When seven becomes eight

A day that went a bit odd

Elisa woke up, still incredibly tired.

The day before had completely messed her up, as there was a lot to deal with and a lot to wrap her head around; Her boss had fired her without reason, her friend had shouted at her and she discovered her boyfriend had had an affair with her second best friend.

Legs shaking, she slid out of bed. A sigh left her throat as she saw the fresh puke of her cat on the couch. "Christ, why do I still have that thing? Ugh." Nearly throwing up herself, she got herself to clean up the mess. "Off to another day of hell, whoop whoop. Just breath, or don't. I don't even care anymore." She slipped into her coat and walked out the door. Rain fell on her dark black hair softly and rhythmic. A small tear hugged her cheek as she walked into her mom's home. "How are you? Mom?", she asked. Just a soft groan filled the air. "Ah she's fine.", she mentioned under her breath.

"I'm here mom. Is there anything you need?"

"My husband back."

"Mom, we talked about this. He is not coming back, okay? He might be sixty when he walked out on you, but that doesn't mean he will regret it all and come huddling back to you. Is there anything you really need?", she sighed.

Her mother answered quickly, "Some darn groceries and some money. Also get your butt moving fast, you lazy."

"Thanks for the love mom, appreciate it."

Elisa walked onto the busy streets, filled with thousands of cars and people shouting their lungs out at the slightest mishap. She didn't feel like joining those people and took the quiet way to the small convenience store. She didn't answer the greeting of the person behind the cash register, but walked straight to the vegetable isle and grabbed what she needed.

This was the convenience store where she had collected her mother's groceries for two years now. Ever since her mother was bedridden because of her arthritis, she had to do everything and anything for her. Her father had walked out on her pretty much directly after she got bedridden; He just didn't want the trouble of having to care for her. He had always been lazy, so this move actually came to no surprise.

Sighing, Elisa put her basket on the counter. "Good day to you miss, do you have a client card?", the overly happy woman behind the till asked. Elisa shook her head and pulled out her debit card. "So you want to pin? That's okay, I'll hook up the appliance immediately.", the heavy smile on her face, made Elisa sick. She couldn't wish for anything else than to leave the store right away. As soon as the machine switched on, she pinned and left with her groceries. "Have a good day miss! See you again later!" The words made her run away, away from that store, the store that made her think of her mother, the mother that seemed to have no more love.

The bank was all the way across town and Elisa soon regretted shopping first. Suddenly her phone started vibrating like crazy. Heaving the smartphone out her pocket, she saw it was her "friend". Not wanting the arguments she denied the call and walked on. Only a small minute later, it vibrated again. "Ashia", it said. Elisa picked up. "Hey Ashia, what's up?", she answered faking a happy voice. "You bitch, how could you do this?" Elisa sighed deep, another friend she lost. "And what did she tell you?", she said calmly. "How could you just leave me? Why did you say I was a spoiled brat all over social media?", Ashia ranted on, "You always blame it on others and I have always taken your side. Why do you hurt me like this? What have I done to you?" "Are you done? If you don't believe that I didn't say this, then I don't really want you as friend either. If you trust the one that has been bullying me for ages above me, then please don't come near me anymore.", Elisa said and hung up.

Her phone rang again. "Why does everyone want to call me now?" She switched off her phone and walked on. The bank appeared in front of her. "Finally, didn't think the road was this long.", she sighed as she stepped into the building. "Hello, how can I help you?", the man sounded about as delighted as Elisa and looked even more mad than she could ever look. "Well, my lovely mother wants cash and is too lazy to get it herself, so I would love to get some money for her from you.", Elisa answered back in the most sarcastically sweet tone she could pull off. The man rolled his eyes and stood up. The chair he had sat on pivoted dangerously on two legs, before crashing to the floor with a loud bang. As if it was planned a scream followed after. Elisa looked around and to her surprise she saw seven men with clown masks pointing guns at the other people in the bank. "Get down or get shot, it's your choice.", one said with an immense power in his voice. Elisa quickly lay down, stomach to the ground. She saw a man standing protectively before his highly pregnant wife. "She can't lie down, that'll hurt the baby.", he pleaded. "Got nothing to do with that, I give you three seconds.", one with a raw voice said. His wife made her way to the ground, protecting her belly with her hands, but her husband stood there, not moving a muscle. "3... 2... 1...", the man with the raw voice counted down. When he still stood there, the man said, "As you wish, I warned you not to play with us." A loud bang filled the room, followed by equally loud cries. "Anyone else in for it, hmm?", the man said provocatively.

