Jimmy has been working at "Stroh" shotgun factory for 5 years, however, he is still an apprentice. For 5 years, he has not been promoted, nor has his salary increased. The reason is that his dry work is too unskilled, he is only responsible for weighing the shotgun powder and then pouring it into the barrel. In the boss's opinion, just pull a person on the street who is not an idiot with all the limbs to do this. So, he unceremoniously rejected Jimmy's application for a raise and told him that his salary was already quite a lot, and if he wasn't satisfied, he could go find a new job.

Jimmy wanted to slam his resignation directly into the face of his boss, Stru, and leave the company with a flourish. However, reality did not allow him to do so. His children are still young, and his wife's health is not good, once the source of livelihood is cut off, even for a few days, the family's economy will not be able to sustain itself. Besides, Jimmy has no skills, he basically can't read, and has no natural strength, or an intelligent brain. As Mr. Strew said, if he resigns, Mr. Strew will be able to find someone to take his place in less than an hour, while he, I'm afraid, may not be able to find a position with the current career income of a month. Especially now, the economic situation is not good, and many people are unemployed. Many people stronger than himself are unable to find a job, such as his neighbor Carter, Carter was originally a sailor, working on a transport ship running the Atlantic Ocean route. This line of work is very hard, and the skills required are also very high. But the income is also very good, Carter ran a ship, almost the equivalent of Jimmy to do a year.

But now, Carter is also unemployed, and due to the deterioration of the economic situation, the ship has been parked there for a long time did not move. Carter, who is used to spending a lot of money, is suddenly in a bind. Looking at the original every few days can be in the pot stew on a chicken Carter now also the family can only drink rice days, and Jimmy, of course, is more worried about their work.

The good thing is that the company's situation is still good, even better than before the crisis came. Jimmy knows that this is because of the increasing chaos in social security, many of the original law-abiding citizens in the case of not filling the stomach, turn, have become thieves or robbers. Whether it is to be a robber or to prevent the robber, all need weapons. So the company's business became better instead.

"The company's business is better, so maybe we'll get two more payments." Jimmy thought.

However, Jimmy's dream was soon shattered. When it came to payroll, Mr. Stroh was very happy to pay everyone's wages, but after the payroll, he announced a decision that made everyone's heart go cold.

"Given the economic situation of the whole society, the company must accumulate more capital to improve the ability to cope with the crisis. For this reason, we have to reduce the amount of your salary from next month, and the rate of reduction will be slightly different according to different job types. I believe that we can all understand the difficulties of the company and share the difficulties with the company."

"Shit! This fucking vampire!" Jimmy knew that what Mr. Stroh was saying was bullshit and that he was taking advantage of the bad economy to dock everyone's wages. However, Jimmy didn't dare to say anything, he knew that if he dared to show even the slightest dissatisfaction, Stru would not hesitate to kick him out of the company and replace him with a random person from the pile of unemployed people. For the sake of Ellie and the children, let's put up with it!

However, when the pay cut was presented to him, he felt the blood rushing to his head - Mr. Stroh had cut his pay by one-half while working three hours longer! His original salary is just enough to maintain the basic life of the family, and now such a cut, to buy medicine for Ellie money is certainly no more, the children must also drop out of elementary school, and even if this, the family's food and clothing can not be guaranteed.

"This is better to go to the South to the Southerners as slaves! When the slaves are not as much as a day to work sixteen hours, but also not enough to eat! Of course, this is just a thought. It wasn't that easy to be a slave. He wasn't black and his freedom was protected by the sacred U.S. Constitution, and the Southerners couldn't make him a slave.

"Maybe he should take a chance, too, like, like Carter," Jimmy remembered what he had seen the night before.

Jimmy had come home from work late that night, as usual, exhausted from a sixteen-hour day of intense labor. His home was still far away on that side of town, and he had to walk for an hour to get back home. In passing the intersection of Hendry Street and Oak Avenue, he suddenly heard a burst of gunfire, as well as the wails of people who had been shot, and the barking of dogs and people running footsteps.

