The attack will take place the day after tomorrow.

The place where everything will occur is located on Filkovo Avenue, 13. It is a wide street running between five-story buildings. Green stretches on either side in the warmer months, turning gray in winter, with sidewalks flanking them and a two-lane road in the center. The road is always packed with local residents' cars, causing constant traffic jams. On one hand, it's inconvenient because you can't just jump into a car and drive off. On the other hand, you can't just drive up to it either, which is good for us and bad for the police.

According to what I've read, the escape route will go through the courtyards. This time, Arrow himself took care of all this, and we just had to follow the plan. We pass the first courtyard, then the second, and emerge onto a platform. Here, we'll have a car ready for us to jump in, step on the gas, and speed away. The only problem is that the whole district will be cordoned off by that time, so we'll need to get out of there really fast.

We get in and speed away again through the courtyards, then we drive by some communal garages, where we'll have to just roll down a slope, right through the grass onto a road leading us to the industrial district. From there, we can get out of the city.

In theory, as far as I can judge, we should have enough time to pull it off. But everything has been planned down to the second, so any delay in one step would mean a delay everywhere.

Will we make it?

I think we will. We should. At least, I like the plan and the evacuation route. Syringa must be busy memorizing it at the moment.

Next were personal files on the cash collectors. Two of them. There should be three, but it says here that due to optimization, there are only two. The bank decided to save money since this is not Silverside, and robberies here are a rare occurrence. One is forty-three, and the other is thirty-five. Both have been in the business for at least ten years, and there have been no incidents.

They arrive at eight-thirty, after which one of them gets out of the driver's side, circles the car while looking around, and opens the rear door. The other one gets out from there, and they carry the bag into the bank together. The violation of cash transit norms is in our favor. Considering how long they've been working like this, their attention will definitely be dulled. They'll park in a small lot in front of the bank, where the employees and customers leave their cars.

The bag should contain six hundred thousand dollars. It's not much, but for a bank branch located in a residential area, it's a reasonable amount. The location is far from the center and police posts, so there shouldn't be any random encounters.

Our starting point is the opposite side. Syringa will be with us just in case we need a backup. We'll be waiting for our turn on the other side of the road. Usually, this street is packed along the sidewalks, so spotting us right away will be problematic. The cash collectors' car door will open towards the bank exit, so from the other side, they won't see us when they pull out the money. We'll quickly cross the road, stun them, grab the bag, and run.

The time it takes for the alarm to reach the cash-in-transit dispatcher depends on how fast the button is pressed. So, we assume it's instant. The police usually arrive in about four to five minutes. So we have three minutes to knock out the guards, grab the money, run to the car, and drive off to the garages. Alex and I will take the bag. In theory, it should weigh around six kilos, but you never know. Syringa and Malu will be our backups.

Unfortunately, we can't park the car any closer, or we won't be able to speed up to get away quickly. We'll have to run - it's about three hundred meters. As for bugs, tracking devices, and marked money - there shouldn't be any inside. But we'll still be given a jammer. A small one, not the most powerful, but enough to block any signal from the bag.

In principle, everything is quite logical, and I could be worry-free. I could be.

But I'm worried. I can't help it. As for the instructions, they just need to be burned, which I did as soon as I read and memorized them. It's better to leave fewer traces if I don't want to end up behind bars.

I was squatting in the middle of the room, watching the lonely red dots glowing on the burnt black paper, when Nataliel walked into my room. I didn't like the look on her face at all. She probably won't say anything good or uplifting.

"Burning paper," she started off.

"Yeah, just personal notes. Fire calms me down," I shrugged. "Exams and all that."

"I see..." She walked about my small room, looking around as if trying to spot evidence of my illegal activities, but found nothing. "Want some?"

She handed me a bag of dried squid. A weird way to start a conversation, but I didn't refuse. Mostly out of respect.

"Thanks," I muttered, grabbing a piece. I don't like it, it's salty, gets stuck in your teeth, and makes you thirsty. Why did I take it, then? I don't know. Probably just to keep the conversation going.

