The Job

This story is by J V Carroll and won the Readers’ Choice Award in our 2024 Spring Writing Contest. You can find all the writing contest stories here.

J V Carroll is a writer, reader and aspiring artist. She is currently working on her debut fantasy novel and learning violin in her free time. A lifelong reader, she is a huge fan of fantasy and philosophy books and plans on publishing her debut novel this year. 

Content advisory: Graphic Language (Cursing)

So, the job had gone left.

“Don’t panic.”

“I’m not panicking.”

“Well don’t be so fucking calm either! What do we do? What do we do?!”

Nia sighed and rubbed her temples. “Calm down Freddie.”

“Shit. Shit! I knew we shouldn’t have trusted Dex. I told you he was still bitter you left.”

“Will you two shut up?” Moe snapped, glaring back at them. The door he had been guarding was closed and he leaned against it, wincing. Blood streaked down the side of his face and his breathing was ragged. Nia gasped, rushing quickly to his side.

“You’ve been shot?” She demanded, running quick but gentle fingers over her friend’s face and neck.

“Grazed,” Moe scowled, pushing her away. “Focus on the room, did you find a way out?”

The office they’d been forced to barricade in was small, with two rectangular windows that opened to an alleyway. The windows were too small for any of them to climb through and the only other door in the room opened to a closet that was full of designer suits that reeked of cologne.

“There isn’t one, we’re going to have to shoot our way out. And fast.” 

Moe cursed, pressing the handle of his gun to the side of his head in frustration.

“When I get my hands on Dex’s throat…” He made a strangling motion with his free hand before letting out an explosive sigh and pointing to the door.

“Nia, make sure the guard is still alone. Freddie, how many rounds you have left?”

“More than you, I’m sure.” Freddie drawled.

Nia scowled but moved to the door and cracked it open an inch. They were holed up in the first room down a short hallway in the back of Weltermann’s Diamonds. A rounded mirror hung in the opposite corner of the door, giving her a full view of the showroom. It was empty save for a lone guard in faded blue, crouched behind a shattered display case. His wide, scared eyes were very firmly fixed in their direction.

“Still alone,” she shouted while stepping away.

Moe quickly stepped back to the door, Freddie’s gun in hand.

“Alright. Nia, you back me up. We’re gonna hit him fast and hard.”

“Wait,” she felt panic clawing at the edges of her mind. “Dex definitely took the car. What are we gonna do? Run back to the shop?” Was her voice really that shrill, or was it all in her head? 

“Freddie can jack that old Honda we saw out back. Right, Freddie?”

“That ancient thing? Thirty seconds, max.” Freddie replied, and though his tone was flippant, his skills were not.

“Alright, alright,” Nia sighed. “Let’s do this. But don’t kill him!”

Moe stared at her blankly, “don’t kill him? Nia, we don’t have time for this.”

“Do you really want to add murder to our list of charges today?” She snapped back.

“She’s not going to budge on this Moe, and frankly…I don’t think we need to kill the guy. Just shoot the hell out of the room and if he’s smart, he’ll stay down. If not…well, we can’t save him from being stupid.”

Moe rolled his eyes but nodded his agreement and grabbed the door handle.

“You guys ready?” 

Nia felt a ripple of fear, but pushed it away. The gun was heavy in her hand.

“Ready.”

Moe exited first, with a literal roar and a shower of bullets. Nia couldn’t be sure, but she thought she heard the security guard scream as he dove behind a thick wooden counter. They burst onto the street, immediately turning left down a side path to the back alley and the unsuspecting Honda.

Once inside, Freddie tore open the steering column while Nia and Moe kept watch. The alley was eerily quiet. The store alarm had stopped screeching but not before scaring away any passersby. Lucky us, Nia thought, now if God really wants to bless us, he’d stop the guard from trying to be a hero.

“Done! Moe, you’re driving.”

The car sputtered to life and Freddie slid to the passenger seat as Moe hopped in. Seconds later, they were off, peeling out of the alley on screeching tires as Moe sped onto the highway.

