The Decoder - Chapter 11

Avery

Avery eyed the narrow and dimly lit street around him, taking note of its residence who cowered away at the sight of him. At the sight of his Elite uniform, they feared him and avoided eye contact at all cost. Avery heaved a sigh, trying to ignore their sentiments toward him as he had come to Eder Street not to wreak havoc, but to spy on Edith. Spy wasn’t really the right word, but he had no other words for it that befitted the current situation.

Avery had spotted Edith walking down the street from the City Square. It wasn’t the weekend and employees of Militia were not allowed to leave the Militia compound. So, how did Edith manage it? Second time no doubt. The first time, he had spotted her when he was exploring every nook and cranny of Eder Street, trying to locate Kyron House. He had seen her entering an apartment from far and the discovery of which apartment she had entered had rendered him speechless. She knew about the Hathagian refugees. Questions swarmed in his mind, questions he desperately needed answers to. But how was he going to get his answers when the person in question was avoiding him like as if he was a parasite.

It bothered him and he had tried to seek after Edith, but she had a knack for keeping herself busy and out of sight. She had kept her lunch hours shorter than usual and sat as far away from him. Avery was at his limit and he felt miserable. He knew the news of his betrothment had surprised Edith and the fact that he hadn’t told her when he had the chance made him feel extra guilty. Avery craved her company and had decided if he couldn’t speak to her in the Militia, he would do so at her uncle’s clinic on weekend and explain everything to her. Right now, his duty came first even if that duty involved Edith.

Avery trailed after Edith while trying to keep a distance as she quickened her pace down the street, no doubt heading to Eder Street, to Kyron House.

“It’s quite a mystery, eh? How did she even sneak out of the Militia?” Lucien asked beside him. For tonight, Lucien, his partner, joined him on this assignment. Usually, Lucien would patrol around Aven Street and Bren Street, but tonight was different. He had free time to spare, so he decided to accompany Avery, to which Avery appreciated it. It had been a while since he had conducted his night duties with Lucien.

“Indeed. And we are going to find out tonight.” Avery said as they entered Eder Street boundary, keeping a distance from Edith as to not create suspicions. The last thing Avery wanted was to be discovered by Edith.

Avery paused at a lamp post when Edith stopped in front of Kyron House and waited. He stepped into a dark alley and pressed himself against the wall. Lucien followed suit. After a short moment, Avery peeked out from the corner of the alley and watched Edith descend the short stairs. Another man stepped out of the apartment and he pulled her by the arm, crossing the narrow street and disappeared into another dark alley.

At the sight, unexpected rage simmered within him, making his blood boil. Who is that man? Was he Edith’s secret lover? The thought of it made Avery stepped out of hiding spot, but Lucien held fast on his arm, pulling him back to their hiding spot.

“Calm down.” Lucien said. Avery took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his boiling nerves. He was good at controlling his emotions, but jealousy was never one of them.

“If we ambush them now, we will never find the answers we seek.” Lucien continued and released Avery’s arm.

“Yes.” Avery nodded and peeked out once more though Edith and the man were not in sight. Uninvited thoughts came creeping into his imagination. What if the man was Edith’s secret lover? What if he was touching her all over now while Avery and Lucien hid in anticipation? Avery was beginning to see red and it took all his rationality and strength to calm himself down and brushed away those wild thoughts. Stay calm, do not jump to conclusions, he reminded himself.

“I think we should get closer.” Avery said. For the sake of watching over Edith. He couldn’t bear the thought of the man running his hands all over her.

“There’s another alley facing diagonally opposite of the alley they are in. We could blend in with the darkness.” Lucien said and stepped out of their hiding spot. He quickly and swiftly crossed to the said alley, going unnoticed. Avery followed after a moment. From their new hiding spot, Avery could see Edith and the man clearer. They were sitting on a set of stairs, their heads bent in conversation, but kept at a respectful distance. Edith hugged her knees to her chest as she listened to whatever the man was saying to her. Avery let out a sigh of relieve. At least the man was not groping her.

“Do you recognise that man?” Lucien asked beside him. Avery wasn’t sure either, but he squinted his eyes, trying to take a closer look. It was difficult to tell in the limited amount of light, but the man looked to be older than both him and Edith and his stubble was unkempt. Avery tried harder, the man was familiar, but for the life of him, he couldn’t recall that man.

