I once read an article by scientists from the University of Buffalo stating that a single kind-hearted resident of a small neighborhood could infect all the other neighbors with their kindness. In my reality, such a kind neighbor could only infect them with tuberculosis or syphilis. The "reality" that we see on book covers and on TV is vastly different from the one that surrounds us. The only thing you can do is change it yourself.

For instance, I'd never woken up on a mattress with a girl before. Even though both of us were fully dressed, my reality seemed to shift a bit nonetheless.

Many would imagine a scene featuring a bed in a clean, bright room where light pours in through the window onto two young souls who have just discovered the joys of sex. But here... it's gray, the room is dirty, the mattress is grubby and worn, and sleeping on it fully dressed are a guy as fat as a hippo and a girl who's mean and not even human. And nothing happened between them.

There's reality and there’s the image everyone wants to see.

Plus, the place reeks of smoke, and empty beer cans from the stuff we were downing yesterday are lying around. We were "puffin' and boozin' like there's no tomorrow," as Alex would say. Syringa showed up when we were already blind drunk, late at night. And we didn't leave her any. So everyone just went to sleep. Malu alone, and Syringa next to me because, as she said, I'm softer.

Funny, we drank so much, yet I remember everything. Well, I suppose this kind of morning is a good sign.

"Get up, Syringa," I nudged her gently in the side, making her ears stand on end immediately. "Time to wake up."

"Bastard... you're so soft and warm..."

"See, I told you so," I touched her ear. "And you're so fluffy."

"And not only in my ears," she smirked. "Alright, time for us to get a move on. Poke Malu, let him start waking up already; otherwise..." she glanced at the watch. "It's already morning. By the time we get ready, it'll be..."

We started getting ready. Slowly, leisurely, measuredly, calmly. As if it were just a normal day for us. You don't want to rush in this kind of business - you don't want to mess up with the tools or find out at the last minute that you're out of ammo or worse. And it would all be fine if I wasn't shaking so much - I felt jittery.

Even Syringa came over to me.

"Box, what's up? Your hands are shaking like you're going through withdrawal."

"I'm nervous."

"You're such a chicken," she snorted. "Anyway, have you been puffing like a freight train or something?"

"What do you mean?"

"You stink of cigarette smoke. Do you need help tying your shoes, kiddo?"

"Are you playing the role of our mother?" a weak smile touched my lips.

"Don't smirk, smartass. Alex will be here soon, and he's going to be a total mess. He can't even dress himself without help."

We checked the guns, then packed them into bags. Later, two of Malu's buddies arrived. One was about twenty-five to twenty-seven, looking like a student who spends more time behind books than anything else. And you wouldn't even guess that he works for folks like us. The second one was your typical plumber or electrician. You know, of the type beaten by life, drinking every day, ready to take a side job at any time for a bottle of booze. I could already picture him in his boxers and a stained white tank top with a beer in hand, indulging before TV.

The techie was called Crowbar, which was quite funny considering his lanky appearance. The second one was called Geezer. And that was our full team: Ali, Malu, Syringa, Crowbar, Box, and Geezer. Our names were more fitting for a circus troupe than a gang of robbers.

After meeting the new guys, we continued with getting ready to leave for the job - right here, at the apartment. Everyone had a chance to shower, including me, giving themselves a good scrub. You never know what might fall off of you. Then, we changed into clothes that had been stored in sealed bags - so no trace of anything could taint them and give us away. Next came the gear - boots, tough pants, gloves, t-shirts, sweaters, radios with earpieces, body armor, and jackets. Over our heads went masks and hoods.

I picked up the cross I always carried with me. It was a sturdy, good cross, not golden, but still. Lost in thought, I twirled it in my hand, more out of habit and superstition, then put it on and tucked it under my clothes. For luck.

"Alright," Syringa said, inspecting us with a serious and very attentive look. She had pulled her hair back into a very tight bun. "Damn it, Alex, you fucking slob! Tuck in your shirt!"

"Yeah, yeah, okay," he mumbled, smiling. "I'll do it now."

Then, we were all sprayed down with some kind of solution. Literally all of us. Apparently, it was some sort of disinfectant with chlorine and other chemicals. Anything on us would surely die. We were practically completely sterile now.

