My name is Mason Bell. I was just your average aspiring college student looking to get a degree in engineering. I'm not kidding when I say average—I'm talking smack dab in the middle of the bell curve. I'd always had average grades, even in elementary school. I graduated high school with an astounding 3.0 GPA! I can't really complain, though, since I come from a good, supportive family. We were middle class, I had one sibling, and one loud Husky named Yodel.

  I don't really toot my own horn but, appearance-wise, I'd say I got decent genes from my parents. I'm of average height, standing at a solid 5'8", maybe 5'7" on a bad day. I inherited my mom's green eyes and my dad's short, curly dark hair. I'm by no means ripped, but I've got a bit of muscle here and there, probably from playing sports over the years. Overall, I'd say I was an okay-looking guy, though I didn't really believe that until the start of college, after I'd grown out of my self-pity phase. After qualifying for a small scholarship and passing the SAT exam on my second attempt, I found myself a freshman at Dundale University—DDU, as everyone around campus called it.

  Despite having a bit more self-confidence now, I still had little to no action with the ladies. My guess is it's because I failed to develop any real social skills during my younger years. I could never get myself to make the first move when I found a girl I was interested in. They would always say things like, "I like your hair" or "you have pretty eyes" and then I go and get my hopes up, only to end up in the friend zone.

  These days, if and when I have free time, I usually spend it playing video games or watching shows on NewTube. For hobbies, I was basically your stereotypical gamer. However, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, I'd head out to play ultimate frisbee, or PUF, as I liked to call it, whenever there were enough people. Today was one such day. We'd already finished the match, and I was on my way to rendezvous with my friends and then head to the local fast food place, Betty's Buns and Brats. It was a local diner that serves just about everything at a good price. Oh, and did I mention they have deep fried Oreos? Because they do. What more could broke college students ask for than a place to forget about the exam they failed while eating loads of cheap fried food?

  From behind me I heard, "Heya, Mace!"

  Normally, I didn't tolerate nicknames, and only one person came to mind who could call me 'Mace' and get away with it. I turned around to see a small and curvy blonde accompanied by a brown-haired, nerdy-looking boy. As they jogged to catch up to me, I recognized them immediately as my colleagues Shelly Baker and Blaize Knightly. I considered them my only real friends on campus, and coincidentally, the three of us were also enrolled in a STEM degree program at DDU. Being freshmen at DDU meant we shared several common core classes. We met for the first time in one of our math classes. The professor, Dr. Belov, had a thick Russian accent that made many of his lectures hard to understand. On top of that, he insisted on using every inch of whiteboard space before wiping off a section of his previous notes to continue writing.

  The three of us didn't really start to connect until we found each other in the library, trying to get the TA to help us with homework. After several study sessions together, I invited them to play PUF with me. I later learned that all three of us happened to play one of the new FPS games, True Honor, which is where we really began to grow our friendship. You could tell Blaize was a stereotypical gamer just by appearance, but Shelly came as a bit of a surprise.

  Blaize was only a couple of inches shorter than me, with messy brown hair and thin-framed glasses. Though it was hard to notice, it seemed like he had longer arms than most people and maybe had minor scoliosis. One look was all it took to label him as some kind of nerd. To be honest, he'd be a good-looking guy if he'd just stand up straight and control his hair. Sadly, his motto was, "Being lazy is the way-z."

  On the other hand, Shelly stood at a whopping 5', even on a good day, giving me a good eight inches of height on her. However, what she lacked in height, she made up for with curves, seriously! For such a small person, she was stacked. Normally, Shelly wore her blonde hair straightened down, with long bangs framing her slender face. Today, however, she had it tied up into a high ponytail, like most girls did for sports. She was a real beauty and, in my opinion, didn't need any makeup to be pretty. With an adorable smile and an infectious laugh, it was easy to see why many students were vying for her attention. She told me she'd already had to turn down three people this quarter alone.

