In silence I often find solitude; a place to clear my head and finally get my thoughts in order. I always enjoy the long car rides to work taking the scenic route where everything is relatively peaceful and the scenery is beautiful. It feels like I never get time for my thoughts anymore because I'm constantly drowning in paperwork and talking to countless people so I savor the moments of quiet I still get. Many people don't understand why I'm so quiet but they're also probably the same people who don't appreciate the silence like I do. Sometimes I wish for things to be exciting in my life despite how I enjoy the tranquility of it. In my case I wasn't going to get any excitement from working at the Bank of Neonhaven in my home city of Neonhaven, Illinois.
I continued down the road to my job as I zoned out my surroundings and focused on the almost never ending road once more. That same popular song blaring on the radio for a 3rd time this morning, obviously I skipped it. Finally, I made the turn into the City and pulled into the parking deck to park on the 3rd floor like I do almost everyday. Before getting out I flipped down the visor and stared at myself in the small mirror. Same old Victor stared back. Dark hair falling into my eyes, looking like I'd been running my hands through it all morning trying to make it look somewhat decent. Which I had. The stubble on my jaw was getting heavier—when was the last time I'd actually shaved? Three days ago? Four? My eyes looked tired. They always looked tired these days, dark circles underneath like permanent shadows reminding me of all the sleep I didn't get. Mom used to say I had nice eyes, but now they just looked... worn. Like I'd seen too much. Which maybe I had.
I ran a hand over my face, feeling the rough skin on my knuckles brush against my cheek. Small scars and nicks from who knows what over the years. My jacket was wrinkled, my t-shirt had a small stain on the collar I hadn't noticed until now. Perfect. I looked exactly like what I was—someone who'd been through the wringer and was about to go through it again. I flipped the visor back up and grabbed the door handle. Time to go.
I made my way to the passenger side door to grab my things and head onwards to the elevator to take me back down to the ground level. While I was heading to the elevator I noticed an unusual van parked there but I thought nothing of it. Best to just ignore it, so I hop in the elevator and head to ground level. I walk down a few blocks to the bank I work at and go inside to find my spot right at the front desk where I talk to customers and get left out of all the interesting things. It was a relatively slow business day so as usual I found myself listening to the same boring playlist on Spotify and tapping my fingers on the desk while shuffling paper so I look somewhat busy at least. This time I thought things would be different and finally I'd get to see why people are actually happy to wake up in the morning, but I was sadly mistaken.
Dave, one of my co-workers, shuffled by in his usual khaki pants and collared shirt—same uniform every day, like he was proud of it. "Morning Vic—" He said with that annoying cheerfulness. Dave was in his mid 30's and had a serious receding hairline. Most of the time he would wear a hat to cover it up. He was a relatively shorter man standing at a whopping 5'6 and had a gut to him. His belly was probably the result of all those sweets he'd stash in his desk. The only thing I didn't like about Dave was that he was chatty. He could talk your ear off all day about football and other sports and it annoyed me. Like last week he had cornered me by the copy machine for at least 20 minutes explaining why the Bears were going to have a comeback season this year, complete with player stats he'd memorized and predictions about draft picks. I'd just stood there nodding while my copies piled up. Thank goodness he didn't try talking to me today.
But despite all that I just nodded like usual and he passed by to get his coffee. Dave was always happy when he came in, and I never understood why. Was it possible he actually liked working here? He must be crazy.
When you really think about it, everyone follows the same boring schedule. Why is that? It's almost like people are allergic to branching out. I continued watching him as he used his grade 2 fire flair to heat up his coffee. Great, just another reminder on how I'm the 1% of the population who wasn't born with one.
"Ughhh just another boring Tuesday working the 9 to 5", I say to myself quietly as I take the one singular earbud out of my ear to greet the client standing before me. I struggle to focus on the man's words as he rambles on and on. My attention wanders elsewhere as I zone out again to be alone with my thoughts. Every time I think hard about myself I always get caught up on the same questions. What am I doing with my life? Why am I here? Where would I be right now If I had chosen another path? It's hard to grasp onto the answers for those questions when someone won't stop droning in your ear.
"Hey I'm not paying you to sit there and day dream all day on the job Victor!" My manager says practically yelling at the top of his lungs at me. His screaming startled me out of my daze to find out the man once standing in front of me had suddenly vanished. How had I not noticed; was I really zoned out that long? I was so lost in my thoughts that the man had simply walked away and I never even knew he did. Thank goodness my manager hadn't seen that or I'd be getting lectured in the breakroom for 30 minutes on why paying attention to our clients is important and good for the business.
I spent the rest of my time sorting through paperwork and answering the same repetitive phone calls from people who can't handle their own issues. Since they can't handle their own problems they leave it to me to fix everything but at least it gets me a paycheck. Although I could go on about that, the day dreaded me and as each second ticked away on the clock it felt like seconds turned into minutes and minutes into hours. The telephone rang one last time before it eventually had been time to close. Everyone was starting to pack up their belongings so they could head home.