Jimmy a dash, hiding in the shadows of the old Fulham optical store wall, but a few dozen seconds later, he saw several black people, holding a variety of guns, running from Oak Avenue, one of the figures look like an acquaintance. At this time, this person stood still, and shouted to the people behind: "Damn, hurry up, run this way!" That voice, Jimmy swore to a thousand big-headed ghosts, that voice was his neighbor Carter.

A few dark figures quickly disappeared into the night, and Jimmy went home in a panic as if he were one of the robbers. The next day, Jimmy found the smell of chicken soup wafting out of Carter's house once again for the first time in a long time.

"Damn, I'll go to Carter tomorrow, tomorrow, I'll join the gang, I'll show them the way, to rob the damn Stru!" With that in mind, Jimmy went back home.

Allie saw that Jimmy was troubled, and she asked him, "What's the matter with you, not doing well at work? What's going on?"

Jimmy shook his head, he did not want to talk to women about the bad luck and his uncomfortable thoughts, sometimes, men do not want to talk to their women about this. So, Jimmy just said: "Allie, I'm fine, just too tired." The woman didn't ask any more questions.

After scrubbing his body, Jimmy went to sleep, and their son, Neil, who was just eight years old, was asleep before his father came home. The woman carefully laid down next to Jimmy reached out her arms, and hugged him. Jimmy wanted to say something to her, but there is nothing to say, so Jimmy gradually sank into the dream.

......

"Robbery? Funny, ...... came a line of black-clad, black-hatted seersucker sailors, all carrying rifles, revolvers, double-barreled shotguns, daggers, and sabers, walking past his door, calling, 'Jimmy! Let's go together! So they went together. ......

"At that moment a group of men and women in the company were laughing and fell and called out, 'Jimmy, please! No one listened to him! The first to die is the boss Stru and that count the wages of Royce, and the management of the class of Thorn, and ...... leave a few bars? The first one is the boss Stru and the one who counts the money, Royce, and the one who manages the class. ......

"Things,...... straight into the pry open the safe to come: dollars, pounds, gold bars,...... Stru lunged up to try to grab back. A gun butt directly slapped his head ...... kneeled on the ground and shouted, let's give him leave a little? What did the morning nigga do? Directly put the Stru double-barreled shotgun into his mouth, and then a plate gun, touch!

......

"Ha ha!" Jimmy woke up, and opened his eyes, it was still very early, very dark. The woman's hands were still holding him from behind, and her long hair was still resting on the side of his nose.

"Hey, it's a shame it was a dream." Jimmy closed his eyes again.

......

A month passed and the sailors never came looking for Jimmy. The street robberies still happen, but Strew has never been robbed. Jimmy took less than half of his previous wages - the damned Toon, looking for a reason and deducted a lot of his wages - and went home in despair.

Jimmy's long working hours, home late as usual, and, like him such a character, it is not possible to live in any luxurious neighborhood, when he walked to the narrow and dark streets of the slums where he lived, Jimmy's heart could not help but thump up. Today he got paid, although the money is not much, not even enough to sustain the family, that after all ......

This time, suddenly there is a hand from his back reached over and covered his mouth and nose. Jimmy struggled, but with a sweet-smelling breath being inhaled into his lungs along with his nose, he only felt a dizzy spell and passed out.

......

"Carter?" When Jimmy woke up, he found that Carter was standing in front of him. Jimmy found that he was not tied up, he hurriedly reached into his pocket, and the bills were still there.

"Don't count it, it's all there." Carter said, "We are not poor enough to rob you of that small amount of money. Your little money is not enough for Stru to keep a dog. I just want to ask you for a favor."

"You want to rob Stella?" Jimmy's heart was tight, is that dream coming true?

But Carter immediately dispelled his delusions.

"That damned guy Stru is not that easy to rob, he is as careful as a turtle ...... you do weighing and dispensing of the gunpowder in his company, we want you to add a little something to the middle of that gunpowder. After it's done, we'll give you $500, and you can take that money and take your wife and kids and go live somewhere else."

"My wife and kids?" Jimmy snapped, "You didn't do anything to Ellie and the others, did you?"

"Ellie's old problem came back, we sent her to a clinic, she's in good condition, you can rest assured. It's just that it costs a lot of money to be in a clinic." Carter said.

Jimmy stood there, his face blue and white, and after a while, he finally said to Carter, "Give me that thing."