Sanctuary

Bradbury Week 2

The Bank
I kept hearing about this job. There were no security cameras nor a security guard. Just three men sitting at desks in front of a large closet. The town was small. It wasn’t like I was being asked to rob The New York Mint.
Of course, nothing is ever that easy.
I put on the ski mask as I got out of my car. As I walked up to the front of the building, I heard a voice:
“You don’t want to do this.”
I swung around but there was no one there.
I entered the building and fired a shot into the ceiling. “Just stay calm and no one will get hurt,” I said.
I went to the first desk and pointed the gun at the man’s head. “In the safe, let’s go.”
We went in and all the valuables were just sitting on shelves. I grabbed a black velvet bag and shoved stuff in. I had the urge to put on this strange amulet and matching bracelets. I didn’t think anything was strange.
As I passed through the vestibule the amulet and bracelets glowed green. I felt tingle go through my body. I kept running.
My car was gone. I shoved the bag inside my coat and threw the mask into a garbage can. I tried to walk calmly.
There was an old woman pushing a shopping cart. She had eyes like coal. “Give it to me,” she said, “give it to me and there will be no more trouble.”
“It’s mine,” I blurted. “Try and stop me.”
“You have doomed us all.”
I heard agonized screams coming from the building. When I looked at the old woman again her eyes were glowing red and she reached for me with talons for hands. The amulet got hot. She shrank back like she was injured.
“You knew what you were doing but you are still cursed. You will die before you leave.”
She grew three feet taller and turned into a beast with huge black wings. She reached for me. I ran, zig-zagging through the streets. I pryed my way into another building.
A shrunken oriental man puttered about the shop. The shelves were filled with nondescript spices and herbs. Some of the jars held dried animal parts.
“You are in dire straits,” said the little man, “you shouldn’t have done it.”
“I must be having a nightmare.”
“No dreams. You are caught and there is little hope.”
“What can I do?”
“The docks are the only way out.”
I pulled the bag out. “I can give it to you to return.”
He backed away. “I am neutral. We don’t bother. I provide things they need. I will not involve myself.”
“Who are they?”
“People here not people. They hide. They are protected. The land is powerful.”
“Riddles and more questions.”
“You are being hunted. Think like prey. Trust instincts. Listen. Go home.”
The little man faded and disappeared in a mist. The shop itself turned wispy. I was standing on the street in front of a vacant lot.
I thought for a minute.. I didn’t remember any docks. I looked around, not wanting to be in the open. The woods surrounding the town were not there before. Everything kept changing.
I headed into the woods, the trees looming evilly overhead. It got darker. There was something glowing in the bag. A large teardrop shaped crystal.
There were whispers through the trees. “He knows. We must change strategy.”
I heard sinister growls. At the edges of the light appeared black disfigured wolves. They had larger teeth and claws and their bodies were twisted.
The teardrop began to dim. I threw the bag down and tried to remove the jewelry. It burned my skin. A large wolf lunged at me. The bracelets glowed blue and created a blue shield. The impact knocked both of us off our feet and the crystal was flung out of my hand.
My hands were around the bag. I scooped it up and this powdery sand flung into the air. When it touched the wolves they yelped and jumped back. I just ran.
Suddenly the woods parted and I saw them; the old wooden docks.
At the edge of the woods I tripped over a limb and felt my ankle crunch. I struggled to my feet. Searing pain shot up my ankle and leg and I went down again. I crawled toward the docks.
I grabbed the bag and my hand went inside. I pulled out a sword.
A giant spider-like creature dropped down from under a sign. When the sword contacted one of its arms, it made a clank like metal against metal. It pushed me back to the edge of the woods. A root snaked out and tripped me. I rolled to my back and stabbed upwards into its abdomen.

I made my way to the docks. Under the sign I was able to remove the jewelry. I put it in the bag and sat it on the ground.
Everything went back to how it was when I first came to town. I was on a hill overlooking it. My car sat on the road beside me.
“Your own abilities brought you here and saved you on your adventure.”
There were things beyond this world that lived here. They were essentially good and just wanted to be left alone. I wondered what the voice had meant by my own abilities. I figure I will know when the time is right.
Word count 919