Chapter 31: Bittu's family?!

In the forest,

On top of the cliff,

Inside a small cabin made up of wood, currently an old man was giving orders to his men.

"Go and check on the north-east side. See if there's anything that we can use and remember... If you see any creature then do not engage but instead report it to me. We can't afford to loose anymore of our men.", Grandpa Stefen said in a calm voice.

"Yes boss. I understand.", a man clothed in full black suit said as he departed to follow the orders.

The old man then turned to the man next to the one who departed and said, "Are the woods enough or do you need more?"

"Boss, it's enough."

"Good, then get going we need a fench as soon as possible."

"Yes, boss."

"And you.", the old man now turned to the only woman in the room as he said, "Bring him here. The time he said is over."

"Yes, boss."

The old man watched the woman disappear form his sight.

*sigh*

'Now, how should I face you, John?', Grandpa Stefan was truly vexed. After what happened at the wedding, he hasn't matched his gaze with his friend at all. After arriving here, his friend notified him to talk after he had settled every thing since he too knew what was more important at the moment. He was truly grateful for that. But, now that the time really has come, he was a little nervous.

*sigh*

He once again sighed as he drank a glass of water and waited in his recently made cabin.

....

In the cabin,

*click* *click* *click* click* *click*

Bam!

"Are you serious right now?!", Grandpa Stefen said out loud, in fury and in disbelief as he slammed both his hand on table. He really couldn't belive what he just heard. He still felt that his friend's son was joining around.

"....."

"Grandpa Stefen–"

"Don't call me that!", the old man cut off the man before he could speak since he was really holding himself back from saying something he might regret. But this! This just increased his anger.

"....."

"Mr. Stefen, you heard it right! We have cut off all our relation with him. So you don't need to think about it and let the matter rest.", the old man's friend's son who was Bittu's father spoke in a clam voice without a single change in his expression, his eyes steady.

"You... You... You really...."

Once again, the old man angered to such an extent that he couldn't even speak properly, just looked at these people.

A while ago, Bittu's family arrived inside the cabin. He was a bit confused to see that his friend was missing from the group. He wanted to ask why? but refrained from doing so since he felt that he would be a little late and between friends what did a little wait matter and others were already here so he sat down more comfortably with the absence of his friend. But, before he could continue, his friend's son, Steve, spoke something that made him doubt his hearing which was exactly what he said just now.

"..... Can you tell me, why?", questioned the old man with suppressed fury. He truly couldn't belive what these people were saying? Were they crazy to speak such thing? Did they already go insane after what happened? Or.... Was he not their son?

'...'

"Sorry, Mr. Stefen but, we can't. It's family business.", Steve looked at the old man with the same calmness as earlier.

The old man looked straight into the man's eyes before him with his pritching gaze when he didn't get an answer. The man didn't avert his eyes. Both of them stared at each other for a while.

"....."

"....."

*sigh*

The old man sighed as he got no answer. He then raised his head to look at the other three people in the room. He saw Bittu's mother who avoided his eyes, unlike Steve. Bittu's brother who had a bored expression on his face and his sister who was looking in the mirror since coming in here. None of them seemed like they knew or even cared about what was going on. O ly his mother looked a little guilt by that too soon vanished... Due to reasons unknown to him. Were they really the people his parents? He didn't think so after this short conversation.

Not knowing what to say to these people, he turned around and gazed at the bright sky which looked a little dull in his eyes and after a few seconds, he said, "... I understand. You may leave."

Soon, he heard the sound of footsteps walking away.

After a while without looking back, the old man said," You are finally here."

"Yes"

"Your solider son is just as he was all those years ago."

"....Yes", an aged voice came from behind him but he didn't turn around and continued after a slight pause, "Now care to explain what he was saying?"

".... Sigh.... He really said it....", regret could be heard in the aged voice.

"..."

"Yes, he did. Now why don't you tell me what is going on?", the old man said with annoyance.

" Why else do you think I am here?", the aged voice said in rebuttal.

"..... Just tell me, John"

".... Sigh.... Alright."

"It's true, they have severed ties with him.", the old man said with guilt and regret.

"... Why?"

"... It's because... They believe he did it again.", the aged voice said with immense sadness and guilt. He should have removed this tradition right away but it seems he was too negligent about his familial matters that he didn't even have time to remove such a cruel rule.

"Did what?", asked the old man, confused.

".....he disobeyed.", the aged voice said after a while.

".. You mean....", Grandpa Stefen said with hesitation. He didn't want to believe that what he thought was true.

But,

Grandpa's Stefen's eyes widened in shock and disbelief as his brows raised to their max with his mouth wide open when he saw his fried nod his head. Only after a while could he speak as he said aloud, " Are you serious?"

"How could you not erase that rule from your family as your first step in the family?", asked Grandpa Stefen still in disbelief.

John wasn't able to answer at all. He was so caught up with power at that time that, it didn't cross his mind at all. Later on, due to work at all times, he didn't have time to check it once again at all.

Ignoring the question, the aged voice said, " As you know, Bittu ran away from home when he was young."

Grandpa Stefen just nodded his head. John seeing this continued, " At that time, he was just given a warning as stated and i wasn't notified about it."

"That day, when he left the wedding without a single sentence to us and didn't contact us for a whole day as promised he was about to be Abandoned but i stopped them telling them that in this new ruined world how could he notify us. We should wait for sometime more maybe a week."

"All of them agreed but they said that after that if he still hasn't then he would be removed from the family. Since he hasn't so ties with him were severed "

Grandpa Stefen just looked at the world outside from the window with a troubled face.

'Sigh.... Poor child..... Truly a poor child.'

Grandpa Stefen, thought as he felt how unfair the world really was. He lost that and now he lost them too.

Only after what felt like an eternity did he turn around once again and looked at his friend. He then said, " You are fine with it?"

"....."

"Why are you silent?", asked Grandpa Stefen I'm melancholy.

" Do you know, why none in the family seemed sad even after this decision?"

"No..."

"It is because..... none has truly spent time with him, so he was more like a... stranger to them than a son, including me so, even though I felt bad, I think it's for the best.", John said his true thoughts with slight guilt in his voice. If he really wanted to he could still break the rule but he too wasn't keen on doing so.

"....."

"....."

"....."

*sigh*

"Okay, I understand. It's your family and I can't tell you what to do.", said Grandpa Stefen, resigned to fate. He couldn't say anything more after hearing that.

"Okay, let's talk about the base then."

"Okay"

.....

As the sun shone in the sky, welcoming a new day, a group of people were walking towards the base. The group had both men and woman with varying degree of injuries.

"Can you guys really walk?", asked Elena as she watched the four people around her adorned in a luxurious black suit that was now torn and bloodied.

" Yes miss, no need to worry. We are fine.", said the four men almost at the same time. They laughed seeing the timing. Elena's face also broke out in a smile seeing their amiable smile.

Elena then turned towards her back. There she saw her father and Aisha walking with absolute silence with an awkward atmosphere around them.

She didn't know why but, Aisha insisted to be the one to walk with him. She didn't see a problem so she agreed but they haven't talked at all in all this time. Right now, She felt a little bored since no one was here to talk with her like Aisha used to.

'If only he had accepted my proposal.',Elena thought as she remembered how Alex turned her down almost instantly when she said that she wanted him in her group. She didn't feel too bad when he rejected her but she felt a bit of regret to let such a genius die. She sighed.

She then raised her head and looked ahead. There suddenly she saw a base camp. It was being built all around with both men and woman's help.

"We are finally here."