Last Time

This story is by Last Time and was part of our 2018 Spring Writing Contest. You can find all the writing contest stories here.

“This is the last one. When I’m done tonight, I’m out. No more I’m tired of the games. I can’t go back in. I’ll talk to you later mom.”

Lenny sits, lingering in the farthest parking spot of the Fuel and Go.  Main reason people shop here is for the Booze and smokes.

Lenny leans back, resting his thoughts. The money was fantastic. The stakes were high. Life was too easy. This was when a person would get pinched.  To have it all taken away.

One more job and I’m out. Can’t go back in, I’m done tonight.

A rust bucket blue Ford pulls up. Two scruffy looking goofs slide out of the car. One scruff looks back towards Lenny’s car. This ones wearing a black hoodie. The other has a grey sweatshirt and a dirty ball cap.

Deep black tinted windows help Lenny stay hidden. 

“No one’s in it. Let’s go. In and out.”

“Let’s do this!” Says the black hoodie.

Both slip on black ski masks covering their dirty smirks.

Lenny sits still. “This isn’t good. If my drop sees anything unusual, this will spook him off.”

“Oh, this is getting interesting.” Lenny watches as a metropolitan police cruiser turns into the lot moments later.

“Keep going.” he tells them. “Do a pass by and keep ongoing.”

“Damn”. The cruiser pulls up next to the beat up Ford.

A tall dark-haired officer emerges from the driver side. The passenger. She’s a shorter blond. Hair pulled back in a tight ponytail.

Lenny strains to hear what they say to each other. A little laughter between them.

Grabs the steering wheel. His pulse increases. Perspiration causing sweat to drip down his back. One of his skinny legs going berserk. White knuckles gripping the worn leather of the steering wheel.

“I need to get out of here. This is not my business. I should peel out of here.”

Lenny sits paralysed watching the nightmare unfold in front of him. Tonight was supposed to be an easy, quick job.  Swift  pick up and drop. “This is none of my business.”

“Hey Clark, this place has great corn dogs. I helped the owner out with a break in couple years ago. Now he won’t let me pay. So I stop in every now and then to check up on him. You will like him.”

“I’m not eating a corn dog at two am. It will haunt me the rest of the shift.”

“I’ll eat two myself.”

A bell chimes as the two officers enter the store. “Mr. Hun how’s business? Looks a little slow tonight?”

Mr. Hun gives a silent weak smile.

“Any fresh corn dogs on the go?”

Mr. Hun nods.

Lenny opens his window and strains to listen through the store door.

“You okay Mr. Hun?”

“Freeze copper.” Yells a voice.

The tall male officer turns to a hooded masked man waving a gun at him.

“Put your hands up slowly.”

“This will not work.” Says the tall officer.

“Shut up and put your hands up!”

The officer raises his gun.  A slicing bullet thuds into his skull. The two hundred and fifty pounds of law enforcement slams into the cement floor.

“POW!!”

Lenny hears the shot ring out from the open door. The gunfire burst startles Lenny back to reality. He jumps in his seat.  Pushing his face into the dash to look closer.  “What is happening?” 

Silence.

The female officer shakes in terror as she watches her partner fall like a rock. She eye’s towards the gunfire. The shooter is standing next to Mr. Hun. She’s caught in the middle.

“Holy shit did you see that!!” The shooter points his gun to the female officer.

“On your knees!”

She’s terrified. Shaking like a leaf.

Frozen. Seconds tick away like an eternity.  She draws.

Pow!! Pow. Pow!!

She feels the first bullet hit her neck. The next two hitting her in the vest, sending her into a snack display. Chips crunch and sprawl across the floor.

She’s awoken with the sense of being kicked in the chest by a horse.  The two gunman are arguing with Mr. Hun.  Pain erupting in her chest.  Unaware of a red warm sticky fluid on her neck. Searching for her gun, it’s gone.  She swims for her gun’s location.

“Great she’s alive. You shot her. Finish her while I grab the smokes and cash.

Lenny strains to see what is happening. From his position he can see one cop swarming around on the floor. One shooter is pointing his gun, walking towards the fallen officer.

“Do something Lenny!” he tells himself. “Leave, just leave. Pull out and get out of here. It’s not my business. Nothing good will come of this. I can’t stop these idiots. I’ll get questioned, they will throw me back inside. Can’t go back in. Just can’t!”

Hypnotized, Lenny sticks the car in drive. With his chin on the steering wheel, hands holding so tight it could snap in two.  Lenny realizes a gun pointed in his direction.  He stomps down on the fuel sending the engine roaring. The dark green Honda rips the parking lot.  Burnt asphalt and smoke sends the car hurling through the storefront.

Glass and liquor explodes from the display. One shooter gets a shot off. A panic shot that flies off into a rainbow of splattered liquor.

The Honda Crushes him, slamming both car and hooded intruder into the coolers and shelves.

Lenny gets out of the crashed car.  The car missed the fallen officer by inches. She’s bleeding bad from the neck, dark red blood oozing out her neck with every breath. Behind her head is her gun, sitting on a bag of corn chips.

Bends down, grabs the handgun, slips the safety off. 

“Don’t shoot.”

“Put the gun down!” yells Lenny

The gunman was only waiting for Lenny to get into his line of fire. As his gun descends, Lenny unloads the clip into the second gunman.

Turning he grabs a household towel from a broken display, holding it firm on her neck.  

Her badge reads “Clark.”

“Mr. Hun you there? Are you okay?”

“Yes I am not hurt.”  

“Get over here I need your help.  Clark here is bleeding bad.”

“Should I call for help?”

“She’s bleeding out she won’t make it. They won’t get here in time.”

“Help me get her to the cruiser.”

“Call ahead tell them were coming!”

“Clark here has got maybe ten minutes.” thinks Lenny. She’s my ticket or I’m done. Flying down the road he bangs at the dash switches till the sirens and lights ignite.

Clark is slipping away.

With one blood soaked hand on the wheel another grabs her shaking her around. “Wake up Clark!! Stay with me. You will be okay. Two more minutes, stay with me Clark!!”

Blaring into the night Lenny’s cruiser swerves all over the road.  Heading into the path of oncoming cruisers.

“Get out of the way.” Yelling into the night. “Stay with me.” He yells at her.”

“I’m losing her, these idiots will stop me and she will die. The damn hospital is just around the corner from them.”

Time slows as Lenny sees his mother looking at him in the window. Tears running in his eyes, brushing them aside with his bloody fingers.

Sternly she waves a finger at him.

“You had to do one more didn’t you. They will take you away forever now. I’ll be dead when you get out. You could have just driven away, mind your own business. You never knew when to leave.

“NO!!!! He yells out in anger NO!!!” punching the steering wheel.

The cruisers approach at a dangerous pace.  They move aside giving his racing cruiser room to fly by. Screeching around the corner, Lenny see’s a full medic team, lights swaying at the emergency entrance.  Skidding the cruiser to a halt.  Like a pit crew from the Daytona sidelines they reach in to grab the bleeding officer.

“Get out of the car.” Says a stern voice.

Lenny looks up at two officers looking down at him, hands on their holsters. Ungluing his wet sticky bloody hands from the wheel, raising them.

“We will need a statement.  An officer can take you where you want to go afterwards.” extending his hand.  

“Thank You..”  Gripping his bloody shaking hand and watery eyes.

“I want to go home.”