no way out

[[His small apartment is dusty with just a few photos lining the walls of better times. His wife was a beautiful brunette in her prime with curves in just the right places. Being away from her husband while he was deployed was stressful, but the devloping staph infection had made life unbearable. He can hear the faint noise of an oxygen machine in the master bedroom of the apartment.->wife]] <style> img { max-width:100%; max-height:100%; } </style> <img src=https://images.pexels.com/photos/3787027/pexels-photo-3787027.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&dpr=2&h=750&w=1260> </div>

[[The clean shaven face stands out from this emotional war veteran. As he gets up from his bead, the polish eagle tattoo on his back can be seen in its full glory amid scars and wounds of terrible days in afghanistan. He worked tirelessly off for this country and now gets to enjoy the fruits of his labour. Or does he?->family issues]] <style> img { max-width:100%; max-height:100%; } </style> <img src=https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E1EeAjrVgAEVPfM?format=jpg&name=large> </div>

He breathes slowly as he sees his sweet, beautiful Elaine hooked up to an oxygen machine as she breathes slowly. She needs treatment badly but an army veteran doesn't have that kind of money sitting around. He feels trapped. With his PTSD he can't find a job so he thinks there is only one potential way out. [[he can try one last score]] or [[give up and watch her slowly slip through his fingers]]

He decides he has to try something. The question now becomes what will he do. He can only think of two feasable options. Robbing a bank alone which would be riskier but then he only has to worry about himself and will get the entire score or, he can try to find his old crew, if they're even out there still. [[He digs up the phone number of his friend from the old days Saul, and gives the number a try.]] [[he thinks he is the only one he can trust]]

The sound of the heart rate monitor in the apartment beeped no longer. Her soul left her body and was cold when the neighbours found her. He had failed himself and her. (text-style:"italic")[The End]

The number rings several times before a tired, old voice answers... <style> img { max-width:100%; max-height:100%; } </style> <img src=https://images.pexels.com/photos/1799904/pexels-photo-1799904.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&dpr=2&h=750&w=1260> </div> (text-colour:orange)[Hello?] (text-colour:Red)[Saul, it's Konrad. I need your help man. I'm out of money and need one last score, it's my wife, her...her treatment is a fortune and without it she'll die.] (text-colour:orange)[Konrad, my friend, you know I can't do this. I have a family, kids I want to spend my life raising. My robbery days are over. But, I do have some old plans for an art museum heist I never did. You could do it on your own I think.] With that he must make a choice. Two different heist options different risks and rewards with each. [[Thank you pal. I'll take the art museum plans]] [[I know the bank on fifth like the back of my hand. I'll take the risk]]

[[knowing that he is the only one he can trust he only has one option. The old bank of fifth avenue. With tons of lockboxes and a big safe full of cash he thinks he might be able to pull it off.->I know the bank on fifth like the back of my hand. I'll take the risk]]

The plans are complicated and the museum is big. With lavish paintings lining the wall, security caemras on every corner and mutliple armed guards, he realizes Saul overestimated the kind of heist one man could pull off. With that he realized he could either risk it all and try to go in or do what he thinks he is capable of: [[Bet on himself and the bank->bet on himself]] [[attempt the art museum]]

The bank has a pretty standard setup. A guard in the front near the teller's booth. Money in each of the teller's booth and a huge amount of money in the vault in the back. It seems simple enough. However, once he starts the planning, he knows there is no going back. [[bet on himself]] or [[Give Saul a call->He digs up the phone number of his friend from the old days Saul, and gives the number a try.]]

He decides there is no going back, he's going into the bank. The question now becomes, how is he going to do it. He sees only two feasible options. He can either go in loud and proud screaming like the movies or try to silently slip a note to the teller trying to draw as little attention as possible. Loud and proud might bring a bigger score but its riskier while the note may be easier it will most definitely bring less money in. He decides to [[go in guns blazing]] [[slip a note to the teller quitely]]

The day is finally here. He dresses in a black jumpsuit complete with a clown mask to hide his face. He pulls up to the front of the bank and gets out of his car. [[He slams open the front door of the bank]]

