I stood silently over evenly grated metal bars that overviewed a large open space. I was looking around me carefully as I moved like a cat, silently analyzing the space around me. Small pillars of light dripped into small globes of brightness on the warehouse floor. It was almost impossible to see the other side of the large space. Darkness piled upon darkness in every place I looked besides the small spotlights shining downward, but that didn’t matter to me. I know this warehouse as if it were the back of my head.

I slowly crawled across the bared flooring and made my way across the room. The air was so silent, it was almost suffocating.

I reached into the bag wrapped tightly around my body. From it, I pulled out a small paper, about the size of a hallmark card and opened it up,revealing blueprints to the warehouse.

“Going there through the air vents,” I muttered to myself, “is a legit escape, but the jewel is being stored in the west side.” I folded the paper back up and placed it back inside of my bag. With a jump onto the large light fixtures, I started making my way to the west side of the building, trying to stay as pin drop silent as I could.

While walking along the lights, I kept a sharp eye out for any alarms, silent or other. Tripping an alarm, especially in such a place that they were so easily avoidable, would have been an ameture mistake.

I wasn’t an ameture.

I always got a thrill on rollercoasters and going fast whenever I’d be in a car with the roof down. It was exhilarating and a rush and I was addicted to the feeling.

That didn’t make me a bad person, though. Of course, I wasn’t wearing white with a halo wrapped around my head, but I wasn’t destined for a fiery inferno either.

I had a policy regarding this part of my life. Whatever I stole I’d pawn off and a portion of the money would get put into my bank account while another portion--a larger portion--got put to the greater good.

I liked the thrill of getting away with stealing, not the thrill of other people suffering.

I stepped form the light fixtures down onto some highly stacked boxes and crates. I could see the box with the jewel inside. It had a special stamp of the front of it that was warning the people who shipped to be very careful with moving it. My feet echoed softly as it hit hard floor. I took a few steps and watched as the box got closer and closer, with the more steps I took.

I approached the box with a trained eye. If there were any sort of safety and precautionary alarms, this would be where they were. I placed one gloved finger over the blox and used another hand to slice the box open with an exacto knife. I waited five seconds. Ten seconds. Two minutes.

Nothing.

It was almost too easy. As if people were asking for this jewel to be taken. I lifted the lid off of the box. The jewel sat inside, proudly reflecting whatever light it could scrounge in the dark building.

At first glance, the jewel looked to be like an opal, reflecting a plethora of colors and shades that created an ombre effect that was just stunning, but to a trained eye, the jewel held a deep tinge like a ruby, and a sparkle of diamond. It was the most natural form of a hybrid jewel to ever come into existence. It was a beautiful sight and took me a few minute to get over the initial admiration before I placed one of my gloved hands around it and grabbed it from the case.

Sirens and alarms started blaring from every corner of the warehouse.

I cursed under my breath. My escape plan was quick and painless regardless of alarms or not. I quickly started climbing random crates and boxes filled with museum worthy artifacts, not caring if they get destroyed or crushed, and climbed over the highest one, getting closer and closer to the ceiling as I climbed.

I watched from the overhanging lights as security guards and policemen talked to one another. The jewel was securely in my bag as I jumped from one light fixture to another. Even with the blaring alarms and flashing lights, it was a miracle that nobody saw me jumping around right above their heads.

I continued my risky pattern of light jumping until I got to the east wall of the warehouse. I climbed back up toward the top of the light fixtures and back into the vents, slowly crawling until I reached another vent to escape from.

“You take the east side. I’ll go south.” I could hear faint talking coming from below me as I followed the noises. It wasn’t long until I encountered another vent entrance. Two men were standing just by the entrance as I listened closely.

“We just finished inventory,” his walkie talkie went off, “all is accounted for except for the African Multigem.” I could hear the man let out a string of curses.

“Dammit, check the halls then move into the vents. They’ve gotta be here somewhere.” I looked around beyond the two men standing there. Besides them, there was no person in sight, they were all spread out throughout the warehouse. It took me ten minutes to silently wait and watch the men before they got called away and moved from the ventilations, leaving it wide open for escape. It took me three minutes to unhinge the metal cage and push myself through, but as I stood up, I heard the achingly familiar sound of a gun being cocked.

“Freeze!” My skin starts to shudder as goosebumps ripple across my skin. This isn’t part of the plan. My gut starts taking over my brain as I start planning out what to do next. I slowly lift my hands into the air as I’ve seen in movies countless times. The man with the gun, a security guard for the exhibit, takes a cautioned step toward me.

“No sudden moves,” he snaps and reaches for my hand. When his hands touch my wrist, I grab his arm and yank him forward, driving his gut into my elbow which I angled into his ribs. I grab the gun out of his hand and push it deep into my bag with the jewel. Somehow, his arms wrap around my torso as I feel him pull me into his chest, restraining me and making my hands imobile. I slammed my heel into his shin as his grip loosens before pushing my fist into his jaw. I watched as he fell to the ground but didn’t fall unconscious. I took that moment as an escape chance anyway. The door the the outside was so close and I was running so fast. I push it open and skid to a stop to gather my bearings.

That was my mistake.

I felt a large weight clash into my back, sending me falling forwards. I hit the concrete ground with a muffled thump and turned around in time to see the security guards looking over me with cuffs in one hand and a knife in the other.

From that moment on, time slowed down to a near stop as I watched with horror filled eyes. The security guard threw the knife as if he were a professional as I dropped the gun from my shaking hands and dived to the right, watching as both object clattered to the ground loudly. I slammed my palms to my ears, not because of the gun falling or even the knife, but because of the echoing gunshot that the weapon made as it hit the ground. I watched helplessly as the security guard’s face fell into one of shock. I watched helplessly as he fell to his knees and then slam into the concrete floor. I watched helplessly as all the life drained from his eyes and spilled out in the form of crimson liquid in the middle of his stomach. I even watched helplessly as his breathing shallow out into silence.

It took me five minutes to grab the gun from the ground and sprint to my car parked two blocks away. It took me one minute to get out of the parking spot and punch the gas. It took me seven minutes and twenty three seconds to get out of the north part of the city. It took me three hours to keep holding my breath until I knew I could breath again. But even five hours into my drive from New York to Nevada, I felt numb. Painfully so. I wish there was some way I could forget what I did, but I knew that was impossible. My hands will be forever stained with the security guard’s blood, I will forever need to watch my back and keep running, and I will forever be known as the Jewel Thief who got away. The Jewel Thief who has killed.