Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Twenty-One Letters Ending in T
Chapter 18.
6 reviewsEscher squeezed her eyes shut. In many ways she had been waiting for this moment since she had first moved to New York.
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“Come on baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaby” Laz cried to Escher as she rolled her eyes.
“Go fuck yourself” She replied.
It had been an excruciatingly long night at /The Canary/, and the only two people still working were Escher and Franka, the new girl - a med student - that Laz had hired.
“Okay guys, enjoy your knock offs, I’m gonna close the door while we lock up, I’ll see you all back in here in half an hour”
The gathered group of staff cheered their boss as she closed the heavy metal door leading the store and staff rooms. A short hallway led back to the closed up bar she had left Frank alone in. They had been closed for half an hour so Escher had instructed Franka to finish the dishes and leave the till (which only she, Laz and Sarah had a key for anyway) until she came back from her smoke break.
Escher frowned as she approached the bar, hearing loud voices. She slowed down slightly, trying to distinguish the words. She’d fucking kill Franka if the girl had brought her friends over for her first shift.
She paled as she finally heard the words distinguished.
“Give me all the money in the till”
Escher squeezed her eyes shut. In many ways she had been waiting for this moment since she had first moved to New York.
She tried to remember what she had been told. Don’t frighten the robber, don’t make any sudden movements, any loud noises and she was sure there was definitely something in the text book about not bursting around the corner at 4 o’clock in the morning. Was there anything in there about not leaving a green new girl alone there?
Thinking quickly and hoping her voice wouldn’t crack she called out in a soft but (hopefully) calm voice.
“Franka?”
She heard somebody swear and a loud sob from Franka.
“Come out here, hands where I can see them, I’ve got a fucking gun”
Escher raised her hands and rounded the corner.
The first thing she saw was Franka’s tall form, cowered near the till, then her eyes fell on the robber, a black balaclava masking his face. She could tell it was a man from his voice and also from his broad shouldered build. The only women built like that were the Chinese swimmers on steroids at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. She stared at him wide eyed, it seemed like hours before her eyes fell on the gun and her heart plummeted.
“Stay there and tell her to open the fucking till” The man cried, gesturing to Franka who was murmuring apologies to Escher.
“It’s okay Franka” Escher said quietly.
“Fucking tell her!” The guy screamed, bouncing from one foot to the other.
“She doesn’t have the key” Escher said calmly, “Only I do”
The guys seemed to weigh up what she was saying.
“Key?”
“We’re old fashioned” Escher quipped sarcastically.
“Okay smartass fine, you open the fucking till, slow and you,” He continued, pointing the gun at Franka, “Stay where you fucking are!”
Escher moved slowly, in big, but slow gliding footstep towards the till.
“The key is in on a chain around my neck, I have to reach for it” She said clearly.
The robber seemed to groan.
“Reach for it with your left hand, move your right hand and you’re fucking dead” He said.
Escher reached slowly for the chain with her left hand, she pulled it taught and winced as she tugged, breaking it, praying the others out the back wouldn’t come in and startle him. She held up the chain, with the key dangling from it to show him and slowly, but surely raised her knee.
It had been his idea, his insistence that had made her put in the silent alarm that, rather than being installed under a bench, was installed on the cupboard door below the till. Because of it’s vertical position it had cost a fortune. Escher had never been happier that her benefactor was a millionaire as her knee came into contact with the button.
Keeping her left hand raised she used her right to turn the key in the till drawer and pulled it open manually. She looked up at the gunman for direction. He thrust a canvas satchel at her.
“Put everything in here”
Escher nodded and, still keeping her left hand raised, used her right to empty the till. He peered over to make sure that everything was going in. It seemed to take hours and Escher could feel blood thumping through her veins and was confused by her lack of terror. This must be what shock is like.
“That’s everything” She said finally and he snatched the bag off her.
“The safe?”
The safe was in the back room where Escher had at least seven staff members sitting, drinking, blissfully unaware of what was happening out here.
“There is no safe”
“Bullshit”
“There isn’t, I live in a high security penthouse, every night I clear out the till personally and take the money home”
Her heart was thundering about in her chest, but all she was thinking about was protecting her staff members.
