My eyes escaped the gravitational pull of the doorstop and found an elderly proprietor staring at me as though he read my half-hearted intention to rob them. It simply wasn’t worth it. I knew who this place belonged to.

The cramped shop started feeling even smaller somehow.

“Buying. That,” my voice box announced as I pointed.

The shopkeeper leaned back, displaying no intention to get up. “Are you sure? Look around, there are plenty of better wares.”

This was why I absolutely hated dealing with people. I couldn’t even shoot the old goof to avoid this robbery.

“I need that,” I insisted and tapped the glass.

“Please, don’t touch the cases.”

I grit teeth. It would be so much simpler to just come back at night and take what I need.

I couldn’t antagonise these people. My disguises were good, but not omnipotent.

As if witnessing my mental capitulation, old man began droning on about components I had no use for. As my patience finally broke and I turned towards the door, I found the passage still unyieldingly barred. Turned back to glare and found proprietor’s smug expression finally falling. He sighed with a rattle in the chest and pointed somewhere to the side.

“Well, alright. How about something to accompany it? We have matching parts from the very same computer.”

Music insistently thrummed on the radio, but it failed to mask hastened breathing of both men. The heartbeat of the big guy overtook the drums.

This could mean many things. Some of them – unpleasant. Yet, paranoia told me I’ve been expected. These fine gentlemen had been trying to buy time. I should portray ignorance, lest they whip out a gun and deadbolt the door.

I went where indicated and scratched a leg. What I really did, was pull out a little jar with a dead beetle in it. Whilst still alive, the bugger packed its urn with sleeping gas to bursting. I’d need several of these. The shop was cramped because of stacked shelves, but it was still sizeable. Inconvenient, especially since time was of the essence. Whoever commissioned these people must already be on their way.

I could, of course, kill these two, but probably not before they’d retaliate. Also I heard people in the backrooms.

“Okay,” I typed out with the other hand. “Show me how they stack up. I need a particular size.”

Grouch wanted to stay put, but decided that being amenable would waste more time. As slowly as he possibly could, the elder looked for the keys to one shelf, then went back to rummage for the other. I had to control myself not to start tapping my foot. Imagined my doom thundering down the street, closer and closer by the second. They’ll be here any moment now.

How did I even manage to get onto these people’s shitlist? I was so careful not to wrong anyone in my backyard.

Once the man was close enough, I uncorked the bottle and waved it in front of his nose to indicate some inexistent flaw of the component. Before he could succumb, I took the computer part out of his lax hands and went to the lumbering doorstop.

“H-he-hre, s-hee?” due to the constraints, I spoke with my real voice and pointed at nothing with my fist.

The rippling doorstop automatically glanced down, then remembered himself and shook his many necks. The fact he hadn’t been startled by my croak convinced me they’ve been on a lookout for a vocal oddness.

“Nah, man, it’s all premium stuff,” he insisted adamantly just as the owner fell over with a dull thud. Wanting to keep an eye on me but also to check, the mountain went cross-eyed. “Pops? What happen?”

I couldn’t keep on not breathing for much longer, but humpty-dumpty just refused to tumble. Started to suspect all that body mass would be able to tolerate even the pure poison from my other pocket.

I stepped aside to look at the prone man with feigned dismay and typed to speak, “Call the doctor.”

My attempt in misdirection was too obvious or this guard – not as obtuse as he appeared. Hulking mass moved in my periphery, and I was prepared to leap away when the sausage fingers reached for me. The momentum didn’t cease and he uncontrollably staggered forward.

“What you do…” he wheezed out before succumbing with a foundation-rocking splat.

Voices in the room over fell silent, but I heard them jump up and sneak closer.

I’d have loved nothing more than loot this unsupervised hole, but the time was running out. As well as the oxygen in my lungs. I’d have to make do with what I had in hand. It was treasure beyond all reason already. I’ll get so hunted down for this. Still, it was an appropriate remuneration for the uncalled-for transgressions against my innocent person.

Due to the smallest of miracles, the blob man laid down sprawling away from my gateway to freedom. With some effort I kicked the legs away, opened the door a crack and slid out. There was no pursuit in sight. Yet. I ran into the alley directly ahead and placed small camera on the window ledge in passing.

After all, they’ve been waiting for someone to arrive and I’d love to know who that was. Could it be – their boss? Did I mess up a job interview? No way. The behaviour was all wrong, and I’ve learned a long time ago to trust my intuition. The longer I thought about it, the less that encounter seemed like my usual shady business.

Who, then? Shop’s newly acquired allies put a hit out? Or far-reaching hands of the government got a wind of me? How on earth would anyone know to look for me there?

Annoyingly, a bald head popped up in my mind. That arrogant maniac could suspect. After all, it took a particular kind of fool to stick both of their feet into snake nest to retrieve a lost property. That bastard! Can’t even call him a snitch – the darned lordling was the government. Or would be, in any case. And apparently, this new regime will be holding grudges.

Not that I expected all the slights to be forgotten, but it has been months. People usually tired of chasing long shadows.

Was this whole operation spearheaded by an insanely bored Raktkalis? Miniscule chance, seeing as his rank wouldn’t permit a widespread authority. The brat was likely locked up in the classroom and told to stop dropping bodies around himself like confetti. Nevertheless, I was struck by a desire to foil any sort of endeavour he might have a vested interest in.