Last Straw
This was the last straw. Tommy watched the teen’s eyes dart towards his bag.
His old military training was itching to get used, but he knew he could snap the boy in two like it was nothing if he wasn’t careful.
He had to keep his anger under control, but the teenager was doing things that didn’t seem safe. He was becoming a threat.
Staring At Each Other
The two of them stared eachother down. Neither is making the first move. Tommy had already made it apparent that he would protect himself and anyone else on the train if the teenager tried anything.
All eyes were on them, but the atmosphere in the train was only getting more tense by the second.
Then, the teen did the unthinkable.
Reaching For It
The teenager didn’t hide his anger and rage very well. He was clenching his fists, his eyes darting across the cabin of the train. Then they landed on the bag again.
Then, without warning, he started reaching for it. It was as if he made an educated guess as to what was inside of it.
Tommy didn’t exactly look like a normal civilian.
Everyone Could Guess
Everyone in the train compartment could have guessed what Tommy had inside of his bag. The ex-military man looked just like the soldiers they see in movies. He was fit, had a shrewd look in his eyes, and wore cargo pants and a duffel bag.
The teenager seemed to be taking a risk, assuming that whatever he would find inside the bag would give him an edge.
But he was going to learn a costly lesson.
Soldier’s Reflexes
Tommy saw the boy moving at tremendous speed to grab onto his duffle bag. But Tommy was trained for circumstances like this. He grabbed the duffel bag, and the two struggled over it.
The boy managed to grab the zip, and the force Tommy pulled unzipped the bag and sent the contents flying.
He landed on his back on the floor while the boy landed back on his seat.
Picking It Up
The teen had landed in a much more advantageous position than Tommy and was much closer to the duffel bag than he was. But the contents of the bag had already spilled out for everyone on the train to see.
The teen saw the glint of metal and lunged forward. Grabbing it while Tommy recovered from his fall.
But he had no idea who he was messing with.
Having The Advantage
By the time Tommy had managed to recover from his fall and look up, the boy was already standing high and mighty with the item from his duffel bag.
Everyone else screamed in terror, but Tommy kept his cool.
He smiled at the teen and got up. He didn’t know how much experience the war veteran had. He wasn’t afraid.
Tommy Byron
Tommy Byron had lived and seen a lot in his experienced life. He walked past civilians on the New York streets every day, knowing he had lived twice the lives they had.
He didn’t judge them, though. Someone had to go out and fight.
But the years in the throngs of war didn’t stay behind him when he came home. The demons always lingered.
War Hero
Even though Tommy wouldn’t be caught dead calling himself a war hero, others would have disagreed.
There were things that he had done that most other soldiers didn’t have the stomach for.
It was just in his nature. Tommy would lunge into danger if he thought it would save his comrades. He looked out for everyone.
Serving His Country
Tommy spent over five years in Afghanistan, serving multiple tours. He was a talented individual who quickly rose from private to sergeant.
He loved the military. He was keeping his country safe.
But it would all come to an end when his deployment was driving on a dusty road one day. Tommy could remember it vividly.
Waking Up
Tommy, who was the gunner sitting on top of the Humvee, cried out to the driver that he saw something on the road, but it was too late.
He remembered the intense shockwave as he was flung from the vehicle and onto the side of the road.
When he regained consciousness, he looked over at the road and saw a charred and burnt vehicle. But it was so much worse.
Lost His Squad
Tommy had jumped into danger so many times before, but this time was different. He had lost squad mates, but never all of them at once, and in such a horrific way.
He was found by a helicopter that airlifted him to a field hospital. Tommy spent two months in hospital, being treated for burns, lacerations, and head trauma.
When he was finally released, he got a call from his superior.
Unfit For Duty
A meeting was arranged to see his superior officer. Once he got there, they told him something that shattered his heart. He was being discharged from the military. He was unfit for duty.
They thanked him for his service and offered him a desk job, but he declined. He was going to head home to New York City.
A Place he hadn’t been to for a long time. But there, he would be reminded of why he left.
Going Back Home
Tommy had been back in New York for a few months and already felt the reason why he had left. He left for the military to protect people because he sometimes felt unsafe in the city.
Now, he was back in that city, but he felt more equipped than when he had left as a scared teen.
But he still hadn’t fully recovered from his incident in Afghanistan.
Finding Odd Jobs
Tommy found odd jobs while he recovered from his wounds. He took the train every day to get to his small apartment. But one day, he would see something that didn’t sit right with him.
He was riding the train, just like any other day, when he noticed something. A teenage boy was sitting on the bench with a hood on. But he didn’t look very happy. He reminded him of his son.
He didn’t get to see him much anymore since he lived with his previous marriage.
