Storms End

Chapter 4:The Night

"Okay, so what do we do exactly? We aren't actually going to rob a liquor store are we" Corrigan inquired, half worried.

"Of course we are" Mike said almost nonchalantly.

"You are one demented prick", Billy was practically used to saying that, he probably said it to Mike every time he saw him, which was practically every day.

"Okay, a few ground rules then, we return what we steal, we don't hurt anyone and we do not get arrested. I repeat, we do not get arrested, Michael" Billy strictly stated to Mike.

Billy never called Mike 'Michael', only when he meant it. It felt strange coming off his tongue, so foreign and serious, like he was a lawyer making a backroom deal, Billy wasn't the furthest thing from a lawyer though, he was a psychologist, a damm good one at that.

Says something doesn't it that Mikes best friend was a shrink who knew him better than anyone but still couldn't crack the last piece of the puzzle that was Michael Holton.

But old Bill made a promise to Mike that he'd never analyze him, unless he wasn't asked to and Bill begrudgingly accepted.

Getting back on track,

"Okay, I was planning on keeping to those kinds of rules anyways but yeah fine" Mike said.

"Okay now sees, I have a pair of ski masks and I have these fake knives I got from a friend who works at a theatre, and I've already picked out the store we should hit"

"The hell, I thought you were crazy, but now I'm sure, you've been planning this heist for a while haven't you? And you got them from a friend who works at a theatre? Is that a nice way of saying you hustled someone out of them at a card game?"

"I haven't been planning this, we're robbing this corner liquor store, I went inside earlier and noticed a lack of cameras, the owners new to this so he wont be armed, I keep the knives around in case I'm in a pinch, and the ski masks? Well okay I did plan on robbing someone tonight" Mike said.

"Where is all of this?" Billy asked.

"Its in the trunk of my car."

"When did you get a car?"

"I won it. In a card game." Mike said suspiciously.

"Okay fine. I wont be dragged into whatever you've been into lately, but youre hitting the tables again? where are you parked?"

"Well right across the street"

"Okay fine, lets go? Lets get your whims over with".

So Mike and Billy went over and collected the gear from the trunk of a car Mike had the keys to, I wouldn't call it Mikes car and Billy definitely wouldn't.

Mike and Billy walked into a dark corner and put on their black ski masks and Mike gave Billy a knife, Billy tested it to make sure it was fake, and the tip went bobbing back inside the handle, a harmless stage prop, he was satisfied that Mike wouldn't make any consequential decisions tonight.

They walked into the liquor store which was lit by a broken tube light hanging loosely from fraying wires from the ceiling leaning a little bit to one side, the entire room tinted a shade of dirty cream-ish white. The place reeked of desperation and a hub for the masses of lost souls, but there were so many like it that it was basically empty right now, all the lost going elsewhere for tonight it seemed.

Mike entered first, his head covered by ski mask, wearing a cheap looking suit with his tie hanging loosely around his neck and then me with a ski mask on my head, a grey trench coat with the collars turned up.

Mike pulled his knife out and Billy followed suit with his knife and threatened the man.

"Give me a bottle of your finest scotch!" Mike bellowed at the man who wasn't exactly cowering in fear, but a little annoyed, as if he was used to muggers, looking at this establishment, he might've been but we wouldn't know.

Billy had the feeling, why didn't he predict this?

The man calmly pulled out a small revolver from beneath the counter he sat behind and pointed it at Mike who froze.

For the first time Mike didn't know what to do, you could see him mumble something under his breath before he did something Billy did know if he could forgive or not after that night, he pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the man.

"Who has to more to lose, old man" Mike said to the man behind the counter who wasn't exactly old, but he hadn't maintained himself well so as to gain this aged appearance.

"You said he wouldn't have a gun!" Billy yelled at Mike.

"I was wrong, happens to the best of us" Mike said nonchalantly as usual.

"Whos got more to lose?" He said again to the man.

For a second the man wavered and then lowered his gun and pulled out a bottle of scotch and handed it to Mike.

Mike couldn't believe himself for a second there!

He had done it!

And then Billy hit Mike with the butt of his knife and told him that they should leave immediately to which the man behind the counter said "Ive called the cops"

Billy and Mikey ran out like Olympic athletes! But just as he exited the store Bill put the scotch at the entrance to the store and ran like crazy!

Billy's face was contorting with rage under the mask; he would give Mike a piece of his mind.

Mike predicted that was coming, he had turned something that was supposed to be quick and easy and turned it on its head. They could see sirens coming, they figured the guy had probably tripped a silent alarm when they weren't looking and they ran to Mikes car and got the hell out of dodge.

When things calmed down a little Billy pulled of his mask and blew a gasket.

"You annoying, self-aggrandizing little prick, who the hell do you think you are? Guns? We didn't agree to guns you goddam idiot! What if it went off?"

Mike showed the gun to Billy, it was a theatre prop; it had no chamber to load bullets into, no magazine, nothing.

But Billy realized that Mike intended to go off book and realized he couldn't do anymore for the night.

He got out leaving when Mike locked the car door.

"The nights just begun"

Billy already regretted coming with Mike and he desperately hoped that whatever Mike was offering was worth it.