Three of seven were at the back, getting money from the safe and the other four were in the room keeping down the people that never thought their afternoon would look like this. A faint sound was approaching the building, making one of the men curse under his breath. "Guys, let's get out." This voice was softer, almost unheard, but still irresistibly powerful. The three men that were in the back returned with duffel bags full of money. Too late. Police cars had barricaded the entrance. "Take that girl there. She is the daughter of one of these coppers." These words shocked Elisa. She was the daughter of one of these cops. She felt two arms strongly grabbing her waist and lifting her into the air. "Don't you dare move or struggle. Except for when we want to break your dad, then please use all the strength you have in those noodle arms of yours.", the man who grabbed her said. Her breath sped up as she saw the familiar face of her way too fat to be in the police dad. There was a second of shock in his eyes, which soon ebbed away to be replaced by anger. "Leave the girl alone and come out. There is no way of getting out of here unharmed. Just work with us and your sentences might be reduced.", he said strongly.

The one Elisa had identified as the leader, stepped forward and said, "Sadly, my very, very dear sir, we can't. This bank had some wonderful cash for us and this girl looks very good, so yeah... We're not planning on going out of here empty handed." The man who held Elisa pressed a gun firmly against her head. "Don't worry precious, I'm not going to shoot. Well... as long as your dad doesn't act stupid.", the man whispered in her ear. Elisa's breath was high and superficial. She saw the fear in her father's eyes. "Hold fire. Whatever you do, don't shoot.", he said defeated, "Please let my girl go, take the money, but leave her here." "Just so that you can shoot us in the back? Nice try. If you don't want her hurt, move away all your men. Now!", the leader said. "Sir, he is just playing you, don't fall for it.", one of the cops whispered, but Elisa's father had already made his decision. Vision clouded, he ordered, "Go! You heard the man's wish. Leave!" "Sir..." "No, go, goddamn it!" Elisa had never seen her dad this adamant about something. She looked straight into his cold eyes. Tears formed in the corner.

"Good boy, now come towards me and slide your gun towards the man next to me." Like a puppet on strings he walked directly towards the leader, while smoothly kicking his gun in the direction of the other. The leader grinned widely. He grabbed something from his pocket and held it up. A shining blade became visible.

"Give her to me. Keep him in your focus.", the leader ordered coldly. Elisa was now in the warm arms of the leader, who held her even tighter than the previous man. He put the knife to Elisa's throat. "You see your little darling here, don't you? I have a small question though. Have you even missed her? Walking out on people like you did is pretty rude, you know. Leaving this poor, poor child alone to care for herself and her mother. Do you think you really deserve her? After what you did to her? You ungrateful bastard, of course you're not gonna have her back. We'll take better care of her anyway." Elisa felt a sharp sting on her throat. Gasping for breath she clasped on to the man holding her. "See, she's already fond of me.", he grinned evilly. "Please... Please, give her back to me. I swear I'll take better care of her. Just give her..." The leader looked straight at the crying man in front of him, "Isn't it beautiful? You only care when you're about to lose it. You have all been treating her like shit. You walked out, her mother uses her as slave, her friends are abandoning her one by one and now you dare to say that you want her back? If you wanted her, you shouldn't have left." He raises his hand to slowly bring it down to a position in which it points at her father. "Shoot." The word left his mouth with ease, like it was just a simple decision. The man who had held Elisa looked at her when he pulled the trigger. He saw fear, anger, sadness, confusion and relieve, all in one facial expression. "Now let's get the hell out of here. Too many mistakes have happened already.", the leader ushered. The seven men packed the duffel bags, guns and Elisa in a long van and rode off. It would be the last time Elisa ever saw her dad, shot and bleeding heavily.