Something Off
Tommy sat down next to the boy and tried his best to ignore him. But he could tell that something was off. He decided to keep a close eye on the boy in case he did anything wrong.
But his mere presence seemed to stir a reaction in the teenager. It was as if he took offense to the way Tommy looked and what he stood for.
But that wasn’t the only thing he was looking at.
His Duffel Bag
Ever since he sat down, he noticed that the boy had his eyes glued to the duffel bag that he carried everywhere.
He felt safer when it was with him since he carried all of his personal items.
He normally clutched it tightly, but today, he would make the mistake of leaving it on the seat next to him. It would end in tragedy.
Everybody Noticed It
It seemed that Tommy wasn’t the only one who noticed the angry boy on the train. An old woman approached him and asked if she could sit in his seat since it was a packed train.
The boy looked up at the old woman and said, “Trust me, you don’t want to sit here.”
No one could believe that he could be so careless and unkind. But things were about to escalate.
Wishing He Could Give Up His Seat
Tommy considered giving up his own seat for the old woman, but there were two problems with that.
The first was that he himself was disabled from his injuries and needed to sit down, and even if that wasn’t a problem, he wanted to stay close to the boy.
He wanted to make sure that the boy couldn’t try anything. But he had no idea that his efforts would end up being in vain anyway.
Anger Rising
The boy was getting angrier by the second, just sitting next to Tommy. He had never seen the boy before in his life, yet he caused him offense.
Tommy was ready to spring into action if anything happened.
But the ex-soldier had no idea what was going to happen to him once the boy got the drop on him.
Military Training
This was the last straw. Tommy watched the teen’s eyes dart towards his bag.
His old military training was itching to get used, but he knew he could snap the boy in two like it was nothing if he wasn’t careful.
He had to keep his anger under control, but the teenager was doing things that didn’t seem safe. He was becoming a threat.
Staring Match
The two of them stared each other down. Neither is making the first move.
Tommy had already made it apparent that he would protect himself and anyone else on the train if the teenager tried anything.
All eyes were on them, but the atmosphere in the train was only getting more tense by the second. Then, the teen did the unthinkable.
What Was Inside?
The teenager didn’t hide his anger and rage very well. He was clenching his fists, his eyes darting across the cabin of the train. Then they landed on the bag again.
Then, without warning, he started reaching for it. It was as if he made an educated guess as to what was inside of it.
Tommy didn’t exactly look like a normal civilian.
A Military Man
Everyone in the train compartment could have guessed what Tommy had inside of his bag. The ex-military man looked just like the soldiers they see in movies.
He was fit, had a shrewd look in his eyes, and wore cargo pants and a duffel bag.
The teenager seemed to be taking a risk, assuming that whatever he would find inside the bag would give him an edge. But he was going to learn a costly lesson.
Struggle
Tommy saw the boy moving at tremendous speed to grab onto his duffle bag. But Tommy was trained for circumstances like this. He grabbed the duffel bag, and the two struggled over it.
The boy managed to grab the zip, and the force Tommy pulled unzipped the bag and sent the contents flying.
He landed on his back on the floor while the boy landed back on his seat.
Grabbing Something
The teen had landed in a much more advantageous position than Tommy and was much closer to the duffel bag than he was. But the contents of the bag had already spilled out for everyone on the train to see.
The teen saw the glint of metal and lunged forward. Grabbing it while Tommy recovered from his fall.
But he had no idea who he was messing with.
Wasn’t Afraid
By the time Tommy had managed to recover from his fall and look up, the boy was already standing high and mighty with the item from his duffel bag.
Everyone else screamed in terror, but Tommy kept his cool.
He smiled at the teen and got up. He didn’t know how much experience the war veteran had. He wasn’t afraid.
Confusion
The boy was holding the metal object and said, “Stay down. You aren’t going to hurt anyone.” But that’s when he felt confused the most. Did the boy think he was a threat to the people?
“What are you talking about? I’m stopping you from hurting anyone.”
The two exchanged glances, and then the boy noticed what he was actually holding.
Heat Of The Moment
In the heat of the moment, he thought that he was holding a pistol, but it was no more than a metal showerhead. He was on his way to fix a broken faucet that morning for some extra cash.
The confused boy explained that he thought, by Tommy’s looks, he was some kind of terrorist, especially with the duffel bag.
But now he could see that Tommy was nothing more than a normal guy.
Making Amends
Tommy laughed. That’s what he must have meant when he told the old lady earlier that she didn’t want to sit there. He laughed it off and put his things back in his duffel bag.
“I hope you’ve learned a lesson, mister. You can’t act so irrationally even if you think I might have been a bad guy.
People could have been hurt.” He said. The boy apologized, and the two made amends.