Every Bright and Broken Thing

Chapter Two - Ezra

There's this great feeling inside of me that something is very wrong with the world – that nothing is as it should be. That some sort of invisible, cosmic saboteur infiltrated the fabric of the universe and threw everything off-balance.

And the most frustrating part? I'm the only one who seems to notice.

"What's a guy gotta do to get some help around here?" hollers a customer from somewhere in the aisles of the gas station mini mart. He's been here for almost an hour. In that time, a handful of other customers have come and gone. But not him. What could possibly be in the hygiene aisle that requires a thirty-minute survey?

Moving around the check stand, I glance out the door where the night sky blankets the city and wish I was out there instead of in here plagued by rude patrons.

Making my way down the aisle, I find the customer – a wiry, seedy character with long, greasy hair hanging out from under his Chicago Cub's baseball cap. In his hands, he balances two different brands of toothbrushes and I find it wildly ironic as he chews his lip, revealing a handful of yellowed teeth.

"Can I help you?" I say, doing my best to plaster on a friendly smile that's so routine it's almost robotic.

"Yeah, uh, which brand, erm... What do you recommend for...?"

With an inward cringe, I point to the toothbrush in his right hand. "Maybe you should get some whitener to go with that."

He scowls – a mean, angry, haven't-had-a-date-in-a-year kind of scowl. "What are you trying to say?"

Suddenly, I realize he's probably not the kind of guy I should be antagonizing. Granted, he's not physically intimidating and I'm sure I could take him down, but little guys are scrappy and they don't fight fair. That can be dangerous.

I back off. "Nothing, man. I'd be happy to ring that up for you." I gesture to the toothbrush.

"Wait, no–" His eyes dart to the cash register behind me.

I narrow my eyes. "Why? What's going on?" Behind me, I hear the distinct sound of shuffling feet and crumpling paper

Spinning on my heel, my eyes fall on a guy in a black ski mask as he reaches into the cash register. Panic grips me when I realize I forgot to lock the drawer before coming to help this other guy. "Hey!" I shout as I move.

The guy in the ski mask looks up at me, bloodshot eyes peering through the holes in the fabric. He snarls and reaches to grab another handful of cash.

"Stop!" I cry as I launch myself toward him. I nearly slip on the linoleum floor, but then Toothbrush Guy tackles me from behind. He's on top of me, punching me and yelling at his friend to run away. I curl into the fetal position and do my best to fend off the guy's punches. He may be small, but he can move fast and his fists are like bullets railing against me before I even have time to process what's happening.

Finally, I find my strength and throw him off of me. His body slams against the aisle shelves with a grunt. We both scramble to our feet at the same time and stare each other down. Toothbrush Guy's eyes dart all over the place and just as I make a move toward him, he sprints for the exit.

Ramming through the glass door, I yell after him and chase him out into the parking lot, but the culprits are already peeling away in a gray minivan. All that remains is tire skids smoking on the pavement.

My chest heaves and I clamp a hand over the wound on my shoulder, feet glued to the sidewalk as I stare after them. Under the eerie glow of a single flickering street light, anger and defeat swell inside my chest.