“Well, ain’t Rachel lucky to have a friend like you,” Frank stated kindly, moving slowly to open the heavy glass door for me. I slowed my pace to not rush him.
The old guard had an uncanny ability of making people smile. There was true compassion in his heart. It seeped out of him and infected the people around him. The world would be a much better place if more people had a kind heart like Frank.
I fumbled through my bag, then held out the small vile to him. “For the arthritis. Two drops under your tongue each morning.”
His grin broadened, showing off his brand-new set of dentures. “Golly, Ava. You shouldn’t give your potions out for free.”
I snickered at his choice of words. Frank might also believe me a witch, but he never feared me for it. Most of the town accepted me and my…eccentricities, with the exception of Mrs. Vandermeere and some of her church friends. “Call it a family and friend’s discount. Oh, and Frank?” I added over my shoulder, as I walked into the bank. “I’m harvesting today.”
He nodded solemnly, looking up at the sky. “Then I’ll be sure to bring my raincoat tomorrow.”
As soon as I entered the grand, dimly lit room, a strange sensation slammed into me. Everything in front of me slowed, blurred, to the point where I almost didn’t recognise the man walking towards me. I sure as hell couldn’t hear him as the enormous golden clock on the wall ticked too loudly in my ears, making me flinch. I took a few more uncertain steps towards him. I tried to focus, tried to shake off the strange haze. Mr. Greene, the bank manager, was still talking to me, concern taking over his muffled features.
“Ava, is everything all right?” I thought I heard him say through the loud ticking of the clock.
No. Something was very wrong.
I forced my gaze up the wood panelled wall to the old clock.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
The sound reverberated painfully through my head, and I fought against an odd sensation to turn and run.
Mr. Greene touched my shoulder, pulling my attention back to him. “Ava?” He was standing right in front of me, but his voice came from far away.
I closed my eyes and shook my head, willing the ticking out of it so I could focus. Mr. Greene asked another question, and I tried to grab hold ofthe words, make sense of them, before the strange haze clouding my mind could swallow them up.
What the hell?
The incessant ticking came to an abrupt stop. My eyes snapped open at the sudden, deathly quiet in the room, my heart lurching at the ominous feeling pressing on me, making my knees buckle.
I looked up at the clock. It stood still. The hand wasn’t moving anymore.
It had stopped.
Why had it stopped?
“Get on the fucking ground! This is a robbery!” a booming voice broke through the humming silence.
I sucked in a sharp breath as my surroundings crashed back into me. Just as quickly as it had started, the haze disappeared from my mind. Chaos reigned as people screamed and ran and ducked to the ground. Mr. Greene was frozen in shock at something behind me.
I swung around. Frank, with his hands in the air, shuffled stiffly towards me. Behind him, moved two large, shadowy figures. My stomach plummeted to the ground. The sight of them stirred a deep dread from within me. They were covered in black from head to toes, not an inch of skin showing. Their fencing-like masks were curved into the resemblance of a face, looking like something out of a horror film.
As he reached me, Frank pulled me to the ground with him. “Just do what they say and keep your eyes down,” he whispered urgently.
But I couldn’t do it. Not as one of the robbers moved past us towards the cashier counters where Rachel was working. He had an enormous gun pointed at her—one I’d only ever seen in movies.
I pressed my palms against the cold marble floor, doing my best to stay calm.
She’s going to be okay. We’re all going to be okay,I tried to soothe myself. Instinctively, my fingers drew out my protection symbol on the dusty floor, over and over, hoping the gods would heed my prayer.
A pair of black boots came to a stop at my head. “May I have everyone’s attention,please. I would like to instruct you on hownotto die today.”
The voice was deep and menacing. It was what I expected Death to sound like when he came for me.
