“Where ya heading?”

“1st and 6th street, please.”

The cab driver noticed the man’s voice was shaking. He didn’t say anything about it, just nodded in assent and began driving. 1st and 6th was a nice neighborhood, anyway. Much nicer than the neighborhood around City Bank where they were now.

Having done this job his whole adult life, he knew what someone who didn’t want to talk looked like, so he didn’t try to make conversation. Eyeing the man from his rear view mirror, he saw him wringing his gloved hands and looking out the left window. Every now and then he would slowly blink and take a deep breath, then continue looking out the window at the changing scenery. The drive was only a few miles, but it took them from the main city, through some open land, into the suburbs.

“Hey, Mike,” a voice called from the radio. The cab driver picked up the transmitter and answered back.

“Did you hear about the scare?”

“What scare?” Mike answered back, noticing that the man in the back seat was now looking down at his hands. His expression had changed somehow, too.

“Oh, man. The bank! They’re saying someone shot three tellers, dropped a live bomb, and fled the scene.” He whistled. “Nobody saw how the guy left, though. Or woman. They just disappeared.”

Mike eyed the man in his back seat again. He had stopped wringing his hands and held them calmly in his lap.

“End the call,” the man said. The cab driver didn’t need to be told twice. He pulled the transmitter from the radio plug.

“Keep driving and listen,” the man said. Mike’s heart thudded in his chest, so loud it made it hard to hear. Cars passed on either side of them, unknowing.

“I killed those people, yes. I dropped the live bomb. We’re safe though, here, right? Far away from the scene. They’re not, though.” He reached under his glove and pulled out a thin, square block with a button on it. “This will make someone’s day a lot more interesting, when they find them.”

Mike wasn’t following but his mouth was too dry to ask a question. His eyes were blurring, making it hard to see the road.

“Are you ready, Mike?” The man said and pushed the button. Mike felt the flames for a split second as the cab exploded.