray only to push one back down into the tray again. Then another and another. “Four... five... six...” Clearly the robber had made her lose count. She had to start again.

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Jude nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the man shouting for everyone to get on the ground. He heard one of the tellers scream and his eyes widened on full alert, finally taking notice of the men who looked like they had no intention of making a deposit today. The other customers behind him in line lowered themselves to the ground and Jude decided that would be the best course of action. There was nothing worse than pissing off someone with a gun. If they did what they were told then hopefully nobody would be hurt.. they’d get the money and go. He just hoped that nobody tried to do anything stupid. Derek seemed reluctant to get on the ground at first but Jude grabbed him by his upper arm and pulled him down with him so that they were sitting side to side. His eyes moved to the woman who he was previously making eye contact with, hoping she wouldn’t freeze up and just stand there.

When the robbers grabbed the customer service representative he sat up straighter and kept his eyes fixed on robber #3. He wondered if he were to shift right there if these guys would have a chance to fire a shot at him or if they’d just run out screaming. He couldn’t chance it.. not when he didn’t know if they knew how to handle a weapon or not and if they did shoot at him there was no way he could be positive a stray bullet wouldn’t hit someone else. He couldn’t risk it. He’d stay put right there and just let it all play out.. he wasn’t a hero anyways. He’d just do more damage than good if he shifted right there.

The woman behind him was taking short, gasping breaths like she was about to start hyperventilating. It was making him nervous and he turned to look at her, putting his hand over hers. “It’s going to be alright.. just do what he says..” He instructed to the woman who nodded vigorously as tears started to stream down her face. She looked to be in her early forties.. probably had kids. At least if Jude was shot the only person who would miss him would be his uncle.

Derek watched Jude console the lady and decided that it was his turn to act hero. He was older and wiser than Jude. And unlike the silly kid he wasn’t going to try and make the older lady feel better but the young hot piece of ass that was right in front of them. “It’s ar’ight sweet cheeks. Just don’t make a peep,” he offered with a grin. Truth was he was scared shitless right now. The only reason he wasn’t pissing his pants was because he didn’t drink nothin’ all day long. But it didn’t mean he was any less of a man! Even heros pissed themselves, right?

Jude turned his head and looked at Derek like he’d just sprouted a second set of arms. Why did he have to even try...

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Robber #2 heard Derek talking to the girl and closed the distance between him and Derek quickly. He drew back his weapon and then brought it down, pistol whipping Derek across the face. “You shut the fuck up! Are you fucking deaf?!”

[ANDY ROCCOGRANDI]

The handsome young man behind her in line smiled back, which only made Andy smile wider. That was until she noticed that the men walking into the bank were wearing masks. Before she could even gasp, her big eyes widening, the men were barging in through the glass doors, holding their guns high. “Everybody on the ground! NOW!” Andy frantically watched as they approached, her body going rigid in instinctive fear. Was this really happening? The young guy grabbed the older guy standing behind her and forced him to the ground, making Andy’s heart pump furiously in her chest. She finally felt her knees bending, kneeling onto the thin carpet beneath her. Another man came charging out of the bathroom and Andy flashed back to the man who had walked right into the bank and went straight for the bathroom. What had he looked like? She had to remember in case they eluded immediate prosecution. Andy thought hard on it while she lowered her torso to the ground, a foot away from the cute boy she’d just been ogling. “Nobody fucking move! YOU!” Her eyes lifted to see who the gunman was yelling at and saw his gun pointed towards the service desk. “Get your ass on the floor!” Was he yelling at the old lady? Andy looked back and saw her…still counting?! Did people really live to an age where they just didn’t give a fuck about their life? Or was this woman that feeble-minded in her old age? She prayed they wouldn’t shoot the old lady. Or anyone, for that matter. It was finally sinking in that Andy had just been thrust into a life-threatening situation and her hands trembled as adrenaline rushed through her.

