FLASH FICTION CONTEST #3

Jamal knew he might not make it out of this next robbery alive, but he couldn't resist the stories of wealth and power locked inside. Last night, he told his family he was going out to find work. If Jamal died, his wife might think he ran away. Jamal was starting to regret leaving the way he did. So he needed to get the job done and go home, no matter the cost.

He took note of every small change and detail until he was finally ready to attempt the robbery. Jamal was experienced, but he knew how easily he could be foiled. While casually engaging in conversation with a guard, he had easily pinched a walkie-talkie out of the guard's back pocket. At 8:25 pm, an agile figure scaled an oak tree and removed a phone from his pocket. At 8:30 pm the next night all guards were called to gate #3 due to an emergency.

Jamal carefully jumped from the tree into the bank’s fenced courtyard. Once the guards left, Jamal smashed the security cameras and carefully climbed the electric fence with gloves and boots. He tapped in the security password that he had watched the guards type in earlier that day and paused to destroy more cameras. He pushed an inflatable dummy through trip wires and caused chaos in every way. His face wore a confident grin as he strolled through the passages spreading mayhem and fear.

But the challenges were getting harder to evade…. An arrow came so close to hitting him that its fletchings scraped his neck and the rooms became darker and darker. He tried to remember that his kids and his spouse needed money. Jamal was thankful he had brought a flashlight when all the lights suddenly went out.

The guards quickly realized that there was no emergency and police began to roam the passages. Jamal's hair stood on end and he started to make very slow progress. He froze at the slightest noises and his flashlight began to flicker. He started to pray that he would see his children again. He came to three doors when he heard voices behind him. He opened the first one and cold steel grazed his neck. Bleeding and frantic, Jamal peeked into the next door.

"Your fun is over now," said the armed guard behind the door.

Jamal's children never saw him again…