A bloody war pretty much struck the world by surprise when places were going up in flames, the streets were running cold with blood and screams echoed through the night and day with the sound of gunshots sparking the night. Nobody could sleep right, some people were lucky to get even get a power nap in, shop owners needing to close up shop because of gunfights out in the streets just right across from their building and with the way things were, they weren't gonna have business which left an opportunity for Obito to pick apart the scraps as he strolled the streets of Chicago looking around the corner as he was down the street and there were a couple of guys chasing each other not far from him, gunshots were heard later on which almost made Obito jump.

He was carrying a bag and continued to jog up the street to his apartment complex where he lived at as he rushed to get inside since he almost gave the door a kiss on accident and tripped on the way over, going through and then shutting the door behind him and walking down the corridor entering his apartment. Obito looked around his apartment for a quick second before dropping the bag in his bed and beginning to uncover the contents inside, he just picked apart a jewelry store and what was inside were: gems. Someone would have to be able to buy this off later on when everything cools down.

Obito went around the bed and crouched down to grab his pistol, sliding it across the ground for a minute before tucking it in the back of his waistline, strolling over to the window and keeping a bird's eye view on the streets; they were abandoned or so he thought when a guy was sprinting down the street and looking back over his shoulder every few seconds. A couple of guys were soon in view from where Obito was looking and they didn't look too friendly, walking back away from the window and beginning to walk out of his apartment and make his way back out to street level. 

There was another store across the street: It was a general store where you could buy tools, lockpicks and all of your basic items, jogging over he began to jiggle the door handle and finding out it was locked, to his right seemed to be a way over to the alleyway and maybe if Obito was lucky enough he'd find a backdoor. Walking over, there was a door and he quickly walked over looking over his shoulder before trying the door handle and the door popped open, whoever the owner was he must've forgotten in all the panic. He grabbed the pistol in his waistline and began to aim it upwards and moved slowly over to the counter and gave it a brief look around. 

The owner had his own personal office and either had staff around or he did the work himself; either way the money would be stored away somewhere. Obito approached the office and swung the door open and moved his gun around to make sure there were no other looters around, going around the desk and started opening drawers as he spotted neat stacks of cash just waiting to be grabbed. He put the pistol down and began to pull the stacks of cash out and started to fit them into his pockets where ever he could until he heard something fall and break beyond the office door, someone else was here.

Obito quietly put the last stack of cash down on the desk and reached for his gun. Adrenaline started to kick in at the thought that if there was another looter, they'd probably kill to get what they want and the footsteps began to sound louder so they were coming in his direction as he creeped over to a spot in the corner to hide in while the looter or whoever it was walked inside of the office, maybe the money would just lure them in like bait.

He stood there in the shadows and waited.

Click click click click

The sound her heels made on the pavement was the only noise heard in the street that night. She found herself stepping over the bodies of dead gangsters and bodyguards, even high-ranking members of a world she had only just started working her way into. She’d been doing jobs with some of these people just the night before until all hell broke loose.

Not surprisingly there was no work to do today, so she had to find other ways to make a few dollars. She had a room to pay for and a stomach that was growling at her for food and alcohol. Plus, after stepping through all this bloodshed she’d need a new pair of heels.

She could see that vandals had already started to break into stores up and down the street; broken glass and doors swinging open were proof enough. At a distance, she spotted one store that seemed to be untouched so far, a general store stocked with all sorts of supplies. She was surprised to see it wasn’t already robbed, but also cautious because there had to be a reason for that.

She tried the front door and it was locked. Not that a lock ever stopped her. She pulled a bobby pin from her hair and jimmied the lock, a slight smile coming to her lips as the door popped open. She glanced over her shoulders before slipping inside and pushing the door closed behind her. Hopefully, no one had seen her go inside.

Madeline stood in the darkness for a moment, letting her eyes adjust. She spotted a door in the back, probably to the private offices where she assumed the safe would be. She moved quietly, as quietly as she could at least, but she didn’t notice the box that stuck out a little too far on the shelf. She hit it with her elbow and while she managed to catch it so it wouldn’t hit the ground, the bowl next to it wasn’t so lucky and it came crashing down, breaking. She cursed silently, standing perfectly still and waiting for the silence to settle around the store again. After what felt like an eternity, she started moving again. She came to the edge of the doorway and peeked in; there was a pile of cash right there on the desk.

The hungry part of her wanted to jump in and grab it but she remembered that she’d heard a noise when she first stepped into the shop. And who leaves money sitting on a desk like that, unattended? No, something wasn’t right.