She looked around from her awkward position on the floor, trying her best to get an idea of who was where and how they could escape this situation. Of course she could shift and use the element of surprise to get out, but that would probably end up badly. They had guns and the whole situation probably had them so on edge that they’d shoot at first provocation. Her eyes landed on the man she’d just been smiling at and found him on the floor next to his coworker. One of the men grabbed a customer service representative and Andy held her breath, wondering if they would harm her. Thankfully they didn’t, they just dragged her off. When she heard a woman hyperventilating, she looked over and saw the young man comforting her, which in turn helped to calm Andy. What a nice guy to help a stranger out like that…

That’s when she noticed the other guy looking at her. She lowered her brow and stared back at him skeptically. “It’s ar’ight sweet cheeks. Just don’t make a peep.” Sweet cheeks? Really? He gave a grin and she only gave a halfhearted curl of her lip in return. The last place she wanted to be hit on was in a bank while it was being robbed. Apparently one of the robbers agreed with that as he charged at them with long strides. Andy’s eyes widened in terror as she watched the masked man approaching, gasping when he pistol whipped the man hitting on her. She didn’t like him calling her sweet cheeks, but he didn’t deserve that reaction! “You shut the fuck up! Are you fucking deaf?!” Andy swallowed hard and moved back down flat on her stomach before the robber could hit her too. Her mouth clenched tightly shut, her whole body stretched tight and ready to bolt if she needed to. She looked at the handsome guy and caught his gaze, her own wide-eyed and scared. What were they going to do? There was a black woman lying on the ground not far from her and she could hear her whispering something. She looked at her and found tears streaming down her cheeks as she prayed softly. Andy reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. The other woman looked up at her in surprise and then squeezed her hand in return. Andy didn’t need to say anything. Just that touch was enough to tell each woman that they were not alone and to be strong. At least it stopped the woman from whispering so she wouldn’t get hit too. Andy’s eyes followed one of the masked men as he prowled near her, looking over the crowd with hard, appraising eyes. How was this going to end?

[JUDE FROST]

Jude watched as his buddy was hit in the face with the robber’s pistol, leaving a gash lengthwise down his cheek. His face was already beginning to swell up and the long gash was even bleeding. Jude couldn’t help but feel bad for his friend even if he could be a jerk. “Stay down,” he mouthed silently to his friend and motioned with his hand to the ground. His friend seemed almost out of it but he put his head on the ground, blinking his eyes several times quickly before calming down. Jude hoped that he didn’t rattle his brain too much when he was whipped.

There was screaming, crying and tension as thick as paste in the air. Jude felt like everything was moving in slow motion while the robbers screamed their obscenities at everyone. ”I WANT YOU TO PUT ALL OF THE MONEY IN THE BAG. DON’T EVEN THINK OF TOUCHING THE FUCKING ALARM, YOU BITCH!” One of the robbers shouted and Jude heard someone gasp. He turned his head and could see a black woman laying not too far away, holding the hand of the brunette that his buddy was trying to console. He really was an idiot for trying to turn this into a means to pick up a beautiful woman. His eyes flicked to the woman in question for a moment, his brows furrowing like he was in deep, troubled thought before he looked up to see one of the robbers banging on the glass with the butt of his pistol.

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Two of the robbers kept moving around the bank frantically, one holding the personal banker at gunpoint while the other kept looking out the windows repeatedly. The third man was the one banging on the glass, screaming at the teller behind the glass to hurry up and get the money together for them or he was going to put a bullet between their eyes.

Down the street sirens could be heard growing louder.

“Shit! Let’s go! HURRY THE FUCK UP!”

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Maybe he was feeling courageous hearing the sirens in the distance or he was just stupid but Derek began to stir, looking around before he sat up and then got up to his feet. Jude’s eyes doubled in size as he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Get down!” He hissed quietly and jerked his head at the ground to show the sense of urgency. But Derek wasn’t going to listen to him, distracted keeping tabs on where the robbers were and coming up behind the one in front of the teller window. While the criminal wasn’t looking Derek clubbed him in the back of the head with his fist. The robber’s head hit the glass in front of him before he dropped to the ground. The noise got the attention of the other robbers and they both turned toward Derek with their weapons drawn.