Who could possibly be calling right before we close; don't they know I have somewhere better to be right now? I picked up the phone and put it to my ear. "Hello this is Victor at the Bank of Neonhaven; how may I help you?". I mumble to the unknown caller in a monotonous voice.
A deep voice responds back "Do exactly as I say or everyone in that bank of yours gets a bullet right between the eyes!". Clearly this just has to be some kind of sick prank right? Kids do prank phone calls all the time; they clearly couldn't be serious.
"Yea right I bet you're just some kid with a voice changer doing some kind of prank call to impress your buddies." I say to the person on the phone hoping that it really is just some kind of youngster screwing with me.
"Oh really, that's all you think this is? Why don't I just prove to you this isn't some kind of twisted joke," said the unknown person, this time in a more serious tone than before.
At that very moment a loud explosion or more so a gunshot could be heard. I looked over my shoulder as I heard one of the windows shatter from the impact of the bullet. Right before my eyes one of my coworkers' heads exploded in front of me leaving me and the wall covered in blood. This can't be happening….right? My world was changing around me so quickly. My eyes left agape at the horrifying sight in front of me. The whole bank erupted in screams of terror as someone had just been killed. Men, women, and even children began to run for the exits hoping to make it out with their lives. More gunshots were fired slaughtering countless others who tried to flee. People began to freeze in place including me as they didn't want to be the next victims of this mass murder.
Where were the pro heroes and police? Was no one coming to help us? This is it isn't it we all die like rats in a cage. No I won't let this be it! No more bloodshed, even though I am powerless I will make sure the rest of these innocent people will make it out.
I knew I had to take action swiftly though because if not more people might die because of me. "Alright alright I believe you I'll do whatever you want! I'll do anything just don't kill more of my co-workers! Please, they are innocent and they have families!". I say to the mysterious voice frantically.
For a brief second it's almost as everything around me fades away and I'm left in a black empty space within my mind. One of those three questions just keeps coming up over and over again. Where would I be now if I had chosen another path? Right now I was seriously hoping this was a bad dream and I was still asleep in my bed tucked in beneath the covers with the T.V. still on. How did all the events in my life lead up to this one moment; every choice I ever made had led up to this very point in my life and now I'm wishing I had altered my decisions and choices I made down the road.
"Tell everyone in that bank that they better not make one move or even think about reaching for a phone and calling the police or they get shot too!" The voice said to me angrily.
All of a sudden everything set back in and this isn't a bad dream but it's very real and now I'm the only person who can possibly stop the rest of these people from dying. "Everyone, don't move or even try to call the police or you will die too! They probably have full surveillance over the bank and any sudden movements might make them pull that trigger!". I shout out to everybody else.
"What this can't be real why is this happening to me!" One man screams as he begins to curl into a ball on the floor out of straight fear. The man's words were a reflection of my thoughts. Why is this happening to me of all people? Others began to panic as it hit them that this might be their final day on earth. I could faintly hear the sound of one girl behind me praying. Even one of our regulars, John, supposedly hardened by war shaking harder than anyone else.
"Alright everyone stay calm please I can get us out of this I just have to do what the man on the phone says and we all get to go home." I say in a much calmer voice hoping maybe it will provide the people with a little reassurance. All the pressure of this horrifying situation was on me now and I'm not even sure I can actually save all these people. Who am I to give them all some sort of false hope that they might actually be leaving this bank alive today.
"Alright Victor, you are going to go into your boss's office and fetch that vault code. I want you to put all the money in the vault into a bag and slowly bring it out to me with your hands up." That wretched voice over the phone says to me with a grim tone as if he had calmed down a bit but still menacing nonetheless.
"Alright I will just promise you won't hurt anyone else!" I had to think of every viable option to stop this from escalating any further.
"Oh Victor, maybe just do what I tell you and possibly everyone lives through this if that is what you want so bad." The man says in that same tone I still so despise.
I take a deep breath realizing maybe there isn't anything else I can do but give into what the man says. This is not the way I want my story to end though! Not as some bank desk clerk who makes slightly over minimum wage at least. Right then it had hit me what I could do, and maybe get everyone out of this without having to succumb to this man's orders. I very slowly move my hand under the desk towards the panic button hoping maybe at least I could notify the police of what was happening.
The second my finger is almost on the button another shot is fired but this time as a warning shot at me. "You think you're one real slick person huh? You didn't think I hacked the security cameras beforehand!! I can see everything you do!" He sounded almost amused now. "My flair is Technology Manipulation! Every phone, every camera, every electrical component is mine to take over. Not just allowing it to be mine but to enhance it instantly. That grainy security camera feed? It's now crystal clear in 4k resolution, I can even see the beads of sweat on your forehead. That is how I can see everything so clearly!" Who is this guy?
