Chapter 10

I left my house and headed to the liquor store to purchase a bottle of wine. As I entered the liquor store the cashier looked at me with wild eyes. I glanced in the direction he stared and saw a man standing with a mask over his face wildly shaking a gun at the cashier. “Oh goodness,” I exclaimed and got onto the ground.
“Everybody just calm down,” the man with the gun screamed out.
I sat quietly on the floor as my heart pounded in my chest and my hands shook. I wasn't sure what to do, I was too scared to take my phone out of my purse to call 911. The man looked at me and waved the gun in my direction. I screamed and covered my head with my hands as I knelt on the ground trying to make myself as small as possible.
The cashier tried to calm the man down, “what do you want money, here take it all,” he said shoving the money from the open drawer onto the counter. The man turned away from me and looked at the cashier.
“Yeah yeah, and I want some cigarettes,” the gun wielding man said.
“Okay any kind you want man just don’t shoot anyone it’s not worth it,” the cashier said calmly.
The man with the gun ran up and down the aisles looking for something waving the gun in the air. "I need some beer," the man shouted from near the coolers in the back of the store.
I glanced down the aisle and saw an older lady laying on the floor with a cross clutched in her hands she was mouthing what looked like a prayer. I scooted towards her and out of the line of fire as the man came back up towards the front of the store. We huddled together trying to comfort one another, she whispered a prayer as we sat there waiting for the man to leave or help to arrive. "Do you think anyone called 911?" I asked in a whisper.
She looked at me with tears in her eyes and mouthed, "I don't know."
I could hear the cashier now grabbing cartons of cigarettes and putting them on the counter.
The gunman shouted, "WHERE DID THAT LADY GO?" He ran over to the aisle that I had scooted away towards. I felt a hand grip my hair and yank me backwards. I screamed as pain shot through my scalp. He put the gun up to my head and screamed in my face, I could feel his rage eminating from him. Something about his cologne smelled familiar. I couldn't quite place it, but something was definitely familiar about it. "Now sit down BITCH!" he screamed in my face.
I sat down on the ground where he asked me to sit, I heard another voice coming from the back of the store. "Sir, why don't you just take the money and go, leave this poor lady alone, she didn't do anything to you." he said walking up towards the front of the store.
"You better sit down now or I'll shoot her," the man said pointing his gun at me.
I screamed and tears filled my eyes.
The man who continued to walk forward remained calm, "come on buddy, let's just get this over with. Go ahead take the money and the cigarettes and just go."
"You better stop right there, and I will," the man with the gun said. As he walked up to the counter, I scooted away close to the woman again. Covering my face I sobbed as the tears started to fall.
The man with the gun was still waving the gun as he gathered up the money and cigarettes I could see as I peaked around the corner. I covered my head with my hands and waited. Soon the sound of the door slamming and the cashier said, “Okay everyone he’s gone,” as he locked the door.
We all breathed a sigh of relief.
The cashier called 911 and we all waited patiently for the police to come. I sat next to the older woman and held her hand praying with her. Another gentlemen had been in the back of the store and came out after the cashier called 911.
We all sat on the floor together each of us silent and in shock of what just happened. There was a loud knock on the door. I looked up and saw a blue uniform, the cashier had gone into the back. So I went and unlocked the door. I was staring into the most handsome face I had seen in days. Here was my savior again.
“I hear there was a robbery,” Officer Jansen said.
The sounds of sirens blared outside as three police cruisers pulled in. The first officer out of his patrol car ran up and said, “Jansen how did you get here so quick?” I wondered myself but disregarded it. Officer Jansen hugged me and something felt very familiar about the cologne he was wearing. I dismissed it and he checked on the other people in the liquor store. The other cops came and asked me a question if I needed to see an EMT. I had a small cut on my forehead from where the gun wielding maniac had shoved the gone against my head. I hadn't even realized I was bleeding until I reached up and touched it, seeing the bright crimson on my fingers.
"No I think I will be okay, I hadn't even realized I was bleeding," I said.
The officer grabbed a bandaid from a first aid kit the cashier had grabbed and placed it on my head. "There that should be okay now," he said patting my hair slightly trying to comfort me. I looked up and saw Aaron Jansen, a look of rage flashed across his face as his co-worker touched my hair after putting on the bandaid. I dismissed it as I looked again Aaron looked normal.

My heart started to beat quickly in my chest as I felt a panic forming, my hands were sweaty as I waited for Aaron to finish his conversation with his co-worker. I felt dizzy and disoriented, almost as if I would pass out at any moment. Get ahold of yourself Vivienne I thought to myself as I stood there watching Aaron Jansen do his job. I was safe now, wasn't I?