I heave and swing the leaking bag of garbage, wincing at the stench from the dumpster as it with a wet thud.
Trash pick-up wasn't till morning and on Thursday nights, it was overflowing.
My night shifts at this job paid for my groceries while my day job as a remote worker chipped away at my debts.
The debts my parents died left me with, to be more specific.
"achoo!" I wipe my already running nose with the sleeves of my Happy Sales uniform.
I should have just done this later. It's late November night for friggin' sake and customers don't usually come in this cold.
I'll just settle in, drink something warm and read a few comic chapters and start my online classes, I promised myself.
My phone buzzed with a notification and I snatched it out my pocket:
--Readers favourite, 'Fall for me, Saintess!' has just been updated.--
"Finally!" I kissed my phone. The one good thing in my life!
Shutting the back door behind me, I reclined on the chair and began to read.
Reading comics was a great way to escape reality and it had been my emotional support for years.
My mother migrated from South Korea in the 1990s and met my father, they had a mom and pop restaurant then had me.
Those were the happiest days of my life but in my high school final year, they got scammed with an investment and went into debt. Our business crashed and our house was mortgaged and my mother fell into deep depression. She died of overwork while my dad drank till he got alcohol poisoning, he died of liver failure and malnutrition.
I'd been bounced from relatives to relatives till I turned 18, since then, I'd been living on my own.
This is just one of my many jobs. I don't have friends either. Going online was a great way of escape and even when my boss, Mr. Dominic warned me several times not to read comics as it distracts me, I didn't listen.
I'm deep into rereading, Fall for me, Saintess! when someone tapped the register.
I look up, annoyed and staring at me are three men in ski masks.
Robbers!
A shiver runs down my spine.
Their leader has a snakehead tattoo, popping from his hand. From the same hand that held a gun, the tip glinting menacingly under the harsh glare of fluorescent light.
It's like I'm in a dream. My hands fly up automatically in surrender in fear.
He tapped the register.
"Open it."
My hands, shaking, fly to enter the pass code.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
This was supposed to be Marcus's shift tonight. I shouldn't even be here! I just wanted a little extra pay to buy myself something for Christmas.
"Faster!"
"Y-yes sir!" My voice went up higher than intended and the two at the back laughed at my fear.
In the event of a robbery, we were told: never argue, don't be a hero, avoid eye contact and give them what they want.
I hide it with my Trembling and nudge the button with my knee, under the counter, to which I hope is the alarm.
The register dings and I pull out the rumpled fives and ones, packing them onto the counter.
"Good girl. Now you're going to turn around, hands behind your head, fingers interlaced and on your knees."
He pushes the gun into my temple and I gasp. The tears are falling fast and blurring my vision.
I come out from behind the counter and get on my knees, hands behind my head and face down.
They snickered as they watched me. One of them put his boot on my head.
"If only other people were as cooperative as you were!" the second robber said.
"Right, Roadkill? So obedient, even has her ass hanging in the air."
"Wait, that's a female! I thought that was a prepubescent boy!"
When were the police coming? Oh God, what if they shoot me for calling the police??
As if on cue, I hear the wee-woo of police cars coming closer with Blue and red flashing lights.
"What the hell is that?"
"Is that the fucking police?!"
"Let's go! We can't, we have to get gas first!"
"Didnt I tell you to keep a handy container. I hear the leader swear angrily and yank me up by the hair as the flashing lights of the police cars surround the store.
"Hands up!"
"Don't move!"
Their leader waves his gun close to my face.
"You see this?? Imma kill her if you try anything funny!"
"Roadkill, T, walk towards me slowly. You get up and walk!"
He shoves the cold gun into my back, pushing me forward.
Oh God. I'm going to die. I'm going to die as a meat shield.
I can see the police fumbling with their radios. Compared to these robbers, they look like rookies on their first night.
"Darren, are you sure this will work?" Roadkill asked.
"Shut the hell up and stand behind here!" He points his gun towards Roadkill
"Don't point your gun at--"
In that split second, a bullet whizzed through the glass, landing squarely on the Roadkill. For half a second that seemed like eternity, I watched the robber fly backwards, slam into the floor with blood spurting out his chest.
I scream.
It is hell after; Darren and the second one returned fire and the police retaliated.
Glass shards fly and wooden shelves fall from the ricochets of bullets while I crawl blinded from tears on my knees to the back entrance.
I don't care who kills who, I just want to escape!
I make my way to the back while I hear even more sirens pull up to the front of the store to open fire.
If I can hide inside the dumpster, I'll be fine.
I get up and limp quickly noticing the trail of blood behind me and dripping from my side. Dizzy from the adrenaline, I didn't even notice I've been shot.
Are people supposed to bleed this much this quickly?
Raw fear seeps into me. Then anger.
Sure, I've had a shitty life. But surely, not shitty enough to deserve to die at the whim of another person?
The strength from my legs give out and I fall facedown to the filthy ground.
I have wished to die so many times, but the reality is I was just as scared of it as any other person.
"Mom....Dad...." I whisper weakly.
"....don't....." I wheeze and cough, tasting blood.
I hear the sounds of running feet towards me, carrying me up on a gurney. The ambulance doors opening is the last thing I see.