Realizing that reaching the city by foot would take at least four hours, Josh sighed in frustration after trudging along for thirty minutes. The blisters forming on his heels and the exhaustion settling into his limbs convinced him to head to the nearest bus stop.
As he sat on the worn bench, waiting for the community bus to arrive, his mind spiraled into thoughts about his life. Anger simmered beneath his calm exterior, and a smirk slowly crept across his face as he imagined ways to exact revenge on those who had wronged him. The fantasies felt like a balm to his wounded pride, even if fleeting.
Unbeknownst to him, his smirk gave him an unsettling, almost sinister appearance. The other people waiting at the stop began inching away, whispering quietly among themselves. Who wouldn't feel uneasy around a middle-aged man sitting alone, grinning as if plotting something dark?
Soon enough, the bus arrived, snapping Josh out of his thoughts. He boarded, paid the fare with the last of his stolen change, and slumped into the farthest corner seat. Resting his head against the window, he sank back into deep thought, his mind churning endlessly.
His internal monologue was interrupted abruptly when the bus came to a jarring halt, nearly throwing him out of his seat. A chorus of gasps and startled cries filled the bus as passengers clutched at their belongings.
A loud bang followed—the unmistakable sound of a gunshot.
The doors hissed open, and a man wearing tattered prison clothes stormed in, a handgun raised in the air. The air grew thick with panic. Screams erupted as passengers cowered in their seats, mothers clutching their children tightly.
At that moment, the blaring sirens of police cars echoed faintly in the distance. The radio on the driver's console cut into its usual music to announce an emergency bulletin:
"A dangerous criminal has escaped from the local penitentiary. Roy Williams, convicted of multiple homicides, is considered armed and extremely dangerous. Citizens are urged to stay vigilant."
The announcement made the man's identity clear. Roy.
Josh, like the others, felt his heart race with fear. Yet, strangely, he also felt a peculiar sense of connection with the criminal. Their eyes met briefly, and in that fleeting moment, Josh felt as though Roy understood him—his anger, his despair, his bitterness toward the world. It was unsettling and oddly reassuring all at once.
Roy barked out orders, forcing everyone to hand over their smartphones, wallets, and valuables. One by one, he went through the rows, his gun glinting menacingly under the bus's fluorescent lights. Josh watched as even the youngest passengers handed over their meager belongings, trembling with fear.
When Roy reached Josh, Josh calmly stated, "I don't have a phone or any money."
Roy stared at him for a long moment, his sharp eyes scanning Josh's ragged clothes and hollow expression. Then, without a word, he moved on, as though Josh wasn't worth the trouble.
Josh felt a wave of relief wash over him, but it was tinged with humiliation. The other passengers now looked at him differently—some with pity, others with suspicion. It was as though Roy's dismissal had marked him as someone beneath notice.
After collecting the stolen items, Roy ordered a young man in a jacket and cap to surrender them. He then donned the jacket to cover his prison clothes and pulled the cap low over his face. Pointing the gun discreetly at the driver, Roy instructed him to take a route with no stops until they reached the city.
The bus ride continued in tense silence, everyone too afraid to make a move. Finally, twenty minutes before reaching the city, Roy ordered the bus to stop near a wooded area. Tossing the stolen phones and wallets onto the floor, he exited the bus and vanished into the trees.
Chaos erupted as soon as he was gone. Passengers scrambled to recover their belongings, fumbling with shaky hands to call the police.
Within five minutes, police cars swarmed the bus. Officers questioned everyone, jotting down statements while others fanned out into the woods to pursue Roy.
Just as the ordeal seemed to be wrapping up, one of the senior officers pointed at Josh.
"You," the officer said gruffly. "Step over here."
Josh hesitated, his heart sinking. The officer's tone left no room for argument, so he complied, walking toward the patrol car with a growing sense of dread.
Inside the car, the officer explained, "Some passengers mentioned how the criminal didn't check you like the others. Care to explain?"
Josh felt a mix of shock and frustration. "What? That's ridiculous! I'm just a guy down on his luck. I told him the truth—I didn't have anything worth taking."
The officer listened intently as Josh recounted his story, even shedding a tear when Josh described losing everything. After verifying Josh's account, the officer offered to drop him off in the city as a gesture of goodwill.
However, as the police car pulled up in the bustling city center, Josh noticed shopkeepers and passersby eyeing him warily. He could hear snippets of their conversation:
"Who's that guy? Getting out of a cop car like that..."
"Looks shady, doesn't he? Must've done something bad."
Josh sighed. "Great. Just great," he muttered to himself. But he decided not to dwell on it. People's gossip would fade eventually—or so he hoped.
He turned his attention to the pressing matter of finding a job. Without a smartphone, he couldn't check online listings, so he went door-to-door, asking store managers and business owners. Most turned him away outright; a few entertained his inquiries but ultimately declined.
Finally, after hours of searching, he found a job at a modest hotel as a housekeeping staff member. The position was perfect—he understood how hotels operated from his past experience as an owner, and the job came with three meals and a bed.
Over the next month, Josh threw himself into his work. Despite the rumors about his police encounter spreading through the city, he became one of the hotel's most efficient and reliable employees. But the whispers never stopped, and over time, they only grew louder.
Two months later, the inevitable happened.
Josh's boss called him into the office, a pained expression on his face. "Josh, I appreciate everything you've done here, but... the hotel's public image has been taking a hit. We can't afford to keep you on anymore."
Fired.
Once again, Josh found himself with nothing. The anger and helplessness he had felt before returned tenfold. After wandering the city aimlessly for hours, he finally made a decision.
"Fuck this city," he muttered bitterly. "I can't stay here anymore."
With that, he resolved to leave and start anew in another city, far away from the rumors and judgments that clung to him like a shadow.