Her gun was pulled from her purse and she scanned the room as best she could while trying to stay at the edge of the door frame, out of sight. Her thoughts were spinning as she tried to think of a plan of approach. Finally, she just decided to talk it out.

“There’s enough bloodshed outside.” Madeline’s voice had an edge of amusement, keeping the situation light. “I know you’re there and you know I’m here. So, let’s split up the cash and be on our way out. I’ll even agree to a 60/40 split since you were here first." Or she would just wait for him to show himself and then find a way to get out with all the cash. She preferred to avoid any shooting since it wasn't exactly her strong suit. She'd find a way to get what she wanted and get out of that store alive.

Tick tock tick tock. 

Time was surely spinning and it wasn't even cinematic. The footsteps were definitely getting closer and for all Obito knew, it could've been multiple people but having the advantage by being hidden makes a difference, not that he was exactly trained very well and he was a rookie with his gun, in fact it was the first time he ever handled one but wasn't gonna make a newbie mistake like missing point blank, this wasn't one of those comedy shows where he shoots a gun and a flag comes right from the barrel stating "Gotcha!" or whatever it was. The shadows kept him hidden for the most part but he felt encumbered.

The stranger finally entered into the office, just listening to the footsteps get louder by the second sent chills down Obito's spine. He watched as she stood by the doorway and practically peeked the way in, the door creeked and the stack of cash was just sitting there to be taken and he was hoping that this was one of those looters that just felt for the bait so he could take the cash for himself but when she finally entered the room she stopped before she could reach the stack of cash which made things more complicated and left him trying to make up a plan in his head.

She yanked a pistol out of her purse and began to aim it around the room. Obito just started breathing through his nostrils, this person was armed and the last thing he wanted was a gun fight but you can never know what somebody is thinking inside that head of theirs, after looking around she wasn't totally lost since obviously the worst thing someone can suspect is for something to be left there for the taking and somebody hiding in the dark to kill them, injure them or intimidate them into leaving. He didn't want his identity to be known so he started to slowly reach for his pocket and yanked out a rag, it was long enough to be tied around someone's face so he was gonna use it to his advantage.

The rag was dirty and the thought of putting it around his face made him vomit. He began to slowly tuck the pistol in his waistline and started tying the rag around his face and he looked like a wannabe ninja at this point but it was useful, as the lady stood there she wanted to start a conversation with the light humor she was putting on.

"There’s enough bloodshed outside." She said, because he didn't see that already with the amount of dead bodyguards that are piled on the street and high ranking mobsters that lay there dead, killed like a trophy which would be game for hunters though the city wasn't exactly a jungle. "I know you’re there and you know I’m here. So, let’s split up the cash and be on our way out. I’ll even agree to a 60/40 split since you were here first." Obito couldn't tell if that was her true intentions but hiding here wasn't gonna do him any favors.

He stepped out of the shadows and aimed at the gun in the lady in question. 

"Take the stack. That's all you're getting, you try and pull any slick shit with me and I'll blow a hole in your knee, seriously, deal is you take that stack and I walk out of here and we act like we didn't see each other." 

Intimidation was probably his first try but she's probably seen enough violence to consider this a dumb move.

Madeline tilted her head slightly as the man stepped from the shadows. He had a dirty rag tied around his face and he was pointing a weapon at her. Leave it to a man to feel comfortable wearing such a disgusting thing across his face. It was a stark contrast to her own immaculate outfit; while perhaps a bit old the clothes she wore were clean and neatly pressed. They accented her figure in all the right places and showed she took care in her appearance daily.

He told her all she would get was the stack on the table and that caused her to laugh, a genuine laugh that filled the room. “If you were going to shoot me you would have already. Have you ever even used that thing?” Her voice was still amused and while the question was a real one, her voice did not show a hint of disrespect.

She gripped the handle of her own weapon but she didn’t point it at him. Instead, she let her eyes scan over him, noticing his bulging pockets where he had already stuffed stacks of cash. “Sixty-forty, that’s the deal. You put it all on that desk, we split it and then we can go on like we didn’t see each other. Otherwise we keep standing here pointing guns at each other wondering who has that balls to use the thing. And then what? We create enemies in each other, or you kill me and end up hunted one way or another? No, that would be silly for both of us. Or worse, others find this store and kill us both, leaving us with nothing.”

She took another step into the room, keeping her weapon at her side. She smiled sweetly, hoping to convince him to see things her way. “The longer we wait, the more likely others come.” With looting happening all around them, he would know that what she was saying was true - there was no way this store would stay empty for long. Besides, she wanted to grab some things from the shelf before she left too, she could use some supplies back home. They were wasting time fighting over money but she sure as hell wasn't going to settle for the measly stack he'd left on the desk, not when his pockets were bulging. 