“I don’t recognise the man.” Avery answered.

“I wonder what their conversation is about. It’s taking some time; don’t you think?” Lucien tapped his boot and crossed his arms. A sudden gust of freezing wind blew, and Avery was thankful for the bundle of clothes he was wearing, and his scarf. He tucked the scarf upwards to cover the bottom half of his face, shielding it from the cold.

Avery looked over at Edith and the man again and saw that they have both stood. She rubbed her hands and placed them at her mouth. As Avery continued to watch them, Edith threw her arms around the man’s waist, giving him a hug. Avery could feel his body trembled in anger and fisted his hands. No, hugging is normal. Stay calm, Avery, he reminded himself again and hid in the darkness of the alley when Edith and the man moved away from each other. She bid the man farewell and began her journey upwards, back to the Militia while the man returned to the apartment. She walked past their hiding spot, seemingly unaware of their presence. Avery had every mind to step out of their hiding spot, grab her arm and interrogate her this second, but reminded himself of Lucien’s words.

“Let’s go.” Lucien said quietly, stepping out of their hiding spot when Edith was at a certain distance ahead of them. Avery obliged and followed closely behind his friend.

“Do you think we should approach her now?” Lucien asked when they stepped into Dastren Street boundary. The large cobblestoned street was empty and eerily quiet. They kept their pace as Avery contemplated if it was the right time for them to approach Edith now.

However, that contemplation disappeared when a masked bandit appeared from an alley and hauled Edith from behind. She struggled, but the bandit was much bigger and taller than her. He tried to pull her back to the alley where he had appeared from, his hand over Edith’s mouth. She kicked frantically at the bandit, but it was useless.

“What the—"

Avery was ahead of Lucien now, drawing his pistol from its sheath at his hip and yelled when he was a few paces away from Edith and the bandit.

“Stop right there!”

The bandit froze at his current position and Edith glanced to her right, at him. Her eyes a mixture of fear and relief.

“Release the lady.” Avery said icily, pointing the barrel of his pistol at the bandit.

“And what if I don’t?” The bandit challenged.

“Then I will pull the trigger without hesitation.” Avery countered, his eyes darting between the bandit and Edith. He meant his word. It wasn’t the first time Avery had pulled the trigger of his pistol during his night duties and this will not be the last either. If the bandit was daring him, the bandit will be sorry that he ever challenged Avery.

The bandit made no move to release Edith, but she had done the job herself when she lifted her leg and brought her heel down onto the bandit’s right boot as much force she could mustered. The bandit yelled in pain and momentarily released his grip on her. Edith pushed herself away from the bandit at that moment and made a dash towards Avery’s direction.

“Come back here, you wrench!” The bandit yelled and tried to catch her, but Avery was not the type to dillydally when he sensed danger. When he spoke his threat, he meant every word of it. He pulled the trigger of his pistol, the deafening sound echoed throughout the empty street. The bullet hit the bandit squarely on his right shoulder and he fell to the cold ground, yelling in agony, and then moaning.

Lucien patted Avery’s shoulder and rushed to bound the bandit’s hands with a rope Avery wasn’t sure where Lucien had procured. Avery let out a breath he did not realised he had been holding and focused his attention on Edith who was frozen in place. He had expected her to come running to his side, but that wasn’t the case. She remained at her spot, staring straight ahead. Had she noticed something Avery did not? He glanced over his shoulder, but an empty street greeted him. Worry knotted at his stomach when he noticed Edith was trembling, from head to toe.

“Edie? Are you alright?” Avery rushed forward and stood before her, towering over her. The top of her head barely reached his shoulders. She did not respond, and he noticed her eyes were glazed, unfocused. She was staring into nothingness. Fear and sorrow etched on her ashen face.

“Edith? Please say something. You’re scaring me.” Avery gripped both of her shoulders and gave a light shake, but she was unresponsive. Panic began to take root when suddenly she slumped into his arms, and he held her steady.

“Is she alright?” Lucien asked once he was finished bounding the bandit’s hands.

