After pedaling in the hot summer weather for close to ten minutes, I was drenched in sweat after finally reaching the convenience store. The store entrance was crowded with high school students.
I parked my bicycle next to the store and walked past the students as they left.
Ding! Ding!
''Welcome…'' The store clerk said with a lazy tone. She was a recently graduated university student that fiddled with her phones all day and hoped that the shop didn't get customers.
But unfortunately for her, this convenience store was in a very populated area. Very popular with students and adults alike.
I went to fetch the milk and potatoes. I still checked that I picked up the correct ones from the shopping list. My mother was very accurate about what kind of milk she wanted and how big the potatoes needed.
''This… Damn, why everything is sold out these days?'' Unfortunately, the milk, the very specific milk my mother wanted, was sold out. The price tag was barely hanging from the shelf.
I shook my head and grabbed the milk that resembled the one as much as possible. Then, I grabbed the bag of large potatoes and went to the counter.
There, the clerk lazily calculated the cost of the items, and then the machine beeped as a number showed up on the screen.
The price seemed correct, and I paid for the items. Then, I took out a plastic bag and crammed the things there.
I pocketed the shopping list and was about to leave. But then, the store's glass doors opened, and a shady-looking man with a face covered in a mask appeared.
There was a bulge around his pocket, and his hand was slowly reaching for it. My eyes widened as I knew what he was here for.
'Fucking robbery!'
The masked man pulled out his pistol and aimed at the shop clerk, ''HANDS UP!''
The timid-looking shop clerk dropped her phone and raised her hands. Then, the pistol was aimed at me, but I already had the bag placed on the floor and my arms raised in the air.
''Put all the money in the bag!'' The robber clumsily took a wrinkled plastic bag from his back pocket and threw it to the shop clerk, who clumsily caught it and opened the cash register.
Then, the robber aimed his pistol at me for some reason. His hand trembled, and I could see his pupils dilate. He was scared and nervous. This must be his first-ever criminal act.
'First ever criminal act, and it's armed robbery… Wow, he skipped a lot of steps.'
''D-Don't try to play a hero!'' The robber had some image in his mind that I would actually try anything. There was no way I could fight against a pistol. No matter how much bravery there would be in my body, I would fucking die!
''I wouldn't dare,'' I said with a calm tone. It seemed to calm the robber's nerves because he stopped shaking so much.
Soon, the plastic bag was half-full. The shop clerk's shaky ends kept picking up the cash and stuffing them in the bag.
The robber looked around for the cameras and saw a few. He used the back of his palm to wipe his sweat, but it seemed rather clumsy because his forehead was covered by the mask.
Bam!
Suddenly, a loud sound echoed from outside. It sounded like a truck's tire exploded, and it caused a wide-area sound effect.
''What was that?!'' However, the robber didn't know what it was and panicked. He turned his back to Liam and aimed his gun outside the store.
Sneakily, I grabbed my plastic bag and tossed it across the air, which landed perfectly on the robber's head.
''Ah!'' The robber faceplanted on the floor, and his grip on the gun slipped. He tried to stretch his hand toward his pistol, but a solid shoe landed on his hand, and a crack followed.
Crack!
''Aaah!'' The robber felt something breaking. His tongue swayed out of his mouth, and he accidentally bit it to stop his screams. Muffled pieces of sound left his tightly-closed lips.
''Call the police,'' I told the shop clerk and kicked the pistol further away. Then, I took the thin rope from a nearby shelf and tied up the robber.
After ensuring that the robber was tied up, I left the store.
The shop clerk spoke on her phone. Her voice was muffled and shaky. Her words were barely understandable, but around five minutes later, several police cars parked up in front of the store.
They saw a scared-looking woman hiding behind a desk while the robber tried to break up from the ropes but was unsuccessful.
…
''Damn, that was scary.'' I thought aloud after reaching the yard of my home. I could still feel my heart pounding.
I hopped out of the bicycle's saddle and entered the house.
''Mom, here.'' After entering the kitchen, I placed the plastic bag on the kitchen desk.
Iris stopped cooking for a moment to check the items.
''That's wrong milk.'' She frowned and looked at his son.
''It was sold out.'' I shrugged my shoulders. There was nothing I could do about it, and my mother knew it.
''Alright, thanks.'' She rubbed my head and continued cooking.
I returned to my room and took my phone from the charger. Then, I checked if I had received any messages, and I didn't.
Then, I opened my chat history with Jack and typed a text. After pressing send, a weird pop-up message appeared.
''What the hell?'' The pop-up message said that Jack had blocked my number.
''Jack…'' I thought he had acted weird since I met him and Andrew. Something was going on, and it couldn't be anything good.
I pocketed the phone with a frown and took off my jacket. The sky was getting darker, and the level of heat was getting reduced, but it was still a lot.
There was a small fan on top of my desk that I turned on, and I could feel a refreshing breeze of wind washing over me.