Theme: thieves

Characters: Joel, Grian, Cub, Gem

This is going to be so fun to write

'Shhh!' Grian repeated for the fifth time, watching Joel struggle to get into the second storey window of the house they were robbing. 'Don't make so much noise!' 

'Well she's out, so it doesn't matter!' Shot back the small thief. 

'What about other people outside? They'll know we're up to something!'

Joel turned back to the window, finally getting a leg up over the window sill and falling inside. With a sigh, Grian followed, quickly scaling the wall and jumping silently through. Joel was still struggling his way out of the thick curtains he'd apparently knocked down. 

'Stop moving and I'll free you.' Grian quickly cut his friend free with the knife he'd brought, leaving it in a mess of purple below. 'Now, be quiet, and search this room for anything good.' 

Running out of the room and onto the landing, Grian reached for his walkie talkie, turning it on. 

'Poultryman calling in. Anyone outside?' 

'Nope, all clear. Any trouble inside?'

'Only Beans being Beans.' 

'Good.'

Grian cut off the communicator to Cub, looking for the stairs so he could head down. Eventually, he saw them, reaching the kitchen to find more valuable objects, stuffing them in his bag. Once it was all cleared out, he snuck around to first sitting room, marvelling at how big the house was. If only he had something like-

'She's here, get out.' Grian almost dropped the bag of stuff at the sudden exclamation, looking for a window and chucking it all out. The sound of the front door unlocking and he swore to himself, stuck. 

'Beans, beans, are you here?' His only option left didn't reply. 'Beans!'

'Gri- uhh- poultryman? What is it?'

'Gem's here!'

'What?'

'Yeah, get out the nearest window now.'

'I don't know where I am.'

'Just leave through the window! Is there a window in the room you're in.' Asked Grian, backing away towards the sofa in an attempt to hide. Gem's shadow passed, before she began walking up the stairs. 

Towards where Joel was.

'She's coming upstairs!'

'I'm going downstairs!'

'Oh my goodness, Beans. Why do I have to do everything myself?!' Muttered Grian, leaving his hiding place and silently crossing the room. He drew a pistol, aiming it forwards as he snuck towards where Gem and Joel would be crossing paths at any moment.

'What are you doing here?!' The tell-tale sign of being caught red handed. 

'Uhh...' The panic in Joel's voice was clear even from downstairs. 'Put your hands in the air... like you just don't care!'

'Put your hands in the air like you just don't care!' Replied Gem. Grian watched her remove the safety of her own pistol. 

'Don't shoot me!' Was all Joel could think of. 

'Get out my house!' 

'Uhh... yeah.'

'Drop the weapon.' Grian snarled. 'Or I shoot.' 

'What?'

'Drop the weapon or I shoot.' He repeated. 'Let my friend go, and give me your money.' 

'Who are you?'

'If you think you're going to tell the police our names, think again.'

'I'm Smallishbeans.' Joel decides to say. From Grian's position, it looked like he was offering to shake hands with Gem. 

'Pleasure. Can you get out of my house now?' 

'Yeah, sure. Just let me...'

Joel ran off and Grian swore loudly, letting a bullet fly. It lodged itself in the wall, but Gem still screamed, dropping her own pistol. 

'Give us your money!' Grian's heart hammered as he repeated the demand. 

'Fine! Take it! Leave me alone!' 

'Give me your phone.' 

'No!'

'Give me your phone or I shoot!' Gem threw over her phone. 

'Password?' 

She gave the password and Grian quickly unlocked the phone, searching through contacts until he found the right one, gun still aimed at Gem as he turned on a voice filter and started calling. (random number generator another hermit...)

'Hello? Gem?'

'Answer my questions or Gem's dead.' 

'Who are you?'

'I didn't know you were a double-man, Warden.'

'What?'

'I know you're working against us. I saw you the other day. You set us up.'

'What- who are you?'

'Who are you working for?'

'Tell me who you are or I phone the police.'

'Calm down, Warden. I'll kill her if you tell them. And tell them that you're one of us.'

'You let Gem go. She's not part of this.'

'No, but you are. And she's your friend. Besides, she's got a lot of stuff me and Beans can grab at the same time.'

'I'm calling the police.'

Warden hung up, and Grian turned back to Gem, who was still watching him, a look of utter disgust on her face. 

'Warden?'

'Your friend. Unfortunately I made a deal that if he tells the police, you're dead. Would you like to convince him otherwise?' 

Grian rung Warden again, not blinking as he stared at Gem. Her eyes closed as she waited for anything to happen. Warden answered. Grian walked over to Gem, and she took the phone. 

'Hello- wait- Tango?! ...yeah it's me... he wasn't lying... No, I don't. They're wearing a mask... and he's pointing a pistol at me... no, if you call them, he'll shoot... yeah... he called himself Smallishbeans? ...you know who that is?' A long silence. 'When were you going to tell me this?!' 

'Alright, time's up.' Grian snatched back the phone. 'Warden? You still there? You know I can find you. I know your real name.'

'The police are coming. There's nothing you can do. I told them everything.'

'F***ing hell, Warden. You're going to pay for this.' 

'I never wanted to be part of this.' Grian turned the phone around, the speaker towards Gem as he shot. Her scream cut off short, blood spraying everywhere as the body sprawled on the ground. 

'She's dead.'

Grian hung up, running up the rest of the stairs, finding a room with a window and jumping out, throwing the phone out first so it broke. 

'Grian? What happened?' Joel was there, shaking Grian shook his head.

'We need to go now.' He picked up his walkie talkie again. 'Ravager? You still there?'

'I heard gunshot inside. What happened?'

'Warden told on us.' 

'What- Warden?!' 

'Shh! Warden told on us. We're out the back. The police are coming. We meet you back down Aque street.' 

'Got it.'

The pair set off, climbing out of the garden. The wail of police sirens reached them. Grian removed his chicken mask, hiding it in his bag. 

'Now, we run.' 

They did. Down backalleys, across the streets and away from the crime scene. Eventually, they reached Aque street, with it's skyscrapers and shops. Cub was there, waiting.

'Everything alright?'

'As much as it can be. Let's just head back to base and relax. Today's been a lot...'

Well this got out of hand very quickly