“No. Something is not right.” Avery replied and realised she was still trembling vigorously. He could only think of one solution. Uncle Vern’s clinic was not far and without a second thought, Avery bent and carried Edith into his arms.

“I’m bringing her to her uncle’s clinic. Please go ahead without me.” Avery called over his shoulder as he ascended the street, running as fast as he could with Edith in his arms. She clutched his coat tightly and mumbled one sentence. A sentence that brought a pang of sadness to his heart.

“Father…don’t leave…me.”

He felt sorrow at her words. The weight it carried spoke deep volumes of how much she missed her father. He missed Sir Alcoft as well, whom he owed with all his heart for the kindness he had shown on that fateful night eleven years ago. What had triggered her sudden reaction? The previous time she was mugged, she wasn’t perturbed by it at all. But, now…

Avery lowered Edith to the ground, so he could knock on the door while his left arm clutched her tightly to his chest. When there was no response, he knocked again for good measure. After a short moment, he heard the door unlatched and swung opened. Uncle Vern eyed him groggily and widened at the sight of Edith who was in between consciousness and unconsciousness.

“Sorry to bother you at this hour, uncle. But Edith seems to be in between consciousness, and she is trembling terribly.” Avery spoke in between breaths.

“How did this happen?” Uncle Vern asked as he motioned for Avery to enter.

“She was mugged by a bandit and I stopped the bandit by shooting him.” Avery carried Edith in his arms again and entered the clinic’s threshold as Uncle Vern closed the door behind them.

“Shoot? You pulled the trigger of your gun?” Uncle Vern asked, his voice laced with disbelief.

“Yes. That’s the only—”

“Bring her to her room immediately.” Uncle Vern cut in and led the way to the second floor of the clinic, which Avery believed was their quarters. They ascended onto a small hallway and Uncle Vern opened the door to her room which was located to Avery’s right.

He lay Edith on her bed gently while her uncle pulled a drawer at the corner, grabbing a small bottle which contained pills and sat on the edge of her bed.

“Could you bring a glass of water?” Uncle Vern asked without looking at him.

Avery obeyed instantly when he eyed a pitcher and a glass on a small low table at the centre of the room. He poured a glass and waited for Uncle Vern who was halfway lifting Edith’s trembling body to a sitting position, his arms around her shoulders to support her.

“Edith, dear. You’re going to be alright. Please swallow this pill.” Uncle Vern said softly and popped a pill into her mouth. Avery immediately handed the glass over and Uncle Vern positioned the glass at her lips before tilting the contents of the glass into her mouth. Avery watched the movement of Edith’s throat as she swallowed the pill.

Uncle Vern laid the glass on the bedside table and hugged Edith in his arms, rocking her gently like a baby.

“There, there. You’ll be alright.”

When she seemed to calm down finally, her trembling finally easing, Uncle Vern gently lay her on her bed and pulled the blanket up to her chest. She appeared to be sleeping, her expression serene, unlike earlier when it was filled with fear, sorrow and anxiety.

“What happened?” Avery asked, trying to gauge the situation he had just witnessed. He had never seen Edith reacted this way before.

“She must not hear gunshots, especially nearby ones. She has a very strong reaction when she hears one. It’s a trauma, I believe was caused on the night her father was shot.” Uncle Vern explained warily.

“This is not the first time. She has had this episode five times, including today.” Uncle Vern continued as he stood.

“Please stay for the night. You may use the guest room downstairs. Thank you for bringing her here.” Uncle Vern placed a hand on Avery’s broad shoulder.

“Thank you for your generosity.” Avery forced a small smile before Uncle Vern left the room and moved to sit at the edge of the bed. He removed his gloves and brushed a stray hair off Edith’s face and cupped the side of her head. He finally understood and it made him want to protect her all the more. He couldn’t imagine the degree of fear and the loss of someone she loved dearly. It must have impacted her very deeply. If only he was there for her eight years ago, she may not have to suffer all of this alone. He would make sure to never pull the trigger of a gun around her again and made sure she wasn’t near one. It seemed ironic that his own father was murdered as well, but the everlasting feeling and effect that came with it wasn’t of love or longing, but vengeance.

“I’m sorry, Edie. For not being by your side eight years ago.” Avery whispered and bent to place a kiss on her forehead.

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