I was only inside the corner store for less than a minute before a masked man entered the front door carrying a gun. The brawny man headed directly toward the counter. A short and thin woman stood behind the register. Her name tag read “Sheila.” The armed assailant pointed his pistol at Sheila and held out a bag with his other hand. He yelled, “Empty the register.” Sheila did not immediately take the bag from the robber. Nor did she press a button on the register. Instead, she froze in place with fear. She wasn’t alone. I was on the other side of the mini-mart in the potato chip aisle. I had come in here for a snack and some lottery tickets. Until a few seconds ago, I thought it might be my lucky day. Apparently, I was dead wrong. I would be fortunate just to get out of here alive.