Reluctant Kidnappers Hold Boy Hostage (MM/mF)

[Detective-Gag]

The following story was based off a request:


Andrew had just finished his studies for the afternoon and had been quietly reading a book from the second floor of his family’s home, when his gaze was slowly drawn to the view outside his window.

The angle of his room afforded him a picturesque view of his backyard with a large, old tree swaying just beyond his window; but also a pretty decent line of sight into his neighbors yard.

Mrs. Shaw owned that older house; an elderly woman who lived alone. She was nice enough, however, and Andrew was on good terms with the matronly woman in those instances where she tended to her garden in her yard, and Andrew messed around near the fence which divided their properties.

Andrew could see that Mrs. Shaw’s garden was in good health; a variety of tomatoes & other plants in full bloom, ready to be harvested. Tall hedges separated the length of their fence; providing some privacy between the residents, as well has minimizing the noise. From higher up, as he was, one could still see most of her backyard.

Andrew did not see Mrs. Shaw outside today, despite the favorable weather…but something did catch his eye as he peered into her yard: a white van, unmarked, had parked directly behind her rear gate. Was she having some sort of construction or repair done?

Only mildly curious at that point, Andrew resumed reading the detective novel he’d been hooked on of late.

A few minutes passed, and Andrew heard the faint sound of conversation carry up to his cracked window: looking over, he saw two men just outside Mrs. Shaw’s back gate, hunched over it.

Unusually, though, the two men were wearing what looked like black masks over their heads; and one seemed to be exerting some pressure over what looked like a heavy-duty shear or bolt cutter of some sort. There was a moment, and Andrew heard a heavy, metallic “clang”; and the two men proceeded to swing the backyard gate open, walking inside.

Puzzled, Andrew wondered what the men were up to, as as they drew closer to the house proper and disappeared from view. Some minutes passed; then about a half hour…finally, Andrew’s interest was piqued.

The dark-haired young man abruptly closed his book, setting it on his desk, and quickly made his way through his house to the outside.

Exiting his own yard, Andrew went down the alley to where the van was parked. The boy found that the padlock & chain Mrs. Shaw used to lock her gate had been cut, and suddenly Andrew realized what the two men had been doing with those bolt cutters.

Undaunted, the boy went through the gate into Mrs. Shaw’s backyard, now concerned about her well being. Approaching the back of the house quietly, Andrew peeked through the kitchen window; but found the blinds pulled down. Frowning, the boy decided to then look through the basement window.

This time, Andrew did see something…a figure in the dimly lit room, sitting in a wooden chair: their back was to the narrow window he was looking through, but Andrew could vaguely make out the shape to be a feminine figure. They weren’t moving much, and Andrew tapped against the glass.

He saw the figure’s head move in response to the noise, turning slightly, but they did not rise from the chair. Staring hard with what little light through the glass, Andrew thought he saw ropes encircling the back of the wooden chair; and some kind of knot tied at the base of the figures neck behind her head.

Alarmed, Andrew made for the back door to get inside. Thankfully, the door was unlocked, and Andrew found himself in the kitchen area. Unfortunately, the boy could hear the sound of footsteps in the floor above…very likely the two men who’d been wearing the masks from before.

Silently, Andrew creeped through the kitchen, trying to find the stairs that led to the basement. He saw them as he entered the hall, and slowly made his way down them, being careful to not make the wooden steps creak too much.

The basement was filled with various knick-knacks, antiques & furniture; some covered with sheets, others exposed to reveal armoires or shelves filled with books or statues…evidentially Mrs. Shaw had quite a collection. Andrew moved over to the rear side area he believed was where he had seen the figure from outside, and came to a closed door.

Andrew’s luck held up twice; for the doorknob to the door turned, and the door creaked inward…to reveal Mrs. Shaw!

The older woman had light hair that had begun to turn grey, held up in a large bun, and wore a red sweater & black skirt. Someone had tied rows of white rope repeatedly around her arms, pinning them to her sides & framing her chest, while additional coils held her against the back of the chair. More rope was looped around her knees, over her black skirt, to secure her legs together; as well as at her ankles, just above her black heels.

Mrs. Shaw’s eyes widened when she saw Andrew in the basement doorway, as though she had not expected him to be there. “Mmph! Andrmph!” she said…or tried to, at least; someone had tied a white handkerchief tightly over her mouth, gagging her. She wobbled side-to-side in the chair, continuing to mumble through the gag.

