The clerk is minding his business when Vertigo robs the bank!
The Clerk
I was calmly handing a nice, elderly lady her money when a
nervous looking girl, maybe twenty or so, walked into the bank. She had a
black unitard clinging to her skinny form and a rainbow mask, with her
shifty blue eyes peering through.
“Thank you, deary,” the old lady said, trying to speak loudly
over the murmur of the customers talking and machines clicking, putting
the bills in her pocketbook. As she left, the unitard lady approached me
and pulled out a gun.
“Fill this bag with twenties!” she yelled, shoving an old,
green sack in my face. I heard a co-worker scream in the background. The
bank's pleasant hum silenced.
“Okay, okay, just don’t shoot,” I pleaded with her. I filled
the bag, wondering what kind of whack job asks for twenty dollar bills
instead of hundreds. I then returned the money-filled bag to the girl.
Her mask slipped as she slung the bag over her shoulder and I saw half
of her face, delicate and pale, before she pushed the mask back in
place.
"You saw it!" she exclaimed and fired her gun at me. She freaking shot me! It took me a moment to process that I did not
have a gaping chest wound and that the wetness was actually water. It
was a water gun!
She had this bewildered look on her face and I realized she
had thought it was real, too. Wide-eyed, she turned and ran out of the bank. Not knowing what else to
do at the time, like, oh, calling the cops, I loosened my tie and chased after her.
Vertigo
The white rope’s fibers were stained with sweat and blood as
it cut into my hands. The rope was the drawstring from an old,
sack-like, forest green bag my grandfather had owned, well-worn from
use. Its use now was to hold a massive amount of twenty dollar bills.
Now, before you ask “Why not get one hundred dollar bills when robbing a
bank?” I’ll clarify: not all stores will accept hundred dollar bills.
In fact, it would only raise suspicion and then I’d have to deal with
the worker doubting me or calling the cops or something. Twenty dollar
bills are just so much more convenient.
As I was walking down the busy street the bag was hitting the
backs of my knees in rhythm with my steps. This meant that every time it
hit my knees I was knocked off balance and hobbled, so I looked like I
was incapable of walking correctly. Add this to the fact that money was
spilling from the top of my bag and I was wearing a black, long-sleeved
unitard despite the ninety-some degree heat, I was about as
inconspicuous as a giant, neon yellow elephant t**d. I also couldn’t
find my regular mask so I was wearing the mask belonging to my Halloween
costume, a masquerade ball gown. It was rainbow, feathered, and
sparkly.
I really should have found a less crowded street and put on my
normal clothes, but so far the two times I had tried to go down an
alley someone attempted to mug me. I have many bumps and bruises from
escaping the muggers. Why in the world did I lose that bet?
Last week Phanta, Nessa, and I were playing poker together and
the penalty for losing was to rob a bank without any aid aside from our
own clothes, a gun, and a bag. To top it all off, if I was in a real
emergency and required a quick getaway, I wouldn’t be able to since
Nessa has the getaway car. She had been going out with this bookish guy
for a while and it was beyond annoying on days like today, which
happened more often than you’d think. We technically should have learned
by now that these penalty games were a terrible, terrible idea, but it
was just too satisfying to see the loser struggling along. Until it was
you.
“Hey, you thief! Stop right there!” a manly voice shouted from
behind me. I turned around and saw it was the clerk from whom I had
taken the bank money. Smiling, I winked, spun back around, and ran. So
far I’d managed to get away from situations without using my power and I
didn’t want to start now. Whenever something bad happened, like muggers
or the cops, I’d just darted away and thrown money at them until they
left me alone, but this clerk just kept catching up.
If I could either make it to Nessa’s date or hold out another
hour until it ended then she’d come pick me up, but until then I was on
my own and as much as I hated to admit it, I didn’t have the sex appeal
to convince that clerk to let me off easy. I spotted an empty alley with
a fire escape I could climb up and sprinted towards it, adjusting the
bag in my arms so it wouldn’t hit me. When I reached the ladder I
realized there was no way I’d be able to climb it with this heavy bag.
Footsteps sounded in the entrance to the alley and I turned to
face the clerk. He had to be one of the wimpiest guys I’d ever seen,
all skinny and pale, so I had no clue as to how he had held out long
enough to chase me so far unless I’d really been that slow. His
previously neat, chestnut hair was now half way covering his left eye.
Cursing my luck, I made eye contact with him. Dizziness washed
over me and I steadied myself on the cool brick building to my left.
The clerk frowned, the area between his eyebrows wrinkling, and swayed.
He tried to take a step forward and found himself incapable, falling
down.
My dizziness started to fade away and I hoped no one was
monitoring me today or I’d be in big trouble. Using our powers outside
of a mission is a big no-no with the consequence of
isolation, which is a lot worse than it sounds. If you escape they hunt you
down and rip you apart piece by piece.
Poor Sleep Ninja in the winter of ’99. We will never forget you.
The pounding of my feet on concrete echoed around me as I
continued down the alley, heading away from the crowded street. If I
could make it to the street on the other side of this alley, turn right
and go another eight blocks I’d make it to Brown’s Café and Nessa. So I
did just that.
Nessa and Blaine, her boyfriend, looked up at my panting, sweaty self and flinched.
“Nessa, why a water gun? Do you hate me that much? Well, now I
hate you! However, I will make an exception and love you from the
depths of my soul if you drive me home right now.”
She glanced around the café. There was just a college student
with a laptop in the corner. Deeming it safe to associate with me, she
stood.
“It was Phanta.”
“Oh, well, that’s okay then I guess,” I replied. “But still, could you drive me home please?”
Nessa said goodbye to Blaine before leaving the store. Once we were in the car I shed my mask and cranked up the air.
