Like most other people, I’ve indulged in the occasional heroic fantasy. While watching superhero movies and thrillers, I placed myself in the hero’s shoes and dreamt of being a badass when it came down to it. I held on to the absurd notion that I was that calm and meek guy who’d suddenly morph into a fierce warrior when pushed too far. The embodiment of edgy ‘I’m nice until you mess with me!’ quotes on social media.

Instead I was frozen with fear, in control of nothing but the blinking of my eyes and the sucking in of shallow breaths. My heart was in my throat and a gun was in my face.

I couldn’t even remember what the instructor had said during the robbery-response course all store personnel were forced to take.

The man’s deranged eyes below his black hoodie made my neck hair stand up straight, every fiber of my body screaming ‘run!’ But I would never be able to outrun a bullet.

“Give me your phone,” the man demanded, jerkily sticking out his free hand. “Now!”

I obeyed without question, reaching into my pocket and pushing my phone into his outstretched hand. He stuffed the phone into his own pocket without taking his intense eyes off of me.

He gestured towards the cash register with the gun. “Get up and open the cash register.”

“Okay, okay,” I stammered, forcing my trembling legs to straighten below me.

“Keep your hands where I can see them! Up!” the man barked, making my shoulders draw up further and my hands raise. I couldn’t stop a whimper from escaping my lips.

He was behind me. I could hear him breathing heavily, or was it my breathing? My chest felt burning hot and sucking in air was difficult with the knowledge that the gun was pointed at my back, even though I couldn’t see it. My heart galloped as I forced my legs to move.

“Hurry up!” the man snarled. “Qui-”

The robber’s voice got interrupted by a loud clattering.

I yelped, instinctively diving to the ground while covering my head. When I was already on the floor, I remembered that guns didn't make clattering noises.

“What the fuck!” the robber yelled, before letting out a long string of curse words that sounded strained. “I’m not playing here, man! Walk away before I put a bullet in your head.”

“Go ahead then,” an unfamiliar male voice with a biting edge replied. “I dare you to try.”

“Are you insane?!”

Much as I didn’t want to, I had to agree with the robber. Who on earth would invite someone, rile someone even, to shoot them? What was going on?

I dared to sneak a peek behind me.

My eyes immediately swept from the mess of canned Chinese tomato soup on the floor (that must’ve caused the clatter) to the second young man next to the robber. He was tall, blond, pale and smiling pleasantly at the gun aimed at him.

How could he so casually ignore the other guy practically fuming at the mouth, sweating, eyes darting around like a trapped animal. Those were exactly the kind of people who would do something in the spur of the moment that they’d later regret.

He was going to shoot.

I searched for a place to take cover. The counter was a few feet away and finally, one robbery-response lesson popped up in my erratic mind. The alarm button to warn the cops. I tried to crawl to the cash register while the robber seemed distracted and was still cussing loudly, but then his booming voice stopped me dead in my tracks.

“You! On the floor! Stay where you are!”

“Okay, okay!” I cried, covering my head with my hands.

“I’m telling you!” the robber then warned the other boy. “Walk. Away. I will shoot!”

“Huh. I’m hearing a lot of warnings, and no gunshots.”

“Shut up! I will do it!”

A strangled sob escaped my lips. I didn’t want to witness a murder. I wasn’t even capable of watching thick Chinese tomato soup spilled on the floor without making the association with blood and feeling a little nauseous. I couldn’t stand blood.

Yet, my eyes were glued on the danger. The young guy and the man.

I was perfectly happy with nobody paying attention to me, not being a part of anything. I wanted to just duck into the corner and pretend I wasn’t there until the police got here and handled it.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen.

After what felt like an eternity but couldn’t have been more than a few seconds, the pale insane stranger suddenly turned to me.