Reader, Gamer, Odd Fellow
I’m a screenwriter and now, maybe, a novelist!
I think you can make this less wordy. Such as "...staring into headlights." Thus, the reader can infer it’s a vehicle from context. And headlights are used at nighttime. Thus the words vehicle and night are unnecessary.
he lights of a vehicle at night
I really like this phrase here because it forces the reader to imagine what the clothes looks like. But it makes the word "shabby" in the previous sentence redundant. Saying the clothes are shabby takes away the opportunity for imagination. But telling us his clothes had seen better days, gets the imagination going.
that had seen better days
I like how you haven’t stated the name of John’s home country, but you’ve left obvious clues. A good way to treat your readers: assuming they are intelligent readers.