Andrew had suspected foul play when he’d seen her through the window. “Mrs. Shaw!” he whispered, hurrying over to the woman. “What happened?!”

“Thsm mmph cmph mnto mm hmph, mn tmnd mm umph!” the old woman said, her words muffled by the cloth covering her mouth.

“I can’t understand you,” Andrew said, frowning. “Here, let me help…”

The boy tugged at the fabric, sliding the gag down from the woman’s mouth. Much to his surprise, someone had also stuffed Mrs. Shaw’s mouth with a rag; which she let fall onto her lap.

“Bah…ah, thank you, my dear boy,” she said once she could speak. “What in heaven’s name are you doing here?”

“I saw two guys in masks come in through your backyard gate,” the boy told her. “It looked suspicious; so I came over to see if you were alright.”

“Burglars, I think…they ambushed me in the living room,” Mrs. Shaw grimaced, recalling the encounter. “They said that they weren’t going to hurt anyone; but that they’d need to keep me out of the way.”

“So they brought you down here,” Andrew reasoned.

“You need to leave, child, before they come back,” Mrs. Shaw urged Andrew. “Get the police.”

“Well, I can’t just leave you here,” Andrew argued.

“I’ll be fine,” assured Mrs. Shaw. “Besides, we don’t have much time before…”

“I’m going to check on the lady!”

A man’s voice echoed from the floor above; followed closely by the sound footsteps.

“Oh, dear,” Mrs. Shaw whispered. “Andrew, quickly: you need to gag me again.”

“Mrs. Shaw…”

“They mustn’t know that you’re here,” she explained. “Put the gag back on my mouth, then find someplace to hide. Hurry!”

Worriedly, Andrew did as he was bid, and took the small rag off Mrs. Shaw’s lap, and gently eased it back in her mouth, before taking the cloth and tying it back over her mouth, knotting it behind her neck loosely.

“Gmph hmph!” Mrs. Shaw mumbled.

Andrew looked around the room, and saw an tall armoire in the corner. The boy hurried over, opening the double doors & stepping inside. Pulling the doors shut behind him just in time, Andrew heard the sound of someone coming down the basement stairs.

Peeking through the narrow gap in the door, Andrew saw a large man in light blue flannel & jeans enter the room, just in front of Mrs. Shaw. He wore a black mask over his head, with only a small slit where his eyes could see out from.

“Behaving yourself?” the man asked Mrs. Shaw, who proceeded to make muffled noises through her gag; possibly to draw the man’s attention.

“Ymph rffimphs tmbd mmph umph mn mmph owmph hmph!” the elderly woman grumbled, as she shifted about in the chair rigidly.

“Sorry about the discomfort,” the man apologized to the lady. “But we needed a to make sure that you wouldn’t run; or call for help.”

The man walked over to the chair bound woman, stepping between her and where Andrew was spying from inside the cabinet. “Just checking these ropes…” he said to her, inspecting the knots as she fidgeted in the seat.

“Hmm…gag’s a bit loose,” he mused, as he reached the cloth Andrew had hastily tied back into place. “Been trying to yell?”

“Mmh-uh,” Mrs. Shaw replied, shaking her head no.

“Let’s just be sure,” the man remarked, and tightened the gag, causing Mrs. Shaw to grunt.

“Apologies; it’s just a precautionary measure,” he told her, patting her on the shoulder. “Just sit tight and you’ll be fine.”

The man exited the room, shutting the door behind him. Andrew heard his footsteps begin to fade, and his voice distantly say, “It’s all right; the lady is right where we left her…” before it faded into the house.

After a minute, Andrew quietly opened the armoire and crept out from his hiding place, and went over to Mrs. Shaw.

“Ymn nmd tm gmph,” Mrs. Shaw enunciated through the gag, tilting her head towards the door. “Hrymph!”

Andrew felt guilty about leaving his neighbor alone like that; but he took her meaning to heart.

“I’ll get help and come back to save you,” he promised, and went for the door, leaving the bound woman inside as he closed the door.

Navigating back through the cluttered basement, he silently creaked his way back upstairs. Gooseflesh prickled his skin as he nervously peeked outside to see if the masked man still lingered; but he saw no signs as he stepped back into the hall.

