Jeff arrived at his apartment complex and headed straight to his unit, opening the door of the unit and turning on the light switch after setting aside his shoes on the rack, then going straight to the kitchen. Though he lives alone in this apartment, it's still somewhat big for one person; there are two bedrooms, one of which is vacant while he occupies the other, and no living room? How convenient… but the kitchen is nice though, and there was a pretty decent bathroom too… and he was pretty satisfied with this… In the kitchen, Jeff then set aside his backpack, putting it on a chair as he also sat on another chair beside it...
"... Phew… finally home at last… Jeez, my body is hurting… thankfully, tomorrow is the weekend; I have to be resting all day then…"
Jeff… who sat on the chair as he laid his hands on the table… and there in the center of it was the book given by that weird girl, Marie, to him... Looking at the book briefly as he brought his hands to it.
"...Well, I am going to read it later… and this really has a lot of pages…?"
Looking at the book… by turning it on all sides to check it out… and there he noticed that the book was pretty old judging by its appearance; he didn't really notice it until now after checking it closely… Though the pages are thick… he will surely give it a serious try... Done doing so, Jeff then set the book back to its original place. Now, he has to think about his current situation first…! Currently he is broke now…! Well, because of what happened back then…!
"...Sigh... I guess I have to do a part-time job again…"
As he said that, Jeff then took out his phone from his pants pocket and tinkered with it for a moment before dialing a number as it popped up in his contacts. Looking at his phone screen, it showed a contact number named 'Dave From That Convenience Store.' Without missing a beat, he thus called the number… as it began to beep sweetly…
*BEEP BEEP*
*BEEP BEEP*
"...Heyy there, Dave speaking here... So, let me guess Jeff... you're up for part-time again?"
After a moment, the beeping stopped as the phone call was answered by the other side. The person speaking was that of a gruff man, probably already an uncle at this point; his voice was rather harsh, but the friendly tone was there indeed. Hearing the voice, Jeff then smiled as he began to reply to him.
"... Haha, you got that spot on, Unc' Dave. I was wondering... could I work this weekend? I kind of need the money again, so... you wouldn't mind, right?"
"...Haha! Hey, I wouldn't mind…! And don't call me Uncle; I'm not even that old yet…! I'm still 30 years old… Just call me Dave…! So where are we…? Ahh right, you need money, so come work. I'm happy to help you, kid."
Their exchange was as if they'd already known each other for rather a long time… though Jeff and Dave weren't even relatives or anything like that… Dave was a person that owned a convenience store that Jeff worked at to earn extra money to uphold... But Jeff had already worked there long enough that they just naturally grew closer, and Dave was fine with it too. Hearing what had been said by Dave, he was thankful that Dave was supportive and was helping him every time he needed help... pumping up his fist… he then said to Dave…
"Alrighty… Dave, I appreciate that… So I'll be there tomorrow and even Sunday too!"
"...Yupp... that sounds good…!"
After that final exchange, the line beeped again as the call ended… though Jeff was pleased that things was going according to what he wanted... now he can earn back the money that those wretched bullies took from him! Looking at the phone screen yet again, it shows that it was close to 7:00 PM already… thus he has decided to shower firsthand and then eat! And finally… sleep! He really needs that sleep.
"Well… time to head to the bathroom…!"
.
.
.
Done with showering, he thus went ahead with his next objective… to eat! In his casual clothing, as he wears a long-sleeved shirt and even proper pants, he went to the kitchen.
"… let's see what we got here…"
Coming closer to his lovely yet tiny fridge, he then grabbed the handle of it and opened it. What welcomed him was an empty can of red beans in tomato sauce, a bottle of vinegar, and a green slice of bread... Just where the heck does this even come from??? With his rather blank face staring into the fridge…
"... I think I still got instant noodles...?"
Closing the fridge, he then looked at the cabinets instead to see if he does have something to eat again… and… luckily he still has a cup of instant noodles left… how sad…
But Jeff was all smiles, though, since there was something that he could still eat, and thus Jeff boiled the water for his instant noodles.
