Chereads / The Time Stopper Rampages / Chapter 21 - Homeless

Chapter 21 - Homeless

Sam easily gathered his scattered thoughts, broke away from the dirty and dark alley, and headed towards his apartment. Along the way, he stopped at several fast-food restaurants and 'inspected the meal for the customer' more than once. He felt bloated and full, and his stomach almost cursed his ancestors for eating more than it could handle.

Despite the heaviness in his stomach, Sam felt a surge of energy in his body. He continued his journey towards the apartment with ease. As he approached it, he quietly surveyed his surroundings, looking for Franklin. Unusually, he found no trace of him whatsoever.

Sam was feeling something is not right by that, but he brushed it off and went straight to his apartment. He quickly retrieved the Glock 44 pistol that he had carefully hidden under the bed. He approached his desk, pulled out a rusty drawer that emitted an annoying sound when opened, and found a box of 9mm bullets.

Sam slowly loaded the Glock's magazine after making sure the safety was on and that there wasn't a hidden bullet eager to greet a new neighbor.

In truth, Sam was quite certain that he had loaded just a single bullet in the Glock. But he had an obsessive type of caution. Sam was the kind of person who, when robbing a store with a car, made sure everyone buckled up.

Sam loaded the magazine into the Glock with relative ease, ensuring that it was properly attached to the firearm.

Sam glanced at the Glock for a moment, finding it as beautiful as he had seen it before. He calmly placed it in his right pocket, making sure the knife was in his left pocket along with his phone, cigarette pack, and the bundle of money that toyed with the rest of his belongings.

He pondered seriously whether he should ditch the money to create space, but Sam quickly dismissed this idea. It would be foolish to do so. Franklin, in a fit of rage, might enter the apartment and destroy everything, and he might even find the money. And of course, Franklin wouldn't admit that Sam paid a cent.

Sam cursed Franklin silently in his heart and checked his belongings again. He swiftly exited the apartment and the building, making sure no one was following him or paying attention to him.

Sam walked under the afternoon sun, appearing carefree. He chose a somewhat long route to damage the area around the library. He didn't want to encounter Christina or that annoying dwarf if he could help it.

The store was within Sam's view. His heart rate slowly but steadily increased. Surrounding the store were some shops that didn't have any external cameras monitoring the streets.

When he noticed this, he understood why Angela called the owner a fool because he truly was. If he had placed his store on a street filled with jewelry shops, it would have been almost impossible to steal from it. But now? It was a relatively easy target.

Sam chose to stay in a spot across the street from the store and sat there. He noticed several homeless people nearby who were looking at him strangely with a hint of hostility.

Sam paid them no mind and pretended to be asleep. One of the homeless approached him slowly, skillfully. If Sam hadn't been vigilant and had dozed off, he might have been stolen from so easily, but Sam was no fool.

Once the homeless man was within Sam's reach, Sam suddenly grabbed the tattered clothes of the homeless man and pulled him closer with a menacing look in his eyes. He said, "Listen, you damned fucker. Come near me again, and I'll bring you closer to hell."

Sam forcefully threw the homeless man away. He fell in anger and hurled curses at Sam and his mother, but Sam paid him no attention at all. He returned to his pretend sleep while discreetly keeping an eye on the store in front of him.

There were several homeless people, but when they witnessed the scene, they slowly distanced themselves from Sam. Even the homeless man who was humiliated by Sam quickly collected his meager belongings and left in haste. Only one homeless person remained.

This homeless man was fair-skinned, with a thick, unkempt beard and thinning hair. He was somewhat short and frail-looking, dressed in shabby, tattered clothing.

Sam cast a quick glance at him and noticed that the homeless man was also glancing at him. Sam quickly returned to his 'sleep' and waited...

Hours passed, and the night covered the sky, bringing a chill to the air with a light rain falling off. Sam remained in his quiet and steady position. His eyes never closed, staying fixed on the store and its surroundings.

The shitty homeless man was still by his side. He had collected a few cents from the pity of others.

On more than one occasion, Sam wanted to punch him, but he restrained himself. This would only bring trouble to his mission. He endured and persevered, cursing the homeless man silently in his heart.

Finally, Sam noticed the owner moving toward a nearby room from behind the counter. Sam's heart raced with excitement, and he immediately stopped and glanced at the homeless man one last time. Then he went to the right. Not to the store.

The homeless man simply a watcher, and Sam basically. Didn't want him to see a man pull out a dangerous knife before stapping his temple and disappear immediately from sight.

Sam ran quickly, then changed direction to cross the street towards the store, which he had distanced himself from a bit. When he saw that it was difficult for the homeless man to see him, and no one was nearby, Sam quickly pulled out the knife and stabbed its sharp edge into his temple.

Time stopped...

Sam didn't even care to notice his surroundings. He ran as fast as he could towards the store and arrived in front of it. He pushed the stubborn door forcefully, and in the end, it opened with a great force.

Sam entered quickly, feeling his heartbeats rise to a crazy level. He saw the large green gem that Angela had told him about, and he glimpsed it today.

Sam leaped over the glass counter, and the gem was within his reach. It was distant and in the back row. Sam quickly took it but felt sudden resistance. He pulled harder until he got it, but in doing so, he was propelled backward, and the gem hung in the air.

Sam collected himself quickly, putting the gem in his pocket, then jumped back over the counter in wonder to see that the gap in door he had created was still there. He quickly entered through it and exited the store to run to the left.

Sam ran and ran, and soon the sounds of the surrounding returned …

He relaxed when he saw that he was at least 40 meters away from the store. He was in the same spot where he had activated his ability. Sam took a moment to sit on the street.

All of this had drained him. He felt a strange weakness engulfing his entire body. He even felt a bit of peculiar drowsiness.

Sam never allowed himself to sleep, and quickly, he picked himself up to start moving toward his apartment.

Fatigue seemed to have lessened, and slowly, Sam began to quicken his pace.

Then, he heard footsteps from behind him.

Sam didn't care and thought it was just a passerby, so he continued without looking back.

Sam noticed several people who appeared particularly drunk trying to hide from the rain which gets to drop harder. Then he realized he was near a cheap bar.

Sam hurried his steps even more to distance himself from it. He felt extremely exhausted. Mentally, it was difficult for him to reconcile without significant effort. But he felt it had to do with the long time he spent stealing the—

Someone snatched the green gem from Sam's side and ran from in front of him.

Sam felt that the coat pocket became lighter.

He quickly put his hand into the pocket, but he couldn't find the gem! The fucking gem!

Without any delay, Sam chased after the man running in front of him, recognizing him from behind as the same homeless man who had been beside him.

"Give it back, you fuck!" Sam shouted as loud as he could, but he received no response from the homeless man except for him hastening his steps.

Sam ran even faster, his fatigue vanishing in an instant as he pursued the homeless man.

Suddenly, the homeless man darted into a dark alley.

Sam didn't leave him any room and followed him directly, closing the distance rapidly.

The alley was winding, desolate, and filthy. The old man continued to run until he reached a dimly lit spot under the moonlight. At that moment, he stopped and pulled out a knife, confronting Sam.

The

"Come here, you stupid ass boy! This gem belongs to me, and only me!"