Gun

    She handed me the gun. I looked down at her hands- they were shaking. I held the gun in front of me, finger on the trigger. My hands were shaking too.

    I knew it wouldn’t work. I don’t really think it was supposed to. Kathy said we were doin’ it for the "thrill." Seemed like a good enough idea to me.
    It wasn’t gonna be like grabbing a few cigarette lighters from the gas station window, or taking a candy bar from the Walmart checkout. No, this would be a real job- real payoff. Real danger. In Kathy’s words, "A thrill."
    Wasn’t about thinking or planning, just doing. That’s all. OKay? Get it? We weren’t there for money, weren’t there to hurt people. Alright?

    We pulled up in back and got out of the car laughing. We pulled ski masks over our heads, and Kathy reached down to feel the gun on her hip. She looked at me and pulled up her mask. I yanked mine up just in time. She lunged, we kissed.
    It was time. I was ready.
    We burst through the door and Kathy let out a shot. A woman screamed and a kid started crying. People dropped to the floor, like we were in a movie or something. I threw plastic garbage bags at the two tellers and they started putting money in ’em. I didn’t even have to tell ’em to!
    Someone on the floor screamed, "Why are you doing this?"
    Kathy walked over and the put the gun to the woman’s nostrils and whispered, "Ask me again."

    The tellers threw me the money and I looked at Kathy, excited.
    "Let’s go babe!"
    She laughed and fired a second bullet into the air.
    "THE VAULT," she screeched, "OPEN THE GOD DAMN VAULT!"
    I was getting antsy. I cut in.
    "Kathy, let’s just…"
    I stopped.
    Kathy turned and looked at me, her eyes burning.
    "My name? YOU SAID MY FUCKING NAME?"
    She pointed the gun right at me. I started talking.
    "Don’t be crazy- let’s just get the hell outta here!"
    The people were getting anxious. They were moving around. They were dialing on their cell phones.
    I didn’t care.
    Kathy kept screaming.
    "No. NO! YOU don’t give the FUCKING DIRECTIONS, ALRIGHT? I tell YOU when to go- AND WE’RE NOT DONE HERE!"
    Kathy walked toward the tellers, gun held firmly in place. I went after her. And then…

    It happened fast, so fast that it became a blur. So fast that it felt like it was all sped up or something.
    I grabbed Kathy’s shoulder and turned her around.
    She screamed and fired the gun.
    I pushed her back and hit her in the jaw.
    She fell to the ground, still holding the gun.
    I heard a noise behind me.
    I turned around.
    I saw the man lying there, blood spewing from the place where his heart should be, dressed all in black and blue.
    A cop.

    I helped her off the floor and she stared at the man she had killed. She looked at me and she started to cry. The people on the floor were screaming and one of the tellers was on the phone.
    I pulled off Kathy’s mask and she pulled off mine. I was crying too. I whispered in her ear.
    "What now?"
    She whispered into mine.
    "We’re done."
    I kissed her on the cheek.
    She looked at me, pushing the gun against my arm.
    "Take it… take it and pull… pull the trigger…"
    I shook my head. I was scared.
    "Put it here," she said, lifting the gun to her temple, "and pull."
    I shook my harder and said, "no…"
    "Yes," she said quietly, "yes."

    She handed me the gun. I looked down at her hands- they were shaking. I held the gun in front of me, finger on the trigger. My hands were shanking too.
    And I pulled the trigger once.
    And I lifted the gun a little higher, a little closer, until the warmth of the barrel washed over me.
    And I pulled the trigger again.

A guy