Bus Robbers

It was an ice cold winter in London, snow was falling after Christmas had just ended in January 1998. Now let me tell you, January is the worst time of year, I mean sure it can be quiet, somewhat peaceful but all the holidays are over and done with. At the end of the year you get Halloween, Bon Fire Night, Christmas then New Year's Eve and it's just so fucking great! Then January comes around and there is just nothing. Bugger all, except boredom and the long wait until winter finally fucks off so getting to work isn't so bloody dreadful. Well, there were these absolute pricks who had enough of working for a living, dragging themselves out of bed too early and travelling through the blizzards that chilled London that year was agony. It had been a long time coming, but the four young men teamed up to put an end to their shared misery. They planned to rob a bus. That's right, a public transport vehicle that they knew had been driving all around London all day long. The amount of money, a busy two decker bus like that must collect by the end of the day; it must've had hundreds if not thousands of pounds locked away in the driver's money box, just under the steering wheel. On top of that, they could also mug all the passengers. Of course people who got the bus were rarely minted, but it couldn't hurt to collect a few pennies as well. So one Saturday night, when it was snowing madly and the weather was freezing, they all coated up in huge coats, balaclavas and hats, hiding illegal pistols they had dared to buy through shady dealers. Perhaps getting these weapons was more expensive than it was worth, but they were all confident they could make back their money in an instant plus profit. After buying the guns, there was no turning back. Even if they didn't rob the bus, they'd rob something else, maybe a shop or a small bank. They all knew that was incredibly risky though, the best part about robbing a bus was that they would already get an escape vehicle in an instant. Although, as they'd soon come to learn the hard way; a huge double decker bus in the snow isn't the greatest vehicle to getaway in. So they all met up at the second to last bus stop before the bus returned to station, knowing too well a lot of people would still be waiting to get off at either this stop or the next one. That's how they'd collect the most money. So then the bus arrived and all four of them, Randy, Peter, Simon and Daniel all climbed abroad like normal, only when the bus driver asked them for money, they instead pulled out their pistols. Randy aimed his at the driver's head, while the rest of his gang aimed their guns at the passengers. Everyone screamed (except for the masked robbers), holding their hands up in surrender, including the bus driver. Nobody challenged the masked gun men, especially after Peter fired a warning shot at the window, to let everyone know they were serious. People reluctantly handed over their wallets and purses, all with the biggest frowns possible, some were even crying or so scared they were trembling with terror.

"All right..." The bus driver dared to say.

"Open the money box!" Randy ordered him, the driver nodded and slowly began to unlock it. Notes and coins sprung out all over the floor.

"Daniel, gather the money!" Randy ordered him to pick up the fallen cash, while Randy kept the gun trained on the driver.

"You got your money... Please leave!" The bus driver pleaded.

"Get out!" Randy roared.

"Wh- what?!" The driver gasped, then Randy pulled the driver off his seat and kicked him off the bus, through the open doorway.

"Everyone else, leave!" Simon screamed, firing two more shots into the ceiling of the bus. The passengers cried, then fled the vehicle in a panic, as police sirens marched closer and closer to the bus the masked robbers were standing in.

"All right, lads!" Randy chuckled, climbing into the driver's seat, "hold tight!"

"This is going to be a bumpy ride!" Simon sang, as Randy pulled the bus into gear and slammed the pedal to the metal, the big, long vehicle came alive with a great big vibration, the exhausts rattled beneath them and soon the wheels on the bus spun round and round, round and round! It charged forwards, faster than any of them thought possible!

"Whoa!" Daniel gasped, clutching onto a nearby hand rail. The streets of London were surprisingly quiet that night, as not many dared travel in the horrendous blizzard that stormed through the city. They thought the way forward was clear, although it appeared that way, the ice and snow spinning beneath the fast wheels was causing the large vehicles to slide. Randy had no idea, he didn't realise the lightness of the vehicle's movement wasn't normal. He figured driving a bus felt this smooth normally. That was until several big police jeeps blocked the road ahead.

"Hold on!" Randy screamed, attempting to turn the bus around, but this sudden movement made the bus tip a little, then it was skidding across the white slush of melting snow. Randy slammed down the brake pedal, only that made the vehicle rotate clockwise, like a spinning coin. The masked robbers inside felt sick and dizzy, as Randy wrestled for control over the disorderly vehicle. Him turning away from the rotation caused the bus to tip however, this time all the over onto its side. A giant smash echoed across the road, pedestrians watched in total terror. Soon police men, armed to the teeth in riot gear, charged through the snow towards the fallen vehicle, aiming assault rifles at the windows in case the robbers tried to escape or fight back. None of the bus robbers survived, it was confirmed the moment the police entered the burning wreck and inspected the dead men. It was over. That cold night had a hot end.