I walked through the front of the store, my mates already subtly browsing the aisles. I pulled up the plain black mask over my face, and threw my hood over my head. There were only a few customers about, but a couple looked at me with concerned looks upon their faces- they knew what was about to go down. Two of my best men, Tom and Kyle came around the corner of the frozen goods aisle.
"Everyone get on the ground!" I shouted, grinning as my heartbeat sped up. That was one of the best parts of raiding stores, the rush you get knowing you could get caught at any given point.
"Get over there!" Kyle shouted, as he ushered the remaining customers into one of the stores corners.
I pointed my gun at one of the cashiers, a timid young girl. They are the best to threaten, you''ll get the job done faster that way. They give up the money quickly.
As she was frantically searching through the tills, her hands shaking in fear, I glanced to my left to see a girl typing something onto her phone.
"Hey, you!" I shouted at her, and instantly pointed my gun at her. She trembled and dropped her phone to the floor. I sneered at her. "That's what I thought."
I picked her phone of the floor, and read the text out loud off of the screen.
"Call the police there is some guys with guns at the" I said, and Tom and Kyle started to laugh.
"Good one, princess. You think you could get the precious police on us? They fear us." I said, making my voice as threatening as possible. Yeah, I was stretching the truth a bit- I had spent many a night in the cells, mostly for petty theft. That was years ago, and me and the boys had upped our game alot since then. I threw her phone to the floor, and crushed it under my boot. The tiny pieces of her phone spread across the floor, and she started tearing up. She was a typical rich kid- of course she'd start crying when the thing she probably considered her life had been destroyed. I hated people like that, materialistic and completely unrealistic. The only reason I began stealing was to get money to live. My mother started spending the money that originally fed me on pills and whatever shit she smoked and snorted. My typical dinner was a can of whipped cream, to her. She was just blinded by the drugs and drink, but thats no damn excuse. I still hate that bitch as much as I did when I was a young boy. She'd tell people that I had lukemia and desperately needed treatment, but she couldn't afford it. She even started a damned messed up charity to try and get money. She'd take me to pubs and nursing homes and schools and pleaded her ass off for money to help me. I knew none the wiser, and I just went along to prevent her rampages later on. My dad, I don't give a shit about. He left my mother when I was a couple of months old and I have never seen him again. I never cared, I'd hoped he was dead. If I ever found that asshole alive, I'd kill him myself.
The cashier who had also now burst into tears handed me all the money in the plastic bag I'd provided her.
"Alright boys, I think we're done here. Let's move before the police figure something is going on." I announced, clutching the bag of money and heading to the door, still waving the gun in the general direction of the 'hostages'.
###
"Yeah, look man, we got like ten thousand from that bitchin' store!" Kyle shouted once we'd got back to the safety of our shared flat. It wasn't the best, it was in the heart of what some might call the ghetto. But to me, it was home. I don't care if I get looked down on for living there. Tom had gone back to his house, he was one of those rich kids, but he didn't flaunt it. He hung out with up just for the jokes, he didn't need the money, he was loaded.
"Hey, Terry we should go celebrate! We got the cash, after all." Kyle grinned, still waving the money about. I snatched it off him and threw it in the air, and the notes fluttered to the ground. It was almost beautfiul seeing the green paper fall slowly to the ground. Almost.
"Hey man, what did you do that for? There was no need!" Kyle said, trying to sound pissed but you could hear the amusement in his voice.
"Shut it man, just be happy! This is the best we have made yet!" I replied, and dove into the green that coated the carpet. I started making money angels in the ground, truly loving the feel; we were getting better everyday. Our biggest project we were working to is raiding the neighbourhoods gang's base. It was risky, but the amount of of money there would make it all worth it. We'd have to be sneaky, there is people there every minute of every day. It was starting to get boring just doing high end stores, there was no risk at all. It's easy money, but I was looking for a bigger thrill. I'd never stolen from the the family run local stores, they had hardly any money as it is. I knew what poverty was like, and there was no way in hell I was making that happen for anyone; well not intentionally. I'd stolen a few bits of food from these types of stores as a kid, but that was before I realised how even little things like that couldbuild up and hurt people's lifestyles.
"So, you coming?" Kyle asked.
I shook my head; I had to be up early in the morning. I had gotten a scholarship into one of the states top schools, the type where you had to pay twenty thousand every semester. When I was a kid, I pratically lived in the library. I'd even sleep there sometimes when my mother would lock me out of the house. I'd taken a liking to science, not crappy literature. I learnt about the read world, not crazy made up stories that get you no where in life. I loved the local public school, it was my escape from my mother. I'd go as much as possible, and tried my hardest to learn as much as possible. My teacher had told me if I worked hard enough, and later earned enough, I could live a decent life. Of course that is appealing, not having to worry if I could afford my next meal. The library had long closed, and the school had long been burnt down, but they still inspired me to do well.