“It…it’s true,” Frank stammered.
“Shut the fuck up” The gunman roared, but the girl seemed hysterical now.
“She does, she cleans out the till every night, every night”
“Shut up!” He roared.
“Be quiet Franka” Escher murmured.
“It’s true” Franka persisted.
Franka jumped back wards as the gun was once again aimed at her, the gunman turning with a roar. Escher seemed to see it all happened in slow motion, she saw his finger pulling back slowly. Her silent partner, her benefactor, had always been concerned that the maternal instinct for her staff would be her downfall. She almost smiled as she thought of his beautiful hazel eyes, of the demons that sometimes swam behind them even now, matching her own. And she felt her heart beat faster as that maternal instinct kicked into overdrive. It didn’t matter that this was Franka’s first night at the bar, or that she was only three years younger than Escher herself. She felt the muscles in her calves go taught as she leapt towards the gunman.
She heard Franka gasp and she heard the gunman swear, she noticed the flickering of the light over the bar. The strangest thing was that she didn’t hear the firing of the gun, that she didn’t feel the pain of the bullets as they broke her skin and tore her flesh into ribbons. She felt her small body collide against his hard one though finally, felt them fall to the ground. She didn’t have much strength, at least that was what she’d always thought, right up until the moment that she saw her hands (as though they belonged to someone else) hold down the gunman by his biceps.
And suddenly her sense of sound came back to her and she heard Franka screaming into the phone, she heard the door from the hallway slamming open and she finally lost her newfound strength, rolling off the robber and looking up into Franka’s face who was crouched over her.
“I’ve been shot” She whispered, wincing inwardly at how stupid she sounded.
She saw Franka bite her lip.
“Where’d he get me?” She asked.
She saw Franka’s look of confusion and looked down her body to see the large patches of crimson marring her chest and just below, covered by Franka’s expert hands.
“Man I’m glad I hired a Med student” she murmured.
Franka smiled weakly and glanced over to where Geoff and Laz were holding down the robber.
“He would have killed me” Franka whispered.
“No, no” Escher murmured, “never one of mine”
“E?” Laz cried.
Her eyelids felt so heavy.
“Franka” She murmured, her lips not moving properly, “Frank…”
“Go fuck yourself” She replied.
It had been an excruciatingly long night at /The Canary/, and the only two people still working were Escher and Franka, the new girl - a med student - that Laz had hired.
“Okay guys, enjoy your knock offs, I’m gonna close the door while we lock up, I’ll see you all back in here in half an hour”
The gathered group of staff cheered their boss as she closed the heavy metal door leading the store and staff rooms. A short hallway led back to the closed up bar she had left Frank alone in. They had been closed for half an hour so Escher had instructed Franka to finish the dishes and leave the till (which only she, Laz and Sarah had a key for anyway) until she came back from her smoke break.
Escher frowned as she approached the bar, hearing loud voices. She slowed down slightly, trying to distinguish the words. She’d fucking kill Franka if the girl had brought her friends over for her first shift.
She paled as she finally heard the words distinguished.
“Give me all the money in the till”
Escher squeezed her eyes shut. In many ways she had been waiting for this moment since she had first moved to New York.
She tried to remember what she had been told. Don’t frighten the robber, don’t make any sudden movements, any loud noises and she was sure there was definitely something in the text book about not bursting around the corner at 4 o’clock in the morning. Was there anything in there about not leaving a green new girl alone there?
Thinking quickly and hoping her voice wouldn’t crack she called out in a soft but (hopefully) calm voice.
“Franka?”
She heard somebody swear and a loud sob from Franka.
“Come out here, hands where I can see them, I’ve got a fucking gun”
Escher raised her hands and rounded the corner.
The first thing she saw was Franka’s tall form, cowered near the till, then her eyes fell on the robber, a black balaclava masking his face. She could tell it was a man from his voice and also from his broad shouldered build. The only women built like that were the Chinese swimmers on steroids at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. She stared at him wide eyed, it seemed like hours before her eyes fell on the gun and her heart plummeted.
“Stay there and tell her to open the fucking till” The man cried, gesturing to Franka who was murmuring apologies to Escher.
