CHAPTER 4 {EDITED}

Andrew could be seen walking along the side of an endless road.

Surrounding the road was grass, trees, and occasionally houses could be seen.

He soon saw a house that had hung some clothes to be dried outside.

He went and took a shirt and pants and changed into them before disappearing.

He again walked along the road hoping for a car or bus to pass.

After walking for a long time, he heard the sound of a vehicle and could see a bus in the distance.

He stopped walking and put his hand out, hoping the bus would stop.

The bus did stop, and he entered it.

"Thanks," said Andrew.

"No problem. What the hell are you even doing here at this time?"

"Car broke down, and I did not get a signal in my phone, so I couldn't call anyone."

He then took a seat near the driver. The driver could be considered a bulky man. He had muscles and a vibe that told him he had retired from the military, as his hair had been cut according to military standards. Though he is old, he is still healthy.

'He should be around 50 to 60,' he thought.

The bus was not full, and he could have sat anywhere.

He sat in the front to see if there was an issue as the drive started—a police blockade, for example.

"Where's the bus heading to? I did not see any location being specified in front."

"Oh, I stopped the digital display, and this is a city-to-city bus. The last stop will be Barstow."

'Barstow, eh? I have to get to New York

"Any buses to New York?"

"I don't think so. You can take connecting buses or trains. Buses take much time," said the driver.

"Your name?"

"I am Rick. What about you?"

'I am not going to tell my real name.'

"I am Daud," said Andrew.

"What do you do, Daud?"

"Used to be a Captain in the Military. Now I am retired."

Rick looked at me. He was a bit puzzled as he could see I was young.

"You should be around 25 to 30, right?"

"I am 24."

"You are only 24, and you are saying you retired? Injury?" questioned Rick.

"Trauma," uttered Andrew and sighed.

"Sorry if I brought up bad memories," apologized Rick.

Andrew closed his eyes.

Whenever he closed his eyes, he could see his wife and daughter, not the good memory but the memory of them lying dead.

He could remember their faces, voices, smiles, and laughter; he could remember everything, but every time he closed his eyes, he saw only their death.

'I knew something like this would happen, and I did take precautions, but I never expected Damon to be a part of it and not only a part. He orchestrated everything.'

Anger rose in his heart, but he calmed down as he needed that as a driving force, not something to cloud his judgment in crucial situations.

'I need to forge a new identity. I need a safe place, a place where I can operate. I need to learn many things to be ready for all threats that can challenge me. Though I have been given this power, I don't know whether there is a hidden meaning, and I need to be cautious of The Outsider. What if he decides to remove the mark all of a sudden? I also have to find shrines that he said and get the runes to unlock and upgrade more of my abilities.'

Andrew started to contemplate many things in his mind.

When one is desperate, he will do anything and can do anything to come out of that situation. Some give up, whereas Andrew is in the former category, where he will do anything to finish what has been started.

'I have to visit their grave.' His closed eyes could be seen having water in the corners.

Rick did notice that and wanted to say something but stopped as he did not want to disturb him.

Tears rolled down Andrew's cheeks.

It went to his mouth, and Andrew wiped his cheeks and eyes clean.

'I need to know whom all are involved in this. Damon should have that information. The issue is that it should have already reached him and the others involved in this that I have escaped. I know three other than Damon, but I need to be sure there are only them. I have to figure out if the others involved in the mission were in on this. I have to be discreet and make sure not to touch innocents. I might be on the path of revenge, but that does not mean I will kill everyone who crosses my path.'

"Son, are you all right?" a concerned Rick asked.

'There are still people who are concerned for strangers,' chuckled Andrew as he thought.

"I am fine, Rick, thanks for asking," he replied and closed his eyes again.

'What has this kid gone through for him to have such desolate yet wrathful eyes,' thought Rick as he saw Andrew's eyes.

Andrew, who was about to go into his thoughts again, heard Rick, "I hope you regain whatever you lost son, or you make peace with the fact that it is lost. Don't go down the path of something that will get back to you in the future."

The last sentence that Rick had said was something that he had already done, and due to that, he lost his family and made peace with the fact that he lost his family to some greedy fucking bastards, and Damon was not something he could do.

The only way he can be at peace is to kill all of them and join his family in the afterworld, if there is one.