"And don't you dare sneeze or spread your DNA around, you bastards!" Syringa scolded us. We replied in unison, acknowledging her orders. "And don't put your masks on too soon!"

As far as I understood, everyone had already familiarized themselves with the approximate plan and what each of them was supposed to do.

Then, orderly as before, we calmly stepped out onto the street in a single file, not encountering anyone along the way. We got into the car and drove off to where another vehicle was waiting. It was a regular cargo van belonging to some company that dealt with building electricity, which had been stolen for our use.

"Alright, guys, let's go over everything one more time before one of us starts screwing up and making mistakes," Malu began as we were driving. "Syringa will drop us off now. She'll do it practically at the door, so we only have to cover about three or four meters. It's downtown, the sidewalks aren't too wide, there will be a lot of people, so we jump out quickly from the side and go straight inside. Don't shoot; if necessary, use the butt of your gun. If anyone tries to resist, don't hold back, but don't overdo it - we don't need any heroes among the visitors, nor corpses. Syringa will move a bit away, then pull into an alley where the getaway car is waiting, which has been prepared since yesterday. This one goes to scrap, Syringa, understood?"

"Yes."

"Excellent. Moving on, the guy in the booth. He's always there, the bloodsucker, with his finger on the panic button, so if anyone breaks in, they can't get to him first. So you..."

We all knew what to do; each of us, as I understood, had already familiarized ourselves with the plan and our duties. But Malu was still repeating each task to everyone. Explaining, practically word for word, the actions of each of us. He memorized everything, which was impressive, and knew what everyone would be doing precisely.

As we drove around the city, waiting for the right time, he continued talking through the plan, right up to the withdrawal and what each of us would do then.

"Malu, it's time," Syringa announced. "I'm pulling up, get ready."

"Alright. Remember, the windows are tinted, so no one can see us from the street. But still, don't get too close."

Stolen novel; please report.

We responded in unison: "Understood."

"Great. We act as agreed. Everyone ONLY deals with their task, no matter what happens, until I give you other instructions. Don't overdo it, but immediately stop anyone attempting to act smart. There's nothing bad in our work. We do our job - we rob. The bank men do their job - they defend. That's our job and theirs. We exist only because they exist, and vice versa. We all take risks, and we get paid for those risks. But today, someone is going to screw up at doing their job well. And it's not going to be us."

We had no room for error, or we would be damned to hell with all the consequences. It was the house's bank, and they would not forgive such an attack. Especially if it was their personal money.

"Okay, I'm pulling up, be aware," warned Syringa. "Wait for my command."

She had a watch, which was set precisely to the bank's time. As I understood, Arrow's people had been watching the guard in the booth several times, confident that at exactly three o'clock, he would change shifts with his coworker.

"Alright, guys, put on your masks. Check your automatics, put your guns on safety for now, so you don't accidentally shoot someone."

I silently and obediently pulled back the bolt, checking the bullet in the chamber - it gleamed cheerfully. After that, I put on the safety and pulled the mask over my head. We were sitting in the back, so we were not visible. But we couldn't see anything either, so we were only relying on Syringa, on her command.

She finally turned onto the right street and started moving closer to the spot in the flow of traffic. She slowed down, then parked, pulling closer to the curb near the bank's door. She stopped... Then started again, carefully pulling onto the sidewalk.

"Alright, my kiddos, get ready. There are people walking around, but I'll carefully park the car..." Syringa chattered, glancing around and at the rearview mirrors. And also watching the time. "Okay... time, three more minutes. We wait."

We froze at the door. I occasionally looked through the door window and saw people passing around us, not paying much attention to our cargo van. Although there wasn't much to notice - on the hood, sides, and trunk doors, it was written that this company was engaged in electrical work.

"One minute! Alright, boys, get ready and make your girl proud. There's hardly anyone around now, so get in there quick."

"Everyone get ready..." mumbled Malu, standing up and grabbing the side door handle.

One by one, everyone rose, prepared to burst outside.

Everything froze. My heart was pounding like crazy, and sweat was literally pouring off me. But as soon as it all started, none of that would matter. I would just do what I was told, not getting distracted by anything.

