Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature's law is wrong it learned to walk with out having feet. Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams,
it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose that grew from...
Following Christmas, it's the most happiest time of the year. An entire day dedicated to celebrating both lovers and friends with the exchange of gifts and salutations, yet here in New Orleans it's the exact opposite. On our calendar, its title is substituted for Ash Wednesday. For once the boisterous city is fast asleep with everyone exhausted from the previous festivities. By midnight the streets are cold and vacant, not even the night cleaners are out, and the only mere evidence of Mardi Gras is the beads that lie in the road and trees.
A yawn escaped from my lips as I whacked another clearance label on the king cakes. The night was slow as expected and the lack of sleep was beginning to catch up with me. Mommy had chastised me about overworking myself but honestly, her words went through one ear and out the other. The time and a half I'll earn from this shift will be more than enough to cover my portion of the bills along with hers. She didn't know that I was aware that her job had let her go earlier this week. It wasn't that hard for me to notice, but for her pride, I'd never reveal it. Every morning she leaves at the same time as usual but she returns way earlier than expected, looking more defeated. I could tell she was already stressing about finding another job, I didn't want her to worry about coming up short on rent as well.
"Damn, about time." I let out, labeling the last cake. No doubt, it had to be past midnight since there were so many of them. Setting the label maker aside, I decided now would be a perfect time to go on break.
Behind the counter, there wasn't much room. KB's was a little on the smaller side of most convenience stores with not much of a variety of essentials to choose from. The shop itself was sandwiched between a liquor store and a drab restaurant that sold PoBoys. Because we didn't have much space for breaks if you didn't own a car, you'd visit one or the other. Unfortunately for me the second closer had called out, leaving me by myself. The store couldn't be left unsupervised so I couldn't leave.
I sat on top of some boxed inventory, scrolling through Instagram. As time went by, I heard the sound of chimes and wind being let in. Footsteps followed after, confirming someone had entered the store. It didn't deter me away from my phone until I noticed that the footsteps didn't venture off further into the shop. They stopped at the register and an awkward silence filled the room rather.
I stood from the boxes to offer assistance.
"What can I—" the sentence fell short, my mouth agape at the sight before me. Three men stood in front of me, disguised in black masks with their firearms pointed.
"Put everything in the motha'fucking bag!"
My eyes drop from the gunmen onto the worn, black duffle bag thrown on the counter. Despite the severity of the situation, I didn't make any moves to do as told. It wasn't intentional. I'm far from a hero; without a doubt, I would've done as asked if there weren't any restraints. However, my body froze in shock. Like a cinematic movie, different stages of my life began to play in my mind until it progressed back to this current moment.
"What you deaf, bitch?" His loud voice and the abrupt switch off of the safety startled me. As if something finally clicked, my body immediately went into autopilot mode—opening the cash register and quickly stuffing its contents inside the duffel bag.
Bondye o edm mwen, souple. ᵀᴿᴬᴺˢᴸᴬᵀᴵᴼᴺ*ᴅᴇᴀʀʟᴏʀᴅ, ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇʜᴇʟᴘᴍᴇ
Once the task was finished, I expected them to run out yet they didn't. The same man who took the safety off aimed his handgun to the space between my brows. The atmosphere was thick and tense as I awaited my fate, never breaking eye contact. My final moments are spent with my body's natural reaction to shake hysterically as tears cascade down my cheeks. Even as I cried, I made sure to hold eye contact with the gunman's light brown eyes.
Ironically, I wasn't scared of death. Despite my body's reaction, part of me is anticipating it. I was completely unsatisfied with my life; it felt like a continuous whirlwind of depilation. Work. School. Repeat. The breaks I did get were spent in my head, wondering where I went wrong in life to feel this way. While death may be the relief I've been desperately needing, what terrified me was what the outcome of my demise would do to my family.
Suddenly, there's a click.
Everything was warm. I could feel my skin crawl and my stomach lurch. The hairs on my arms were standing on their ends. Within seconds, everything went black but I didn't feel myself falling onto the store's concrete floors.
Sirens could now be heard in the background. Surely someone had heard the gunshot and called the laws. With the streets being vacant and free of tourists it wouldn't take long for them to arrive.
"Let's go!" A new voice shouted, "fuck her, let's go!"
I heard something fall from the duffle as they snatched it from the countertop. Once the familiar chimes signaled their exit, my eyes slowly flickered open. I still stood as before and it took a moment for me to realize that I hadn't been shot at all.
The gun must've jammed...
To prove my theory, I ran my hands down my torso to check for any wounds. A wave of relief but also dismay rushed through my body when I did not find any.
I quickly moved from behind the door and to the store's entrance. An empty prescription bottle lay on the floor—no doubt the culprit of what had fallen from the bag. I locked the store's doors before picking up the bottle and analyzing its label.
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hey, you've made it this far.. might as well vote!
this story is fiction! everything's coming straight from the dome so some shit might not be accurate or even make sense lol
