The room was quiet. The only light that lit the museum room was the full moon, which shone through the glass roof. The objects in their display cases were calling for me. They wanted me to take them. But, there was one item that I needed. It sat to the left of the air vent in which I was hiding in. The security guard would be in here any minute to complete her round. I decided to wait until she did.

As I waited, I thought of my family. The terror they were in broke me into a thousand pieces. Their abductors told me what to do, where to go, and how to do what was needed to save my family. The hijacker told me they would take care of the security system. All I had to do was get in, take the artifact, and get out. Plain and simple, right?

The guard walked in, whistling a tune that was quite catchy, if I do say so myself. Her voice reminded me of Gladys Knight. She shone her flashlight around the room. The shadows of the cases spread across the floor, reaching the walls. She clicked the flashlight off and walked out, her whistling echoing through the whole building. As soon as her voice was out of earshot, I went to work.

I removed the covering of the vent and jumped to the floor, with my backpack on my back. The abductors instructed me to go to Central Park and find an orange and yellow backpack, which was hidden under a bench, and bring it with me when I do the job. Inside of it was Styrofoam, but dead in the center was an outline of the artifact.
I looked around to make sure I was the only one in the room. Then a red light, in the corner of my eye, caught my attention. The camera! I thought. My heart sank and my mind thought thing nothing but the worst. Suddenly, the light blinked and I knew what happened. The kidnappers were in control. No doubt, they were watching me. Making sure I follow their instructions to the letter. Focus. I told my mind. I just hoped and prayed that my family was okay.

I walked quietly over to Neptune’s Trident, the treasure I desired. It gleamed green and blue as the moon’s light hit the jewels and diamonds incased in it. Painted gold and standing about four feet tall, it’s a wonder this wasn’t taken sooner. So beautiful. I thought. I almost wanted to keep it for myself. Almost. Very carefully, I placed my hands on either side of the glass box that surrounded the object and lifted. My heart raced as I expected to hear alarms blaring, bars falling down from inside of the walls, blocking the exits, flashing lights, and three dozen armed guards storming the area; but, none of that happened. I placed the box on the floor and inched my hands toward Neptune’s Trident.

I held my breath and gripped the staff portion and raised my hands. Nothing happened. I tenderly placed the item in the book bag and slung it over my right shoulder. Now came the part that I dreaded. I threw the glass as hard as I ran behind the largest display cases I could find that was close to the next hallway. That hallway led to the main entrance. Hard footsteps echoed through the building. The guard came rushing in with her flashlight shining and her gun drawn. I inched closer to my “shield.” She ran toward the empty case and at the same time, I ran for the exit. Hall after hall, my hope for escaping was dwindling. Then I saw the greatest doors in the world. The doors that led to the outside. I heard my chaser coming after me, but I didn’t care. I was scared at the thought of her shooting. But she didn’t try. I pushed through the first set of doors. Then the second. Too many doors and too many hallways! I exclaimed in my head.

As a gush of fresh air hit my face, so did an arm. It hit my throat, knocking me to the ground. My head throbbed and my vision blurred. Above me, someone in one of those drama masks stood above me. The person wore a black suit with white strips. The tie, however, was golden. The same color as Neptune’s Trident, which I was laying on. I heard the museum doors open and the masked person above me stepped to the side. The person knelt down and I was face to face with the guard. She smiled at me.

“Good job, James Clark.” She dug in her shirt pocket and pulled out a needle. She stuck it in my neck and I felt my body get slack until I couldn’t feel anything. “This won’t kill you. It’ll only paralyze you. Anyway, I’m sure you’ll do wonderful with your future assignments.” My vision started to go black and her voice began to sound muffled. “Just remember, you’ll do anything for your family. Isn’t that right, Adam?”

“Yes,” spoke the masked person. The person’s voice was male and familiar. He removed his mask and smiled a little kid’s smile at Chuck E. Cheese’s. “I do know my brother quite well, if I do say so myself.”