The Seventh Avenger

Chapter 10: New York, New York!

EDITED

I found that falling asleep that night had been as easy as breathing. With my eyes falling shut the moment that I had settled beneath the comfortable bed, I had effortlessly drifted off into oblivion. My sleep had been dreamless and long, with myself sleeping a lot longer than I intended. But I wasn't complaining. It had been so long since I had fallen asleep so easily and it was rather pleasant.

If only the same could be said for waking up.

Every movement, even the smallest and simplest of ones, would have me groaning in pain. My head felt as if there were thousands of needles piercing through my skull and directly into my brain in the form of multiple and separate headaches. The fact that my shoulder felt as if it had lines of fire burning along it didn't help much either. A couple of painkillers managed to dull these away, though not enough for me to be comfortable.

After having a quick shower and collecting the bags that Bruce and I had left here the previous day, I shove the map that I had been using the previous night in my back pocket. Fury had sent me the exact coordinates of where Bruce was last seen sometime last night, and I knew that I was going to have to keep the map to prevent myself from becoming lost. Geography and tracking weren't some of my finest skills but for the next couple of days, I was going to have to use them.

Though it was best for me to keep out of the public eye as much as possible, I was going to have to travel by bus for part of the journey. I was in no condition to fly for long periods of time and it would draw too much attention anyway, especially if Ross truly was looking for me. But that didn't mean that I hadn't made things slightly harder for him. If he had eventually put out an APB for me, then there was a chance that I would be recognized by more people. So, with this thought in mind, I had quickly tied my hair up and hidden it underneath my worn-out cap, throwing the hood of my jumper over the top of it for good measure. I had chosen more loose-fitting clothes to wear for the trip as well. Not only for comfort reasons but also to make it harder for people to discern my exact body shape and other distinct physical features as well.

Samson had kept true to his word and not showed up as I suspected that he may have this morning. But with a small part of me believing that the stubborn psychiatrist wouldn't just simply comply with my orders and remain behind in Willowdale, I was eager to clear out before he had the chance to unexpectedly drop by and try and follow me. And with no one else left in the house, I tried to place every object that I had used during my short stay back to where I had originally found them. With the chance of Ross possibly returning here to ensure that there truly wasn't anything for him to find in regards to my and Bruce's whereabouts, then I didn't want to leave him any clues or signs that would inform him that someone- specifically me- had been here.

After completing one final sweep of the kitchen to ensure everything was in order, I make my way towards the living room where I had placed the two packed bags on the couch earlier. Every one of both my and Bruce's belongings was packed and ready to go, though my phone and purse were still resting on the glass coffee table in the middle of the space. And according to the screen of the small device, I had a new message.

A frown seeps onto my face as I pick up the phone and see that the message was from an unknown number and that it had come through about ten minutes ago. Having been so engrossed with ensuring that the place was spotless, I hadn't noticed the screen light up nor heard the small beep that would have sounded from the phone once it received the message. My fingers don't even hesitate to press the correct buttons that enabled the small, black writing to appear on the screen in front of me:

Heading to Grayburn College in New York to meet with Mr Blue. We still have the data, and we are both unharmed. We'll reach New York sometime tomorrow. We're being safe. Don't try and contact us on this phone, as we will have to dispose of it once I send this message. I understand if you don't want to join us, but after our conversation the other night, I hope you do.