“Hand it over,” he snarls again, the gun still leveled at me.

I stand firm, gripping the briefcase, a defiant smirk on my face. “No.” I can tell the gun is not loaded.

BLAM! Blood, a burning in my shoulder. The briefcase drops to the ground.

I’ve been wrong before.

Chris Burdett is a husband, father, writer, photographer, and college English instructor who lives in Loganville, GA.