The Sound Of Silence

Word count 299

The Sound of Silence

         Jane moved methodically through the bank. Firm pressure on her arm reminded her not to draw attention to herself, or the man with her.

         She bit her lip to keep from screaming as they moved in a disturbing synchronized ballet. The coppery taste cleared the frenzy eating its way through her brain, until the taste clung as if she’d eaten rotten meat. She swallowed the bile in her throat as the man guided her toward the manager’s desk.

         All Jane could think about was her son bound and gagged to a chair in a rat-infested warehouse about a mile away awaiting her return. She breathed deeply to calm the building hysteria, knowing neither one of them would survive.

         The manager stared at the approaching couple, recognizing the uncommon stiff movements of the woman. Her face seemed relaxed. Her eyes betrayed her. Dare he sound an alarm? He couldn’t risk alerting the man, or panic the customers.

         The man and woman stopped at his desk. “May I be of some service?”

         The man sneered. A tic in his cheek belied his confidence. “We’d like to make a withdrawal from the vault.”

         “Certainly, I just need a withdrawal slip.”

         “Janie, show the man our withdrawal slip.”

         Jane reluctantly drew a portion of her coat aside, baring the vest of explosives she wore. A vile of nitroglycerine sat above her heart ready to explode if she moved quickly. A similar vest adorned her son.

         The manager nodded, walking them toward the vault. Before entering, Jane heard the sound of an explosion, knowing her son no longer existed. She pushed the manager away, trapping herself inside the closed vault with her captor. Jane uttered a prayer of forgiveness as she made her vest explode. That day, silence echoed for Jane and her son.