The Tycoon's Odyssey

At midnight, the fluorescent lights hummed in the deserted 24/7 convenience store. The cashier, rubbed his weary eyes, struggling to stay awake as he mechanically scanned items for the three late-night customers.

"Just these, please," one of the customers muttered, stacking an assortment of snacks and drinks on the counter.

The cashier nodded, forcing a polite smile. "Sure thing. That'll be 290 Rupees, Sir.."

"What's your name?"The customer asked for a 500 rupees note.

"Evan!"saying his name Evan reached for the cash register but just then the atmosphere shifted.

A cold silence settled, broken only by the rustling of bills. His tired gaze flicked up to meet the icy stare of the man as he took out a gun and aimed straight at his forehead.

Something about his eyes sent a shiver down Evan's spine.

"Step back a bit and don't act smart, and raise one hand up while using the other hand to take note.If I see you press the warning button, then I will make sure to blow your head, okay.."

Evan's eyes stayed blank as recognizes the gun pointed directly at him.

'Are thieves these days act so sophisticated.'

"Empty the register," the man commanded, his voice low and menacing.

Evan's heart raced, but instead of fear, a strange calm descended upon him. He stared at the gun, thoughts swirling in his exhausted mind.

What if it goes off? What if he pulls the trigger?

It won't matter much if I die?

'My life is already shit so why bother?Its better to die like this after all I can't commit suicide.'

Thousands of thoughts swirled in his mind.

"Hey!"

The man hissed impatiently while his eyes darted nervously around the empty store.

Evan blinked, tearing his gaze away from the gun. With trembling hands, he began to fumble with the cash register. The metallic clink of coins and the rustle of bills filled the air, each sound amplified in the tense silence.

"Come on, hurry up," the man growled, his grip tightening on the gun.

Evan's fingers slipped, a bead of sweat trickling down his temple. His mind raced, imagining the deafening bang followed by the searing pain

But amidst the fear and exhaustion, a haunting realisation dawned upon him. It wasn't the gun that terrified him most. It was the chilling calm that had settled in his mind wondering what might have been if that trigger had been pulled.

"Can't you hear clearly? Empty the cash you fucking son of bitch..."

Just then, the door creaked open again, breaking the eerie silence that had settled over the convenience store.

A man in a worn-out jacket stepped inside, his eyes scanning the dimly lit halls. He paused as he noticed Evan, standing frozen behind the counter, and a stranger aiming a gun at the cashier.

Evan's and assailant's breath caught in his throat as the newcomer's gaze flicked towards him. For a fleeting moment, their eyes locked in a silent exchange filled with unspoken questions. The newcomer man's expression remained unreadable with a mixture of weariness and indifference etched across his face.

"Do what you want? I don't care.I am here for my own things."

With a nonchalant shrug, the man continued down the aisle. His footsteps echoed softly on the tiled floor.He browsed the shelves, selecting items with ease seemingly oblivious to the tension that hung in the air.

With one hand in the jacket pocket and another browsing things, he went on with his work.

The assailant frowned and a thick vein bulged over his head wondering what was going on.

"Are you blind? Can't you see the situation?"

"Do you want to die?"He shouted while keeping an eye on Evan.

His scream resonated in space making the man pause in his steps. After a pause, the man turned abruptly.

With a lightning-first reflex, he threw something in his left hand by pulling it from the jacket and then...

BOOM!

A loud banging sound erupted giving Evan's heart a jolt.

It was such a loud sound that felt a loss of hearing for a moment making him dazed and when he came out of this state, he saw the man standing before him falling on the ground with a thud.

In the next moment, a trail of blood slid down on the floor.

Oddly enough, he felt nothing on seeing it.

No sympathy, not any pity for a man that made him wonder about himself.

Has he lost his humanity and is incapable of such feelings but then shook his head?

He wouldn't hesitate to fight but he would hesitate to kill. But more than that, the newcomer man's presence greatly drew attention.

He was taken aback by such resolute will to kill.

The man then pointed it at him and spoke with a smile"Put off the CCTV camera..."

"Huh!"

"Don't make me repeat...It has already been recorded enough to not charge you of a crime."

Though it sounded like a threat for some reason, Evan felt that he was safe now.

So he decided to switch off the cameras.

Meanwhile, the man moved closer with a deadpan expression. He stepped over the dead body and picked up the fallen gun.

"This man might have a gun but he didn't have the balls to use it.He is a complete noob when comes to threatening and killing.''The man preached moving closed.

Evan's hands trembled as he watched the man move closer, each step echoing like a drumbeat in his ears. He couldn't shake the image of the gun from moments ago.

For some reason, the man's smile gave him an eerie feeling of dejavu that was incomparable to the moment when another gun aimed the gun at him.

The man eventually made his way to the counter, placing his selected items in front of Evan.

But as the man passed it on the counter, seeing the thing, Evan almost slipped in his place.

It is a pair of sanitary pads, and some medicines.

Evan's eyes widened as he stared at the man.

"What? Do you want me to gauge your eyes?" He scoffed, his voice laced with a chilling calm.

The stranger's casual demeanour amidst the aftermath of terror sparked an eerie sense of calm within Evan. In that fleeting moment, the world seemed to return to normalcy despite the lingering echoes of danger.

Their eyes locked once more, and Evan summoned his courage.

"Are you going to leave a witness?"

The stranger regarded him indifferently. "It doesn't matter. I don't kill innocents."

"You... You have the eyes of a beast,"The man remarked, "but..."

"Sadly, the beast is quite tame and chained."

"What do you mean by that?" Evan asked, nervously passing over the package and adding the bill.

The man calmly took the notes, turning to walk away without answering.

"Will we meet again?"Evan couldn't help but ask.

"Who knows?" His reply was nonchalant.

"Better call the police quickly if you don't want them to harass you unreasonably."

Evan hesitated, then asked tentatively, "Can I know the name of the saviour?"

The man finally paused and his eyes flickered with countless thoughts as he looked back at Evan.

"Midnight," he spoke softly but his tone sent a shiver down Evan's spine. "You can always find me hunting at midnight. You may have a chance, as I am in this area... and as per my name..."

"It's Leon..."

"And yeah, it's time for you to wake up…"

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