Short stories

It all begun

He knew it was too early in the morning, even if there were no windows downstairs. But he couldn’t get back to sleep. After all, he was a morning man. What else could he do? He refused to stay in bed, doing nothing. It was a big waste of his time. So he got up, using his cane, and went to the improvised bathroom. He took a shower to fully awake himself. He got dressed and put his prosthetic leg before getting to his pick-up truck and driving downtown. Like every other morning, he needed a strong coffee to start his day in a good way. And he knew perfectly where to buy the best in town: Starbucks. When he entered the coffee shop, he found out he wasn’t the only one who needed a good coffee. He was surprised to see all those people. It was very unusual for a Sunday morning. He patiently waited in line with the others. He has a faint smile on his lips while looking at the lovely lady who stood behind the cash register. She barely smiled back at him.

“May I take your order?” she asked him.

He took a quick glance at her identification tag on the left side of her shirt: Hannah. He shook his head, ordering the same thing as usual.

“I’ll take a big black coffee to go, please.”

“Is that all?”

He shook his head again, still looking at her and making her a little uncomfortable. He had to look away, but he couldn’t. She was too pretty. She hastily gave him his coffee so he could leave. He smiled again.

“Thank you, Hannah.”

She barely smiled back, looking behind him for the next customer in line and waiting to be served. He took his coffee and left the shop. What else a cranky old man like him could do? He was too old for this kind of thing.

He went back to his pick-up truck in the parking lot. He had plenty of time before opening the little shop he now owned for more than ten years. He bought the place after the sudden death of both of his parents. He inherited their money – a lovely amount to cover his loss – and finally decided to do something with his life. He bought one of the eldest buildings in town and restored it to give it back all its old glory and style. During the restoration, he found a secret stair inside a massive wardrobe in the main office, leading under the building. It used to be a respectable place where people could see a great show. It was also a clandestine bar during the prohibition. The secret place became his little paradise as well as his storage place. There was a heavy door at the far end of the cellar where he could receive his merchandise. But behind the wall of big boxes, near the secret entrance, there was a comfortable bed on the corner where the bar used to be. On the table against the wall, he put a microwave and a little coffee machine. Near the table stood the bathroom with a basic shower. He barely had hot water but it didn’t matter to him. After he went downstairs for the first time, he also discovered at the far corner an entrance for the town sewers. Like a secret exit in case the prohibition police arrived by surprise. He liked it. When the restoration was over, he sold the family house and decided to live in the hiding place of his new store. He got himself a PO Box somewhere near an apartment complex so the IRS will leave him alone. But basically, he was living under his store and he enjoyed his lonely life.

And he was very proud of his store. His shop offered army stuff for adventurers and survival materials. Everything needed, he has it: guns, ammunitions, backpacks, sharp knives… He didn’t have any sort of life since he went back from the war. It was his way to give back the experience he has.

He had a little accident with his entire squad during the war and he couldn’t protect everyone. As a decorated sniper, he went back home with shame in his heart. Not only because of his injured knee which caught a fragment of a bomb and had to be cut off afterwards. The bomb exploded while he was running away from it. But he killed several enemies and he didn’t get shot to death like the rest of his squad.