Oh shit!

Jude couldn’t get up off the ground fast enough. He could hear a few people trying to protest, a few screams and the man that was behind him in line grabbing at his leg to try and stop him but Jude had to do something! He couldn’t let crazy Derek get himself -- BANG One of the robbers fired off a shot that missed Derek but the bullet must have ricocheted because suddenly the black woman was howling like a wounded animal, making the hair on the back of Jude’s neck stand on end. He turned his head and saw the woman’s left pant leg slowly getting dark as blood began to soak through. She began to squirm around on the ground writhing in pain. Jude took this moment to grab the front of Derek’s shirt and yank him down to the ground with him. “What were you thinking, man?!” He snarled and Derek just looked at him with fear in his eyes. ”I-I-I..” Derek couldn’t get the words out. Little did he know that was the last thing Derek would utter as the robber that missed the first time rushed over and stuck the barrel of the gun against Derek’s temple and pulled the trigger. “No!” BANG! Jude crab crawled backward as Derek’s lifeless body crumpled on the ground, bumping into the black woman who wailed out again.

”Now everyone calm the fuck DOWN!” All hell was starting to break loose.

[ANDY ROCCOGRANDI]

“I WANT YOU TO PUT ALL OF THE MONEY IN THE BAG. DON’T EVEN THINK OF TOUCHING THE FUCKING ALARM, YOU BITCH!” The threat in the robber’s voice made the woman holding Andy’s hand squeeze tighter as she let out a quiet sob. Andy held tighter in return, bringing her other hand to cover the woman’s hand completely. There was a wedding ring on her finger and Andy wondered if the woman had children too. What must be going through her mind? Andy knew she wished her big brother was there. Jack was a cop—he knew how to handle situations like this. He was trained to stay calm. If she got out of this alive, she was definitely going to ask him how on earth he could stay calm. Suddenly there was a loud crash against the glass and Andy jumped, looking over at the cause of the commotion. The robber at the window was banging the butt of the gun against it, threatening to put a bullet between the teller’s eyes if she didn’t hurry up. Andy watched with a racing heart, praying she wouldn’t have to see anyone die today.

And then she heard the sirens. That sound had never been so welcome in all her life.

“Shit! Let’s go! HURRY THE FUCK UP!” Andy’s heart pounded faster, anxious for them to leave with no one scathed. A rustling to the side of her drew her eyes just as she heard a harsh whisper. “Get down!” To her horror, the man who had been trying to hit on her was on his feet. She tried to grab at his pants leg as he moved around her, wanting to stop him before he did something stupid, but he moved too fast. Her eyes were glued to his retreating form as he snuck up behind the robber at the glass. With a punch to the back of the head, the robber went face first into the window, knocking him out. The idiot who punched him was too distracted to see the other robbers turn on him with weapons raised. Her heart stopped as she watched their guns aim for him. There was another scurry of movement and her head whipped around in time to see the handsome young man get to his feet and hurry towards his friend. She wanted to stop him, grab for him, but he was out of reach and a sudden explosion forced her panic to rise again and she gasped, tensing completely. The howl of the woman whose hand she was holding and the sudden vise like grip on her hand made a surge of adrenaline rush through Andy, her eyes immediately widening in terror and panic. There was blood pooling on the floor beneath her leg…

Andy jumped to her knees, still crouched but hurrying to the woman’s side, releasing her hand to press both of her own into the woman’s wound. She had to staunch the bleeding! Her head whipped around to see the handsome young man yanking his friend to the ground. “What were you thinking, man?!” What was he thinking?! He’d just gotten a woman shot! “I-I-I…” The guy was stuttering, but Andy’s attention was caught by the robber who had fired the first time rushed up to the men on the ground. Andy gasped as she watched him lift the barrel to the older man’s head. “Wait!” she barked, just as the young man cried, “No!” In an instant there was blood all over the ground and the older man fell to the ground. Andy let out a short gasp of a scream, her eyes immediately filling with tears. Just like that, the man who had hit on her was dead. It was so sudden, so horrifying. She realized she had brought a bloody hand to her face out of instinct and staring at the blood on her hand made her feel dizzy. Her heart was racing.