Taking the opportunity, Andrew retraced his steps back into the kitchen. As he came upon the back door, he hesitated a moment before turning the knob; lamenting that he’d be leaving Mrs. Shaw unattended.

In that momentary apprehension, a gloved hand suddenly surged out from behind the boy, clamping firmly down over his mouth!

“Mmph!” Andrew gasped with a jolt of panic, as another arm wrapped around him, pulling him away from the back door.

“And who do we have here…!?” came the familiar voice of the man from before, as he wrangled Andrew like a rabbit.

“Lmph mmph gmph!”

“Get in here…” the man said gruffly as the boy fought, dragging Andrew further back inside the house.

“What’s going on?!” came the sound of another voice, as Andrew heard someone clambering down from upstairs. As Andrew was pulled back into the foyer, he saw the other man, this one wearing red flannel & an identical mask, join his now-preoccupied partner.

“This kid was snooping around in the kitchen!” said the first man, still grappling with Andrew. “Calm down, boy!”

Seeing that he was now stuck, out-muscled and outnumbered, Andrew settled down.

“Very good,” said the man in the blue-flannel as he took his hand away from the boy’s mouth. “Now…who are you?”

“I’m Andrew,” the defeated boy replied, slumping a bit. “I’m the neighbor.”

“And what are you doing in this house?” he asked. “Be honest.”

“I saw you both go inside from the back,” Andrew said. “It looked weird; so I wanted to check on Mrs. Shaw to see if she was alright.”

The two men exchanged glances. “Well, I’m sorry to say that you’ve walked into a robbery, kid,” the man in blue informed him. “We have…Mrs. Shaw, was it?…tied up downstairs in the basement. She’s perfectly all right, though…no reason to worry.”

Andrew nodded slowly; not wanting to let on that he was already aware of Mrs. Shaw’s current status. “You’ll let her go?”

The red-flanneled man let out a small laugh. “Not that simple,” he chuckled. “She’ll be fine; but we gotta keep her under wraps for now. Can’t have her going anywhere to rat us out….speaking of which…”

“…we’ll need to do something about you, too.” the blue man finished.

Andrew gulped.

“Have no fear, kid,” the man in red said, as he took a bundle of white rope from his back pocket. “Just need to tie you a bit.”

The man in blue turned Andrew around. “Hands behind your back,” he said to Andrew.

“Do you have to do this…?” Andrew asked, as the other man began to secure his hands.

“Sorry, kid,” the man holding him answered, looking down sympathetically through the mask. “Can’t take any chances.”

“Got his hands,” the man in red said. “Now we should probably keep him quiet.”

“I won’t say anything,” Andrew said automatically, looking over his shoulder as he tugged at the ropes.

“Apologies, kid, but we need to gag you,” the man in blue said firmly. “It’s just part of the deal; we gagged the old lady, too.”

Andrew was well aware. He saw the man in red take out two white handkerchiefs from his pocket, one smaller than the other. “Open wide,” he said to Andrew, as the other man turned him around.

Andrew had little choice. He opened his mouth, and the man pushed the rag past his lips.

“Grmph,” Andrew muttered.

“Sorry about the packing; but it’s the only way to muffle any shouting,” the man told him, before taking the larger of the two white cloths in either hand, folding it into a band. The blue man spun Andrew around again, and the boy felt the man in red lower the band down over his mouth, before pulling it tightly over the stuffing.

“Hmph!” Andrew winced, as he found himself gagged just as Mrs. Shaw had been.

“Sounds good!” the man in red approved, as he finished tying the knot. Now silenced, with his hands bound behind him, Andrew was released from his handlers grip.

“Now, we’re going to head down into the basement; and you can join your neighbor,” the man explained.

“Mmphkmph,” Andrew answered glumly through the gag, and each man lightly pressed a hand on either shoulder, as they escorted the boy back downstairs.

Andrew knew where they were headed; even as the two burglars directed him. When the door to the room where they were holding Mrs. Shaw swung open, the lady sat straight up in her chair, letting out a stifled groan of dismay when she saw him nudged into the room, tied & gagged.

“Whdrmymph dmphing wmph hmm!?” Mrs. Shaw mumbled.

“You have yourself a visitor, miss,” the man in red said. “He was snooping around; looking for you.”

