Echoes of Tomorrow Season One: Episode One (Echoes of Tomorrow: Season One Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

floor. Tyler got to the middle aisles and pulled behind one of the end caps to give him cover. He wanted to get up front to help, but rushing in without looking was asking for trouble. There was no way to know what he would deal with once he got there unless he took a moment to look. If his head were in better shape he would've moved in closer, but with the difficulty he was having trying to walk he thought it better to stay back.
    "Give me the money, bitch," he heard a deep voice say from the front of the store. "All of it."
    "OK. OK. Give me a minute. Don't shoot." She spit out the words between frantic breaths. From the sound of her voice Tyler could tell she had never been in a situation like this before, nor did she show any signs of training. He would've figured a company like this would've spent the time to make sure their employees stayed calm in a situation like this, if only to keep the other side calm.
    "Do it now!" A gunshot rang out. The loud pop echoed through the store, causing some less stable items on the shelf to wobble as Tyler leaned into it for cover.
    The woman let out a high-pitched squeal followed by frantic pleas for her life. "Here you go," she forced between sobs. "Get out of here."
    The deep voice laughed. "I'm not done with you, honey. I want what's in the back too."
    "I," she stuttered. "I don't have access to the safe. Only the store manager does."
    "I don't want the safe, bitch. Take me to the back and get me the drugs."
    "The back is locked until the pharmacist gets here. They are the only ones with keys."
    "Here's what's going to happen. You are going to take me back to the pharmacy and open the door." Tyler peeked his head around the corner in time to see him pull the woman's name tag off her shirt. "I'd hate to blow your brains across the store now, Marcy. You've been so good so far."
    Tyler balled his fists when he saw the man move behind her while holding the gun to her head. Her body, especially her head, shook up a storm as she walked towards the back.
    Tyler moved the wheelchair back as the pair entered the aisle he'd been watching. For a moment, he considered wheeling back more and heading out the front door to escape. But something inside him wouldn't leave her alone, not for a moment longer than he'd already done by staying back for this long. If this was one of the punks that ambushed him out back, he might not stop with the money and the drugs. He might decide he wanted something else of hers; something no woman should be forced to give. Or, perhaps, he would do something much worse.
    Tyler set the wheelchair brake and poised himself on the edge of the seat. He might not be able to stand up worth a darn, but he thought he should be able to do one good lunge to bring the man to the floor. It was his only option if he planned on saving her.
    He waited patiently as the footsteps got closer. He saw her familiar white sneakers first, followed by the rest of her body. She glanced over, eyes widening as she noticed Tyler hiding around the corner. She covered her mouth and took another couple steps with the gun still pressed to her head.
    Then Tyler saw his target. The man was tall, easily as tall as Tyler if not more, though he weighed probably one and a half times as much. He was built like a truck as if he'd spent his non-robbing hours hitting the gym to flesh out his bulk. For a moment, Tyler regretted his decision to stay and help, but it was too late to back out now. As far as he knew, the man would turn the gun on him and blow his head off the second he rounded the corner.
    Tyler put every ounce of force he had into his thrust. Using the metal shelving as a guide, he wrapped his arms around the man as they crashed into each other. Once he was semi-upright, the dizziness set in, but the rush of adrenaline kept the sickness in check as the two crashed to the tile floor, sending the gun careening down the center aisle.
    Free of the man's grip and the gun against her head, Marcy took