A distraction called her attention away again, finding the handsome young man suddenly beside her, bumping into the woman she had been trying to help. He looked as terrified as she felt, his eyes glued to the body of his friend. She immediately reached out to grab his arm to keep him from toppling over the woman on the ground and also to help steady him. There were tears on her cheeks—tears of shock, fear, sadness, anger… “Now everyone calm the fuck DOWN!” The voice rang in her ears and she felt like she was going to pass out, her heart was racing so much. The woman reached up and grabbed her shirt and she looked down at her, still gripping the arm of the man next to her like she was holding on for dear life. There was agony written all over the woman’s face. Andy had to help her.

She shifted again, tearing at her old, favorite baggy T-shirt and ripping a long strip from the end that went all the way around. It revealed a little of her stomach, but she didn’t care. Suddenly there was something cold and hard at the back of her head. Andy froze, dropping the strip onto the ground. “Get on the FUCKING GROUND, bitch!” Her hands slowly rose, trembling. With a hard swallow, she very slowly started to turn her head until she could look up at the robber. His eyes were ablaze with cold fury as he looked down at her. “NOW!!” She jumped away from the barrel a little before lifting her eyes to him again. “Please…I’m just trying to help this woman. If the bleeding doesn’t stop, she could bleed out.” “Does it look like I fucking care about her bleeding out?!” His gun left the back of her head momentarily to gesture at the body of the man he’d killed. She sniffed and shook her head, feeling the muzzle come back to her skull. “No…but I’m a lawyer. Those sirens are getting closer. If you guys are caught, you don’t want a second murder on your hands. That’s a death sentence.” Her eyes boldly looked up to the robber, insistent and pleading. It was the truth and she silently prayed he would believe her. For a long, tense and desperate moment he simply glared down at her, holding the gun to the back of her head.

And then the gun was gone. “Make it fucking quick.” The wave of relief that rushed over her left her limbs weak and shaky, but she only had a moment to breathe a sigh of relief before she forced herself to work quickly. She rolled up the woman’s pants leg, revealing the seeping wound. All she had to do was cut off the bleeding. Her eyes turned to the handsome young man frozen beside her and she was certain the fear in his eyes was reflected in her own. Thankfully, her voice was still relatively steady as she said quietly, “Will you help me and press your hands on her wound while I tie this cloth around her leg? It’ll cut off the blood flow and slow the bleeding.” She hoped he would say yes, spare her having to ask someone else. They both needed a distraction anyway.

[JUDE FROST]

Jude was consumed by the sight of his coworker’s blood spilled out across the bank’s tiled floor that he didn’t even realize that he was about to mow the injured woman down from backing into her and the firm hand on his arm startled him but it made him stop and turn to see the girl that Derek was hitting on was the one who stopped him. The poor older woman was howling out in pain and he wished there was something that he could do to take away her pain but what could he do? The robbers were shouting for them to stop what they were doing and clearly they were willing to kill just for a couple thousand dollars it seemed. What the hell was taking that teller so long? Why couldn’t she give them the money faster so that they’d get the hell out of dodge and then everyone would be safe. Everyone but Derek, he told himself, but he wasn’t going to look over at the man’s lifeless body.. he was going to keep his attention on the two ladies next to him because that was what was going to help him keep himself together.

