When No One's Watching

She ran as far as she could from the sound of sirens surrounding the grocery store. Just moments earlier, while shopping for food amid the worst storm the town had seen, she had been held at gunpoint by a robber. She was just smart enough to have her thumb on the emergency call button as he guided her along through the checkout. By the time he had gotten the final cashier to fill his bag with the money from her till the wailing police sirens grew louder and louder. He looked out the window to see a multitude of police cars lining the perimeter of the building. The woman, still in his grip, was his only way out and for lack of a better escape, he used her as his shield to ensure his security as he made a run for it. Overwhelmed from the situation, the woman found herself running too.

Her legs carried her as far as the few blocks she had to go until she reached her street. The short journey felt like she was running for years with the winds of the storm continuing to push her backwards. She paused in her tracks with the rain beating against her face as she looked down the street. The sound of sirens grew louder again as a police car drove past, splashing water on the cars that were parked on either side of the road. She flinched although the water never reached her. The power was out two blocks down and there had been an accident in the middle of the intersection. Soon, an ambulance siren began wailing down the same street beside her. Those sirens called adrenaline back to her body and she began to run again despite her tired lungs. She looked around frantically as she ran, trying to ensure she passed every surveillance camera in her area, and every store window she passed she’d quickly analyze the reflection. Paranoia began to seep its way into her mind as she thought about the gun against her head, the man using her as a human shield to leave the store safely, and the small detail that ate away at her mind; he got away successfully. 

She shook herself out of her panicked state of mind and she only had the determination to make it home. She looked around so often that she nearly missed the entrance to her apartment building. For some reason, the uneasy feeling didn’t leave her body when she stepped through the front door. All she wanted was people around to know that she was safe but the lobby of the building was completely empty, and even the front desk had no one tending to it. The lights flickered and the woman turned around to face the front door as she backed into the desk. She could feel the increasing panic set in. It was just her, alone, weak, out of breath, and that man still had his gun, a willingness to shoot, and he was free. Her fear sent a surge of energy to her diaphragm.

“Hello! Is anyone around?!” She took in another breath to holler again but nearly shrieked when a hand touched her shoulder. 

“Jess, are you okay?” The slightly older woman looked down at her in worry.

“Kate! I have never been happier to see you in my life! I just came from-- you wouldn’t believe-- and there he was-- and I just- just”, She gave way to her shakes again, looking like she might faint. 

Kate just opened her arms and, with the fastest response, Jess dropped her bag and walked straight to her like a child to her mother. She patted her back while staring at the bag Jess had dropped.

“Hey, Jess?”, she asked. 

“Uh-huh”, Jess tried to respond without giving in to her tears.

“Did you just come from the grocery store, love? Your bag is empty like you didn’t even get to-- oh.” Kate felt Jess’ shakes get worse at the mention of the grocery store and realized it was her she had just heard about on the news just moments earlier when she was in the back office.

“I think I’m just going to head up to my place and try to get some rest. This was just too much for me to handle today.” Jess picked up her empty grocery bag and headed for the elevator.

“Do you want me to go up with you?”, asked Kate. 

After a moment of hesitation, Jess answered, “No, I’d rather know someone is down here in case of anything.”

Kate could only look at Jess in sympathy. “Okay, Love. I’m here if you need me.” Jess nodded and proceeded to press the button, feeling comforted by the sound of the elevator on its way down. The ding was a bit dimmer now since she moved in, but still, it was another sound that gave her a sense of comfort. She walked in and pressed her floor on the keypad and leaned against the wall as the doors started to close. A sudden voice called for her to hold the door so she pressed the button to keep the door open as one of her neighbours walked in. He gave a quick glance at the keypad and the woman next to him who didn’t even take a glance at him. She seemed too dazed off in her own world to turn towards him. He waited on the other side of the elevator for her to notice him. 

Closer to their floor, the elevator began to rattle to a swift halt, jarring the neighbours from the walls they leaned against. The lights flickered to a slight dim, whirred back on, but only to be outed seconds later. Jess held up her phone to see that there was no internet connection throughout the building showing up on her surrounding network list, so she used the light on her phone to check and see if any elevator buttons were working.

“Anything working?”, the man asked, watching Jess fumble through pressing all the buttons.

“None of them seem to be working at all--” She was interrupted by the sudden yell of the man beside her.

“HEY! IS ANYONE HEARING US IN HERE? THE ELEVATOR IS STUCK AND THE POWER IS OUT!” He banged his fists against the door. 