“It’s okay Franka” Escher said quietly.
“Fucking tell her!” The guy screamed, bouncing from one foot to the other.
“She doesn’t have the key” Escher said calmly, “Only I do”
The guys seemed to weigh up what she was saying.
“Key?”
“We’re old fashioned” Escher quipped sarcastically.
“Okay smartass fine, you open the fucking till, slow and you,” He continued, pointing the gun at Franka, “Stay where you fucking are!”
Escher moved slowly, in big, but slow gliding footstep towards the till.
“The key is in on a chain around my neck, I have to reach for it” She said clearly.
The robber seemed to groan.
“Reach for it with your left hand, move your right hand and you’re fucking dead” He said.
Escher reached slowly for the chain with her left hand, she pulled it taught and winced as she tugged, breaking it, praying the others out the back wouldn’t come in and startle him. She held up the chain, with the key dangling from it to show him and slowly, but surely raised her knee.
It had been his idea, his insistence that had made her put in the silent alarm that, rather than being installed under a bench, was installed on the cupboard door below the till. Because of it’s vertical position it had cost a fortune. Escher had never been happier that her benefactor was a millionaire as her knee came into contact with the button.
Keeping her left hand raised she used her right to turn the key in the till drawer and pulled it open manually. She looked up at the gunman for direction. He thrust a canvas satchel at her.
“Put everything in here”
Escher nodded and, still keeping her left hand raised, used her right to empty the till. He peered over to make sure that everything was going in. It seemed to take hours and Escher could feel blood thumping through her veins and was confused by her lack of terror. This must be what shock is like.
“That’s everything” She said finally and he snatched the bag off her.
“The safe?”
The safe was in the back room where Escher had at least seven staff members sitting, drinking, blissfully unaware of what was happening out here.
“There is no safe”
“Bullshit”
“There isn’t, I live in a high security penthouse, every night I clear out the till personally and take the money home”
Her heart was thundering about in her chest, but all she was thinking about was protecting her staff members.
“It…it’s true,” Frank stammered.
“Shut the fuck up” The gunman roared, but the girl seemed hysterical now.
“She does, she cleans out the till every night, every night”
“Shut up!” He roared.
“Be quiet Franka” Escher murmured.
“It’s true” Franka persisted.
Franka jumped back wards as the gun was once again aimed at her, the gunman turning with a roar. Escher seemed to see it all happened in slow motion, she saw his finger pulling back slowly. Her silent partner, her benefactor, had always been concerned that the maternal instinct for her staff would be her downfall. She almost smiled as she thought of his beautiful hazel eyes, of the demons that sometimes swam behind them even now, matching her own. And she felt her heart beat faster as that maternal instinct kicked into overdrive. It didn’t matter that this was Franka’s first night at the bar, or that she was only three years younger than Escher herself. She felt the muscles in her calves go taught as she leapt towards the gunman.
She heard Franka gasp and she heard the gunman swear, she noticed the flickering of the light over the bar. The strangest thing was that she didn’t hear the firing of the gun, that she didn’t feel the pain of the bullets as they broke her skin and tore her flesh into ribbons. She felt her small body collide against his hard one though finally, felt them fall to the ground. She didn’t have much strength, at least that was what she’d always thought, right up until the moment that she saw her hands (as though they belonged to someone else) hold down the gunman by his biceps.
And suddenly her sense of sound came back to her and she heard Franka screaming into the phone, she heard the door from the hallway slamming open and she finally lost her newfound strength, rolling off the robber and looking up into Franka’s face who was crouched over her.
“I’ve been shot” She whispered, wincing inwardly at how stupid she sounded.
She saw Franka bite her lip.
“Where’d he get me?” She asked.
She saw Franka’s look of confusion and looked down her body to see the large patches of crimson marring her chest and just below, covered by Franka’s expert hands.
“Man I’m glad I hired a Med student” she murmured.
Franka smiled weakly and glanced over to where Geoff and Laz were holding down the robber.
“He would have killed me” Franka whispered.
“No, no” Escher murmured, “never one of mine”
“E?” Laz cried.
Her eyelids felt so heavy.
“Franka” She murmured, her lips not moving properly, “Frank…”
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