  I'll admit it, I thought she was hot, but I didn't dare try anything and risk ruining our friendship since I was unsure if she felt the same way about me. Somehow, Blaize and I were the lucky ones she chose to hang out with, despite her being out of our league. Maybe she just appreciated that we treated her like a friend rather than an object, and that we also had a lot of things to relate to.

  When they finally caught up to me, Shelly bounced over and gave me a little slap on the back, "Glad ya made it, Mace!" She said happily, "I was worried you'd be busy burying your face in Dr. Belov's textbook prepping for the exam!"

  With a twirl she hopped in front of me and started walking backward. She was dressed in full athletic gear: sport shorts with cute pink accents, new looking sneakers, and a light blue tank top with more pink patterns to match her shorts.

  Once Blaize caught up and matching our pace, he grinned and said to Shelly, "Told ya, and now you owe me food. I knew mah' boi' Mason here wouldn't miss food just to study. He's got his priorities straight."

  Like me, Blaize was wearing basketball shorts, an athletic t-shirt, and running shoes.

  "Hah, priorities straight? Coming from the guy who stays up late playing True Honor and then complains about being tired the next day?" Shelly said, shaking her head. "You know, you guys would be lost without me. But fine, a deal's a deal."

  "Wait, you made a bet that I wouldn't show?" I said, smiling. "No way I'd miss out on BB&B's."

  "Yeah, yeah...we all know you're just as addicted to True Honor as mister '2D-tiddy-lover' over there," Shelly said with a grin, glancing over at Blaize.

  "Oh yeah, you shortstack potato? Which of us three has the highest rank AND the most hours played!?" Blaize fired back. "You're just as bad, if not worse, than we are!"

  That only seemed to inflate Shelly's bubbly personality. One thing to note about Shelly is that she seemed to get a kick out of 'poking the bear,' so to speak. Anyone silly enough to respond to her would only end up fueling her teasing and jokes. That's probably why she thrived online and didn't hesitate to use the voice chat in video games. A girl with a mic in a lobby full of dudes usually resulted in tons of rude jokes, but it never seemed to bother her. In classic Shelly fashion, she just smiled.

  "Ohhhh, silly me. I must have gotten ahead while you were busy watching that... what was it called? Hentay?"

  Blaize immediately turned tomato-red.

  "HECK NAH! I ain't into that 'tentai' stuff," he tried to redirect by adding, "I bet Mason is, but not me. I'd never watch anything like that!"

  * Tentai'?? I don't even want to know why he knows that's what it's called. I'll need to add that to my list of things NOT to accidentally search online.*

  "Woah, woah, did anyone else see that bus coming? 'Cause I didn't. Look, I like anime too, but I prefer real girls," I said, trying to defend myself.

  "Oh really? What type of 'real girls' do you prefer then?" Shelly asked inquisitively.

  I swear I saw her blushing when she asked, but I was mentally not prepared for that question. Especially from someone I was crushing on.

  "Uhh... cute ones obviously...," I said, looking away and immediately doing an internal facepalm.

  * Why can't I just give a normal answer? *

  Surprisingly, she seemed satisfied with my answer. With a little giggle, she turned around so that she was walking straight again.

  "Very well, good sirs. Let's get a move on before the lines get too long." Shelly said.

  "Sounds great," we said.

  We walked for maybe fifteen minutes, casually chit chatting and poking fun at each other. Eventually we rounded a corner, and the restaurant came into view. It was a little less busy than usual. Through the windows we could see other students doing some studying at the tables by the window. As we made our way to the entrance, another student opened the door as they were leaving. We were blasted with a wave of warm air that smelled like burgers and oil. It was a tantalizing smell, but I had no doubt that if you breathed it in often enough, you'd probably develop second-hand diabetes.

  It was a smaller sized fast-food joint, maybe the size of a large apartment. There only ever seemed to be two, max three employees working at any one time, and there always seemed to be a new cashier every time we visited. As we walked in, the door chime sounded. An older man standing at the grill looked over his shoulder to see who'd just entered.