Jess slowly turned to face the man beside her. The aggressive voice, the clothes, the bag he carried. She stuttered before getting a single word out. “You?” He turned to meet her eyes wide in panic, looking him up and down. He saw her eyes stop around his waist and he followed her gaze towards the gun in his pocket.

“I really hate that it had to come to this, you know. If you knew it was me earlier and got off, I wouldn’t have followed you anymore. But here we are.”

Jess’s eyes flickered between the man and the corner of the elevator where a small green light was blinking. She found the strength to speak. “Connor...why would you do something like this? I’ve been the closest to you since you moved in last year. This isn’t like you.”

“Don’t think this little act is going to save your life. I live here too, I know about the camera behind me and just for the benefit of the doubt. I won’t shoot it. They’ll need proof of what’s going to happen to you.”

Jess still in shock and exhaustion from all her running kept trying to press the emergency button without taking her eyes off Connor. “Is that why you called for help? To get authorities here to figure out what happened to me while you get away again?”

“You’re smarter than you look”, he grinned at her predatorily.

“And you’re just as cowardly as you look.” She stood with an air of false confidence in hopes she could hold him off until help comes. Mentally, she was prepared to fight, but her body wasn’t prepared for it at all. Connor could see right through her act.

She had nowhere to run out of his reach but she tried her hardest to get away from him. He grabbed her by her jacket and she fumbled with the zipper to keep it up. “Really, now? I have a gun and you’re worried about modesty...that’s adorable, really.” Before she could put up a fight, he pulled the trigger and with a bang, her eyes went wide. He threw her against the elevator panel, causing the buttons to lodge into their sockets. She only kept her eyes on the camera. 

He began to zip down her jacket, “let’s see the damage, huh.” He laughed to himself. Jess was completely helpless and as she stared at the camera, she saw the power drain, and the green light fade into darkness. She knew the backup reserve finally ran out of power.

Connor paused unzipping the jacket to see her eyes meet his and she gave him a smile. “Did it work?” He whispered to her. She pulled him in for a kiss as he pulled the jacket off her. 

“I didn’t think you could do it but you were amazing!” She applauded as he looked her over. “The best job you’ve ever done.”

He held her by the waist looking all over her torso to make sure she was fine. “And you’re sure, I didn’t get you anywhere?”

“Positive! You aimed for the vest spot on and remember it’s bulletproof, I’m fine. I’ll probably have a bruise later, but you don’t have to worry about that.”

“Jess I’m your husband. Of course, I’m worried about that.” 

She gave him a soft smile and a kiss on the cheek before they got back to their plan and turned to open the doors of the elevator manually, planting a jack between the doors to keep them open as they got ready to climb up.

Jess made it up on their floor quickly with an assist from her husband. She gave a hand down to him to pull him out, all still without being seen. They headed for Connor’s apartment and once inside the couple spread a sheet on the floor and began to sort. Connor emptied the bag of money he took from the grocery store onto the sheet and Jess put it into her empty grocery bag. She covered it all with food in the fridge except for $400 set aside which she stored in her purse. They saw the clothes they placed out earlier on the bed and dressed as fast as they could but the sounds of sirens were getting too close for comfort. They checked around the apartment to make sure they left no trace of their plans lying around, gathered up the sheet and put it into Connor’s backpack. 

They looked at each other in the mirror and shared a laugh...they looked normal. They knew they had nothing to worry about. Connor had locked the door behind them as they left, but an officer had stopped them before they could get very far...the same officer from the grocery store.

“Where are you two going in the middle of this blackout?”, the officer questioned.

“We figured if we have no power here, we might as well get out of town, go see her family, and maybe stay with them for a bit. I mean, at least they have all their power on.” Connor spoke so calmly as if the day hadn't just happened.

The officer gave the two a nod and they walked towards the back stairs, hand in hand. At their exit, they were greeted by a grinning Kate. “Did I do okay?”, she asked Jess.

“Perfect! If they see or hear any of the camera footage today, they’ll believe it. Oh and here-” Jess gave Kate the $400. “I hope this helps with the elevator panel cost. Thank you so much for killing the power to the cameras at the right time.”

“For you, generous friends, anytime.” She sent them off with a wave as she watched them leave in Connor’s car. Sudden footsteps startled Kate.

“I nearly forgot you were here”, Kate said. “Did you get everything you need?”

“Everything”, said the officer standing against the wall, “I got everything I needed”.

“You know, I don’t think they’re lying. Jess’s family doesn’t live too far from here. Do you need their address?”

“Thank you, ma’am, but I have a source that can follow them a lot closer from here on. Feel free to keep that money. You will need it for the repairs. I have a feeling their next plot will involve a lot more money than a simple store can hold.”