A pair of down on their luck ne’er-do-wells try to rob a bank during a blackout, hoping the cash will set them up until the good lady of fortune smiles upon them. Neither expected to find a monster in the vault, and, well, you can’t really call the police for help in the middle of a heist, now can you? Oh dear… -- Deathshead419
They'd been in the bank late to try begging the manager for leniency on their loan payments. It hadn't worked, and Iris had needed time to calm down before they could leave for the place that would no longer be their home in a few short weeks.
Then the lights went out.
Don, already half blind from the accident, whispered in her ear, "I know where the vaults are." It was a spur of the moment plan. Hardly a plan at all. Merely seeking an opportunity in front of them. Especially since the guard watching them had been distracted by the clerks' screaming. Don lead Iris down into the secured area. The doors had been sealed with magnetic locks, but... no electricity meant no electric magnets.
They slipped into the most secure part of the bank like ghosts. Their cheap sneakers effectively muffling their tread. Not that there was anyone else to hear them. The giant wheel of the vault lock sounded like thunder in that room, but nobody came down to see what the noise was.
The emergency lights flickered on as they stepped inside. Just enough light to give shape to the space. Not enough for fine details like lockbox numbers, but enough to see where the trays of bills lay, most in their currency straps.
They could also see the monster in the vault.
The story is told of a magical city, where the worldly woes are few and far between. Only one child suffers so that the rest of the population does not. The real problem is, nobody asks what happens when that child stops being a child any more...
The thing was barely human. Warped and misshapen by woe and sorrow, broken by uncountable tortures. They had grown sharp and dangerous, only capable of dishing out the sole thing it had known - cruelty.
At least... until Iris offered the creature one of her glucose jelly beans. She was a kind lady, and fate had forbidden her children. She was one of the very few who could see the hurt child in the eyes of a monster.
The simple kindness gave them pause. Iris' soft singsong attempt at soothing made the beast tilt their head, as if looking at her sideways might help them understand better. They snatched up the jellybean as if afraid she'd strike them, and tasted something sweet for the first time in their life.
Iris reached out, and a beast who only knew pain experienced a kind touch.
Don stuffed his jacket with bundles, hoping that they would be enough. Enough for all three of them to leave the bank and the city alike. Enough to start a new life anywhere else.
Anywhere else but Omelas.
[Photo by Bruno Oliveira on Unsplash]
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