It's finally the day of the heist. He dresses in a down coat and pants with a small revolver tucked into his pants pocket just in case anything happens. He doesn't want to hurt anyone. It would only add to his PTSD. He enters the bank and waits in line, like an average customer. <style> img { max-width:100%; max-height:100%; } </style> <img src=https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1571840615771-acc2e9f42641?ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&auto=format&fit=crop&w=1413&q=80> </div> [[It's finally his turn in line]]

He slowly passes the note across the counter to the teller. It reads. (text-style:"shudder")[I have a gun give me everything in the drawer and no one has to get hurt.] The teller slowly looks up her body shaking with fear. The killer whale pin on her uniform's lapell is shuddering. However, she begins to open the drawer and takes the money out and onto the counter. [[He turns around and looks at the other customer's in line to see if anyone is suspicious of him]]

No one sees anything out of the ordinary. [[It's all going to plan]]

When he turns back around he sees the barrel of a 12-gauge shoutgun coming up from under the counter. She's going to try to shoot him. (text-style:"rumble")[He doesn't want to kill] [[He quickly shoots her in the shoulder to injure her]] [[He grabs the money off the counter and runs]]

The bullet grazes her shoulder and she shouts in pain. The entire place is now in chaos and the guard has been alerted to what is happening. [[He draws his handgun and shoots at him hitting him squarely killing him instantly.->give up and watch her slowly slip through his fingers]]

Swiftly, he scoops the money off the counter and takes off running. (text-style:"sway")[Bullets whizz by his head from both the lady behind the counter's shotgun and the guard's, who amid the chaos now knows what's going on, handgun.] Somehow he makes it out with only a minor bruise from pushing open the door really hard. [[He gets in his car and quickly drives back to his apartment with his head down]]

He made it back and he counts his earnings. (text-colour:green)[$9876] in cash. [[He has just enough to pay for her treatment and recovery.]]

With the treatment she slowly gets better and better and better. (text-colour:magenta)[Hun, how did you ever get the money to afford this I know we never had money on this level.] (text-colour:orange)[Don't worry about it. I love you.] (text-colour:magenta)[I love you too.] The end.

With a quick shot the guard slowly falls to the ground in pain. He feels in control again. (text-colour:orange)[I don't want anyone to get hurt. Just let me into the vault and I'll be out of here. You behind the counter, open the vault now.] (text-colour:purple)[I can't open it. Only the boss knows the code] He knows she's lying but doesn't really know what to do now. [[He shoots a warning shot into the ceiling]] [["OPEN THE VAULT NOW OR SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET HURT]]

He hits the guard in the head knocking him down with a mean looking yet recoverable bruise. He then has the woman behind the counter get up and lead him to the vault in the back. [[Everything seems to be going OK]]

(text-style:"buoy")[Pieces of the ceiling tile fall to the ground slowly.] The teller behidn the counter realizes the severity of the situation and shudders before speaking. (text-colour:purple)[OK OK. I'll open it just please don't hurt anybody.] [[Together they head to the vault]]

His scream makes some of the other hsotages who are now on the ground begin to cry out of fear. They think he is a mad man and maybe he is. Realizing the severity, the teller conceeds and agrees to open the vault as long as he can promise no one gets hurt which he does. [[Together they head to the vault]]

Once at the Vault he watches as she slowly begins to put in the combination... And then finally the vault opens revealing stacks on stacks of money. More than enough to cover his wife's expenses and some. [[he begins to shove as much as he can into his duffle bag.]]

Once full he thanks the woman for being so kind as to open it. And begins to walk back out like nothing even happened. Once in the main lobby he strolled past the hostages thanking them for remaining calm but he saw that the guard lay their (text-style:"blur","expand","fidget")[Unconscious] He felt terrible and now didn't know what to do. [[It had all been going to plan.]]

He was faced with a severe moral dilemna. He knew if he pulled the alarm himself the police and medics would arrive a hell of a lot quicker and that could potentially save this man's life but, his chances of getting caught and his wife dying would be even greater. He could also just scram and pray to God that the medics would still arrive in time to save him. With his heart racing, he decided to... [[get the hell out of there]] [[pull the alarm]]

The tires on his car screeched from him accelerating so fast. The man guard he had hurt was clinging to life. He managed to make it back to the apartment, with the money in the duffel. It amounted to (text-colour:green)[$390,867] [[More than enough for his wife's treatment and to set them for life.]]

