The Power of Awareness by Dan Schilling

Author:Dan Schilling [Schilling, Dan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-06-02T00:00:00+00:00

Far away from a combat zone and a decade later, Hector in the Shop an’ Spend was about to be faced with his own decision about what to do in a crisis. And like me, he found himself responsible for the life of another person, only in his case it was a complete stranger and his plan had the potential to either save or cost the lives of everyone involved.

Canoga Park, California

The Shop an’ Spend store has been effectively seized. Hector is watching the two teens who’ve appeared at the front of the store. Both of whom have pulled semiautomatic pistols as one announced to the stunned shoppers, “Do what we say! Everyone get to the back of the store. Everybody! Do it!”

Hector was immediately possessed by the urge to run (the simplest plan). The exit was thirty feet away and in the opposite direction from the robbers, who were even farther away, but he hesitated to enact this simple plan.

“Everyone get to the back now!”

A stunned Hector found himself falling in behind the two clerks, the manager, and the other three customers as they all trudged like automatons, herded to the back of the store and into the women’s restroom. He saw no sign of the other robbers on the way. Once in the restroom, the two teens issued a rush of instructions and threats. “Look at the floor. Look at the walls. Don’t look at us!” Immediately the threats escalated and one of the criminals began hitting people. Both became increasingly more drunk on power with each passing minute.

Hector began to fear for himself and the others. He managed a few furtive glances and assessed the other hostages. A teen girl, another thirtysomething male like himself, two other customers, and a couple of twentyish employees, one male the other female. Suddenly the other two criminals burst in. They’d emptied the tills.

“C’mon man, let’s go!” But the two hostage takers weren’t ready yet. In fact, now they were debating raping the teen girl. The debate escalated into an argument. As they argued, the first pistol-wielding criminal grabbed the teen customer and settled the issue by dragging her into one of the bathroom stalls and kicking the door closed as she screamed and pleaded for help. It was then that Hector made firm eye contact with one of the twentysomething-year-old employees.

The female criminal shouted at the others, and she was clearly angry. “This wasn’t the plan! We’ve got the money! Let’s go!”

As they argued, the female victim was shouting, yelling, “He’s taking off my clothes! Help me! Please! Oh my God!”

In the confined space of the women’s restroom the tension was unbelievable. However, the female and the fourth criminal were through waiting around and wanted no part of the attack. They ran from the bathroom, leaving the rapist in the stall and the last criminal guarding it with his pistol. In the chaos and escalating argument, Hector began a transformation. The married father of none could hear everything in the stall and saw the disbelief in the other victims.

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