“Looks like he found you,” the man in blue added, as he took out more rope, and began wrapping it around Andrew’s arms.

“Srymph, Mrs. Shmph,” the boy apologized through the gag, as his arms were pinned to his sides tightly. “Thmph cghmt mmf.”

“Mmps mm rmph, drmph,” the woman assured.

“Go ahead and sit up against that wall,” the man in blue told Andrew, once his upper body was tied.

The boy did as he was told, and sat against the grey stone wall of the basement. His captor then started tying his knees and ankles together with more rope, as Andrew observed silently.

“Okay you two,” the man said when he was done, standing back to his feet. “Both of you will be spending some time down here together. We’re going to be moving some stuff back to our van…in the meantime, you two just relax & don't make any noise."

Andrew and Mrs. Shaw both nodded slowly, and the man looked back down at Andrew. “The lady already knows this; but we’ll be coming back periodically to check on you two…so no funny business.”

“Mmph,” Andrew mumbled, unable to say more.

The man nodded, turning back to his partner. “C’mon, we’re falling behind schedule.”

The two men left the room, shutting the door behind them & heading upstairs.

Immediately, Andrew began testing the strength of the ropes. “Hrmph!” he grunted, and he squirmed & twisted his legs & upper body, trying to loosen the knots.

Mrs. Shaw watched the poor boy from her chair. “Dmph hrnt yrslmph, drmph,” she tried to warn him through her gag.

Apparently, Mrs. Shaw already knew firsthand that these thieves knew how to properly tie people up, as Andrew found that the ropes yielded no weakness.

“Mmph!” Andrew grumbled in frustration, as he slumped against the wall in defeat. Thoughts racing, the boy instead leaned against the stonework, and pushed himself into a standing position. Teetering in place, the boy hopped over to where Mrs. Shaw sat, turning slightly & making pincer-like gestures with his hands.

The old lady looked from the boy to his tied hands, and leaned forward as much as she could; as the boy managed to pinch the edge of the cloth covering her face, and slip the gag back off her mouth.

“I’m not sure it was wise to take that off, dear,” she told the boy, once she spat out the wad of stuffing that had been in her mouth. She worked her jaw. “Though I appreciate the sentiment.”

“Wmm nmmd mm plnmph!” Andrew mumbled to her, standing awkwardly.

“Since you already did it for me, how about I try to take your gag off, too?” Mrs. Shaw offered. “Try to get behind me where my hands are.”

The boy nodded, and hopped behind Mrs. Shaw’s chair, and clumsily stooped over to where her hands were crossed with rope, dangling the edge of the handkerchief near enough that she could reach.

“I’m afraid my fingers are rather numb at this point,” Mrs. Shaw said. “But with a bit of luck…ah!”

The woman managed to grab the end of the cloth, and Andrew helped her to pull the gag down from his face, letting it dangle around his neck. Andrew then hopped back to where he'd been sitting, before forcing the rag from his mouth & letting it drop onto his lap.

"Bleh...sorry I couldn't get away in time, Mrs. Shaw," he told her once he could speak.

"I suppose we should count ourselves lucky that these particular burglars don't wish to hurt us," the elderly woman reminded the boy, chair creaking as she adjusted herself. "Though this is a tad excessive."

"If I keep trying, maybe I can loosen these ropes and free you..." he started to say, shifting his arms and legs.

"That is VERY risky, child," Mrs. Shaw reminded him. "They could come back at any moment."

"We have to try something," Andrew insisted, and continued to work against the ropes.

Mrs. Shaw sighed, but joined in with the boy in attempting to loosen her own bindings.

This carried on for a nearly fifteen minutes, before they heard the sound of boots coming back downstairs.

"You two still hanging in there...?" said the man in blue from the other side of the door, as he turned the knob and came inside. "We're almost finished with...oh, for crying out loud."

The masked man saw the two of them without their gags, with Andrew lying on the floor of the room having clearly been exerting himself, and Mrs. Shaw looking a bit more disheveled than before.

The kidnapper shook his head. "You know, we gagged you both so you WOULDN'T start talking to each other," he sighed. "You were supposed to stay put & be quiet."

"I was the one who removed Mrs. Shaws gag," the boy said from the ground, defending the older lady. "I thought she might like the conversation."

"Well, then it's our fault for putting the two of you together."

