The School Computer Burglary

This thread traces how four boys turn the arrival of new school computers into a risky theft, from a casual proposal through the nighttime break-in and escape.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Tempting Opportunity

New Computers, New Scheme A public announcement The principal announces that the school will receive fifty new computers. To Lukas, the news initially sounds like a rare improvement in a school where resources are scarce and disorder is routine. The announcement also exposes the delivery to a roomful of students before the equipment arrives. A plan takes shape Sanchez proposes that the boys steal the machines and sell them. Julius is enthusiastic, Gino agrees, and Lukas objects that breaking into their own school could bring serious trouble. The others answer with promises of quick money and minimal risk, while Gino’s recent injuries and financial desperation give the offer particular force. Lukas eventually agrees, partly because he wants new clothes and shoes and partly because he does not want to separate himself from his friends. The decision marks the shift from joking about crime to preparing a real offense.

Keys and a Weapon

Preparation After Dark Access from inside The boys meet near the school in the middle of the night. Sanchez has a large ring of keys, and an abandoned shopping cart is waiting to carry the computers. Julius claims he can get through locks with a pick, but the stolen keys make that unnecessary. An added danger Before they enter, Julius reveals a blank-firing gun hidden at his waist. Sanchez demands that he hand it over, but Julius refuses until Lukas separates them and persuades Sanchez to stop pressing the issue. The group proceeds with the gun still part of the plan. The argument makes clear that the boys have not thought through even the risks they can see. Their preparations rely on stolen access, improvised equipment, and Julius’s confidence that the group can handle anything that goes wrong.

Inside the Dark School

A Familiar Place Turns Strange Entry without a clear way out Sanchez uses the keys to open the school gate and a side entrance. Inside, the boys move through dark corridors toward the storage area. Lukas knows the school well, but its empty rooms feel unfamiliar in the silence, and his dead flashlight and exhausted phone battery leave them dependent on Julius’s light. Finding the equipment At the locked storage room, Sanchez cannot identify the right key. Julius spots the correct one, and the lock opens. After searching among books and old equipment, they find the new computers and monitors packed on high shelves and start carrying the boxes down. The discovery turns their imagined plan into tangible theft. Lukas handles the equipment almost mechanically, while the others debate how many boxes can fit in their cart and whether they can move them without attracting attention.

The Fence Obstacle

Computers Across the Fence An improvised route The boys carry the computers through an upper room and out into the school grounds, then discover that the high perimeter fence blocks their way. Lukas proposes passing the boxes over with a human ladder: he will climb across first, then help receive each machine as Julius lowers it. Carelessness under pressure They lose one computer when the overloaded cart strikes a curb. Julius hurls the damaged box into a wall rather than quietly setting it aside. The noise and destruction add to the group’s risk, but they keep moving with the remaining equipment. The plan succeeds only through improvisation, not foresight. Each obstacle produces another exposed decision, and the damaged computer becomes an early sign that getting the goods out is easier than managing what comes afterward.

The Gunfire Crossing

A Threat in the Street The exposed crossing The cart rattles toward a major road near the subway station and a gambling hall. A police car passes without stopping, but a group of men across the street notices the boys and orders them to go elsewhere. Their insults and thrown bottles make the loaded cart impossible to conceal. The blank shots Julius draws the blank-firing gun and shoots several times. The men scatter, and Sanchez urges the others to run. Julius throws the gun into the cart as they flee, leaving the boys with a dramatic escape that will soon become part of the police investigation. The weapon does not make the boys safe; it raises the stakes and creates another witness-generating incident. By the time they reach cover, their burglary has become a public event that can be connected to the stolen equipment.

Several days after the first park fight

Saturday night, before the school break-in

Saturday night, shortly after midnight

Early morning, during the escape from the school grounds

Near dawn, at the Zwickauer Damm crossing