Across the rooftops
The double doors to the roof busted open under Brad's great strength, They hadn't been locked, souls never lock doors, but they had been sealed as so few injuries occurred anymore that people needed a helicopter evac. Anyone injured in the desert were, Brad assumed, given a bottle of cure and heal and told to have a nice day.
Brad had counted three seekers as he dashed up the stairs, and there was a good chance they were radioing in for more. Bedsides the large one Brad had knocked out on his way up, none of the seekers looked stronger than him, but they had guns. He wasn't worried, they don't use guns unless they can't catch a person and have no other options, and time was on his side in the event of backup. No, he was running now for nothing more than the sheer thrill of it, like prey taunting the predators that wanted him. He once heard that cats couldn't outrun rabbits, and that theory had always come to mind in a run.
The roof was, as Brad had known from the ground level, perfectly lined up with two of the adjacent buildings. Brad would have his pick of hiding places in the concrete jungle known as Pheonix. He wasn't worried about Jared; that frail soul he was with would sweet-talk him out of any trouble. The only problem at the moment that Brad had any concern for was whether he should fight or run. Either one gave him that sense of adrenaline that always made these trips worthwhile, like a buzz that couldn't be matched. The only problem was, again, the guns the seekers would use in a pinch, but that was a problem no matter what he chose to do.
Brad's concern for the sick kid in the cave got the better of him and he decided to run. He got a head start and made a mad jump to the office building next to him. The seekers had finally made it to the top of the hospital and were quick to spot him, not that it mattered. One roof after another Brad jumped like a bullfrog escaping a croc. While the seekers were obviously getting winded, Brad was just getting warmed up. He felt boundless with each jump.
His win was short lived when he reached the last building on the block. His options were the fire escape, a garbage can on the ground, and solid concrete from a three-story building. Fire escape won out, but before he could make the move a bullet zipped past his shoulder. A female seeker sporting a very expensive looking nine-millimeter approached him as he edged the building's end near the corner that led to the donut shop.
"That's far enough human. I don't know what you expected to accomplish by pulling a stunt like this, but come off the ledge and we can end this civilly." Brad grinned widely. He needed to buy time while he calculated the likelihood of landing in the donut shop's garbage.
"I didn't realize civility was in your vocabulary parasite." The two other seekers finally arrived; huffing like that had given everything they got to get there. One was a skinny blond girl with soft eyes, while the other was an even smaller Asian man who looked moderately disgusted at Brad. The redhead that shot at Brad was the only one who didn't look tired.
"Parasite implies we offer nothing in this symbiosis, and I can safely say you're better off with a soul than without one." Brad smiled, bearing his pearly teeth. 'Cure' doubled as an excellent toothpaste.
"Well I guess we just have to agree to disagree." Brad replied as he finally lined himself up. Either the embracing arms of rotting donuts'd catch him, or he'd be a messy pile on the floor. Either way they wouldn't have him by the end of the day.
"Enough games! Get down now!" The redhead barked bitterly.
"Bad choice of words." Brad replied as he took a step backwards and plummeted three stories. Someone upstairs must still like him. Either that or he was the luckiest man alive. He glided down and the soft donuts embraced him. Nothing more than satisfying that being caught by a childhood favorite.
Brad hoped out, waved to the disbelieving seekers above, and peeled off a maple bar from his jacket. The meds were safe, and all the seekers were, for the moment, dumbfounded until they could get another fix on him. They won't catch me; I'm dust in the wind.
Besides being slightly sticky brad blended well with the smiling crowd that he stepped into, and made his way to the truck. He was sure he'd have to outmaneuver more seekers, but for the second he was secure in being one step ahead. The truck was now about ten minutes away; Jared would have time to get coffee.