.
.
.
*Burp*
"... Well, that was something… and I really need to buy groceries and more instant noodles! … like literally there's nothing to eat at this point…"
Finishing his food, he burped to show how "fulfilled" he was even though that wasn't much, but that was still something for Jeff that is… Jeff, who is rubbing his tummy, stood up as the empty cup of instant noodles in his hand was discarded into the trash can. Finally after that it's time to sleep…!
"…Yawn... meh, it's time. I got to work tomorrow; I have to sleep early. Oh, wait… I forgot."
As something clicked inside his very head, remembering about the book. He planned to read it, didn't he? Thinking so and making up his mind as he then looked for the book, which was still on the table in the kitchen. Coming closer to it, then had it brought as he leisurely went about to his bedroom.
The inside of the bedroom was cozy as always to him; he killed off the light, and then he went to his bed, diving straight into it and thus making the bed rock a little from that. A moment after that he finally settled down, reaching to his desk as he wanted to turn on the nightlight for the vibe!
"Alright, just going to read it for a while and then I sleep…"
On the bed, as he was on his side, he then looked at the book which was beside him on the desk with the nightlight—taking it into his embrace and finally decided to read it. Turning the book cover, the pages... and thus the reading session began!
.
.
.
...In a room, which was illuminated by the nightlight, a person was still awake in the dead of night… This person was none other than Jeff, and he was still reading the book…
He should be sleeping, but he didn't, so why is that? It's because of the book he was reading…!
"...A masterpiece..."
.
.
.
*KAWKAW*
"...Huh...? What? It's morning already…? Yawn... I didn't even notice it."
...It's already morning, I just woke up and still feel rather sleepy; feeling like I didn't get enough sleep... Ahh, right... what time is it…?
"...Huh. What."
"...! DAYUM, it's 10:00 AM?! I FORGOT TO SET THE ALARRMMMMMM AND I HAVE TO WORK TODAY...!"
...With a surprised and akin-to-bewildered expression too, Jeff then stumbles down from his bed… A book also falls out with him as it thuds to the ground beside him… Looking at the book beside him, he then remembered that he was reading this yesterday and today? It can't be helped, he was kind of hooked to it… the book, its story. Was it really that good? He felt something reading this… BUT… HE WAS STILL LATE FOR HIS PART-TIME WORK...!
"Dang it! Dave isn't going to like this…!"
.
.
.
A man was sitting in front of the checkout counter of a certain convenience store… or we can just call it "Dave's Convenience Store"... and this guy was Dave, someone who looked rather like a gruff-looking guy; he had a chubby stomach, and was kind of short, but on top of all that… he was looking rather pissed, or so we thought, but this was just how this guy is; he may look pissed, but that isn't true… and currently Dave was looking outside the convenience store…
"He is going to be late again, isn't he?"
Though the moment he said that, as he sighed to himself, someone came barging into the convenience store, as the doorbell made a sweet sound like ching, ching, ching…! And it's coming from none other than Jeff himself; he looks so out of breath… catching his breath as he rests his hands on his knees… He took his sweet time before speaking to Dave…
"...Dave! I'm sorry… I needed to take a lot… of turns to come here... Dayum…"
Jeff was talking while gasping for air, still catching his breath from all the running it took to get there. Dave's expression seemed affected by it; he looked rather pissed—but in truth, it wasn't what it looked like.
"Alrighty, I'm not mad, but c'mon, you're being late again. You have to be thankful that I'm such a good boss man; I'm not going to cut your pay."
"...Yeahh… right, sorry...! I'm not going to be late again…! Dayum, why is it so exhausting..."
As they exchanged conversation between them, the door rang again and someone came inside… It's customers coming in to the shop…
"Ok, Jeff, it's time for you to clock in; here, take this apron…"
Putting the apron in front of him, Dave then moved away from the checkout counter as he went to the backroom to do his work… and there goes Jeff taking the apron as he also clocked in for his part-time starting now… though still looking worn out, he was ready for this now!
