No harm list.

Part 2

I was helping a kid, who introduced himself as Nicholas, to find the perfect camera when men in masks came into the store. Upon seeing guns in their hands, customers and employees alike began to panic. Shrieks filled the air as the men waved their guns around. I wasn't close enough to hear what they said but it was clear they wanted all the money in the registers as well as any valuables people had on them. I pushed the boy behind me as two men started toward us. They stopped at three other customers, demanding that they hand over their jewelry, wallets and phones. The first one, a middle-aged, slightly overweight man, protested at this, and in response, he got hit on the head with a gun. After that all his valuables went into the bag, followed by the two other customers' valuables. Then they came towards us. I glanced behind me, checking that the boy was okay. Turns out, he had latched onto my leg, somehow without me noticing. I placed my hand on his head, before looking into the masked faces before me. I had no jewelry on me, nor a phone or wallet. When I told the men this, and showed them what I said was true, they turned to the boy. The men gestured with their guns, waiting for the boy to hand over his money. Nicholas shook his head, refusing to take his hands off of my leg. The man on the right gestured more angrily at the bag again, and from the way he was shifting his feet, I could tell that he was getting impatient.

"Come on, Nick. Give the men your money." I patted his head, before bending down to whisper in the boy's ear. "Put it in my back pocket. They have already checked me for anything, so they won't realize if I have your money. Once they are gone, I will give it back to you. Do it carefully, okay? We don't need them to see what you are doing."

The boy gave a small nod and hurried to do what I had told him to do. Once he had put his money in my back pocket, he stepped away from me and showed the men that his pockets were empty. The men growled in frustration, before the both of them began herding both Nick, myself and the other three customers to the registers. Once there we were forced to kneel with the others in the store, with the order to be silent. The robbers grouped together, with one man behind us civilians, the rest in front. They talked among themselves, though it was too quiet for me to hear. The leader, well I assumed he was the leader, stepped away from the group and surveyed each and every one of us. I glared at him when he looked at me, shielding the seven-year-old as best I could. He smirked at me before moving his gaze on, only to pause at the sight of Nick's face. The lead robber gained a look of recognition, and then a more terrifying expression. It was on of triumphant glee. It was obvious that he recognised Nicholas from somewhere, or at least someone related to the boy. My glare intensified, and I moved so that my arms were around the boy, hoping to shield him from the robbers. The man turned and spoke to two men beside him, gesturing towards the two of us. The two men then started toward us, and I tensed, ready to protect the boy, should I need to. As it turns out, I did need to, though I didn't get to do much, as when the men reached us, one took hold of my arms forcing me to let go of Nicholas, while the other man grabbed a hold of the boy's arm, before dragging him to his leader. I struggled in my captors' hands, trying to get free, trying to get to Nick's side. The leader stood in front of the boy, smirking in triumph, his gun held casually in his hand.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? Does your father know where you are, boy? Or did you slip out? I wonder what he will say when I give him your dead body?" The man laughed, several of his men also chuckling along. This only served to fuel my anger. As the man raised his gun in preparation to shoot the boy, I stomped my foot down hard on the instep of my captor's right foot, causing him to release me. I spun around and punched the man in the face, hard enough to send him staggering backwards.