"Release the boy, please," Mrs. Shaw told the man, likely the first words she'd said to her abductors since her capture. "You may take what you need from me; but Andrew shouldn't be here like this."

"We didn't ask for a trespasser, miss," the man shot back, moving over to where she sat. "And you need to remain silent."

He took the rumpled wad of cloth that had fallen on her skirt, and shoved it back into her mouth.

"Oh, rlmph?" Mrs. Shaw muttered, rolling her eyes.

"And just to be sure this time..." the man added, pulling out a roll of duct tape, and tearing off a strip.

"You don't need to do that!" Andrew said. "She only got the gag off with my help!"

"Can't take any chances this time," the man stated, as he pressed the silver tape over Mrs. Shaw's mouth, causing her eyes to go wide.

"Hmph!" she mumbled, as two more pieces were smoothed in place, and the man went behind her to put the cloth back on her mouth.

Andrew brought himself to a kneeling position. "I'll get you out of this, Mrs. Shaw!"

"I think we need to keep you two separated, so you're not inclined to do that," the man replied, once he'd finished gagging Mrs. Shaw again. "But first...it's time to stop talking now."

The man retrieved a fresh rag, and put it back inside Andrew mouth, before tearing a few more pieces of duct tape from the roll & pressing them over the boy's lips, sealing the wad inside.

"Gmph!" the boy mumbled angrily through the tape, as he was hoisted to his feet.

"You made it necessary, kid," the masked man reminded him. "Should have known better."

Andrew was lifted over the shoulder of the man, and carried from the room. Looking over the kidnapper's back, he watched as Mrs. Shaw mumbled back at him.

"Dmnt hrmt thm bymph..!" she called out, as Andrew was taken around the corner, out of sight.

The man lifted Andrew like a package back up to the main level of the house, where the man in red flannel was stacking a few boxes; presumabley filled with Mrs. Shaw's stolen property.

"You used duct tape on the kid?" the man in red asked, when he saw the silver strips covering the boy's mouth.

"Mmph!" Andrew responded, flopping like a caught fish on the other man's shoulder.

"They both managed to get their gags off," the man in blue explained. "I'm putting the kid upstairs in the lady's bedroom to cool off."

"Well, be quick about it," his partner said. "I'm not lifting everything myself."

"Uh-huh," the man in blue said dryly, as he took his struggling captive upstairs.

Mrs. Shaw's room had been ransacked; with her drawers left open and various articles of clothing & belongings scattered about as the men had apparently rummaged around for jewelry and other valuables. The man in blue flannel tossed Andrew onto her bed, as he pulled a nearby chair over from her corner to the center of the room.

"Sit," the man instructed, as Andrew adjusted himself from the bed.

The boy groaned, but got up from the mattress and hopped over to the chair, sitting down. The man took additional rope and wrapped it around Andrew's chest and the back of the chair, fastening him to the seat.

"Now, you're going to sit tight here while we finish up," the man said, taking the white dangling gag from Andrew's neck and tying it back over the boy's taped mouth. "No more trying to escape until we leave, got it?"

"Mmph gmmph," the boy could only say, as the gag was tied back into place.

"You'll hear us drive off with our van," the man went on, as he cracked the bedroom window. "Give us about twenty more minutes."

The man then left the bedroom and went back downstairs, as Andrew renewed his fervent struggling in the chair, reflecting that he had now ended up exactly as Mrs. Shaw had been when he'd found her.

After about twenty minutes of intense rocking in the chair, all Andrew had managed to do was slip the gag back off his mouth; but the duct tape still prevented him from speaking, holding in the wad of cloth.

Suddenly, Andrew heard the sound of an engine starting; and through the crack in the window, he could perceive the sound of tires rolling out from the back alley. Had the thieves finally left…?

Andrew listened carefully to any more sounds of movement in the house; but after a few minutes, nothing had disturbed the sound of silence.

Believing that he was alone now, Andrew resumed trying to free himself from the chair; he’d been unable to loosen the knots, but trying a different tactics, he pushed his feet firmly on the carpet, attempting to maybe lift the coils of rope holding him to the chair up over the backside of the seat.

It wasn’t very easy; but with enough straining, Andrew was able to lift the rope over the back of the chair, and it fell slack around over his lap.