Jeff who was coming into the back of the checkout counter after donning the apron. Customers who were already lining in front the checkout counter then got their stuff checked out as Jeff finally started working.
"Phew… man, why do I always forget to set my alarm?"
.
.
.
The work went smoothly, and there was an hour left before his shift ended for today. As usual, customers came and they went away after buying what they wanted, and here Jeff was bored as he was waiting for his shift to end because he was looking forward to something.
"Mannn... I wonder what happened after that in the story…?"
... The book, which was given to me by Marie… it was interesting… I really like it… though I was only planning to read it a little… I never expected for it to be that good… it kind of moved me?
As Jeff was on his own world… the doorbell rang... and Jeff then shifted his attention in front, there he saw 2 people, and they looked kind of rough? Both of them are looking around the store, and that's not a good thing. Oh well, maybe they're just looking for something like people normally do, with no ill intent whatsoever… right?
One of them moved to the back… as the other one met my eyes and approached me…? Uh, what...? There he is in front of me, and he opened his mouth.
"Y'all got cigarettes? If you do, give me a pack of the expensive ones."
"...Uhh... Sure… Wait a second… Let me get that for you…"
Turning around as I then looked for the most expensive thing that he asked for… and I found it… Bringing it to the counter and then putting it there—he then just motioned and reached for it... So, I snatched it back.
A moment of silence. His hand hung motionless on the counter; they just stared at each other—until Jeff was the one to break it.
"...Woah... Wait… you're going to pay for this, right...?
"...The hell? Yeah, of course I'm going to pay for it. So, give it to me."
... Yikes. I don't like where this is going… he doesn't look like he's going to pay for it… I wonder where the other guy went...? I just don't feel too good about this… he went to the back, so...?
*BAM*
Surprised by that sudden sound—as I also jumped a little. The guy in front of me suddenly put both of his hands on the counter loudly; with a rather pissed expression, he is probably mad because I didn't do as he wished me to do… but…
"Ok... Fine, here it is…"
... I still gave him... After doing so, he then took the cigarette box and looked at me again, though I avoided meeting his eyes. There he was glaring at me.
"Who the hell do you think you are? You wussed out from something like this already, freaking loser."
Still looking at my side... I clenched my fist… hearing what he said… I felt… angry... Really angry… After he said that to me, he then turned around as he then called out to his buddy, who was holding two bottles of something, which I think is alcohol. I finally looked in front. At the person that insulted me… looking at his back… I felt something… an urge... it's like I want to…
Kill this guy.
*RING*
... The ringing sound woke me back, as I looked at the fading figure of them… and then I heard footsteps; looking at the source, it was none other than Dave, as he went outside quickly, albeit it looked slow even though he was running… After that he came back inside and looked at me… his expression looking at me was scary…
"What the heck, Jeff? Why did you let them go?? You should have called me; they're stealing stuff, man. Sigh…"
Yeah… of course he is disappointed… I should have done something… but… I just stood there, why didn't I do it? I hesitated, but I still did… as I mustered to say…
"... I'm sorry… Dave… you can cut my pay for those stolen stuff…"
I said rather weakly as I looked at Dave. Though his expression wasn't changing, he was also silent after hearing what I said, and not long after that, he finally said something.
"... Alright, it's fine… I'm not going to cut your pay or anything… it's just that... Look at you... I didn't question it back then, but you really had it rough… you're bruised all over… Even though it's not noticeable, it's going to be if one looks more closely. Y'know what, Jeff... you should clock out now for the day… and don't come tomorrow; you need to rest…"
Dave said to me, as I then darted my eyes all over my body, What he said was true… the bruises from yesterday aren't fully gone… they're still very much there… It looks like I just straight up ignored it as if nothing… I then took a moment of silence before speaking again.
