The Decoder - Chapter 2

Avery

Taking a stroll in Cyel Street wasn’t Avery’s idea. If it weren’t for Lucien Knox’s persistent persuasion, he wouldn’t even thought of coming here. It was crowded with people and he disliked crowded places. He disliked the silent judgements from the passersby. All because of his uniform that marked him as an ‘Elite’ and his hideous scar. Though by now, he ought to get used to it after so many years. There were times, he wished he could hide in his own comfort zone, his own solace.

“Let’s enjoy ourselves tonight! I pray there won’t be any trouble.” Lucien beamed like a little boy. He was Avery’s only close friend and the only person he trusted. When he joined The Militia eight years ago, Lucien was the only person who approached him with open arms, and Avery was grateful for that. Just like him, Lucien was an Elite, too. They had graduated with high scores, top of their class and High Commander Mason Ekker had been very proud. He hadn’t known much about Lucien’s background as each time he tried his luck, Lucien chose to dodge the questions about his past, just like Avery himself.

“Where is Kye?” Avery sighed.

“At the Militia quarters. He refused to leave the Militia grounds tonight. Said he was too exhausted by the week’s endless training.” Lucien chuckled at the end of his sentence.

“Let’s go—”

Avery’s sentence was cut short when someone bumped into him and the person had taken the fall instead of him. What surprised him more was the person who bumped him was a woman, she looked to be around his age. He had heard the slight wince from her mouth, and he instantly felt guilty. He extended his gloved hand to her, but she quickly rose to her feet, and the horror in her eyes that widened at the sight of him before her, eyes that were a brilliant hazel and oddly familiar that he was reminded of a certain childhood friend. There was no mistaking it. It was obvious she was taking in the sight of his uniform.

Ah…Another person, Avery thought, and he lowered his hand to his side. Oddly enough, he did not feel anything, not a single disappointment or hurt. Well, if he was entirely honest with himself, he did feel a pang of disappointment and hurt. He was used to this. He needed to put on his poker face, and everything will be alright.

The woman looked past him at something he couldn’t quite discern. She apologised once more and left the street in a haste, to keep her distance from him.

“That was unexpected.” Lucien commented, watching the woman retreating down the street. To Avery, it was just an accident, and he couldn’t be bothered by it.

Just when they were about to continue exploring, something caught his eye. He glanced at the glinting necklace on the ground and crouched to pick it up. It was a simple necklace with a small star pendant, the size of half of his palm. It must’ve belonged to the woman who bumped into him and he wondered how he should return it to her. Suddenly, a scream was heard, and Avery immediately perked up, his eyes scanning the street like a wolf. He stuffed the necklace into his coat’s pocket, forgetting about it altogether.

“Damn…Just when I hope there’s no trouble tonight!” Lucien swore under his breath.

“It’s time to get to work.” Avery spun on his heels and left Cyel Street to the wide and empty open street, gas lamps lighting the cobblestoned street. The woman was nowhere to be seen and that was a good sign. As an Elite, he does not wish to involve innocent citizens in their work, let alone get entangled by it. The less distractions, the better.

Another scream was heard, this time it was louder, which signaled that the criminal was nearby. Avery and Lucien scanned their surroundings, eyes sharp and alert. He listened and eyed a nearby alley to his right.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he moved closer to the alley and drew his gun from its sheath. He kept the gun low and approached as silently as possible. Eder Street, the slums of Rayard was already dangerous as it is, Cyel Street was no different though the crime rates in Cyel Street and Dastren Street was relatively lower than Eder Street. Every once in a while, there were bandits and thugs lurking about and it had become a norm to the Elites like Avery and Lucien.

This was their line of work, keeping the citizens of Rayard safe. This was the purpose of the establishment of the Militia, not only to look over its citizens, but to protect the kingdom from danger. Eight years ago, Avery was reluctant to join, but the High Commander whom he had known during the years his father was still alive, had seen a potential in him. Claimed that he would be the best of the best. He trained diligently over the years, he achieved his goals to make the High Commander proud, but Avery himself wasn’t happy nor proud. There was a void in him, a void that needed to be filled. A hatred that grew so deep, he swore vengeance against his own brother.

Avery pressed himself against the brick wall. He peered into the darkness and heard shuffling noises. The criminal was probably trying to hide his crime. You won’t get away with this. Not on my watch. As stealthily as possible, Avery side-stepped and whirled to face the criminal. He pointed the barrel of the gun straight ahead and took a few steps closer, careful not to make a single noise. He adjusted his trained eyes against the darkness, and he spotted a shadow of a man towering over an unconscious woman. Avery pulled a short knife from his boot and aimed. He threw the knife and the blade struck the wall with a loud clang, alerting the criminal.

The criminal whirled and was horrified by Avery’s presence.

“You’re trap. Surrender.” Avery said smugly.

“No…” There was a quiver in the man’s voice. Avery took a step forward, but the man decided to dash past him. A grave mistake. Avery held out his right arm and swung it against the man’s face. The man fell on his back onto the cold ground and coughed. Lucien chose to stand next to Avery at that moment, his gun aimed at the man.

“Let’s just get this done and over with.” Lucien sighed and shot the man’s leg without hesitation.

“Damn…” Avery murmured. Sometimes, Lucien could be ruthless, and Avery did not display those qualities. But that was what he liked about his close friend.

The man shouted and grunted in agony.

“That’s what you get for your crime, and for disrupting my happy night. What were you doing with the unconscious woman whom you’re trying to hide?” Lucien asked, his voice cold, devoid of all emotions.

The man continued to grunt in pain and clutched his right leg, where the bullet had pierced into his flesh. Blood oozed and started to pool on the dark ground.

“I will bring him to the Militia. You bring the woman to safety.” Lucien approached the man and pulled him to a standing position with force, despite his protest.

“Move!” He pointed the barrel of the gun to the man’s temple, and the man obeyed without a word. Avery proceeded to bound the man’s hands with a rope he’d found on the ground.

He decided to leave the man to Lucien. At least his task with the unconscious lady was easier than dealing with a criminal. He wasn’t fitted to deal with criminals anyway. Not that he wasn’t capable, but he preferred to deal with simpler tasks, tasks that made him feel less guilty.

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