The robber ran out of the jewellery store with a bag full of jewels. His name was Marcus. He wore a mask and held a gun. His bag was full of gold and diamonds. Police sirens were already loud in the distance. Just outside the store he saw a man, Alex, walking nearby. Marcus pressed the gun to Alex’s head.
“Get in the car and drive or I shoot you now!”
Marcus shouted. Alex looked afraid.
“Please… I have a daughter,”
He said. But inside, a cold plan was ready. He had waited years for a chance like this. They jumped into the black car. Alex drove. Marcus sat with the gun pointed. The car raced away.
Soon they reached a busy road. School children in bright yellow vests waiting to cross the street with a teacher standing nearby. Alex saw them and pushed the gas hard. The car jumped the curb. It hit the children. Bodies flew. Screams stopped suddenly. Alex felt the terrible bumps under the wheels. He hit people on the sidewalk too. Blood hit the glass. Marcus screamed,
“Stop! What are you doing?!”
He tried to take the wheel. Alex pushed him away.
“Everyone saw you forcing me to drive you at gunpoint. NO one will believe I did this on purpose”
He said quietly.
“Now everyone will blame you.”
Police cars joined fast. Sirens filled the air. The chase lasted 20 minutes. Alex drove wild but every turn was chosen. He aimed at groups: people crossing, a mother with a stroller, joggers in a park, a family at a bus stop. One by one, they fell. Fourteen dead. Maybe more. Helicopters flew above witnessing the rampage first hand. Police radios said:
“The hostage is driving crazy. The robber is making him hit people!”
That was exactly what Alex wanted them to believe. Police put sharp strips on the road. Tires burst. The car slid and crashed into a wall. Airbags exploded. Police pulled Marcus out first. He yelled,
“It was the driver! Not me!”
They did not listen. Handcuffs went on the robber. They helped Alex out slowly. He fell to his knees, crying.
“He had the gun, he forced me. I tried to miss them… the children… oh God…”
Alex told the officers. Cameras from police and phones caught it all. News said: Bad robber takes hostage and forces deadly crash. Marcus had a criminal past. Alex had none.
Later in the hospital, Alex watched the TV news. Pictures of the dead children appeared. He closed his eyes. He felt calm. Three years before, a car hit his daughter. She lost her legs. The driver escaped and was never found. Alex hated the world for it. Today he took back something. Marcus would go to prison for murders he never wanted. Alex would walk free. The poor father who survived horror.