[ WP ] Write a story about a hero with a tragic end .

With a turn of the key, the building was closed. From the moment the alarm was set, I had 60 seconds to usher everyone out the door and lock it before the perimeter was armed. They made it with plenty of time to spare per usual. 
 
 I doubled back to make sure all of the doors were locked along the entrance, the cart corral doors, and the exit. If anything was left unlocked it would mean an immediate write-up of the `` Final'' variety. Satisfied that they were all locked, I walked away, clipping the carabiner to my pants and joined my employees who had stayed behind. 
 
 `` Are we good?'' Cindy asked impatiently. She was a veteran of the store and closing got harder and harder each time for her but I understood. 
 
 I smiled, `` Yup. We are ready to go. Will I see you tomorrow morning?'' 
 
 She sighed and nodded, `` I'll be here bright and early.'' 
 
 Jordan walked with us but she was silent as usual. She was a new mother and quickly making her way through management. I took every opportunity to teach her. Tonight was no different. 
 
 `` Check and double check every lock,'' I told her. `` Keep the same pattern every night to make sure you locked everything. You do n't want to be laying awake at night wondering if you missed a lock.'' 
 
 She nodded, biting her lower lip. She would need to grow a backbone if she ever wanted to move up. Dealing with customers meant being able to take abuse and dish it back when appropriate. 
 
 We walked together through the poorly illuminated parking lot. Within minutes the lights would shut off for good. Responsible managers turned the lights off at night to save money and to go green. Regardless of the darkness, there was safety in numbers. 
 
 There were 4 cars in the parking lot I noticed suddenly. It was n't uncommon for the poorer individuals who could n't afford regular wi-fi to camp in the parking lot and use the store's provided wi-fi to watch porn, but there was no computer glare coming from the unfamiliar van. Instinctively, I sidestepped to place myself between the van and my employees as we made our way past. My fist clenched around my car keys, exposing the longest one, a practice I had developed for walking through dark parking lots. 
 
 My heart sank when the van door opened and a man jumped out and blocked my way to the rest of the parking lot. We would have run, if it were n't for the gun that he was pointing at us. We froze out of fear as he strolled toward us. 
 
 `` You.'' The robber motioned at me with the weapon. `` You have the keys. We're going up there to unlock those doors.'' 
 
 His face was uncovered, surprisingly. His eyes were twitchy and his skin was stretched and worn with a history of drug use. But he did n't have time for me to analyze him. 
 
 `` Move!'' The robber bellowed and shoved Jordan roughly about the shoulders. 
 
 `` Turn around!'' The man ordered again and we did quickly. 
 
 We moved in lock-step, at a quick pace. I noticed Cindy start to sake beside me. Jordan was too far away to see what she was doing. All I could think about was how pretty Jordan was. I wondered if the Robber was thinking the same thing. 
 
 I turned abruptly and he almost walked into me. He stretched out again at arms length and leveled the gun at me. 
 
 I did my best to control my voice. `` Let them go. I'm the one with the keys.'' 
 
 He cocked an eyebrow and sneered, `` So they can run to call 911, I do n't think so.'' 
 
 I shook my head vigorously. `` Take their phones and their car keys. They can run for help but most places are closed this time of night. That should give us enough time to do what we need to.'' 
 
 He tilted his head slightly and I could tell he was chewing over the options. 
 
 `` 3 vs 1 is complicated. 1 on 1 is easy.'' 
 
 That sealed it and he motioned for their phones. 
 
 `` Get the fuck out of here!'' He yelled at them and they turned to run. I caught a grateful look from Jordan before she tore away at a breakneck speed. It would be at least half an hour before they would find a phone. 
 
 He turned me again and pounded the gun into my back and now we moved quicker. We reached the door and I fumbled with the keys. 
 
 `` Let's go!'' He yelled. 
 
 `` I'm trying!'' I responded back, finally finding the right key and jamming it into the lock. We entered quickly and the alarm beeped causing him to perk his head up. 
 
 `` What's that?'' He said. `` What did you do.'' 
 
 It was the alarm. I had 60 seconds to turn it off. If I did n't, it would phone the police automatically. I hesitated, hoping that he would n't connect the dots. 
 
 Unfortunately he did, `` Turn it off. Find it and turn it off!'' 
 
 I moved, not as quickly as he would have liked. `` Move!'' He bellowed and I did, much quicker this time. I punched in my passcode and the alarm silenced. Nobody would suspect anything. They would suspect that I left something inside. 
 
 He could tell I was dismayed. He pointed the gun at my temple. `` No more games! Take me to the safe!'' 
 
 I moved quickly, crossing the line of cash registers. We opened an otherwise innocuous door and found ourselves in a halfway room, the divider between the safe room and the main building. I moved to place my key in the lock, catching the alarm panel to the right of the door. 
 
 It too was armed and on a separate trigger from the main building alarm. It was silent and all it would take was the turn of my key to set the alarm off and notify police. I got the key all the way into the lock before his voice startled me. 
 
 `` Why does this say armed? Do n't you have to take that down first?'' 
 
 I tried to stop my shoulders from heaving. `` I forgot'' I said sheepishly and entered the passcode for a second time. With the turn of the key we were into the safe room with no other barriers between them and the safe. 
 
 I dropped to my knees and entered the safe code and the big heavy door swung open. I had counted that safe a hundred times since I started as manager. We never had less than 10,000 and never more than 15,000. It would be a pretty pay day for him. 
 
 He shoved me out of the way and suddenly stumbled upon his first problem. The bills was easy to carry out but there were 8 boxes of coins. The quarters came in chunks of $ 500 each and the dimes in cases of $ 250 and they were heavy. The gears turned slowly until his eyes landed on me. The gun was placed on me one last time and he snickered. 
 
 `` You ai n't done yet. You're gon na help me out of here.'' His head and hands disappeared back into the safe and when he came out he handed me a $ 500 dollar brick of quarters. I took it and felt the weight. 
 
 He disappeared into the safe again and time began to move in slow motion. He was on his hands and knees, his back the only sign that he was retracting out of the safe again. Without thinking, I grasped the brick at the ends with both hands and brought it crashing down on his head. He had time to raise his gun hand and drop the second brick before my brick came crashing into his temple, glancing off his fingers and wrist. 
 
 He reeled back and crashed against the wall behind him. I jumped passed him and opened the door, sidestepping through the halfway room and flying past the registers making for the exit. My fingers were no longer fumbling, but deft and adept as I threw the exit door closed behind me and locked it. I placed my head against the door and laughed, reaching my hand into my pocket, reaching for my phone to call 911, when a voice called behind me. 
 
 `` Hey! Where's my brother.'' 
 
 I froze and turned slowly. Another man, with another gun pointed at me and my laughter stopped abruptly making way for tears. I did n't even stop to think there might have been someone else in the van. A getaway vehicle needs a driver. 
 
 `` Unlock it!'' He screamed and I did no longer caring at what speed my fingers combed through the keys. 
 
 The door opened slowly and I stepped through, hearing him breathing rapidly behind me. He had expected to be gone by now, I realized. 
 
 He placed a hand on my shoulder and I turned to face him. 
 
 `` Hey'' he said. His eyes were hard, the gun still pointed at my chest. 
 
 `` No more games man.'' 
 
 And he pulled the trigger at least 3 times at the minimum. 
 
 
 