"Still engaging in illegal activities?"

We hadn't fought about this topic for about a month. Not quite an achievement, but still. After we made up, hugged, and exchanged kisses, we had no more problems. Moreover, we lived as we used to, I mean before the quarrel. This rarely happens in other families, especially when you say something hurtful, but our relationship was different.

Perhaps her worry for me was so strong that she couldn't resist lecturing me.

And yet, my sisters' ability to show up at the right moment is astonishing. It's like they can sense when something is happening. Sometimes, I wondered if they were using their impulse to... I don't know, probe me? It's just that such coincidences...

"I'll be done with it very soon," I promised.

"Very soon..." Nataliel sat on the bed, faintly smiling and placing her hands on her knees. She looked around as if searching for something. "But 'very soon' doesn't just happen. There will always be reasons to return to it."

"If they appear, then I'll return to it."

"Do you think that's right?" she asked softly. "Living for the sake of others."

"Yes," I replied without hesitation. Not a second of doubt.

But Nataliel seemed to doubt. I involuntarily looked at her.

"You're an excellent brother. The best of all I've ever heard of," she looked at me. "I can't even comprehend what I've done to deserve someone like you."

"Isn't this what being a family means? Or... are you suggesting that I am wrong?"

But she just smiled - weakly, with some kind of regret and melancholy.

"I remember when you were little, our sister and I loved to dress you up in different outfits. You were like a big living doll. I remember how you grew up and got mad at us for that. You started showing your 'I'. And we argued with you, thinking you didn't appreciate our care. Even now, we sometimes... often go overboard. We don't realize that there is something else besides family. Something very important. So important it can compete with the family itself."

"And what's that?" I asked, slightly intrigued.

"You. Yourself," Nataliel got off the bed and sat down opposite me on her knees, so our gaze was at the same level. "You, Nurdauleth. What you feel. What you want. Your personality. Your life..."

"What are you talking about?"

"When I was little, they wanted to send me to a music school. Mom and Dad thought it would be the best choice for me then, while they wanted to send Natali to an art school. I threw a tantrum with her. We cried, screamed, and didn't let them move us from the spot, for which we got punished," she grinned, remembering her childhood. "Both of us were sent to art school. We stood up for our right to decide what we really want."

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"Maybe they knew better what was good for you," I noted.

"That's what all adults think, ignoring the child's feelings. But no one should live only for others. Shouldn't satisfy others' desires while spitting on their own. I mean, you can't forever risk for others, dedicate yourself only to the family."

"That's some nonsense," I muttered. "We are a family, Nataliel. We should take care of each other, help each other, and so on."

"That's true and not true."

"I don't get it, is it true or not?" I smirked.

"It's wonderful, everything you say, but... You have your own life, too. If one of us stumbles, you can help; if one is drowning, you can jump into the water for them, but... you can't give up your own life. There's you, your desires, your goals, your aspirations, which you can't abandon just because of the family."

"You're wrong," I shook my head. "Sometimes you have to give up something for the family."

"Something. But not everything. Our parents hammered into our heads unconditional love. Hammered in that the family is everything, the center of the universe, and what one should live for. But that's not entirely true. Each of us has our own path, our own life, and our own destiny."

"You're trying to say..."

"If I'm destined to live only a few more months, then so be it. But you shouldn't risk your own life for mine."

"That's nonsense," I mumbled. "We're family."

For me, it was a punch to my faith, to the very core around which my worldview and understanding of the world were built. Probably, that's how believers feel when they're told that the absence of God has been scientifically proven. The ultimate truth for me was that I had to do everything within my power for my family.

But Nataliel had a different opinion.

"Yes, but... that doesn't mean sacrificing yourself for me."

"I'm not sacrificing."

"Family, family, family... You look like you're obsessed, Nurdauleth. It's all because of our father and mother, they instilled this in you. They wanted to convey that family is the most important thing, that you must always help and love them for who they are. But not to sacrifice yourself, your future, your life for the family. After all, you do have your own life."