  His name was Rodger, and he was the owner of BB&Bs. He was an older, friendly-looking man with greying brown locks and short facial hair that hid some of his wrinkles. Up and down his burly arms were tattoos and scars of all the adventures he's been through. He resembled a biker, one who rode a Harley Davidson and hung out at bars. Despite his rugged appearance, he was very welcoming and friendly. He was also a war veteran who'd opened a burger joint after getting out of the military. He'd named the place after his fiancé who, sadly, left him for another dude while he was deployed. Still, he claimed he loved her nonetheless and named it after her best 'asset' and 'bratty' personality.

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  As some of his frequent customers, he recognized us right away. Rodger turned around to walk over while wiping his hands off on his grease stained apron.

  In a deep and gruffy voice he said, "Well, well, if it isn't my favorite little trio of shut-ins. Been awhile since I've seen ya'll around here, did ya' finally burn off the calories from your last visit?"

  "Heya Rodger," I said after chuckling at his joke.

  "Oh c'mon Mason, you know I told you to call me Rod."

  "Haha, yeah, sorry...I'll remember next time."

  "Hiya Rod!" Shelly said as she bounced over to give him a hug.

  He hugged her back and said, "Well, ain't you a sight for sore eyes. Lookin' lovely as ever, Miss Baker." Then he turned to Blaize and said, "And how have you been, mister B.? Didya' come back to give the Fire Fries challenge another shot?"

  Blaize waved him off and said, "No way, man! I learned my lesson last time. Your fries are hotter than the bottom of my gaming laptop after TruHonor on max frames. Enduring pain on the way in AND on the way out is not worth it, I don't care if it's free for eating the whole basket."

  Rod let out a single hearty laugh and said, "That ain't the first time I've heard someone say that. Them fries'll put some hair on your chest, that's for sure. Anyway, good to see you three again."

  As he turned and was walking back to the grill, he stopped and looked back saying, "Oh, and by the way, we're closing early today. Dunno' if you kids heard the radio, but the police been' looking for an armed man who might be in the area. His name is Zeke Monroe. The news calls em' 'The Ghost'. Sposedly' he's got a gun and has injured several people already. Three of em' in the hospital now. I'm closing the store in 'bout an hour or so before it gets too dark."

  "Yes Sir," the three of us said in unison.

  I turned to my friends and said, "We better start choosing. The menu is pretty big."

  "Well I already know what I'm getting," Shelly said as she pointed at the large banner displaying a double patty burger combo that came with deep fried Oreos.

  After we all had made our choice, we found a booth to wait at while Rod prepped our meals. It didn't take long before we had gotten our orders and violently chowed down. We were about halfway through our meal when the door chime rang again. I leaned over to see who it was.

  "Tits," I muttered.

  Of all the people who could have shown up, it had to be him: Derek, the self-proclaimed hotshot. To our dismay, he'd become one of the regulars at PUF over the past few weeks. The other two guys behind him were new to me; I assumed they were probably his friends. We'd learned that he was a total jerk, and the best way to describe him was arrogant, self-entitled, easily angered, and treated like everyone else was his footstool.

  Of course, in typical movie-plot fashion, he was also good-looking. With blonde hair, blue eyes, and a toned body, it was easy to see why many girls would give him a second glance.

  The three of them marched in and over to the cashier girl. As scripted, Derek leaned on the counter and said, "Heyyy there cutie, ain't you a dime? You look new, have I seen you around DDU at all?"

  From the table, the three of us watched as the girl just blushed and nodded, then mentioned some of the classes she was taking.

  Derek smirked and continued, "Very cool, very cool. You know, I've been here a lot of times, and the only thing I see on the menu tonight is ME-N-U."

  The three of us at the table tried to hold back a gag in unison as we watched him perform one of his signature moves, the 'Behind-The-Back-low-five', with one of his goons. Surprisingly, the cashier girl giggled and was actually blushing while she pushed her hair back over her ear. The fact that this frat boy was successfully flirting with this cute cashier using half baked pick up lines bothered me. I guess if you had the looks and a little audacity, or in Derek's case a ton, you really could get lucky with some girls.

