Bad luck

Harold kept himself an outcast for the most part, staying on the edges of society and trying his best to keep his human interaction to a minimum. He had learned from a young age that it didn't take much from him to have major impacts on people's lives, and that it was best he was extremely careful with whose life he touched. It didn't take much for him to make a permanent difference.

But he had to go into town from time to time in order to get food and other supplies, and it was about time for that journey. He did his best to keep a low profile as he did so, wearing very bland clothes and keeping his head forward and his eyes down, a hat pulled low to shade them. He went to the big discount stores with mass supplies - he was buying for months at a time. They were often crowded, and he did his best to keep to the edges and not run into anybody, but it was inevitable at times. Especially with the other kind of people who took that kind of a route.

It didn't take long for him to find a small crowd of teens in a corner, thinking they were hot shit as they kicked a boy folded up in the fetal position on the floor. Harold didn't want to get involved, he knew he shouldn't get involved, but when he saw things like that he couldn't help himself. He stomped his feet on the ground as he approached, making sure to draw their attention and hopefully give the boy a chance to escape. Though he knew the kid wouldn't - it wasn't the first time he'd seen a situation like this.

Before any of them could speak out at him, he lifted the hat off of his head, revealing the deeply scarred and pupil-less left eye. The look of disgust and terror spread over their faces like wildfire, as he knew it would, and with another step forward they were bolting. They thought they were big and tough, but they didn't want anything to do with someone who had been through something like he had been. Typical.

He crouched next to the kid, who was shaking and holding his stomach, eyes closed tight. "Get up, kid," Harold muttered. "They're gone. They can't hurt you now."

The kid slowly opened his eyes to look up at him, the fear in his eyes only amplified when he saw Harold's. But he couldn't say no to the outstretched hand that pulled him up to his feet. It was clear he wasn't sure what to say, but he left without a word as Harold ushered.

Harold looked down at his hand, feeling the energy rush through him as it had so many times before. That kid had been real unlucky. Harold wondered how much worse he was gonna get.