"... Ok, I will do that…"
Saying so, Dave then nodded as he went back to the backroom. I then decided to clock off, putting away the apron that I was wearing over my casual clothing, and Dave emerged back into the scene as he brought an envelope with him, which probably contained my pay. Putting his hands on my shoulder…
"…Jeff you don't have to come tomorrow. Like I said—you needed the rest, kid. Take it easy."
Giving a light tap on my shoulder whilst saying those words to me really tingled my heart. Saying so, he then goes back as I stand there contemplating… before finally exiting the convenience store, and thus I begin my walk home. It wasn't that far… but still walking… I walked, passing by an alley and then taking turns as I finally took the path through an alley, which I go through to come to work.
It's dark here since the buildings around here are tall, and it smells weird, but it's a shortcut, I think very much. Going this path, I can arrive more quickly... As I walked, with my head looking in front, albeit weakly, there were some people that I passed by too, people that took this path to go places, and homeless people were here too, sleeping on the side. I'm closer to my apartment now since I'm almost at the end of this path…
"Hey, you!"
And there I heard a voice… it's a voice from back then…
"...Aren't you the one from the convenience store…? Hah! What a wussy loser you are…!"
I stopped walking after hearing that, as I finally noticed it was that person from back then; he was hanging around here with his buddy. They looked rather drunk judging by the half-drunk bottle of alcohol they had. I looked at him; my expression showed that I was uncomfortable looking at him while he was drinking his drink.
"...Huh... WHATTT... You got something to say...?"
Saying those words, albeit provocatively, while drinking his drink, really made me feel something… ignoring what he said… I then looked forward… as I continued my stride… with more complicated feelings... I keep walking on and on… until I stop... I was here alone… no one is here with me now in this empty alley... all I see is a trash can, which is beside me…
"...Damn... Why... Why the hell…"
Standing there…as I lamented…then.
With a swing by my left leg hard to the trash can beside me…
*PANG*
I swung even more intensely… as the trash can rocked hard as its content bits by bits started to splutter… as the hard swing also bent the trash can, albeit not much… the sound of metal being struck—kept resounding in the alley… as I kept on pounding the trash can… it pained me, but I was lost in the moment… kept going again and again. Until finally, I stopped.
*THUD*
The trash can finally tipped over, as it could not balance itself anymore, The bending on it was enough to finally destroy its balance. The content instead spilled out as I backed away with my legs throbbing because of the repeated blows to the trash can. I breathed hard… I lost to my emotion… I did hold up… very well. But, why is it like this…? I was fine before all this…?
"... Damn it..."
Cursing under my breath… I then moved yet again… this time without stopping anymore... With my legs throbbing, I pushed through… as my emotions started to settle… Not.
.
.
.
Arriving at my unit, I did what I always did; I followed my routine every time I came back. And thus here I'm now lying on the bed… my leg that was used to release my emotion was swollen but not that much… it was still throbbing though… I won't be having problems walking, probably. Oh, I didn't eat today… I forgot to buy stuff. I wouldn't be forgetting about this if that back then didn't happen. Looking at the ceiling as I lay on the bed… I then brought my attention to something else… the book, which rested on the desk where the nightlight was at too… With the nightlight turned on, its brightness was enough for me to read just like back then, leaning against the wall behind my bed as my hands now hold the book...
Turning the pages as I began reading where I left off… was this normal…? This book made me feel something weird… made me have emotions that I don't usually exhibit… It's as if it has the power to change people… The supposedly main character of this very book, I don't understand him, but in the end I was made to understand… to relate… Vigilante Man… his real name wasn't even mentioned in this book, but that wasn't important… he was someone that stayed true to himself as I read more into it… I begin to think to myself…
"... If only I were like you… a vigilante... someone who stands up for themselves… in their own way…"
... As I said that… I paused; something slowly sank in… what I said… it's a realization... And it struck me hard.
.
"...Why don't I just become like you?…"