He could hear the sound of fabric tearing and noticed the girl was pulling apart the bottom of her shirt and any other time he would have asked her what she was doing but frankly all he cared about was whether or not she was going to get herself hurt and as if on cue one of the robbers came over and started shouting at her to get on the ground. ”Please...I’m just trying to help this woman. If the bleeding doesn’t stop, she could bleed out.” ”Does it look like i fucking care about her bleeding out?!” That was her answer.. just get on the ground, lady.. but she didn’t. She persisted, stating she was a lawyer and that they would get the death penalty if they had another murder on their hands which seemed to make the criminal stop and really consider it. He found himself holding his breath waiting for the robber to either use his words or violence in response to what the lady told him. ”Make it fucking quick.” He was relieved that words were chosen instead of violence again and he exhaled slowly.

The lady went to work on the woman’s pant leg, trying to pull it up far enough so that she could get a look at the wound and what a mess that was! The blood was oozing out of the gaping hole in her leg but it didn’t seem to phase the younger lady who got to work making a tourniquet of sorts with the piece of shirt she tore off to help stop the bleeding. ”Will you help me and press your hands on her wound while I tie this cloth around her leg? It’ll cut off the blood flow and slow the bleeding.” Now wasn’t the time for him to grow queasy but he couldn’t help himself. Fortunately it didn’t show in his actions how this made him sick to his stomach as he reached an arm up and grabbed the back of his shirt from over his shoulder and pulled until he could slip his head out, leaving him in just a white undershirt but it would be better if he didn’t touch the woman’s wound with his bare hands, not with how much dirt he still had under his nails from a day at the shop. It didn’t matter how often he washed his hands there was always a chance that there might be a thin film of car grease on his hands. He wrapped his shirt around the woman’s leg as best he could while trying his best not to get in the other lady’s way and then pressed his hands firmly on the spot where he knew the wound to be. The older woman let out a cry but he didn’t remove his hands. “It’s okay.. we’re just going to try and s-stop the bleeding..” He wasn’t a fan of the sight of blood and his eyes slid shut as his face paled just trying to keep it together before he opened his eyes again and glanced around to see where the robbers were before turning to the younger woman. “Do you have a death wish?” He whispered to her as his brows knitted up in the middle of his forehead to show his concern, revealing that his words weren’t meant to be harsh at all but with worry. “That was really brave but don’t get yourself killed, okay?” Was the woman’s leg twitching? He thought it was.. probably from the pain but he kept pressure on her leg making sure it wasn’t too light but also not too hard either.

Two of the criminals were starting to grow anxious, wanting to get the hell out of there but the one who had shot Derek seemed almost a little too calm about the whole situation. The powerful sounding sirens didn’t change in pitch which confirmed that the police were just outside of the bank now, probably gathering and trying to figure out a way to resolve the situation at hand. Even the robbers could tell that they were going to have a helluva time trying to leave the bank now with the police blocking their only exit. There was probably another exit but they were willing to bet all the money in the bank that it was also blocked off. Now it was more of a matter of trying to figure out how to escape. The minutes that ticked by felt like hours for some of the hostages and even for the robbers, waiting to see who was going to make the first move because at the moment it was looking like a stalemate. ”This is turning into a shitfest!” one of the robbers hissed to the other two. ”Will you fucking shut it? We’ve got this under control. They’re going to offer us something and we’ll just sweat them until we figure something out. I got a cousin who just got out o-”[/i] “We’re not going to use your cousin Sal. He’s even dumber than you are.” The three of them continued to speak in hushed voices trying to figure something out.[/i]

Jude wasn’t sure what was going to happen but he had a feeling that they weren’t going to get out of there anytime soon. Trying to be a hero was out of the question now that he knew that they would shoot to kill. He’d never actually been shot but he wouldn’t deny that he thought about whether or not he was willing to get shot if it meant helping everyone else in the bank. But that was if he was going to get shot in the arm or the leg.. but he didn’t want to die. “We’re not getting out of here anytime soon..” he whispered, his eyes shifting between both of the women, realizing that if he was going to die in here these would be the last two people he’d be with before he died and he didn’t even know their names. “My name’s Jude. What can i call you two?”

