“Alright Johnny this is your last chance, give us the money or it’s bye bye for you!”

How you doin, name’s Johnny Malkovich, as you can see I’m not in the most comfortable position at the moment. Although, this isn’t the first time I’ve hand my body dangled over the edge of a building, but this time I’ve really screwed the pooch. Everyone knows in the crime world you don’t mess with the head of a mafia family, and today I had just made that mistake. I didn’t kill anyone or kidnap any children. In fact, my whole time in this game I have never laid a finger on anyone. I’m doing this so I can keep the Oliver Theater open. You see rent ain’t cheap in the city that never sleeps, and my daughter is an actor that preforms there. I would do anything for my little girl, even get myself involve in this mess. All my earnings I’ve made stealing from jewelry stores and robbing airports have all gone to the theater as anonymous donations to keep their lights on.

“You’ve got ten seconds or your head is hitting that pavement!” The goon holding my legs screams.

In all honesty, I didn’t have the money. I had already sent it to the theater and it was as good as gone. Earlier that day I had snuck into the house of the mob boss and made my way to his safe he kept under his desk. I cracked open the lock like I had done many times before. There was about twenty thousand all in cash that I stuffed in a duffle bag. The one thing I’m still having trouble figuring out is how they knew it was me. I’m not going to try and plead innocence with these guys, it’s too late, but there must have been some small slip up I made that gave it away.

The other goon begins to pull something out of his pocket and says, “we found this at the house, you have a very talented daughter, let’s just hope it stays that way.”

Fuck me, a playbill for The Wizard of Oz fell out of my pocket, and there was Jennie Malkovich’s name plastered right in the middle. My head started to go numb, mostly because the blood rushing to my head but also just the thought of what they might do to her. I knew now I had to get out of this situation and fast. These goons didn’t know their right from left and it showed. The building they have chosen to dangle me off has multiple fire escapes next to the windows. The one holding me has my legs right up against his chest so with all my might I clicked my heels and out came a knife from my boot that stabbed him in the lung and down he went. I hit one of the fire escapes hard, dislocating my left shoulder I quickly ducked for cover and took out my gun from my coat pocket and began looking for the second goon. He popped his head over the side to make a quick shot, but I was quicker. The bullet struck him in the eye and down he went next to this companion. I made my way back up to roof as best I could, the blood rushing back still made me feel upside down. When I got up to see the bodies lying there, all I could do was stare. I had never even punched anyone before and now I had just killed two men. The knife was a gift from one of the my crime buddies and I had just wore them for appearance. I had never fired the gun before either, I only used it to scare store clerks, but now I was nothing more than a common criminal that gave this city the reputation it has now. I started to cry, not because I had just committed murder but knowing that me and my daughter have to skip town now. I tried to be the best father I could be but now I have to take her away from her friends, job and dreams.

“Maybe there’s another Oliver theater in Kansas,” I tell myself thinking of places to run away to.

I quickly make my way down and hail a cab, when the driver asked me where I wanted to go I said, “back before I took that simple shoplifting job.”