Nessa frowned and turned it down before pulling out to head
towards our home, the S.H.O.V.E.L. headquarters. We arrived in a half an
hour at the hundred foot tall shovel monument for Californian gold
diggers that appeared as though a giant had stuck it in the ground and
left it, tilted at a slight angle. Home sweet home.
Sleep Ninja? What happened to Sleep Ninja? Noooo! My Bro!
Anyway, I liked the way this story began. Like others have said, you have a writing style that is both interesting and has good flow. And you know what? I just plain like this story. I could really see it in my mind's eye. You have good descriptors. Now for the Criticism >:D
I found the voice of the clerk to be very unlike a bank clerk. Or a guy. I didn't even know he was supposed to be a man until you used the word "manly" in the story. If you can, try writing using a different voice when writing male characters. The voice for Vertigo was perfect. Spot on. Same with Nessa. That’s because I’m guessing they’re both girls, but the male clerk’s voice didn’t fit. Sorry if this is hard to understand but it’s also hard to explain so bear with me. Maybe an example would help.
Remember when Vertigo shot the clerk in the face with a water gun which the clerk thought was a real gun? Here’s how a guy would have reacted….
“Please don’t shoot!”
Squirt gun squirts water
“What the… you little! Argh! Come back here!”
Yeah something like that. I don’t envision men who work as bank clerks to say “I’m dead!” in their heads, or “What a poser!” either. Their heads would probably be filled with curses that would make a sailor blush. Also, and this is a minor point, his thought about her paying the price for a real gun and getting a squirt gun instead seemed rather awkward. The only thing going through his head at that moment should be confusion, not a lucid thought conversation about gun prices. Just a thought.
Another part of the story that seemed kind of forced was the part where Vertigo explained what happens to those who get caught using their powers outside of missions. She just kind of lays it out for us and it comes out stilted. Instead of telling us, don’t tell us. Make it mysterious. Hint at the consequences instead of explaining it. Say that trouble makers are sent to the “Box”. Let the reader’s imaginations run wild as we try to figure out what the Box is. Is it a cell? A punishment device? The price of failure just became a hundred times more intriguing because you didn’t tell us what goes on inside the Box. Not to mention that you now have a cool element to reveal whenever you want to drum up some tension. “Vertigo! You’re going to the Box!” Dun dun dun!!!!! Suddenly you have a whole chapter dedicated to this f*****g Box thanks to the fact that you left that little story hook way back in the first chapter. I guess what I’m trying to say is less is more.
Wow, look at me ramble. Well I hope you found my critique enlightening. I can’t wait to read the rest of this. Keep up the good work you two!
Well, this has certainly improved since last I read it. Good job you two! Although I must admit, it's a lot shorter than I remember too. Not a bad thing, of course, you've done a great job of hitting us hard with story and getting to the point quickly. Bravo! 5 stars.
thats some bank clerk right there. I could picture what is happening easily. This is a really interesting story so far. but I wonder if we are going to get to know vertigo and friends later on.
Sleep Ninja? What happened to Sleep Ninja? Noooo! My Bro!
Anyway, I liked the way this story began. Like others have said, you have a writing style that is both interesting and has good flow. And you know what? I just plain like this story. I could really see it in my mind's eye. You have good descriptors. Now for the Criticism >:D
I found the voice of the clerk to be very unlike a bank clerk. Or a guy. I didn't even know he was supposed to be a man until you used the word "manly" in the story. If you can, try writing using a different voice when writing male characters. The voice for Vertigo was perfect. Spot on. Same with Nessa. That’s because I’m guessing they’re both girls, but the male clerk’s voice didn’t fit. Sorry if this is hard to understand but it’s also hard to explain so bear with me. Maybe an example would help.
Remember when Vertigo shot the clerk in the face with a water gun which the clerk thought was a real gun? Here’s how a guy would have reacted….
“Please don’t shoot!”
Squirt gun squirts water
“What the… you little! Argh! Come back here!”
Yeah something like that. I don’t envision men who work as bank clerks to say “I’m dead!” in their heads, or “What a poser!” either. Their heads would probably be filled with curses that would make a sailor blush. Also, and this is a minor point, his thought about her paying the price for a real gun and getting a squirt gun instead seemed rather awkward. The only thing going through his head at that moment should be confusion, not a lucid thought conversation about gun prices. Just a thought.
Another part of the story that seemed kind of forced was the part where Vertigo explained what happens to those who get caught using their powers outside of missions. She just kind of lays it out for us and it comes out stilted. Instead of telling us, don’t tell us. Make it mysterious. Hint at the consequences instead of explaining it. Say that trouble makers are sent to the “Box”. Let the reader’s imaginations run wild as we try to figure out what the Box is. Is it a cell? A punishment device? The price of failure just became a hundred times more intriguing because you didn’t tell us what goes on inside the Box. Not to mention that you now have a cool element to reveal whenever you want to drum up some tension. “Vertigo! You’re going to the Box!” Dun dun dun!!!!! Suddenly you have a whole chapter dedicated to this f*****g Box thanks to the fact that you left that little story hook way back in the first chapter. I guess what I’m trying to say is less is more.
Wow, look at me ramble. Well I hope you found my critique enlightening. I can’t wait to read the rest of this. Keep up the good work you two!
So I don't normally read superhero... anything, comics, stories, whatever. But I enjoyed this, you have a very captivating style that just kind of sucks you in. There's so much voice. You definitely feel like you're in the head of the character. I look forward to more.
Hi I'm Vivian Wallace and I'm 17 :) My friend Randi and I plan on becoming published authors, so we are working on our skills and just having fun by writing a silly super hero story together (S.H.O.V... more..