[ANDY ROCCOGRANDI]

Andy watched the handsome man give her an uneasy look and it dawned on her that maybe he wasn’t so good with blood. To her surprise he started wriggling out of his shirt and she glanced nervously at the nearest robber before looking back at the young man. He was left in a white undershirt and she realized how toned he was. Did her libido know no bounds?! This wasn’t the time to be checking out a boy, no matter how cute he was! Andy watched as he wrapped the shirt around the wounded woman’s leg and then pressed down. The woman cried out and Andy actually winced a little. The poor lady was probably in agony. “It’s okay…we’re just going to try and s-stop the bleeding…” Andy looked at the guy worriedly for a moment, noticing how pale he was getting and how his eyes slid shut. Yeah, he wasn’t doing so well with the blood. When Andy was sure he wasn’t going to blow chunks, she began folding her strip of cloth in half and tucking it under the woman’s leg. “Do you have a death wish?” His whispered words caught her attention again and she lifted her big brown eyes to him in mild surprise. He was concerned about her and was only being stern because of his worry. That reminded her a lot of Jack… “That was really brave but don’t get yourself killed, okay?” He’d already lost his friend for doing something brave…Andy pushed a small smile to her face and nodded. “I won’t,” she whispered back before continuing her work on the woman’s leg.

She double wrapped her strip of cloth, listening as the sirens got louder and louder. Would her brother be among the cops responding to the situation? Or was this Friday his day off? Maybe it would be his girlfriend Rebecca who showed up to the rescue…Andy pulled the cloth very tight around the woman’s leg and she moaned in response. Andy gave her a concerned look. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I just have to stop the bleeding.” “I know, baby…” The woman’s voice was low and soothing and her eyes opened to give Andy a pained smile. Andy returned it as best as she could. “You’re doing gre—” “This is turning into a shitfest!”[/i] Andy glanced at the robbers nervously, her movements pausing for a moment. “Will you fucking shut it? We’ve got this under control. They’re going to offer us something and we’ll just sweat them until we figure something out. I got a cousin who just got out o—” “We’re not going to use your cousin Sal. He’s even dumber than you are.”[/i] There was dissention in the ranks, it seemed. Andy would try to figure out a way to use their panic to her advantage, but she knew they would shoot to kill. They had already done it once and threatened to do it again to her. There had to be a way out of this mess, though…She could try and talk her way out. Well, not just her way but everyone’s.

“We’re not getting out of here anytime soon…” The man’s whispered voice beside her drew Andy’s attention once again as she tied off the strip of cloth. “My name’s Jude. What can I call you two?” The woman on the ground looked up at Jude with pained eyes but another small smile. “Mildred. But ya’ll can call me Mrs. Jackson.” Andy smiled as the woman’s eyes shifted to her and she looked between Jude and Mrs. Jackson. “My name’s Andy. And I’m all done now Mrs. Jackson.” She rested her hand on the woman’s knee briefly as a reassuring touch before she moved her hands over Jude’s. Gently she pulled them away and Mrs. Jackson gave a small sigh of relief. The blood was flowing more slowly, but Andy didn’t like that the red stain on Jude’s shirt was still growing. She pressed her own hands into the shirt now and Mrs. Jackson moaned again in agony. “I know, I’m sorry.” The woman on the floor shook her head. “No, baby, don’t be sorry. You did such a brave thang standin’ up to that mothafucka for me.” Andy grinned wide at hearing Mrs. Jackson curse, glancing at Jude too. At least she was in good spirits. The older woman’s hand found Jude’s and grasped it tight. “I hope ya’ll don’t mind indulgin’ an old woman. If I’m gonna die, I wanna do it holdin’ a pretty boy’s hand.” Andy giggling very softly, glancing to Jude to see the smile on his face. “You’re not going to die, Mrs. Jackson. I won’t let that happen.” It was a whispered promise, but one she meant to keep. Even so, she felt very uncertain. What if she died in all of this? Could this really be her last day on earth? Just the thought of that terrified her…She couldn’t die before she met her new niece or nephew! Her little sister would never forgive her for that…Well, she would, but she had to tell herself that Izzy wouldn’t. The smile had faded from her face and she took a deep breath so she wouldn’t panic. She glanced at Jude and whispered, “I’m so sorry about your friend.” Her eyes were sad as they peered into his.