He rose to a standing position, allowing the extra rope to fall to the floor…but his wrists, arms & legs still remained bound together. Wobbling, the boy hopped from Mrs. Shaw’s room, down the hall, and to the staircase. He sat down at the top of the stairs, and very carefully scooted step-by-step down to the foyer.

Throughout this, the house was quiet…the masked men had indeed left, taking those boxes from before with them. Andrew hopped through the main level of the house, finding it similarly left in disarray & pilfered like Mrs. Shaw’s bedroom. He hopped into the kitchen, peeking out the window. The van had driven off.

“Mrs. Shmmph…?” Andrew called out through the duct tape, turning back to the empty house. No answer.

The boy hopped back over to the stairs, and dragged himself down the steps in the same calculated manner. When he reached the basement level, he hopped back to the room, mumbling her name excitedly.

“Mrs. Shmmph, thymvmph lmftmph!” he said through the tape, finding the lady still tied & gagged where they’d left her.

The woman lit up when she saw that the boy was safe. “Andrmph!” she answered back.

The boy tugged down the cloth from her face once more; though peeling the duct tape from her mouth took a bit more time.

“Gah…you need to let someone know we’re here,” she said, spitting out the stuffing for a final time. “There’s a phone in the kitchen upstairs!”

The boy nodded. “Bmph rmph bkmph,” he mumbled, and hopped his way back upstairs.

Unfortunately, Andrew found that the phone in the kitchen had been cut…another precautionary measure by the kidnappers.

Seeing no other option, Andrew hopped out the back door of the house, jumping through Mrs. Shaw’s backyard, out the rear gate, back up the alley, and into his own family’s yard.

Some time had passed that afternoon, and now Andrew’s mother was outside, tending to her own small garden when she saw her son leap into view…slightly startled to find him all tied up with ropes, and duct tape over his mouth.

“Oh, my…” said his dark-haired mother, standing in her wide-brimmed hat & gardener’s apron. “I had wondered where’d you scampered off to. Playing some kind of game, are we?”

Andrew stopped falteringly in front of her, speaking frenetically through his gag. “Mmmph! Mrs. Shwmph wmph kdnmphed!” He twisted in place from the ropes. “Thymph kdnmphed mmph, tmph!”

“Playing some kind of kidnapping game with Mrs. Shaw?” his mother guessed, interpreting his gag-speak. “Really, Andrew, you shouldn’t bother our neighbors with your games.”

“Nmph, Mumph!”

She glanced at the thoroughness of the ropes. “Though perhaps I should have a word with Mrs. Shaw about showing some restraint…or less.” She looked at his gag. “And I’ve told you about using duct tape.”

Andrew continued his desperate mumbling through the duct tape, trying to get her attention.

“Fine, dear,” his mother sighed, moving to peel the tape from her son’s mouth. “Whatever have these foul kidnappers done to you…!”

His mother said this with mocking drama in her voice, but blinked in surprise when Andrew spat out the fabric that had been inside his mouth.

“Mom!” he breathed. “Some bad guys robbed Mrs. Shaw and tied her up in her basement!”

“Is that the game, then?” his mother tutted, as she started untying his bindings. “Andrew, these ropes are much too tight…”

“It wasn’t a game, Mom!” Andrew tried to tell her. “They tied me up after I found her like that! She’s still inside, we need to help her…!”

His mother frowned. “Stay here,” she told her son, and crossed over to Mrs. Shaw’s property.

Some minutes passed, and Andrew watched as his mother came sprinting back into the yard.

“Andrew, get inside!” she demanded, as she ran past him. “I’m calling the police!”

“See, I told you!” Andrew shouted after her, as he followed her back into their home.

Later that evening, the police flocked to Mrs. Shaw’s home, and received the accounting of events that transpired between the boy & the old woman.

Andrew was given stern words about having gotten himself involved with burglars; but was ultimately given approval for having helped Mrs. Shaw through the unfortunate experience.

[Tiengag5]

Wonderfully well written and descriptive story of the robbery.

[harveygasson]

Very good story! Fun to read and well paced

[Smythdean]

Incredible
My favourite story in a long time.
Descriptions are amazing

[charliesmith]

A wonderfully written story. I loved the way you had structured the story. The gag talks were amazing. Loved it!

[Inkstain]

Nice, fun, and straightforward!

[Vadam117]

I like how you characterize the kidnappers, just kinda makes em more chill ngl, even if they are criminals