(text-style:"italic","shudder")[The sound of the alarm was deafening.] He could already hear sirens in the distant and bolted out of the bank and into his car to drive off. Somehow he managed to make it back to the apartment in one piece with a hell of a lot of money in hand. [[He felt like he was on top of the world]]

Easily, he was able to afford his wife's treatment, she was saved. [[Months later however a knock at the door interrupted their dinner...]]

(text-colour:navy)[Konrad (text-colour:black)+(background:white)[REDACTED],I'm officer Caulkin with the NYPD, you're under arrest for the armed robbery of the new bank on fifth avenue.] The officer cuffed him and lead him into the squad car. He went on to spend 25 years in prison and was only allowed less time since he had pulled the alarm and saved the man's life. He had saved his wife and the person he had wronged in the moment. But at what cost. The End

A week later... His wife was already doing better than she had been before and they were eating pea soup together while watching the news. The headline... (text-style:"sway")[(text-colour:yellow)[A Local Father has died after an armed robbery gone wrong.]] [[A single tear rolled down his face]]

(text-colour:magenta)[Is something wrong honey?] (text-colour:orange)[Nothing is wrong now that I have you.] He had saved her, but at what cost. The End

Once at the Vault he watches as she slowly begins to put in the combination... And then finally the vault opens revealing stacks on stacks of money. More than enough to cover his wife's expenses and some. [[He begins to quickly place stacks inside the duffel bag around his waist]]

Once finished he goes back out to the lobby with the woman where the hostages seem to be fine but something seems off... thats when he realizes (text-style:"bold","expand","fidget")[The guard is missing] [[The bank's security alarm suddenly goes off]]

He sees the guard out of the corner of his eye, a 12 gauge shotgun pointed right at him. He knows because of his military training that he could easily draw quicker on this guy and get out of there but (text-style:"shudder")[he doesn't want to kill] It would only add to the PTSD. Alternatively the only other option is to run and pray that the guard doesn't have a good enough shot to kill him. With the pressure building, he decides to. [[Quick draw on the guard]] [[Run for his damn life]]

(text-style:"fidget")[His ears rang from the sound of the shotgun bullets whizzing past him.] Papers and shrapnel flew everywhere but somehow he made it to the door of the bank, duffel bag still intact. The bulllet had only grazed him. Beaten and battered he got in the car and drove off, tires screaching. [[He had done it.]]

It feels like slow motion as he draws on the guard. (text-style:"fade-in-out")[A shot rings out] He had hit the guard squarely int he shoulder and although hit, the guard was still functioning. The guard fired back sending him flying backwards and killing him instantly. [[And as for his wife...->give up and watch her slowly slip through his fingers]]

He got home and counted how much cash he had raked in. (text-colour:green)[$678,576] in cold hard cash. [[He had more than enough to save her and live out the rest of his days carefree.]]

With the treatment she slowly gets better and better and better... Before long, she is healthy and doing fine again. (text-colour:magenta)[Hun, how did you ever get the money to afford this I know we never had money on this level and now we're living laveshly.] (text-colour:orange)[I said i'd take care of you by any means necessary didn't I? So don't ask questions. I love you.] (text-colour:magenta)[I love you too.] (text-style:"italic")[The end.]

The day of the heist had come. He dressed in a down puffer jacket and shades with khaki pants. He looked like a stereotypical art douchebag touring in New York City. He walked in the museum and shouted. <style> img { max-width:100%; max-height:100%; } </style> <img src=https://images.pexels.com/photos/3527701/pexels-photo-3527701.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&dpr=2&h=750&w=1260> </div> (text-style:"rumble")[(text-colour:orange)[THIS IS A ROBBERY EVERYONE GET ON THE GROUND]] Before he could even finish his schpiel, a guard ran behind him and tackled him to the ground. It was over, he was going to prison for the rest of his life. [[He had failed->give up and watch her slowly slip through his fingers]]

(text-colour:#fcc419)+(background:red)[(text-style:"bold","rumble")[No Way Out]] (text-style:"italic")[A game by Michael Takami] [[This game contains violence, grief and language. You have been warned->character introduction]]