[JUDE FROST]

”Mildred. But ya’ll can call me Mrs. Jackson.” Mrs. Jackson.. that reminded Jude of a song but he wasn’t going to let them know that he was thinking of an Outkast song at a time like this. ”My name’s Andy. And I’m all done now Mrs. Jackson.” Jude felt the relief warming him as he moved his hands away so that Andy could do what she needed without him getting in the way. He watched Andy pressing down on the rag that used to be his shirt, the blood seeping right through the cotton, making his stomach churn at the sight of the dark maroon color. ”I know, I’m sorry.”[/b] ”No, baby, don’t be sorry. You did such a brave thang standin’ up to that mothafucka for me.” This wasn’t the time or the place but Jude let a quiet chuckle escape at Mrs. Jackson’s words. She seemed like the kind of woman who would be great company on a good day. He wasn’t expecting the older woman to grab his hand but he didn’t pull away from her grasp. ”I hope ya’ll don’t mind indulgin’ an old woman. If I’m gonna die, I wanna do it holdin’ a pretty boy’s hand.” He offered Mrs. Jackson a great big smile and would have patted her hand with his other one except he knew that it was covered in the woman’s blood and that probably wouldn’t go over well. “You’re quite the looker yourself, Mrs. Jackson.” He said softly before hearing Andy assure her that she wasn’t going to die and although he certainly hoped that she wouldn’t pass it wasn’t completely out of the picture at this point but Jude was trying his best not to think about that or of Derek.

As if Andy had read his mind he heard her speak, ”I’m so sorry about your friend.” He gave her a slight, meek nod before looking over towards the robbers to make sure they were still preoccupied with trying to figure out their escape route and not paying attention to them. “Thank you..” He didn’t really know what to say.. Derek could be such a douchebag but he didn’t deserve to die like that. “He was stupid trying to be tough..” Jude gave Mrs. Jackson’s hand a little squeeze, making sure she was still paying attention to them and not falling asleep. Didn’t that happen when you lost a lot of blood? Did you fall asleep?

”...we can take a hostage. There’s that bitch over there,” One of the robbers nodded toward the woman who had entered the bank with a man, probably a young couple that were dating. “They’ll have to let us go or we fucking waste her!” The robbers were still trying to figure out how they were going to get out of this unscathed and it was clear it didn’t matter who they had to hurt in order to do it.

Jude was seriously considering just shifting and attacking the three criminals. He figured he had a 110% chance of getting shot if he did that but only 70% chance of it being fatal. If Mrs. Jackson could handle a gunshot wound like a man then surely he could. But his wolf form was massive.. it seemed to skip a couple of generations but he received the gene that turned him into an extinct type of wolf. He had his great-great-grandfather to thank for that he supposed. But it made him an easy target being so big. “They’re going to start picking us out one by one if we don’t do something, I think..” He swallowed a dry lump in the back of his throat, trying to muster up the strength to come up with a plan. What could they do? They didn’t have any weapons and who in their right mind was going to be brave enough to actually try and take out three armed robbers? His eyes met Andy’s and he realized that maybe this girl just might be crazy enough to do something. She already stood up to them once.

