The day I shot a G-Man.

[Filmmonkey]

So I was on the lam. We just knocked over the First street bank and the coppers were hard on our tails. We were holed up in deserted brownstone off of Oak. The plan was to lay low while the heat cooled off, then we’d divvy up the take. A bank job would usually score us enough jack to keep us in dames and booze for a month.

But this time it wasn’t the dames on my mind, it was the law. We could hear them right outside the door. A there was a team of them. The shuffling of their boots meant they were stacking up at the door. That’s when it hit me. They were coming in. No “come out with your hands up”, no “there’s someone here who wants to speak with you” and then you hear your mother’s pleading voice. Nope, they were coming in. There was going to be a fight.

I motioned to Jimmy. He was hunkered down in the bathroom right off the main entrance, where it turned left and made the long hall that ran the length of the brownstone. They’d get to him first. That was my chance. I was at the end of the hall, crouched down behind a bookcase. I pulled myself down as small as I could get. The cramps were already setting in. Nothing about this day was going to be comfy.
I peered around the edge to check my line of sight. I had a straight shot all the way down the hall. I could see Jimmy trying to squeeze behind the water tank in the bathroom. I knew they’d reach him first, and that was going to be my chance.

I worked the heater of my pocket and gripped it tight. I knew that gun, had fired it plenty. I knew that I had six shots, and I knew that all six were going find a target. From where I was down the hall a lot of mugs would miss that shot; cramped behind a bookcase, leaning out and trying to hit a moving target about thirty feet away. Not me. Call your bookie, this was a sure bet.

The front door crashed open. I ducked back behind the bookcase and listened. It was quiet, too quiet. That meant they were taking their time. That was fine with me, I could wait. I pulled back the hammer of the revolver and smiled when it clicked in to place. I always loved that sound, it damn near brought tears to my eyes.

Time started to drag. My legs were throbbing from crouching down. And they still weren’t coming in. I heard them shouting back the layout of the brownstone; an open door to the right, a hallway to the left. They were working on a plan. These guys were calculating and cool. That meant one thing, Feds, G-Men.
I don’t how the hell they got on us so quick, but no local flatfoot would be pulling these tricks. Hell, if the local heat wanted the job done they’d just set fire to the place and eat a sandwich while it burned down around our ears. Nope, these boys were pros, but I was gonna blow down the first copper dumb enough to show me a target.

So in they came. They shouted for us to come out. But we all knew that wasn’t gonna happen. Two of them reached the bathroom. The minute they stepped inside Jimmy jumped out and started screaming like the little b**** he was. “Don’t shoot, I’m unarmed”. He had probably dropped his piece in the can. And now he was all hands up. For Christ’s sake at least go down like a man.

As the two G-Men make a grab for him, he panicked and started thrashing around, the three of them all balled up in a mess. I took a peek around the edge of the bookcase. My prayers were answered. They were so caught trying to elbow Jimmy they had forgotten about the hallway. It was time for a little lesson.
I pulled up my gat and eyeballed down the barrel. I smiled as the hammer dropped. Bang! And then I just kept going. All six rounds, as fast as I could pump them out.

Those coppers never saw it coming. I only hit one of them, twice in the back. But they both jumped like Mexican jumping beans on a hot skillet. I drop open the cylinder and shoved as many fresh pills in as I could. My blood was up. Just holding the piece still was hard enough let alone a trying to get a fresh batch in.

The one G-Man that I popped limped out of sight. His partner peeled around the corner of the hallway, stuck his gun out and sent some Chicago lightning my way. Even with me halfway behind the bookcase his first shot nailed me in my business hand. The gat went flying to the ground. They were teaching these mugs well.

The pain shot through me, my legs went out from under me and I crashed down right in the middle of the hallway. I was scrambling to get back behind the bookcase when a string of suits poured around the corner, gats out if front.

They told to me to freeze, that I was under arrest. The same s*** they always say. Before I could think, there were hands all over me, dragging me down the hall and slapping the bracelets on my wrists. It was over, for now.

Oh well, all in a day’s work.

I do some part-time work as a role player for different law enforcement agencies. Sometimes you’re being questioned about your wife’s disappearance, other days you’re driving to a pick-up spot for a drug deal. And there are the days when we get to shoot. I like those days…

[Raven Foxx]

I could feel the character and the urgency in the scene. :) Very nice imagery. (splg) Maybe someday I'll let you beta some of my stuff. ;)