"Some people give their lives for their family."

"Don't twist the meaning, Nurdauleth, please. Don't try to distort the thought or play with words. There's family life, and there's your life. You shouldn't destroy your life for the sake of the family's life."

"Natali is doing the same thing!" I gestured towards the door. "She's doing it too, but you're not saying anything to her."

"She is not risking not coming home or ruining her life behind bars."

"And our parents? Are they also ruining their lives?" I exclaimed.

"They work like hell because we are their children. Such is parental love, unconditional and infinite. It's natural to love children more than anything. Because we are their life," she smiled. "Their life and the life of our family are one and the same. But you... you're our brother. You're not obliged to do the same. You have your own life. Your own future..."

"My future won't be mine if you die, and I know I could have saved you, but I didn't. Don't you understand? Your disease is contagious, it kills others, poisons them, and will only leave pain in us. You're not to blame, not at all. You and Natali are the best people in this world. Even... even better than our parents, no matter how much I love them. But if I do nothing, I won't be able to move on, won't be able to live with this anchor."

"That's because you're still a child. It always seems that way. It seems that you won't survive this, but everything will pass."

"Your death will pass? The pain of doing nothing?" I smirked. "No, I don't want that."

"Otherwise, you risk ending up alone without any life. Without your own, without a family's, without any. Completely alone, lost, and forgotten even by yourself."

"I don't care," I stood up, walked to the wall for some reason, and looked at it. There was still a dent left from when I threw the gun at it. "I don't care. It's all or nothing."

"Will you be able to live on if you fail? If people would die in vain?"

"We decide for ourselves what sins we can live with."

We fell silent once again. On the brink of hurting each other once more. The more we argued, the more the tension in our family rose. It seemed to me that this is how it crumbled. But... this would be the last time. One more job, and it would all be over. I would quit and be able to live my old life. Worst case scenario, I would leave the city or even the country. I would go to Silverside, where no one would find me. But I would finish this business.

"I want to leave peacefully, not knowing that my brother is involved in..." Nataliel began quietly.

"Don't talk nonsense," I shook my head. "No one will die."

"If God has measured it..."

"There's no God. Not where we live, Nataliel. He clearly forgot about this place."

"Please, Nurdauleth..."

"We will make it through. One more time, and it will all be over."

"One more time for you, and everything will be over?" She mumbled. "You don't understand..."

"I do understand. That's why I..." I sighed and tried to blink away the tears welling up in my eyes. "It doesn't matter."

"It does."

"But not to me. Now leave," I didn't want to cry in front of her. I didn't want to be comforted. I couldn't break down right before the end, throw a tantrum, and lose confidence. Right now, I still feel like I have to do this, but if she keeps on like this, I'm afraid I just won't be able to stand it.

"Listen."

"Get out of my room, Nataliel," I said quietly, "I don't want to hear you anymore. Or I'll kick you out myself if that's what it takes."

I was behaving like a jerk, and I was gradually turning into one.

She watched me silently, a little surprised and scared, then stood up and walked to the door.

"Just so you know, whatever happens, I never hold a grudge against you," Nataliel said quietly in parting.

"I don't care," I retorted.

The silence hung in the air. It was a tense silence - as if she had left the room, but the door hadn't creaked. So, she was still here.

"Nataliel, go..." I turned around and saw her frozen, with her hand reaching for the doorknob but not touching it. She was as still as a marble statue.

The same color...

A chill ran through me.

She was having an attack. The first in three months. The medicine hadn't helped her, and her impulse continued to progress.

I rushed to catch her before all her muscles started to relax and she would fall.

"NATALIE! NATALIE, NATALIEL IS HAVING AN ATTACK!!! NATALIE!!!"

I gently laid her on the floor just as the door burst open with such force that it almost came off its hinges. Nataliel's eyes were still open, but they looked like two glass orbs.