[ANDY ROCCOGRANDI]

The slight, meek nod that Jude gave Andy was understandable and she fought the urge to reach out and grab his hand. Not everybody was as touchy as she was. “Thank you…He was stupid trying to be tough…” Her brows knit up more as her frown deepened. Yeah, he was being stupid, but that didn’t mean he deserved to die like that. For a moment she had managed to tune out the band of robbers; that didn’t last for long. “…we can take a hostage. There’s that bitch over there.”[/i] Andy feared they were talking about her and she looked up at them with wary eyes. To her guilty relief, they were focused on a young couple huddling together. “They’ll have to let us go or we fucking waste her!”[/i] That wasn’t going to happen. Not if Andy could think of a way to get her and everyone else out of this. Her mind began to buzz, trying to think of the ways she could get the robbers at a disadvantage. There was always the option of shifting—red wolves were smaller, leaner, and faster than regular timber wolves. She was quick and menacing and could tear their throats out with one quick rip, but that was only if she could get close enough. Her transformation was guaranteed to shock and distract, yet Andy wasn’t confident it would be enough to get any advantage.

Almost like Jude was reading her mind, he leaned closer saying, “They’re going to start picking us out one by one if we don’t do something, I think…” Her big brown eyes fell on him with surprise, amazed that someone else was having these crazy, ridiculous thoughts of overcoming a pack of murderous thieves. Could Jude be her partner in this plan? Their eyes met and it was obvious they were both thinking the same thing: get everyone out of this alive. Andy immediately leaned in a little closer, her voice as quiet as she could get it while still loud enough to be heard. “I think you’re right. We have to think of something.” Her eyes immediately started scanning the area, her hands still pressed into Mrs. Jackson’s wound. That’s when she saw the bathrooms and a plan started to form. If she could convince one of the thieves to take her into the bathroom…she could shift and shock the hell out of the guy before wrestling the gun away. Then she would at least have something to defend everyone with. Maybe take the thief as a hostage.

It was the best she could come up with. Her eyes fell back on Jude’s. “Okay, I have an idea, but I have to warn you about something first because it’s part of the plan. You know those people they were talking about last summer? The ones that can shift into animals? Well…I’m one of them.” Jude looked shocked and she hoped he wouldn’t freak out. That was the last thing she needed. “I’m not going to hurt you or anything, I just—” Jude cut her off before she could finish, telling her he was a Therian too. Immediately her face changed to one of wide-eyed shock and excitement. “Really?! That’s perfect!” Her voice was a soft hiss as she spilled out the words. Realizing she might be caught talking that way, she changed it with her next statement, softening it to the lowest of whispers. “I turn into a red wolf. You?” A dire wolf. An extinct species. That was fucking awesome. She grinned wide. “Imagine the odds of two wolves getting in this situation.” It wasn’t the time or the place to reflect on that long, but it left her amazed and amused. She shook her head to get her back on task and not grinning stupidly at Jude. That’s when she remembered that Mrs. Jackson could hear them. She shifted her eyes uneasily to the woman on the floor, who was now studying them intently. Andy gulped, her heart sinking a bit. “I don’t want you to be scared…” she whispered to the woman. To her surprise Mrs. Jackson grinned wide and waved a weak hand at her. “Don’t you worry, honey. When ya’ll was escaping from that camp, I was driving one of the getaway cars.” Even though Andy hadn’t been in the camps, she was suddenly more grateful to Mrs. Jackson than she could have ever thought possible. She was one of the people to save her brother and mother. With a wide, warm grin, she reached out and squeezed Mrs. Jackson’s hand firmly, silently thanking her for her understanding.

Finally she turned back to Jude, looking serious. “Okay. I’m going to try and convince these guys to let me go to the bathroom. I’m going to suggest that one of them walk in with me so they can keep an eye on me. Once the door is shut, I’ll go into the stall and shift so when I come out, I can rush the guy and get his gun from him. Then I can come back out of the bathroom with a hostage. If you do the same, we’ll have them two out of three with a gun to their head. Then we make them all walk out to the police. What do you think?” Her eyes were wide and anxious, watching him eagerly for his feedback. She knew this was crazy, but it might just be crazy enough to work if she could convince someone to aid her.