Mike begrudged every step that took him farther away from his partner, exposing Steve to a potentially life-threatening situation, injured and completely defenseless.
It pulled on his last nerves, sent wave after wave of adrenaline gushing through his body, making him forget his own aches and pains when it came to marching straight ahead, hoping to get to the main road sooner rather than later.
During his emotional goodbye with Steve, Gifford had stepped off to the side, giving them much-needed privacy during an extraordinarily challenging situation. Then, as he got ready to move on, the reporter followed quietly, never complaining, trying to keep up with his pace as best as possible.
Even when he heard her ripping some clothes on a broken tree branch, flinching from the scratches it undoubtedly caused, she continued on bravely, knowing that time was of the essence more than ever before.
Time being the deciding factor in all of this.
With his wristwatch cracked and broken from the fight back at the lab, Mike couldn't even be sure just when Chong's five minutes had been over with, much less how long exactly they'd been running from the madman already.
Judging by his best guesses, more than an hour had passed since he parted ways with Steve, the continued darkness a discouraging sign that morning was still quite a ways away.
Each time the clouds moved on, allowing the moon to illuminate their journey, Mike tried to use the stars for orientation, attempting to remember every tree, every stomp or broken twig that would lead him back to his fallen partner, once reinforcements would arrive.
A little while ago, he swore he'd heard a car pass not too far away, the sound of tires on an asphalt road a divine notion by now.
So, they continued to travel near the edge of the ravine, careful to avoid any traps or snares that could potentially await them and doing so in absolute stillness, even as twigs and branches mercilessly scratched their faces and hands along the way.
By now Mike could feel the cold seeping through the exposed skin where his clothes had been torn, even his dress shirt and vest doing little to ward off the chill spreading into his bones and slowing down his efforts.
With his rapid breaths rising into the crisp night air, he could feel the pain from his battered body return with a vengeance, tired and beaten muscles protesting every move while his mind screamed at him to keep going.
At last, a few yards out, he could make out a clearing, indicating the gravel road down below widening, possibly connecting to a main road leading back into town.
Signaling for Gifford to stay behind, Mike carefully walked past a fallen pine tree, avoiding the pokey branches grabbing at his pantlegs, then bent over, trying to give himself as much cover as possible as he peeked beyond the rim of the steep ravine.
Feeling his heart skip a few beats when he saw a paved road down below along with a sign pointing south, he let his eyes drift over the immediate perimeter, evaluating it for any threats.
The climb down the ravine would be challenging, but not impossible, so long that they could avoid any rogue rocks and gravel that could cause them to lose footing and fall.
Once back down to safety, it would be a matter of luck or another long walk until they would finally be able to call for help and end this terrifying cat and mouse game once and for all.
Pushing the crippling fear for his partner's safety out of his mind for the time being, hoping it would help him stay focused, Mike was about to gesture for Gifford to follow him down the ravine, when he noticed a car parked in the protective cover of the trees down below, keeping a close eye on the intersection.