“The Invisible Men”
Alexander and Eli had been friends since elementary. Their friendship however, wasn’t necessarily a good thing. What had drawn them together at a young age had been their mutual knack for thievery. Both prided themselves on never getting caught while taking something that did not belong to them. The whole school knew it was them; they just never had any proof. They soon graduated from petty thieving to shoplifting. They started out slowly, only taking a snack or two from the local gas station, but were soon going on sprees at the department stores. They even worked out a system. The day before their heist, they would scope out the security. The day of, they would wear baseball caps in an attempt to hide their faces. Eli would inconspicuously stand in front of the cameras while Alexander stuffed his pockets. All this happened while they were still teenagers. It wasn’t until their adulthood that they really stepped up their crime.
Eli and Alexander had become infamous. Bank heist, jewelry thefts and home break-ins became their specialty. They had mastered the elements of surprise and disguise. Nobody could ever identify them. They learned to disable security systems and then restore them to the point that shop owners never knew about the break-in. It wasn’t until inventory was checked that they knew of a problem. Alexander and Eli were known as “The Invisible Men” It was at the top that they began to fall.
Originally, the two “Invisible Men” swore to never harm anyone they stole from. After years of crime though, they had become cruel and bloodthirsty. Anybody unfortunate enough to witness one of their crimes ended up missing their next birthday. So far, the body count included three startled shopkeepers and an unlucky homeless man. They had also grown more hostile toward each other. Not a day went by where they didn’t argue and threaten one another. Both had become paranoid, convinced that the other was going to turn on him. But it was required of them to put their differences aside one more time. They were in the midst of planning their biggest heist yet.
Alexander and Eli had plans to rob a jewelry store. They had heard about a massive diamond shipment coming to one of the jewelers in town. They made their plans and disabled the security. They had started carrying side-arms, just in case. It was then that the arguing started up again. It grew so intense that Alexander couldn’t take it anymore. He stopped talking to Eli and turned around. Alexander had made up his mind; he was going to end this friendship, permanently. He stealthily drew his weapon and turned to face his childhood friend. He was surprised to see the barrel of a gun pointed back at him.
“Drop it Eli!” snarled Alexander.
“Don’t count on it old friend. What made you finally get the guts to gun me down in cold blood?” Eli questioned sarcastically.
“I’m sick of your whining! Your voice grates on my ears! I can’t stand it anymore!! Every time you open your mouth, another part of my soul screams and dies in agony!!!” shouted Alexander.
“I’ll be happy to put you out of your misery.” Eli spat.
Both muzzles flashed, momentarily illuminating the outline of two bodies falling to the ground. Crimson began to spread profusely from Eli’s chest. He wheezed one shuddering breath and moved no more. Across the room lay the body of Alexander. At first glance, he too appeared to be dead, but then the moving of his chest as he struggled for breath became more obvious. A subtle twitch of his fingers and he opened his eyes. He sat up groaning.
“Well, the vest may stop the bullet, but it sure doesn’t stop you feeling it.” He winced as he spoke. Already, there was a massive bruise spreading across his chest. At least he was alive. He finished gathering the jewels, took Eli’s share, and walked off without a second glance at his former partner.
“Hmm. Maybe now I’ll be known as the ‘Invisible MAN’ ” he chuckled and left the shop behind.
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