9. The unforgettable experience II

Derek was shaking vehemently in fright and shock. He was left dumbstruck, not able to shout to even call for help. And till now he regretted not being able to shout. Maybe the robbers would have found him and killed him too. He remembered Snooky barking incessantly, and one of the robbers came to the dog house and laughed at him, not knowing there was a human in there with him.

He cursed as he chugged the wine straight from the bottle, grimacing through the pain he felt in his heart. He should have made a single sound and he probably would have been resting somewhere with his family now. He gently lowered himself and sat down on the floor, at the foot of his bed, throwing his head back. Those memories were hurting him, but they never seemed to stop rushing into his mind.

The robbers later set the mansion ablaze, burning everything, including his whole family, into ashes. Derek peaked when he saw a bunch of men strolling down towards the entrance, laughing as if they came to watch an interesting horror movie. He saw one of them holding a gallon of gasoline. He couldn't see their faces clearly because they were all masked. But he caught sight of a cross tattoo on the wrist of the guy with the gasoline container.

After they left, Derek could still not find his tongue. He seemed to have lost his voice and kept staring at the burning flames till he heard the loud blaring of siren and the rushing in of police officers and people dressed in hospital scrubs. Snooky was still barking, and Derek heard someone order to get the dog. The door was forced open and he could see the shock in their eyes when they saw him.

He was sent to the hospital for a complete check up. While at the hospital, police officers came to ask him questions, but all he did was stare, not even blinking. He was later diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder with severe depression. He was just eight years by then, but he didn't need anyone to tell him he had lost his whole family. There was no way they could have survived in that fire even if they weren't shot. But he knew they were shot because he actually heard gunshots and the painful groans that followed. And the medical reports said they were all shot, except for Edward.

According to the report, they were all shot in the thigh and knee, but Monique was also shot in the head, and there were no evidence of gunshot on Edward's body. But they were all burnt beyond recognition. Until now, Derek wondered why they didn't shoot his dad, why they had killed her mother instantly, and why they had to let his sisters suffer like that. They were thirteen years old!! How could this world be so cruel?

And he had to witness it all, at eight!!

God!! He was just eight years old!!

He closed his eyes tightly, forcing the tears that were blurring his vision to fall down his face. He quickly wiped them and got up from the floor. He made his way towards the window and pulled the curtains open, letting the rush of fresh air cool his burning face and body. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to help him calm down. But he knew he wouldn't be able to, unless he did something else. Either torture himself or someone.

Oh God, he didn't remember the last time he felt this. He had tried as much as possible to overcome this compulsion. He had been in and out of rehab just to fight that strange compulsion of either trying to burn his finger or cutting himself with a knife. He had once shot himself in the thigh, with the thought of feeling the pain his sisters felt. He had nearly shot himself in the head that day, had there not been timely intervention. He had been staying in the military camp after the incident, and he had access to a gun to do all those things. Since then, they had their eyes on him to make sure he would not handle a gun again.

He had not said anything for as long as they could remember. All he did was to draw some strange cross on a sheet of paper and paste it on the walls of his room. Soon, his whole room was covered in different sizes and shapes of this cross. They had prompted the psychiatrist about it, and after much thought and assessment, he had concluded it may be something Derek had seen on that day of the incidence.

Now, he was 26 years old, almost eighteen years since that lethal event, but these memories were still fresh in his memory. The generals in the military were surprised when he told them he wanted to become a military personnel when he turned eighteen. They had been sceptical about it, because of his history with guns, but he showed his interest and convinced them into taking him in. And because he had been staying with them almost all his life, he was quick to learn, which had brought him to his current rank as a lieutenant. Just where Edward had reached, just that Derek was a flight lieutenant general.

Derek had a group of grunts he went on missions with, and he had been personally training them to ready them for his main mission, which is to avenge his family. He had been since looking for the gang that had that cross tattoo on their wrists, but he had met dead ends. But he was nowhere near giving up. He would find them and end their lives, give them the slowest and most painful deaths. He would make them beg for death.

Derek was still lost in thought as he stood looking outside the window when a gentle knock brought him back. He muttered a response and Esther came in.

"Lunch is ready, boss. And the woman and her daughter are waiting downstairs." She said and waited for a response.

Derek sighed inaudibly and checked the time on his wrist watch. He had spent almost two hours alone in thoughts without him knowing.

"Go ahead and serve them. I'm not hungry." He said curtly, still with his eyes fixed outside.

Esther sighed. Not again, she inwardly thought. What had happened to him this morning that had made him so withdrawn? She was the one who had stayed with him the longest, the only lady in Derek's special force. She had ensured each of the members, including the boss, had nourishing meals each day. That was her main job aside missions. She had watched Derek struggle with his compulsions and had supported him in and out of rehab. He had been doing well, and she had been helping to remove all triggering factors from his way. So she wondered what happened now...

Without a word, she turned towards the door and walked away. She headed to the kitchen to set the table when she saw Rory and Charlotte walking in. Rory looked a bit calm now, her face was brighter than it was that morning, and her eyes held some kind of jolly. When she saw Esther arranging things on the dining table she hurried to her, with Charlotte trailing behind wordlessly.

"Can I help, Esther?" She calmly asked and Esther looked up at her. She had so many thought running in her mind but she just smiled.

"Don't worry, I'm done already. Make yourself comfortable with your mother, Rory. We'll have lunch together."

Rory's eyes widened at what she said.

She would eat with them today? On the dining table? And who are those 'them' she was talking about? Was Mr. Dangerous Man joining?

With all these thoughts, she went over and pulled a chair at a far end of the table, away from what looked like the head of the table with a bigger chair. She didn't need anyone to tell her it was for that man. She pulled a chair for her mother too and they both made themselves comfortable. Well, Rory couldn't say she was comfortable. She was a bit nervous as she had never had a meal with anyone, not to talk of with the boss.

"I'll call the rest," Esther said and excused herself to call the other comrades but she stopped on her tracks when she heard a deep voice.

"I already called them."