*TW: Depictions of sexual reluctance/rape, and derogatory slurs towards transgender individuals.*
I was sweeping the floor at work when I heard the door open. I looked up, having not seen a customer for hours. An old man shambled in, heavily leaning on his wooden cane. He glanced briefly at me before making his way to the back of the store. I watched him out of the corner of my eye as he stopped in front of the freezer section. He stood there a while, seemingly indecisive and mumbling to himself. I rolled my eyes and went back to sweeping, waiting for him to check out and leave. After he was gone I was going to close up shop.
It had been dark out for hours by this point and I really just wanted to get home. I worked in a small store attached to a gas station, off a not-so-busy road. It was rare to see a care drive by past 10, and even rarer for them to stop inside. I was the only employee marked to work the closing shift, so I never had anyone to talk to. Easiest money of my life, but god it got boring.
Eventually the old man made his way back to the front and placed down a single box of ice pops. I glanced up, bemused, but he was rummaging around in his wallet. I bagged the box while he handed me the exact change. I watched him shuffle out the door before turning back to finish cleaning.
I jumped when I heard shouting. I turned around to look through the glass door into the parking lot. A few feet from the door stood the old man, his back to me. In front of him were several large teens, taunting him loudly. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but they inched closer to the man, pushing him closer to the door.
The old man backed up, softly saying something. They laughed and drew closer, sneering and shouting. One of them lunged for the bag he held in his left hand. The old man yanked it back while stepping back with his left foot and rotating his body so he now faced sideways. The kid stumbled forward having missed his mark, and the man stuck out his foot, tripping the kid and sending him sprawling on the concrete.
The kid grunted in pain and pushed himself back up, glancing down at his hands and knees, both of which were now scraped and bloodied. He yelled something about his pants, which now had rips in them and were stained with blood and dirt. He held his fists up as if he were about to start boxing, glaring at the man. He lunged forward and took a flying swing at the old man, aiming for his head. The man took his arm, still holding the cane, and held it up, catching the kids arm against his own. He then swung his bag forward and nailed the kid right between the legs. The kid buckled, doubling over and swearing. The man kicked him in the chest, sending him sprawling on the ground.
The man turned as another kid stepped up. The teen grabbed the front of the man's jacket, pulling them face to face while demanding his wallet. The man took his cane, which he now held around the shaft instead of the handle, and slammed it down on top of the kids foot. He howled and let go, jolting back. The man then took the head of the cane and drove it upwards, smashing to the kid's jaw and sending him reeling, clutching his chin as tears streamed from his eyes.
The third teen took a half step forward, but the man spun and wacked him in the shin with the head of the cane. The kid grunted in pain and backed away, limping. He looked at his beaten friends before taking off; the other two following close behind.
It had all happened so fast I barely had time to react. I was frozen, watching this seemingly decrepit old man beat the shit out of the teens. I saw the kids take off, and the man bent over to pick something up off the ground. He stood slowly, turned around, and shuffled back inside.
"Damn kids," he muttered, shuffling back over to me. He looked up and I met his gaze, still frozen in shock. His eyes were a golden brown, slightly sunken into his face and surrounded by wrinkles. Deep creases ran down his face, passing by the corners of his mouth. He looked weathered, his leathery skin pitted and scarred. A bushy horseshoe mustache covered his upper lip, almost completely white.
"Are you ok?" I finally managed to ask.
"Yep, just a little winded. Been a while since I moved like that." His voice was deep and gruff, with a thick southern accent. "Got any raps?" He held up a bag of weed. "One of the kids dropped this. Figured I might still make it a good night." He winked at me.
"Oh, uh, we don't sell them here but, um, I have some in my car you can have." I stammered.
"Well all right then. Very kind of yah."
"Let me, um, let me just lock up. It's the end of my shift anyway." The old man nodded and headed out the door again, waiting just outside while I scurried around, locking doors and turning off lights. The morning crew can deal with whatever I missed. Within a few minutes I was headed to my car, the man slowly following me.
I reached over the trash on my passenger seat to open the glove box. I pulled out my small box of blunt wraps and turned to hand it to the man. "Keep em," I said. "I don't have any weed to smoke with them anyway." I shrugged.
"Well, ifin you'd like to join me, I'd be more than happy to share." He smiled at me, the corners of his eyes wrinkling.
"Really? I mean, I really should be heading home. It's late and I'm tired."
He shrugged. "I'm not forcin yah to do anything. It would just be nice to have some company back at camp."
"Camp?"
"Ah, yep. It's what I call home. Got a little trailer out on me brothers property, deep back in them woods. Don't see many folks out there. Can get real lonely." He shrugged again but I could see a deep sadness in his eyes. I felt bad. This poor old man, alone in the woods.
"Well, maybe I could stop by for a little bit. I don't have to be up early tomorrow." I was honestly a little intrigued by this guy. Maybe I'd smoke with him and he'd tell me some of his stories.
"That would be real nice. Hop in your car and follow me. I'll show you the way. Stick close now so you don't get lost."
I followed the old man's beat up Ford through town and back into some dirt roads. We bumped along for what felt like hours before turning into a clearing in the woods. Just a small field, thick with overgrown weeds. In the center was an old trailer, propped up on cinder blocks and rotting from below. It had been fixed so many times it now looked like a collage of wood and metal sheets.