Life-Buster

Norman uses his left hand to calm the frenetic shaking of his right, staring intently at the coffee shop ahead of him. From the passenger seat, Bianca kicks up her combat boots on the dashboard of their black SUV. She looks over at Norman.

“Last chance. You sure you want to do this?”

The coffee shop buzzes with its usual customers: hipsters and caffeine addicts looking to scratch their itch. DING! In the door walks Mia Davis, a vibrant, long-time employee.

“Morning everyone!” Mia says with a big wave. She’s like a breath of fresh air, another reason patrons frequent this cafe.

“Hey there, miss popular,” says Joe, another longtime barista. “Didn’t see you on the schedule.” Mia slips behind the counter and ties on her trusty apron, peppered with coffee ground stains from the night before.

“You know I can’t stay away from this place.”

The two form an assembly line, with Mia preparing drinks while Joe delivers them. “Need a macchiato with almond milk, hold the whip!” Joe shouts over to Mia.

“Heard!” She opens the mini-fridge and finds a printed application taped over the milk jug. Mia shakes her head, grabbing the application.

“Very subtle,” Mia says, slapping the application down in front of Joe, along with the requested macchiato.

“You think so?” Joe says through a smile, “Thought it had more flair than my usual approach. Order up!” He turns back to look at Mia, who begins fervently wiping the countertops, even though they were already clean.

“When are you finally getting out of here?”

“No idea Joe,” Mia responds, as she continues to wipe. “I’m just...taking it day by day.”

Joe lets out a sigh. “You’ve said that for two years. Mia, you shouldn’t be pouring espresso into milk. You’re special and everyone knows it.” Mia stops for a moment, looking at her reflection in the polished marble. Joe puts the application back in front of her. “Sure, it didn’t work out the first time, but the world needs doctor Mia Davis.”

Mia employs her best poker face. “I’ll think about it.” Joe gives her a playful nudge before retreating to the storage area. Mia grabs the application, looking it up and down. It was for Bakerstown School of Medicine, her dream college. Joe had practically filled the application out already, all Mia had to do was submit it.

She crumples the application into a tight, paper ball and tosses it in the trash.

DING!

Norman walks inside looking confident and relaxed. Mia takes notice of him but quickly goes back to making drinks; Joe returns with more cups. “Your boyfriend is here.” He jokes. Norman sits at a table and takes out his laptop.

Mia glances at Norman before shooting back at Joe. “Shut up before he hears you!”

“Are you blushing?” Joe asks, letting out a laugh, “You say he’s cute every time he comes in. Just talk to him.”

“Have you always been this pushy?” Mia asks before going to take a customer's order. Norman joins the line, eventually making it to the front. Mia manages to keep her composure, despite Joe’s provocation and gives Norman her standard warm welcome.

“Good morning sir! How can I help you.”

Norman smiles, locking eyes with Mia. “I’m in love with you.”

CLINK.

Mia’s mouth drops, as does the metal mixer Joe was washing. From the sink, he looks over to the counter, eyes big as saucers. The customers behind Norman are shocked too; one pulling out a phone to record whatever happens next. “I’m sorry?” Mia asks, thinking she must’ve misheard him.

“I said I’m in love with you,” Norman repeats plainly, as though he’d ordered a drink. Mia peeks over at Joe, who gives her a look saying “this is your chance”, and continues washing the mixer. Mia tries to collect herself.

“Oh, um thanks so much,” she stumbles out, “I’m flattered, but I don’t don’t know what to say.”

Norman reaches out his hand. “Say you’ll come with me.”

“What!?”

“I know it doesn’t make sense,” Norman explains calmly “I know you’re at work and I know that I’m mostly a stranger, but this is my last day in town. So just for today, let’s go somewhere together. Do something, anything out of the ordinary.” Mia sees a glint of desperation in Norman's eyes. “Please.”

The coffee shop grows quiet, as patrons tune in to what’s happening at the front counter, anticipating Mia’s response. Mia slowly shakes her head, breaking out of this surreal moment.

“I can’t. I can’t do that.”

Norman takes a deep breath, clearly disappointed but not breaking eye contact. “Okay.”

Norman pulls a gun from inside his jacket and fires two shots into the ceiling.

“Everybody on the ground!” He calls out. Immediately Bianca, Carter, and Dante burst through the door, armed with guns and wearing black body armor. Customers scream and scatter across the room while Carter moves to lock the door. Dante and Bianca point their guns at the customers and demand they sit near the back wall.

Mia crawls over to Joe, who’s crouching behind the counter, panicked, and looking for a way out. “Go out the back while I distract them,” Mia whispers, her voice trembling. She waves him towards the storage area, but before Joe can stop Mia, she stands up from behind the counter, arms in the air. Norman is still at the front, his calm demeanor betrayed by the beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

“I’ll give you all the money, just please don’t hurt anyone,” Mia says to him.

Norman shakes his head. “We don’t want money.”

“Then what do you want?” Mia asks, puzzled and terrified. Just then, Joe leaps over the counter and tackles Norman to the ground, trying his best to wrestle his handgun away from him. BLAM! The struggle causes a misfire, firing an errant shot through the coffee shop’s glass door.

“Joe!” Mia cries out, rushing to his aid.