Their mad dash from the office to the car took a minute, maybe two at most, but to Nia, who was still taking deep, jagged breaths, it felt like a lifetime.

“Holy shit! Did we…did we actually get away?” Moe burst out, zipping in and out of traffic with a mad grin on his face.

“Yea,” Nia grinned back, staring at him through the rear view mirror, “I think we did. Thank God you still love old cars Freddie!”

Nia slapped him on the shoulder and he jerked. She frowned, noticing his slouched posture and pale profile.

“Freddie?”

Moe glanced at him and cursed. “Shit Nia, I think he’s been shot.”

Nia’s brief elation slipped away as the coppery scent of blood hit her and she froze.

“We have to take him to the hospital.” She said, concern finally overriding shock. They were speeding towards the shop, which was in the opposite direction of the hospital.

“Fuck no, are you out of your mind?”

“He could die, Moe…” Her voice was oddly flat. She felt disconnected from the moment, from her body even. There was a buzzing in her ear that she couldn’t quite place, but she was sure she’d heard it before.

“Then he dies! You know what it is Nia, you know the rules. What are we even talking about right now?” He was yelling now, and Nia knew they were heading to a crucial point.

Suddenly, the buzzing resolved into a sound she knew all too well and she blanched: police sirens.

“Fuck.” Moe heard them too. He looked around wildly and their eyes connected in the rear view mirror.

“Moe,” She began, but he interrupted.

“No, Nia, no. I’m not going to jail for you, or him, or anyone.”

Freddie groaned and the sirens grew louder. Closer. The feeling of being disconnected from her body grew stronger and so, Nia felt nothing as she watched her hand reach for her gun. One bullet left.

“We can’t let him die. We’re better than that, aren’t we?”

She wasn’t sure if she was asking Moe, or herself. This wasn’t the life she’d envisioned in college, sure, but she’d never regretted it and never felt the weight of her crimes as heavy as she did in that moment. She could forgive herself for not becoming a teacher. She could not forgive herself for letting a friend die. Even if it meant giving up her freedom.

“Pull over Moe. You can still escape, hell you’ll have a better chance of getting away if they’re focused on us.”

Moe stared at her, mouth agape. “You can’t be serious.”

The tip of her gun rested lightly against the back of his head and he cursed. With a violent twist of the wheel, he cut across lanes and exited the freeway. The police were far enough away that the sudden exit bought them a little time as Moe took two quick lefts and a right into a seemingly abandoned shopping center.

“You’re a dummy Nia, but Freddie’s lucky to have you.” With that, Moe was gone and Nia didn’t bother to watch him run away. She drove frantically, glancing at Freddie’s pale, drawn face every hundred feet.

“I’m so sorry Freddie,” she whispered, gripping his bloody hand tightly within her own. Sirens blared, closer than ever, but Nia ignored them. She would reach the hospital before the cops reached her and she would surrender then. She just needed to get Freddie help first.

“Almost there, Freddie, hang in there. Please, hang in there.”

Lights flashed in the rear view but Nia felt no fear this time, only peace.

Abruptly, the lights, the road and the car faded. Gasping, Nia opened her eyes to a brightly colored room and a smiling man with glowing, golden eyes seated before her. Despite the odd scene, she did not panic.

“Very good Ms. Johnson! Excellent choice there, in the end. Genuine self-sacrifice is always a bona fide way up.”

He stood, grinning, and ushered her to do the same.

“And a heist theme! I see you too, are a fan of the classics.”

Nia stood, confusion warring with manners as she thanked him and allowed him to push her towards a bright yellow door with the word “UP” marked in glowing green letters.

“Thanks for such an entertaining Test. I was right about this being your last one, eh? Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed your stay in purgatory, that way to heaven. And, have a pleasant afterlife!”

Without another word or moment to process the fact that she was, apparently, dead, Nia fell through the door and into a blinding white light. Her last clear thought, dancing across a scattered mind was: at least I made the right choice this time.