"And... go! Time!" Syringa's voice echoed softly.

Off we went...

With a strong yank, Malu opened the van door. Alex was the first to jump out onto the street and open the bank's door, after which we started to jump out of the van. We followed him one by one, like paratroopers, and immediately dived into the bank building.

On the move, Malu slammed his weapon stock into the face of some fat security guard who had turned towards him, then crashed into another one and knocked him to the ground. Both were standing near a small booth with an open door.

"ON THE FLOOR! EVERYONE FUCKING ON THE FLOOR!!!" he yelled. "EVERYONE ON THE FLOOR!!!"

Crowbar, the skinny guy in charge of the electronics, practically sprinted across the entire hall to the counter where the female managers were standing and vaulted over it.

"GET AWAY FROM THE FUCKING COUNTER, BITCHES!!! EVERYONE BACK OFF!!! COME ON!!!!" He grabbed a girl by the hair and threw her to the floor. "AWAY FROM THE COUNTER, WHORES!!! QUICKLY!!! GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM THE COUNTER!!!"

Geezer rushed to the administrators’ desk, sweeping everything off one of them with a swift blow.

"GET OUT FROM BEHIND THE TABLE, PIG!!! GET THE FUCK OVER HERE!!!" He grabbed an administrator by the collar, literally dragged him onto the floor, and immediately rushed to the others. "EVERYONE OUT FROM BEHIND THE TABLES!!! ANIMALS, EVERYONE STAND UP FROM THE TABLES!!!" Then he dashed into the staff rooms.

Malu darted into the center of the hall, grabbing customers and pushing them to the floor.

"EVERYONE ON THE FLOOR!!! EVERYONE ON THE FLOOR NOW!!! HURRY UP, SLUT!!!" He hit a girl in the face with the butt of his gun. She clearly didn't understand what was required of her, clutching her hands to her chest and almost crying. "EVERYONE'S PHONES ON THE FLOOR!!! EVERYONE THROW YOUR FUCKING CELL ON THE FLOOR, BEFORE I PERSONALLY TAKE IT FROM YOU!!!"

Meanwhile, I was quickly zip-tying people. We were going to have to stick around here for a while, so we didn't want anyone "accidentally" touching anything and calling the cops. Alex was the last to come in. He used a few large zip ties to secure the door handles so that no one could get inside.

"MOVE IT!!! GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM THE COUNTER!!!" Crowbar was quickly driving the girls into the hall with the others, so that no one was behind the counters. He also dragged an administrator out of the office by the collar. "WHAT THE FUCK, YOU THINK YOU'RE A KING?! DON'T YOU GET IT, FUCKTARD, WHAT TO DO!? GET MOVING!!! COME ON, LET'S GO!!!" He was pushing them, even keeping dragging one by the collar, where Malu was taking them in.

"ON THE FLOOR!!! ON THE FLOOR, SLUTS!!! QUICK, FUCK, QUICK!!!" Malu was shouting, pushing them to the floor. "GET OUT ALL YOUR PHONES, FUCK, ON THE FLOOR IN FRONT OF YOU!!!"

"I don't have a phone..." one girl mumbled.

"THEN FIND IT, FUCK!!! PUT IT HERE, IN FRONT OF YOU!!!"

"I don't have it..." she started crying.

"STUPID WHORE!!!" he yelled in her face. "GIVE ME A ZIP-TIE!!!"

I threw him one of the zip ties, and he instantly tied the girl's hands behind her back. At the same time, Alex ran around collecting cell phones into a pitcher he grabbed from one of the tables. By that time, Geezer was already quickly searching all the other rooms. It took less than a minute to tie everyone up in the center of the hall, where they could be clearly seen.

Malu, without any ceremony, was literally tearing the clothes off the tied girl, looking for a cell phone, ripping the jacket and shirt off her shoulder, revealing her black bra. And he found it.

