Police Bloater

It was already midnight on a boring Sunday when I reached the nearest 7-11 convenience store for some cans of cold beer. I had burned the midnight oil recently in preparation for the scheduled oral examinations three days from now in business management and other academic blah- blahs, a requirement I needed to pass to get my Masters in Business Administration degree from a prestigious institution in Makati.

When my eyes got tired from all the readings, I decided that I need some time on my hands to relax before watching the exciting games of the UEFA Cup at 2 o’clock in the morning on Star TV. The fifteen-minute drive from my flat to the nearest 7-11 branch was uneventful.

I parked my car and alighted from the black Mazda Miata that I borrowed from my sister for the night. The blue-uniformed security guard at the door greeted me as I went straight for the cold beers and grab a six- packed inside the huge refrigerators. I then look around the store for some things to munch on to go with the amber-colored drinks.

I scanned the shelves and zeroed in on the can of imported Planters mixed nuts when I was suddenly interrupted by a commanding voice coming from a plump man in hip-hop clothes and a six- shooter in hand standing behind the glass door panel and announcing a heist!

His other companions who were also armed hurriedly disarmed the lone guard of his firearm and scoops the cash register of the day’s earnings. I stood in silence, surprised at the sudden turn of events together with several other stunned customers just watching the men do their thing.

In less than three minutes, the heist was quickly done and they fled on foot towards a blue metallic Honda Civic parked on the other side of the road and sped away towards Roxas Boulevard.

On instinct, I drop all my stuffs and hurriedly went to my car and decided to tail them just for kicks but they were speeding like hell that I lost sight of the getaway vehicle when I got stuck by the traffic lights on Taft Avenue..

I took a chance and drove off to the sprawling CCP Complex and leisurely cruised at the minimum speed of 35 kph. In one of the dark and unlit part of the huge complex near the condemned Film Center, I chance upon the men, all three of them while the blue Honda conveniently parked on the side street. They were in a happy mood; smoking pot, downing alcohols, laughing and exchanging high fives with each other. One was even lying down on top of the hood smoking in obvious demonstration of elation over their successful score.

It made me smile to think that their happiness will be short-lived as I reached for my Czech-made CZ-75 machine pistol fitted with infrared scopes and silencer from the custom-built compartment under the driver’s seat as I decelerated to a slow stopped…

I pushed down the button of the power window and slowly aimed for the head of one of the unsuspecting punks and gently squeezed the trigger. I saw his head snapped as crimson blood splattered into the windshield. The other two assholes did not know what hit them as they jump and scamper away into the back of their car and pull out their firearms and fired wildly into the darkness.

Their bravado proved useless as they were already on my crosshairs as I again squeezed the trigger of the weapon repeatedly. I can hear the soft spit of the gun in rapid succession and the thuds of the bullets as they hit pay dirt. Their bodies hurled into the air as the force of the hollow- point bullets exploded on their chest upon impact and fell lifeless to the ground several seconds later, a testament to the deadly power of the dumdums!

I left the scene nonchalantly and headed towards the deserted Diosdado Macapagal Highway. I step on the gas like crazy and watch the speedometer reach over 120 kph in seconds as the sudden surge of adrenaline bombarded my entire being.

I drove around for an hour around Paranaque, then Makati, to Manila to Pasay and back to Paranaque like mad. When the rush finally subsided, I quietly returned to my flat and watch Real Madrid beat Manchester United in the game on cable TV.

I fell asleep in the comforts of the sofa bed in the living room and was rudely awakened by the sound of GMA- 7’s Unang Hirit. The hyperactive reporter reported that three suspected robbers believed responsible for a series of crimes in the metropolis engaged the police in a shootout and after a brief car-chase that ended in the CPP Complex resulted in their deaths at the hands of the responding policemen.

They also interviewed the security guard and other 7-11 staff who identified them as the men who robbed them at gunpoint of the store’s earnings earlier. As the face of the supposed Team Leader of the policemen flashed on the screen, I reach for the remote control and switched off the TV.

I just smiled and shook my head at the policemen’s tall tale of the incident.