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't do it again, give me another chance please I won't make any more mistakes." I reply back frantically hoping that wasn't going to be the last mistake I ever made in my pathetic life.
"You're very lucky you caught me in one of my better moods. I will be more than merciful and give you one more chance so don't blow it." The man over the phone said as if he had just given me the best present of all time but in a way it really was. He had just blessed me with a second chance at life even though I had made a very idiotic mistake. I could've gotten everyone killed right then and there but now I get my chance at redemption.
"Thank you so much for the second chance, I will not disappoint you!" I say as if I was talking to my father like I just got a bad grade on a test.
"Good, that's the attitude I want out of you Victor, now go get that code and open the vault. But Tick tock, Victor. You only have so much time." he said.
"I know, I know!" I gasped, my voice barely audible over my ragged breathing. I started towards the stairs when a woman's voice echoed out "Please save us mister!" I gave her a reassuring smile before taking off. For some reason I could perfectly remember all her features, all from her rosy cheeks to her kind eyes. No one deserved to go through this and that's why I was going to save everyone. My legs felt like lead, but I pushed harder. Second floor. Third, the manager's office was on the fourth. My vision blurred at the edges. When was the last time I'd run like this? The stairwell echoed with my footsteps, each one a countdown I couldn't afford to lose.
Finally—the fourth floor. I burst through the door and stumbled down the hallway, my shoulder hitting the wall as I rounded the corner. The manager's office door stood closed, mocking me. I twisted the handle. Locked.
"Come on!" I slammed my shoulder against it. The wood groaned but held. Another hit. The frame splintered and I crashed inside. The desk—I yanked open the top drawer so hard it flew out completely, scattering papers across the floor. Pens, paperclips, nothing. The second drawer stuck. I pulled until my knuckles went white.
"Tick tock, Victor." His voice chimed out again.
"Shut up!" I threw the phone aside and used both hands to wrench the drawer free. Files. Invoices. Where was it? My hands shook as I rifled through everything, sweat dripping onto the papers. The bottom drawer. There—a small black notebook. I flipped it open, pages flying past my fingers. Numbers. Codes. Access sequences. And there it was: VAULT - 7739-B.
I grabbed the phone. "I have it!" But the line was dead.
I pounded down the stairs, taking them four at a time now, my hand barely touching the rail. The main floor rushed up to meet me. I burst through the stairwell door and—Some soldier was waiting for me. The soldier was massive, shoulders that could block a doorway, arms like tree trunks. He stood perfectly still, watching me with eyes that had seen too much.
"Hand it over," he said simply. His voice was calm, almost bored.
I clutched the notebook to my chest. "No."
He tilted his head slightly, like I was a child who'd said something amusing. "Hand it over, Victor," he said to me.
"I said no." My voice cracked. I took a step back.
He moved faster than anyone that size should be able to. His fist caught me in the stomach and I doubled over, gasping. The notebook slipped from my fingers. I lunged for it, but his boot caught me in the ribs. The world tilted. I was on the ground, reaching for the notebook, when his fist connected with my temple. White light exploded behind my eyes. Another punch, this one to my jaw. I heard something crack. The last thing I remembered was his boots walking away, the notebook tucked under his arm, and the warm wetness spreading across the side of my head where my skull had met his knuckles one too many times. The last thing I remember after that was blacking out.
Was that really it? That was my last mistake I was ever going to make and I didn't even get the chance to make some sort of hero's entrance at all. Everyone was going to die because of me because I thought instead of freezing up I could be a tough guy all of a sudden. I really am the most pathetic human on Earth and I don't even have any kind of cool powers to show for it like most others do. Why was I born without a Flair?
I wake up after being unconscious to faintly hear police sirens and the sound of ambulances. Everything is hard to see as my vision is blurry and the room is spinning. I can barely even pick myself off the floor anymore. Blood is dripping down my face and I have a definite concussion. I just barely make my way out of the stairwell into the main lobby to find everyone DEAD. Every single person but me had been killed because I majorly screwed up. Why is this happening to me?
It's like my body became a statue made of stone, or like I was no longer in control of my own movements. All I could do was look at what I caused…Once what were happy and nice people were now just lifeless corpses sprawled out all over the floor. Why couldn't I have just been a little faster? When reality had finally set back in I took a few steps back before falling to my knees. The whole moment had overridden my brain, I couldn't even cry. All I could do was keep blaming myself for everything. I failed everybody, didn't I? My emotions quickly transformed into anger…whoever that guy was I will find him and make him pay. He'll learn quickly keeping me alive was a mistake he will forever regret. I passed out again from all the blood loss but I wasn't going to let this be where my chapter ends.
What was, is no more.