"On this shrunken globe, men can no longer live as strangers." Adlai E. Stevenson
Matt had been working at the 7-11 every summer for the past three years. This would be his final summer working here considering that at the end of August he was off to college.
He wasn't exactly sad to see his summer job go. Things at the 7-11 were as dull as could be. The same people came in and bought the same things. Occasionally he would see someone he knew and they would stop and chat for a while. But most of his days were spent behind the cash register counting the minutes until he could go home.
Before Matt had started working at the 7-11, there had been a robbery. Two guys with guns came bursting through the doors, screaming for money and waving their weapons all over the place. They had taken all the money in the register and two large sodas before running out.
Oh how Matt wished he could have been working that day. The most exciting thing that had ever happened while he was on duty was Mrs. Anderson had had a seizure a year ago. He was frozen to the spot as other people took charge.
And this Tuesday was like every other day. He came in and gave a casual wave at the other employees. They were all almost twenty years older than him and total losers so Matt never talked to any one of them. He didn't even know their names.
Two hours after his shift started, two people entered into the store. Matt looked up from the Sudoku game he had been playing on his phone underneath the counter.
He didn't recognize either of them which was quite strange. He usually knew every face that came through here. In a town of fifteen thousand, one got to know names and faces pretty quickly.
Must be tourists, he thought to himself and tried to ignore that feeling that there was something off about the two strangers.
Matt didn't return to his Sudoku game, but kept his eyes on the newcomers.
There was a significant age difference between the two. One looked barely in his mid-twenties while the taller male was in his early fifties, possibly older. The older one kept his aged hand wrapped firmly around the younger's bicep and seemed to be leading him around like a little puppy.
The younger one also had a faded bruise on his jaw. His shirt sleeves hitched up a little as the younger one turned and Matt was sure he saw what looked like scars that could only come from handcuffs.
And the way the younger one flinched whenever his partner or Dad or whatever he was moved too quickly. It reminded Matt very much of a girl in his sophomore year. She had been abused by her father and he remembered seeing her flinch whenever he came near her. She had moved away before Matt could ever report his suspicions.
That guilt that he had let a girl continue to be abused by her father never left his heart. And now here he was, watching the same situation unfold before him.
Matt's mother had always taught him to go with his gut instinct. He had a feeling in his gut that his brother was unhappy and sure enough, his brother was hospitalized for slashing his own wrists open. He had a gut feeling that he had gotten a bad SAT score and sure enough, they were horrible.
And he had a gut feeling that the young man before him was in a terrible place as long as he was with the older man.
Matt casually reached underneath the counter and pressed the button that would alert the police that they needed help. He had never had to use it, but had always wanted to. Matt had fantasized countless times that there were robbers in front of him, holding a girl hostage and he had been the one who alerted the police. His fantasies always ended with him and the girl getting happily married.
And she was super-hot of course.
But now this was reality and there was no hot girl for him to save. Just a skinny kid who looked absolutely petrified.
With the police hopefully on their way, Matt felt a surge of confidence. He was going to save this man. The teenage cashier could barely keep the smile off his face.
"You going to help us?" a voice brought Matt out of his day dream of him receiving an award from the mayor for his brave efforts. He looked and there was the man with the skinnier one practically cowering behind him.
Now that Matt was closer, he could see how freaking scary the old man was. His eyes looked like they could pierce through Matt's soul and despite his age, the man was surprisingly muscular.
And the younger man looked even worse up close. Matt could see that he was missing two fingernails from each hand. There were scratches and bruises decorating what little skin was visible. His shirt collar dipped down a little to reveal what looked like a burn.
Matt winced in sympathy.
"Yes, I'm sorry," Matt said quickly, not wanting the man's anger to be directed onto him. He wasn't so sure he could handle it. He could barely handle being yelled at by his mother for not picking up his dirty soccer uniform.
Matt took his time ringing up the man's items. As he looked up, he saw the young man looking at him with a type of pleading in his big eyes.
Help me! He seemed to scream at the teenager.
The police are on their way, Matt tried to say back and from the relieved look on the other's face, he was sure his message got across.
And soon enough, sirens could be heard in the distance as they sped their way towards the 7-11.
"What did you do?" growled the scary stranger as he grasped the younger one by his shirt and practically lifted him a few inches off the ground.
"Nothing!" the man whispered, his voice sounding frail compared to his captor's.
"Hey! You can't do that here!" Matt growled, pushing aside his fear and selfish instinct that screamed at him to run and save himself. He had that girl get abused, he had let his brother hurt himself, he was not going to let this man hurt anyone else.
