Smash & Grab
Flash Fiction
“No. No, no, no. It’s not happening.”
“Dude. Come on. Just take it,” Lance says.
“I’m not taking the fucking gun. I’ve never shot one before and I’m not going to bring one with me now. What the fuck do you need that thing for anyway?”
“You won’t need it but you’re not coming without one. I’m serious man.”
I look at the pistol in his left hand, tilted on its side for me to grab. It’s a solid black pistol, Beretta engraved on the barrel, like the kind you’d see a cop carrying but more compact. ‘Gunshots Exchanged in Small-town Burglary’, ‘Two Teens Gunned Down by Police’, ‘Teens Fire Dozens of Shots, Hit Nobody’; I can already see the headlines. “Why do I need to bring it if I won’t need it?”
“It’s just a precaution. Look, the place is supposed to be empty and this should be a quick in-and-out but, just in case, we’re bringing these. If something goes wrong we use ’em to scare some people off. I’m not trying to shoot nobody either.”
“This is a shitty plan. I can’t do this, man” I say.
“Vic, you’re not pussying out on me now. We’re not doing this for me, this is for you.”
He’s not wrong. This whole scenario wouldn’t even have been an idea if it weren’t for me. I’ve got no choice though. “Fine. I’ll…
