The most dangerous prisoner in the jail was mocking a poor old man who had recently started working as a janitor: but the prisoner couldn’t even imagine who that old man really was and what he was capable of.
The most dangerous prisoner in the jail was mocking a poor old man who had recently started working as a janitor: but the prisoner couldn’t even imagine who that old man really was and what he was capable of.
Everyone in that prison knew him.
A huge, muscular prisoner named Markus had long been considered the most dangerous man among all the criminals locked up there. Nearly two meters tall, with a menacing gaze, arms covered in tattoos, and his fits of rage were so frequent that even the guards avoided provoking him.
The other prisoners avoided crossing his path.
If Markus occupied a table, no one dared sit there. If he didn’t like something, he could start a fight right there in the prison yard. In recent years, he’d been transferred several times from one prison to another because he was always causing trouble.
Therefore, the appearance of a new janitor became a source of ridicule for many.
The old man’s name was Walter.
At first glance, he looked over seventy. Thin, hunched over, short in stature, with sparse gray hair and thick glasses. He walked slowly, with a slight limp, leaning on an old mop as if it were a cane.
Nobody really knew where it had come from.
Rumors circulated that he had previously worked as a security guard and, after his wife’s death, had been left completely alone. His pension barely covered his living expenses, so he accepted a job at the prison. There was always a shortage of cleaning staff there, and not many were willing to work among dangerous criminals.
Management decided to give him a chance.
Every morning she arrived before everyone else, cleaned quietly, took out the trash, cleaned the dining room, and never argued with anyone.
At first glance it seemed completely harmless.
The prisoners quickly found a new victim for their taunts.
Some people deliberately threw garbage in front of him.
Others tried to trip him up.
Several people laughed out loud at how slowly he was moving.
—Hey, grandpa, can you even see anything with those glasses?
—Be careful, don’t get lost yourself.
—Wouldn’t it be better for you to go to a nursing home?
Each time, the old man simply continued working in silence and did not respond. That’s why they mocked him even more.
One day, during lunch, the dining room was full.
Hundreds of prisoners were sitting, banging on metal trays and talking loudly.
Markus, along with his friends, occupied a large table in the center of the room.
As always, there was empty space around him. Nobody wanted to accidentally brush against the dangerous prisoner.
At that moment, Walter was calmly sweeping the floor between the tables. He moved slowly, picking up the trash after lunch.
As he passed near Markus’s table, the old man accidentally touched his shoe with the dirty mop.
That was enough. Markus jumped up.
The dining room fell silent instantly.
—What are you doing, you old idiot?!
The old man jumped and quickly adjusted his glasses.
—Sorry, it was an accident…
But Markus was no longer listening.
“You blind old man! Can you see where you’re going?”
Laughter began all around him.
—Why don’t they buy him a guide dog?
—Or a new brain!
Markus stepped forward.
—Get out of here and don’t get in my way.
After that, he roughly pushed the old man in the chest.
Walter lost his balance. The mop flew out of his hands. And the old man fell to the floor right next to the table.
The room erupted in laughter. Some even applauded.
Walter remained seated on the floor for a few seconds, then slowly stood up.
He adjusted his glasses, picked up the mop, and looked at Markus. And then the old man did something that left the entire prison in complete shock. The continuation of this story can be found in the first comment.
The old man carefully leaned the mop against the wall and took off his glasses.
At that moment some noticed something strange.
Despite his age, his movements suddenly became sure and surprisingly light.
As if all the weakness they had seen in recent weeks had disappeared.
Markus also frowned.
—What’s wrong, grandpa, are you offended?
The old man looked calmly into his eyes.
—If I were you, I would stop.
At those words, the dining room erupted in laughter.
—Now he’s threatening people too! —The old man’s crazy!
—Markus, show him his place!
The giant took a step forward.
Then another one.
—And what are you going to do to me?
The old man sighed with difficulty.
—I didn’t want it to come to this.
Markus abruptly raised his arm to push him again.
But the next second something incredible happened.
No one ever understood exactly what happened.
The old man instantly moved to the side.
His hand quickly and precisely touched a specific point on Markus’s neck.
The movement was so fast that many didn’t even notice it.
The enormous prisoner remained motionless.
The smile disappeared from her face.
He took a step back.
Then another one.
And then his eyes rolled back, and the two-meter giant fell to the ground with his full weight.
An absolute silence filled the entire dining room.
Hundreds of prisoners watched the scene with their mouths agape.
Some even dropped their trays.
Nobody could believe what they were seeing.
The man whom everyone considered a helpless old man had just knocked out the most dangerous prisoner with a single move.
Within seconds, the guards ran towards Markus.
He was already recovering, but he seemed completely disoriented.
I didn’t even understand what had happened.
The prison director personally went down to the dining room.
And then the truth was revealed.
Many years ago, Walter had been an international master of sambo and judo.
After the army, he worked for more than twenty years as an instructor in a special police unit, training officers in self-defense techniques.
His students won national championships, and some went on to become special forces instructors.
After his retirement, he lost his wife and lived alone for a long time.
When the prison was looking for a janitor, Walter accepted the job simply because he didn’t want to stay home doing nothing.