Bianca bolts over as well, striking Joe in the head with her gun to knock him unconscious. Mia runs to Joe’s side but is intercepted by Bianca and forced to sit along the wall with the other customers. “Don’t hurt him!” Mia shouts as Norman staggers back to his feet.

“Dante,” Norman says cooly.

“Roger,” Dante answers, hustling over with his duffel bag. They both drag Joe to the wall, tie his hands together with rope, and then Dante begins giving medical aid to the gash Bianca just opened over his eye. Mia watches intently, wondering why she doesn’t hear the sound of police sirens.

“You set up the signal blocker?” Bianca asks Norman.

“Yes. Local communications should be jammed for a bit.”

Mia eye’s shoot to where Norman sat this morning. His laptop was still there, the screen displaying a complex program running through its processes. Suddenly, A woman near Mia begins hyperventilating.

“Shh it’s okay,” Mia begins “It’ll all be-”

Before she can finish her sentence Dante hurries over and assists the woman, giving her a paper bag and instructing her breathing patterns.

“You’re a doctor,” Mia says to him. He glances at her, almost in confirmation, then continues assisting the woman. Mia stares down the other radicals perpetrating this situation, trying to discern their motives.

“What do you people want? Are you terrorists?”

Norman’s comrades look towards him, the clear mastermind of this operation.

“Why did you say no?”

“What!?” Mia retorts, face scrunching in confusion.

“Why did you say no?” Norman repeats calmly. “When I asked you to go with me. Over the past six months, I’ve been in this cafe every day. Paying attention.”

Norman begins casually walking over to Mia. “Everyone here loves you. You’re smart, funny, kind, and talented, but also...stuck.”

“Stuck?” Mia asks. Norman stops in front of Mia, all eyes on him.

“As I said, I’ve been paying attention. You want to be a doctor but won’t re-apply for med school. You’ve wanted to talk to me since I started coming here, but never dared more than a casual greeting. You’re stuck, and life is going to pass you by while you’re gathering the courage to live it.”

Norman bends down to look at Mia, eye level. “I won’t let that happen. I’m here to steal your apathy.”

“You’re insane,” Mia mutters in disbelief, “Wrapped up in some kind of delusion. What you're doing is criminal!”

Norman stands up, examining the terrified faces littering the room. “What I’m doing isn’t about morality. I’m a catalyst.” He snaps his fingers and Bianca marches over, forcing Mia to her feet.

“It’s time.” Norman declares.

Norman and Bianca forcibly take Mia, and a still unconscious Joe to the roof of the coffee shop by way of the fire escape, while Dante and Carter keep the patrons detained at gunpoint. Mia looks out at the surrounding area, searching for any sign of police activity. Norman takes a small, black notebook from his back pocket and tosses it over to Mia.

She glares at him, while Bianca drags Joe near the side of the roof. “You asked for an explanation,” Joe states, “There you go.” Mia begrudgingly picks up the notebook and examines it, seeing copious notes taken throughout. Detailed plans about the operation Norman and his helpers are currently executing. On the very first page, Mia sees something written in a completely different handwriting than the rest of the notebook.

It reads in large text: To Norman Gamble. Make it count.

“Someone taped a check for a fortune on that page. Mailed the book with no return address.” Norman says.

“You’re Norman Gamble,” Mia responds, piecing things together, “The sole survivor from that horrible car wreck last year.”

“In the flesh. What people don’t know is that my friends and I were drunk that night. We caused that accident.” Norman’s hand starts shaking again. “But the driver we hit tried to save us. Pull us out of the car before another vehicle struck.”

Norman uses his left hand to calm the shaking. “He got me out, but when he went back for my friends…”

“The truck came.” Mia finishes, knowing the rest. The whole town knew.

“Maybe someone felt sorry for me. I don’t know. But the check was in a blank notebook. Why?” Norman asks rhetorically, “They were saying my life isn’t over. That I could choose how I finish my story.”

Norman marches over to Mia, “I’m going to make the most of those pages, but what about you? How does your story end?” Norman puts his handgun down in front of Mia and steps towards the roof's edge, parallel to Joe.

“Shoot me,” Norman commands, eyes cold. “If you don’t, in exactly one minute Bianca will shoot Joe.”

“What!?” Mia shouts, “Why am I-”

“Fifty seconds,” Bianca says.

Norman stands unprotected. “No more apathy. Make a choice.”

“Call her off!” Mia screams, petrified.

“Thirty-five.”

“I hired her specifically for this. She’s a killer,” states Norman.

“But I’m not!” Mia cries out.

“10.”

“Then make a choice!” Norman shouts.

Mia grabs the handgun and shoots an exhaust pipe running along the ground, making steam burst into the air. While Bianca is blown back, Mia sprints over and pushes Joe off the roof, both landing in the dumpster below. WOOP WOOP.

Finally, the police show up, entering the coffee shop to find its patrons lined up along the wall, but no sign of antagonizers. A now conscious Joe and Mia make their way to the front of the building and are quickly greeted by a swarm of officers, one of them holding a rappel line that was left behind.

After hours of questioning, Mia and Joe are released. “I’m heading to the hospital,” Joe says, rubbing his head, “You going home?”

“Yeah.” She answers, “I’ve got an application to fill out.”