A steady rain beat down setting up a soothing rhythm that played gently in the backdrop of Julie’s subconscious as she hovered between sleep and waking. She didn’t want to get up, it was too warm, cosy, perfect…
Then her alarm went off, jerking her unkindly to alertness. She sat up and stretched, Dan was already up, she could hear him in the kitchen. She got up and drew open the curtains, it was a dark, overcast morning, but beautiful still. The birds were engaged in their dawn choruses and here and there in the clouds a thin ray of sunlight broke through so that the deep purple of the sky was dotted with gold.
“Took you long enough,” Dan’s cheeky grin greeted her as she finally made it down for breakfast, dressed and ready for the day, “I was about to leave without you,” he walked over and handed her a cup of tea, strongly brewed, black with no sugar, just how she liked it.
“I need to look the part,” she accepted the tea and the kiss he proffered on her cheek with a smile, “One has to look good for their last day of work you know.” Dan threw his head back, laughed, and turned back to the papers spread out over the dining table as Julie wolfed down her breakfast, then ducking under a large umbrella together, they ran to a black sedan parked out front, hopped in and were off.
Traffic was as traffic always was at this hour of the day, slow and steady, oozing like thick sludge into the city centre. They hardly spoke; the radio was on, Dan was preoccupied with battling cyclists, pedestrians and motorists as Julie stared nervously out the window, watching the raindrops slide down in tiny rivulets. It was a day she’d been anticipating for a long time… “Ready to turn in that resignation?” Dan winked at her as he pulled over to the curb to let her out.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she winked back and breathing in deeply as if to steady her nerves although she was curiously no longer nervous. She leaned over, gave him a quick side hug and slid gracefully out of the car.
It was a busy morning, Fridays usually were. Julie walked briskly passed the crowds already lining the main floor of the bank, and slid her badge over a scanner to let herself through to the row of glass booths with "Teller” marked clearly above them. Before she’d sat, a long queue was already forming in front of her. She sighed, fixed a mechanical smile onto her face and faced her first customer.
An hour in, as Julie was serving a dour faced old man with a limp which he’d been explaining was gout caused by the stress of having to deal with unfair banks like hers, she looked up to see the branch manager walk in. It was time. She quickly dealt with the old man, increasing his scowl with her brusque manner and then to the irritation of the waiting queue, slid her window shut.
She was just about to get up and follow the manager when a sudden commotion ensued on the bank floor. “Everybody down! Now!” an authoritative voice boomed out.
Heads turned in quick succession to where a tall, powerful looking figure in a mask stood, rifle in hand. The manager ran out of his office looking angry at the interruption, then stopped, mouth open, a stupid, dazed look on his face. There was a moment of dead silence as a cold wave of dread swept through the hall and held everyone in suspense.
Then, a short man standing nearest to the masked man began to scream, but the sound never fully formed. The masked man was so quick he almost seemed to teleport, hitting the noise maker with the butt of his gun. “I said… Everybody get down… Now!” It was a scramble. Even the middle aged security guard dropped like a ripe fruit from a tree. There was something in this man’s voice, a threat that was not at all subtle. As the crowd lay on the ground, Julie and the other tellers were now directly in the masked man’s sights. He pointed the gun at them.
“Exit your booths… Please,” there was an amused sound to his voice now, he was a man in control, enjoying himself.
The tellers began to move and as they shuffled out, Julie saw one woman try to press an emergency button to alert the authorities. “Don’t,” she whispered harshly, startling the slim, frightened woman who yanked her hand back as if she’d been stung, “Don’t… He’ll kill us if the cops show up,” she whispered at the woman’s accusing glare as they joined the rest of the crowd on the floor.
“You,” the masked man pointed at the manager cowering in a corner, “Go with…” he paused, scanning the floor, “…You, you over there in the pink blouse.”
Julie froze. Then, craning her neck to look up, she saw the masked man pointing directly at her, while the slim woman lying beside her nudged at her with her foot, triumphant at the swift retribution. “Get up!” the masked man yelled and both got to their feet, Julie more steadily than the visibly trembling manager, “Go fill this up,” he tossed a big, grey duffel bag to her, “I’m giving you five minutes, then I’ll start shooting.”
The manager and Julie went into the back and the second they were out of sight, he scrambled for the phone lying on his desk.
“No!” Julie grabbed at him and wrestled him away, “D’you know how many innocent lives you’re risking? Just give him the money, it’s not even yours anyway…” Less than five minutes later they walked out, each holding one end of the heavy bag. “Let the lady bring it over,” the masked man called out, and Julie lugged the heavy bag to him, grunting with effort. As soon as she dropped it at his feet, he struck out, viciously slapping her. There were horrified gasps but no one moved. “There better be no funny business,” he snapped out, “Now pick up the bag and let’s go, you’re my insurance.
Julie was half dragged, half carried and tossed unceremoniously into a waiting car which sped off, the masked man at its helm.
“Did you need to hit me so hard?” she grumbled at him. The man whipped the mask off his face, and there was Dan, grinning at her. “I had to make it convincing,” he reached out to stroke her cheek, “Smile babe, your retirement starts now.”
