Trapped

Chapter 2: Where it all Went Wrong

Two men stood around a closed storefront, run down and far away from town. Both were dressed head to toe in gray and black; Both were fairly tall men, but while one was a thin sinewy type with hidden muscle and a thin face, the other wore his muscle like a tank purposely sculpted to aid him whenever necessary. They had been standing around for about an hour, but they weren't talking or hanging out, they were observing. Finally, once it had been long enough and Julian felt safe, he nodded at Eric.

The sound of glass shattering pierced Julian's eardrum, but he knew it was coming. His partner, Eric, dropped the bat he had used to smash the window and grabbed his wrist. Before he could cover it Julian caught a glimpse of the drops of blood beginning to form. It didn't look too deep, and Eric quickly ripped a strip of his flannel off and wrapped it around his wrist. Julian looked around the unlit parking lot, nothing; he turned toward the building, more nothing.

"Ok, coast clear" Julian whispered, giving the go ahead to enter. They both wrapped their hands inside their shirts and started to clear away bits of broken glass from the edges of the windows, and very quietly stepped through into the dark store. Julian of course knew what to do, as he had planned and performed many robberies in the past, but he was extra on edge tonight due to having a brand new partner. This robbery was Eric's first time being allowed to go. Julian had always thought he was too young, too eager to prove himself, but Julian had no choice in the matter this time. Anastasia ring had cost him way more than he could afford, and Eric was the only man available last minute.

Julian headed straight for the jewelry department; "small expensive items were always the smartest target" he thought. Even as he thought it though he saw Eric already making his way over there, that was a good sign. As they were stuffing their pockets with diamonds, gold, and other precious gems a noise made their blood freeze in their veins. A siren, quiet and distant but definitely getting closer. For a split second they looked at each other before simultaneously bolting for the window. They both jumped out the window and started running to the nearest neighborhood, as Julian knew it would be the easiest way to lose the cops and Eric was too scared to come up with his own plan. They could see a fence, it lead it someone's backyard; Julian knew they could easily climb it and they would be golden. Once the cops lost sight of them it was almost a guarantee they could get away clean.

The fence was coming up, thirty feet away. Julian and Eric pushed themselves as hard they could, the wind whipping their jackets. As Julian looked behind him he noticed Eric's pocket must have gotten a hole it in because he was dropping loose jewelry like a trail of expensive breadcrumbs. Twenty feet away, the fence loomed ahead, their legs groaned and their chests ached. Five feet away, Julian could hear the sirens getting closer but couldn't take the time to look behind him. Suddenly the fence spun upward as he plunged headfirst into the concrete. His head spun and pain radiated from every bone in his body. He looked up only to see Eric disappear over the fence. "Eric tripped me", Julian thought, followed by "Ouch.". Julian spun around, still laying on the ground but now with his back to the concrete.

"Put your hands in their air!" shouted a large, middle-aged cop. He had his gun pointed at Julian, who slowly and agonizingly lifted his hands above his head

"Alright stay there!" The cop shouted, his voice deep and rough. As Julian laid on his back, his head throbbing and heart pounding fast, he turned to look where Eric had jumped the fence. "Do the cops know I had a partner? Do they care?" He felt a hot stickiness on his cheek and realized a steady stream of blood was running down his face from where his head hit the road. The cop flipped him back onto his stomach and yanked his arms behind him, handcuffing them behind his back. Julian felt himself being pulled to his feet, causing the world around him to start spinning rapidly. He tried to look at the cop, but his vision was blurry and the cop was spinning as well. His knees gave out from under him and he buckled, slumping back down to the ground.