'I can't, they started, I discovered, they found, and I lost, and now I got a chance again, and I am not going to lose it, and this time I will bring Death and Despair to them, and only then will I be at peace.'

'I will make them see as they lose everything they have built through the death of my family and the death that had occurred during the mission. I will cripple them all and kill the ones who deserve it.'

Andrew calmed down from a rage he did not know he was having.

He then looked at Rick.

"Do you have a family, Rick?"

"I have a beautiful wife and have been blessed by the Lord to have two gorgeous Daughters,"

"What are they doing?"

"Well, my wife works at a café near our house, and my two daughters are now working in Oscorp in New York,"

Andrew had a confused expression on his face. His daughters alone should be able to get enough money to care for him and his wife.

"Hahaha, I know my daughters alone can care for my wife and me. I can see from your face that is what you are thinking. They joined only four months ago, and I don't think I will trouble them in any situation. I also continue being a driver because I like to do so, though tomorrow will be my last ride. I will then join my wife and stay at home, I have saved enough, and maybe a rest is what I will need from now on," Rick said as he laughed.

"Shifted to New York?"

"Not yet, but we have seen a house and are planning to buy it,"

Before I could ask a question, Rick said, "What are the cops doing blocking the road?"

Rick switched on the display as he did not want to answer the cops about why he switched it off.

Andrew turned to see the road before them and saw three cop cars blocking it. He turned to Rick and said, "I will be in the back need to close my eyes for some time."

Rick said, "Yeah, go ahead, sleep tight, son,"

Andrew started walking to the back and saw all the passengers sleeping as he had seen in the beginning.

He went to the door of the open bus and used Blink, and disappeared.

Rick did not notice this as he was busy driving and looking at the cop cars in front of him.

The bus soon reached the place where the cop cars were located.

"Check inside whether he is there or not," said one of the cops.

Rick did not like this, but he couldn't do anything about it.

"Are there any problem, officers?" asked Rick.

"A prisoner has escaped, and we are searching for him," the cop said and took a paper with the image of Andrew.

Rick was shocked to see Daud (Andrew) in the picture, which did not go unnoticed by the cops.

The cops looked at each other and nodded their heads.

"Where did you see him? Know this. He is a man who murdered his wife and daughter and smuggled drugs to our country by using the bodies of the innocent he had killed in his missions,"

Rick could not even understand how the cop was saying this, and he was not a fool to see the lie they were telling.

Rick had also retired from the Military and did not say this to Andrew, who called himself Daud to him. He could see from Andrew's posture and eyes that he would not do something like this. He remembered the look when Andrew asked him about his family.

'He is at war.'

"I saw him a few miles down the road, he wanted me to stop the bus, but I did not as he was wearing shabby clothes and could easily say he did not have any money," said Rick.

"He is not here," said the cop who entered the bus to check it. Rick was shocked to hear that Andrew was not on the bus but did not show it this time.

"You can go. You did a good job," said the cop, who had the image of Andrew in his hands.

"Mike takes the car and heads towards where the bus came from. Drive slowly and if you see him, notify us before engaging. We will be here if he takes another route," the cop said.

Rick started to drive, but the bus disappeared, and a cop car went in the direction Rick had just moved from.

Andrew suddenly appeared again inside the bus, and Rick, who was watching the mirror in the middle of the front window, was shocked to see him appear out of nowhere.

"Thanks, Rick," said Andrew.

"How did you know I would not tell the truth?" asked Rick. He did not want to know how Andrew did it as he knew he would not get an answer.

"I just knew you wouldn't tell," chuckled Andrew as he said that.

"I hope you get what you want but do know they would want you to live peacefully with the chance you have been given."

"I know they would want that, but what am I without them, a shell with nothing inside? I have only one mission before I close my eyes, to make them feel what I feel. I will make them watch as I take everything and destroy all their plans and finally end them forever," Andrew said as he fisted his hands.

Rick, who put himself in his position, came to the same conclusion as him, and he sighed, "Good luck, and may you live the life that you have been given again with peace and tranquillity."

"It's best to get down here. There will be many blockades, and, in the city, it will be high," said Rick.

Andrew could understand where Rick was coming from for him to say this. He will be in jeopardy if anyone digs deeper into this.

"Goodbye, Rick,"

"Take care, son."

A/N: 1985 Words.

[Vader has edited this Chapter.]