"STUPID BITCH!!!" he yelled at her and slapped her cheek with the back of his hand so hard that she fell to the floor with a battered lip and started crying. He tossed the phone to Alex. Then he stood up and looked around. "WE ONLY NEED THE MONEY OF THIS FUCKING BANK!!! NOT YOURS!!! DON'T PLAY GAMES WITH US, AND WE WON'T HURT YOU!!!! I NEED THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR THE VAULT!!! DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT HIDING OR PLAYING DUMB!!! JUST DO WHAT WE ASK, AND WE WON'T HURT YOU!!!

We won't hurt you... Considering we've already beaten up three people: a security guard and two girls - one of whom is now unconscious and whose hands I'm tying behind her back and searching for her phone - his words can be doubted. I found the device and tossed it to Alex, who, throwing it into the pitcher, began pouring water inside from the barrel taken off the cooler.

In the meantime, Geezer dragged two people out of the rooms - a woman and a little boy about six years old.

"Hey! Listen to me!" Crowbar immediately jumped up to her. "Lie down on the floor next to your son. Hands behind your back, and no one will touch you, got it?!"

But instead of waiting for an answer, he immediately started acting, pushing them to the floor, then roughly tying their hands behind their backs. The momther was saying something to the frightened crying boy, but we weren't listening. We had other things to worry about.

"All clear!" Geezer reported.

"Done!" Alex and I announced simultaneously, then immediately spread out around the hall to keep the whole room in view.

"WHO'S THE FUCKING PERSON IN CHARGE OF THE VAULT!?" Malu yelled, at which point the manager got to his knees.

"It's me! I have the codes! I have everything for the vault, just..." he began nervously.

Just what exactly - he never finished because Malu jumped up to him, grabbed his arm, and dragged him straight to the vault.

"Listen here, dude. Open this fucking door, and everyone gets out of here alive. We just need the money, but if I have to do it the rough way, I won't think twice, you got it?"

"Y-yes..."

With one swift movement, Malu cut the zip ties around his hands behind his back, then pushed him towards the vault door.

"Don't even think about typing the alarm code. We'll have time to get out of here, but we'll fucking gun down everyone in the hall," he growled in his face. "We'll shoot that kid right in front of your eyes and leave you alive, and you, fucker, will be to blame for his death."

The bank was a massive hall. At the far end, opposite the entrance, was a long counter stretching across the room, where several managers served multiple customers. Behind them, just like in the movies, was a heavy, rectangular, armored door with a round handle that needed to be turned and a mechanical code lock.

And there were two passwords - one activated the alarm, the other unlocked the door.

"I understand... I... I'll open it now, I swear..." the man mumbled in fear, then started to turn the wheel. A few turns, a few seconds, and a click sounded. "Done..."

"Great! Now get out of the way," Malu grabbed the man, quickly led him into the hall, and pushed him to the floor. At the same time, Geezer rushed to the door with bags. Crowbar followed him while the three of us kept control of the hall. Alex was on the counter, looking down at everyone; I was at the entrance, Malu in the center.

"Oh damn, there are bars here..." came through the earpiece.

"Can you handle it?" Malu asked briefly.

"You're insulting me," the voice grumbled through the static. "It's just gonna take some time."

"Okay. Hey, babe, what's going on out there?" He was now addressing Syringa.

"All clear. I've pulled away from the curb and am now looking around."

"Mask on?" He was referring to a simple medical mask.

"Give me a break..." she replied, sounding annoyed. "I'll keep you informed."

"Great, babe, keep it up," he said, then turned back to the crowd. "WE'RE GOING TO BE HERE A WHILE, PEOPLE! JUST LIE ON THE FLOOR, DON'T SCREAM, DON'T STRUGGLE, DON'T RESIST, DON'T TRY TO CALL ANYONE OR DO ANY OTHER STUPID THING! WE'RE HERE FOR MONEY THAT ISN'T EVEN YOURS! WE DON'T WANT VIOLENCE, WE DON'T WANT BLOOD, BUT WE WON'T THINK TWICE! SO JUST LIE DOWN! IF ANYONE IS REALLY FEELING BAD - HEART PROBLEMS, ASTHMA, AND OTHER SHIT, LET US KNOW! I DON'T WANT YOUR DEATH! BUT MAKE SURE IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, OR MY POLITE MANNER WILL FLY AWAY FASTER THAN A BULLET!"