Obviously intimidation wasn't gonna work on this chick. After threatening to shoot her in the kneecaps she just stood there and had a chuckle, only someone sadistic enough does that like if they enjoy pain or she just knew he was bluffing, he didn't wanna have to shoot someone over a couple stacks of cash. Obito was greedy but he was willing to negotiate, he dug into his pockets and tossed a few more stacks out on the dusty desk but wasn't reluctant to lower his aim anytime soon, he was tired of standing there wasting time.

"Lady. I got a kid to feed, stop wasting my time and just take it so I can get the fuck out, this ain't a damn film. Sure, good point, I could've shot you already but I'm not trying to waste ammunition on someone that doesn't even need it, I know how to use it." 

Her clothes weren't exactly out of the ordinary, better to have some clothes than none, others are only fortunate to have rags or whatever they could take off someone, the stacks were actually necessary if he wanted to get what he wanted, out of all the places this chick could've went she just had to come to the same one. This would've been an easy snatch and grab if she came a lot later only to find that there was nothing here left besides some items she could've sold but it would've only gone for so far.

The grip on his pistol only tightened and his hand was having a little shake of his own. Was it the purpose of being scared, nervous, or having the adrenaline in his body shake up his rhythm, only he wanted to do was leave but this lady was pretty persistent on getting what she wanted but she's probably just as scared as he is; deep down, you never know what they're feeling until they actually show it or decide to explain it to you in some sort of dramatic story.

Tick tock goes the clock.

Madeline watched as he took a few stacks of cash out of his pocket and tossed them on the desk. She laughed, shaking her head as she glanced between the money and him. “Sixty-Forty.” She finally raised her own gun, pointing it towards him. Where he was shaking, either through nerves or adrenaline or something else, she was steady, oozing confidence. It wasn’t exactly real, to be fair. She was terrified at the thought of using her weapon, but years of beauty pageants had taught her how to be poised and confident under any amount of stress.

He’d mentioned something about having a kid to feed and part of her felt a little bad, but for all she knew he was lying through his teeth. She could easily claim the same in return but she didn’t. “Life is tough out here, especially as a woman. I’m not about to let you walk all over me. I’m already offering a more than fair deal. If you want to get shot, then so be it.” She cocked the gun in her hand but a loud explosion from outside distracted her. Others were surely heading their way and Madeline could not afford to get locked up, again.

“Fuck it.” She scooped up the money that was on the desk, keeping her gun pointed at him. “You win this time. But if I find you again, just know I’ll be looking for what I’m owed.” She exited the room the way she came in, back into the main store area, so she could grab some other supplies before leaving. She kept her gun ready, in case he decided to be stupid enough to follow her.

Obito could only bargain for so long before he eventually called it quits, watching her as she started to aim up her own pistol at him and it was about to be him or her, the both of them didn't have time for this and if they were gonna kill each other over a couple stacks of cash, even he would be damned. Those gems he had robbed earlier would earn him a huge bonus on top of what he found today, last thing he wanted to do was share because she happened to stumble upon the store; this wouldn't have even happened if she didn't come here or had just taken that one stack of cash which would've done anyone some good and left.

Mentioning the kid he had, who he had taken under him about three years ago eventually left him to wonder how he was gonna end up taking care of him; parenting wasn't exactly one of his fine skills but overtime he acquired the experience to learn what it feels like and the struggle of knowing that your kid may go hungry or not have enough clothes to please the society elites, all he could care about is that he had a roof under his head and a bed to sleep in which is better to be laid out on the street begging for food from the people walking by on their way to work. 

An explosion occurred right outside the building which meant trouble, if there were rivals in a gun battle and they decided to barricade themselves inside the store. They would have to fight their way out and they needed to leave before that could happen, the lady turned around and picked up the stack of cash that was on desk which should've been done before.

"You win this time. But if I find you again, just know I’ll be looking for what I’m owed." She blurted out.

Obito grinned.

"You won't find me anywhere." He stated, the rag was covering most of his face so it'd be hard to recognize him out in a crowd or even out inj public, maybe he would need to step up his game if that meant anything. As the lady walked out to the main area, he kept his gun raised and aimed by the time she had went through the doorway, he gave it some time before he could leave and heard a door swing open which gave him the opportunity to leave.

Obito jogged out of the office and went through the side door which lead out into the alleyway. The last thing he wanted was to meet that stranger again, next time may not be so pleasant.