  Just then, Rod turned around from the grill and with a scowl and said, "I thought I heard something cringey walk in. How many times I gotta' tell ya boy? Leave my employees alone while they're on the clock."

  "Can it gramps! I recognize a nice little snack when I see one."

  "Boy...I'd teach you a thing or two about manners if it wouldn't get me sent straight to the slammer. Make an order or get out. I'm closing in fifteen minutes."

  There wasn't a doubt in my mind that if he had to, Rod could whip Derek and his goons with just his left arm if it came down to it.

  Derek looked at his expensive watch and said, "The heck you mean gramps? Thought you closed at 10 PM?"

  "Normally I do, but there's a lunatic on the loose. Make up your mind or leave."

  "Tsk, whatever man. That ain't enough time. We'll take our money elsewhere." Derek turned to leave, but not before winking and blowing a kiss to the cashier girl.

  I was na?ve to think he'd leave without noticing us because as he was turning away, he glanced across the room and saw the three of us huddling at the table.

  "Well, well, well, if it ain't the frisbee flunkies." Derek said as he started marching over to the table with his goons in tow. "How'd you like getting whipped at todays game?" He said with a smirk.

  The three of us slid out of the booth so we could stand and face them.

  "We would have won if your team wouldn't have cheated!" Blaize said.

  Derek glared at him and said, "Shut it, nerd!" Derek threw a fake punch causing Blaize and I to flinch.

  It's true though. Halfway through the game, Derek signaled one of his cronies to trip a player on our team which made him twist his ankle. Being down one person in any sport makes it way harder, so of course we ended up losing.

  "We did no such thing. Don't take it out on us just cause you lost," Derek mocked. Then he turned to Shelly. "Listen blondie, I'll give you a second chance and let ya come hang with us. We'll show you a better time than those two clowns ever could."

  "Hard pass," Shelly replied. "I'd probably have more fun alphabetizing M&Ms than hanging out with you."

  "Whatever, suit yourself. When you get tired of sucking at frisbee, come see me and I'll give you something else you can suck." He turned to his goons and dished out a couple high-fives.

  "Ew...no...you can suck your thumb yourself!" Shelly retorted.

  Blaize and I struggled to control our laughter. Shelly had Derek in the palm of her hand, toying with him like a cat plays with yarn. At this point, his face began to turn red, and you could see the rage building in his eyes.

  "Why you—" Derek said as he started to reach for her.

  That's when I stepped in. I jumped in front and shoved his hand away.

  "Back off, dude. You heard Rod, leave. He's closing soon." I warned.

  Luckily, Rod stepped in and said, "Alright, that's enough, get out before I throw you out!"

  Just then, the door chimed again. We all looked to see a very pale man with a black beanie, rugged tank top, and tattered jeans walk in. I instantly knew something wasn't right with this guy. You could tell by his baggy sunk-in eyes and little head twitches that he was a couple cards short from a full deck. We all knew right away that this man was the one police were looking for, The Ghost. Guess he got his name from how pasty he looked.

  He quickly scanned the number of people around him and wasted no time reaching behind him to pull out a revolver. He cocked the trigger and pointed it at the cashier.

  With a strained and raspy voice he said, "All right, I want all the money you got. Make it quick." He threw a bag to the cashier. "Anyone but the cashier moves and there's gonna be a mess for the cops when they get here. Believe me when I say I got a twitchy finger."

  Despite the warning, Rod took a small step forward and put his hands up in a vain attempt to calm the man saying, "It's alright bud, don't be hasty. The miss here is gonna get you the money, and you'll be on your way."