Matt hopped over the counter and tackled the older man. The younger one broke free from his captor's grip and scrambled away.
Matt punched the man right in the face three times before the man's nose broke. A few more punches and he was out for the count.
"Holy crap," Matt whispered looking down at the man he had just punched into unconsciousness. He stood up, his hands shaking all the while. Matt turned and saw the man he had just saved. "I'm Matt."
"I'm Dr. Spencer Reid," he said with a genuine smile. "But you can call me Reid."
"Is this your dad?" Matt asked, gesturing to the man who was bleeding on the floor.
"No. I work for the FBI and this man kidnapped me on one of our cases. That was three weeks ago and he was planning on taking me to Europe after we stopped here for food. If that had happened, I don't think I would have ever been found," Reid said, his voice growing into a soft whisper.
"Dang," Matt said.
The police cars were in the parking lot now with cops running to the front doors. As they entered in, one looked at Matt and the body on the ground before he demanded, "What's going on here?"
Matt quickly explained the situation with a little help from his new found friend Dr. Spencer Reid who was sitting on the ground looking in complete shock. The other employees of the 7-11 were all huddled in a corner watching the scene unfold. Every single one of them were shaking.
"Yeah, I remember hearing about you. We've got your picture back at the station. Some guy in a suit came in and told us to keep an eye out for you might be in this area," one cop said. Reid's captor was already in handcuffs and starting to stir. "Never thought it be Baggins here…"
"You never do," Reid said. He then turned his attention to Matt. "Can I borrow your phone?"
"What? Oh sure," Matt said and handed the young doctor his slightly cracked iPhone.
"Did you drop it?" Reid asked.
"Multiple times."
Reid gave a small smile and then he dialed a number quickly with shaking anticipation. Matt wondered if he was calling his mother or father. Someone out there had to care about this young man; someone had to be worried about him. If there wasn't anyone then Matt thought his heart might break from pity.
"Hey Garcia…can you come get me? I don't know…alright great. I'm fine, just a little beat up…alright a lot beat up," Reid said into the phone, his lips twitching into a smile.
Matt smiled too and turned away to leave the doctor to his privacy. A part of him wondered what would have happened if he had simply let the doctor leave with his captor. What if he hadn't called the police or beat up the man…
But his mother had also taught him to not look back in anger or wonder, but simply to look around himself.
About thirty minutes after Reid had finished his conversation on Matt's phone, two black SUVs pulled up into the parking lot. A few cops remained with Reid, but mostly everyone had left with the excitement of the moment dying away.
Matt had remained sitting next to Reid on the ground. Reid refused to call for an ambulance until his team arrived. The two had sat in silence, but Matt had felt that they had grown closer in that closer than they ever would have by talking.
Out of the black SUVs came running a group of people that Matt could only imagine as Reid's team. There was an intimidating black man, a man with a suit, a man with an impressive goatee, a pretty hot blonde chick, a stern looking woman and a woman who didn't look like she belonged in the FBI at all but rather in a circus.
The second they entered the 7-11, Reid stood up and was nearly crying as he embraced each and every one of them. They were all talking about things Matt couldn't understand. Something the profile and an Unsub.
Reid kept telling them it wasn't their fault and that he was fine.
Finally, the man in the suit asked, "How did you get away from Baggins?"
Reid turned and gave Matt a smile. "He tackled Baggins and knocked him out cold. He also alerted the police."
The suit man took a few steps towards Matt who stood awkwardly with his 7-11 uniform and hands shoved in his pockets. "What's your name?"
"Matt."
"And how old are you?"
"Eighteen, but I turn nineteen in a month!"
The man in the suit gave a very small smile, but it changed his whole demeanor into a much warmer man. "You are a very brave man."
"I just had a feeling. My mom always taught me to go with my gut," Matt said with a slight shrug, feeling uncomfortable with the attention on him.
"Very wise of her to say that."
And then the brightly dressed woman broke free from the rest of the group. She wrapped her arms around Matt and nearly choked him, "Thank you for saving my Junior G-Man."
"No problem."
The woman released him and Reid's team said something about heading to a hospital. The black man assisted Reid into the black SUV across the parking lot.
Once the young doctor turned back and gave a small wave. Matt waved back.
He was truly glad that the young doctor had people who cared for him probably more than a family ever would.
Matt looked around and thought, Maybe this isn't such a bad job after all.
"There are no strangers here; only friends you haven't met yet." William Butler Yeats
Author's Note: I am a big fan of outsider POV and decided I add my own contribution. I apologize if this was "unrealistic" in the procedures or whatnot. My knowledge is very limited. Other than that, hope this was worth your time!