"NATALIEL!!!" Natalie shrieked, about to rush to her, but I roughly pushed my sister away.

"CALL AN AMBULANCE, NOW!!! CALL..."

Just then, Nataliel began to bend backward. Unexpectedly, her muscles started to contract. Her fingers twisted like eerie branches in a graveyard, and she seemed to try to arch her back. I pushed her back to the floor.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH HER?!"

"CALL THE AMBULANCE! CALL THE AMBULANCE, HURRY UP, DAMN IT!!!" I yelled at her.

Blood was already pouring from Nataliel's nose. I saw her eyes roll back so hard that only the blood-filled whites remained. Soon, blood flowed from her eyes too. She looked like a zombie from a horror movie. Even her skin was turning bluish.

Within minutes, she literally collapsed to the ground, like leaves falling from trees, while Natali desperately, fearfully, and tearfully tried to explain to the emergency services where to come.

This was the end of any uncertainty within me. Now, there's only one way out, and I'm going to take it. As they say in the USA, "All-in."

Our parents hadn't even made it to the hospital yet when Natali and I sat in the hallway of the damned "Impulse Care Unit." They didn't take her to the Intensive Care as there was no point now, as the attack had passed.

The next day has come - if the clock is to be trusted. At least, it should be morning soon, and Nataliel hasn't come around yet. This time, she seemed to be having a really hard time recovering. The onset of the attack meant only that the medication had failed. Now, whether she takes it or not, the attacks will continue unless you suppress them with even stronger drugs. It's like the level of water in a plate - if the water has already started to spill over the edge, nothing will help here, only a new plate, deeper.

"Our parents will arrive soon," Natali murmured. "What are we going to do?"

"Talk to Mom. Let her somehow cover for you."

"Dad…"

"I have a feeling that if he finds out about the source of the money, he'd sooner bash his own head in than agree to use it. Haven't you noticed that about him?"

"You're too critical of him," she sighed.

"Birds of a feather…" I mumbled. "Anyway, talk to Mom, let her sweet-talk Dad. I don't know, he seems… I love him very much, but you've seen his obsession with justice. He even turns in a hundred dollars he finds to the lost and found, for God's sake."

"He's just honest."

"It's one step from being honest to being idealistic, and we don't know if he has taken it or not. In short, talk to the doc later. Agree to the meds that cost five grand per pack. Nataliel entrusted all her medical affairs to you, so don't involve Dad in the treatment details. Say that you'll try alternative ways to save her."

"And the money…" Natali started, but I interrupted her.

"It'll be there, everything will be tomorrow or the day after. In the worst case, in five days. Everything will be fine, Natali, don't worry."

"I'm scared. For Nataliel. And for you."

"You shouldn't be."

"I should," she shook her head. "When will this end?"

I sighed, got off the small bench where we were sitting, and knelt in front of Natali like a man about to propose. I took her palms in my hands and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"Tomorrow. I promise that all your worries will end tomorrow. I won't be involved in anything like this anymore, and you and our sister will never have to worry about me again."

"And if... something happens to you?" she asked quietly. I know Natali doesn't want to hear the answer to this question, yet she can't help but ask it. And I won't lie.

"No matter what happens tomorrow, you definitely won't have to worry about me. But everything will be fine. Nataliel will, and I will, too. Tomorrow."

She was silent. Silent for a long time, after which she squeezed my hands in response. She squeezed, and I felt a warmth, pleasant, faintly pulsating, calming. She was using her impulse - as if trying to relay what she was feeling.

"Alright. Alright, bro, I'll be waiting for you."

I smiled and stood up.

"Then I'll go. There's still something I need to do."

If I make a mistake... if suddenly something goes wrong... I simply will not allow it, even if I have to kill someone. Otherwise, I simply won't return here.

Maybe Nataliel is right, and I should live my own life. Most likely, I will heed her advice, but only after everything settles down. When I can look back with a clear conscience and say that everything is alright. So that there's no anchor left that would pull me back until the end of my days.