  The Ghost's eye and head did a little twitch, just before we all saw the flash at the barrel of his revolver. Everyone gasped in horror as the bullet hit Rod in his left shoulder, spraying blood and sending him to the ground with yell. He fell behind the counter where the rest of us couldn't see him. I held back the urge to rush to his aide since I knew that would be a terrible idea. Shelly let out a scream, drawing my attention back to the situation at hand. The cashier began sobbing while reaching for the bag. She popped open the register and started putting what little cash there was inside. The rest of us watched silently as the wiry man shook his head.

  "They never listen, they really never listen!! I know I said don't move, I did!" He turned to our group and said again, "Didn't I say not to move??"

  We all nodded silently, not daring to give him a reason to shoot again. Then, I saw The Ghost look down at Derek's wrist for a moment to admire his shiny watch. His eyes lingered there for a moment. I felt my stomach lurch as he raised the gun again and pointed it at him.

  "You, guy with the forehead, I want that. Your watch. Looks expensive. I want it. Throw it to me, or you'll end up like that guy." He gestured toward where Rod was.

  The Ghost, or rather Zeke, was clearly mentally unstable. His pale skin and nervous twitches made me think he was probably going through some sort of withdrawal.

  Derek quickly nodded and reached down to start taking it off, but in a nervous panic accidently dropped it on the floor. With a little 'clink', it fell to the ground. Apparently, that's all it took to make this crazed man twitch. To our combined horror, he pulled the trigger again. The next thing I saw was Derek's head tilt back with a spray of pink mist all around before his body crumpled to the floor. This time, we all screamed. Blood had sprayed onto one of Derek's goons who yelped before he too, folded to the floor. He must have passed out.

  I felt sick as I looked at Derek's body slumped on the floor. The dude was a dick, but even he didn't deserve something like that. Shelly was now in tears, and the look on Blaize's face was one of pure shock and horror. The three of us were standing together, with me in front and the two of them behind. For a split second I thought about giving them a signal behind my back to run like in the movies, but I knew better. This was the real world, and real-world people don't aim like Storm Troopers.

  Just then, we heard police sirens and the screeching tires outside the restaurant. It looked like the police finally made it. Through the windows I could see the circle of cop cars forming a perimeter outside. Some had pulled out their pistols, while others were yelling into their radios. A S.W.A.T. truck also pulled up with a bunch of heavy geared men hopping out of the back.

  From behind the police line, we heard a megaphone call out, "Zeke, we know you're in there. Why don't you come on out so we can talk? No need to harm anyone else. We can make a deal, just come out with your hands up. If you need a buzz, or transportation, or cash, I can help you."

  Zeke started fidgeting after hearing his name and seeing all the cops outside. He turned and pointed the gun at the cashier before walking over to her.

  "Gimme the bag, girl! I don't got time for games anymore!"

  The already panicked girl reached out to hand him the small bag of cash, which he snatched out of her hand. Zeke peeked inside the bag and frowned.

  "The heck is this?? This can't be all the dough you got!" he yelled.

  My heart then sank as he looked away from the bag and over to Shelly.

  "You. Blondie. Give me your purse! And bring me that watch!" Zeke commanded as he motioned to the ground where the watch lay in a puddle of blood.

  Tears were running down Shelly's face. I wanted to comfort her, but the gunman had already proven he'd fire at the slightest disturbance. He was in serious need of some medical attention but, given his crimes, he'd probably never get the chance. Zeke pointed the gun at Shelly with trembling hands, beckoning her with the tip of the gun. She took a couple steps forward, stopping right beside me. She was just about to bend down to get the watch when I heard the screech of the megaphone from the police outside.

  "Zeke, this is your last-"

  I don't know what came over me. It's like I knew what would happen next. The following seconds seemed like an eternity as time slowed down. In an instant, I shoved Shelly to the side as The Ghost twitched, pulling the trigger again. I felt the sting of something lodging into my chest as I collapsed to the ground with the wind knocked out of me. My vision was blurred, but I could see the glass of the window explode and The Ghost go flying with a crater in his chest. A loud 'BOOM' followed as time returned to normal. My vision was fading, and the last thing I saw were my two friends huddling over me saying something. Then, everything went black.