Staring at the empty passenger seat Mark could have easily believed an icy finger had been run up his spine. His stomach quivered uncomfortably and he found it difficult to believe what he was seeing.
He's gone, he thought despairingly, he's gone and he's out there somewhere…
A surge of anger bubbled in the pit of his stomach and he fought to control the tide of fury that coursed through his veins.
No! He thought furiously, he has to pay, he has to be punished!
Punching his hand into the vacant passenger seat he cursed.
"Mark!?" Amanda stared up at him, bewildered. She had never seen Mark lose his temper in such a way, and couldn't understand his behaviour. Her head felt clouded from the impact of the car, and she was still unsure what had happened.
Taking in a deep breath and trying to swallow back his anger Mark turned his gaze to Amanda. She looked perplexed at his behaviour and more than slightly taken aback.
"He… I'm sorry, but… Amanda, he's gone…"
"Who?" Amanda said, frowning and shaking her head in confusion.
"The man!" Mark gestured emphatically at the empty seat, and sat back heavily onto the rough floor of the jeep. Sighing deeply he ran a hand over his face, closing his eyes wearily.
Amanda opened her mouth to respond, but found that no words were forthcoming. She felt sick.
It's like a nightmare, she thought, alarmed. There seemed to be no end to the catalogue of disasters that continued to besiege them, and she didn't know how much more she could take.
"Mark…" Amanda looked on as he continued to sit motionless, his face covered by one hand.
"Mark, please…" Her voice was pleading. She needed him to do something, anything. It struck her how much she relied on his cool headed capabilities, and seeing him now, apparently defeated, panicked her.
"Mark…" Her voice took on a whiny tone that reminded her of her two children, but she ignored it, desperate for a response.
Finally he looked up, the lines in his face seeming more pronounced than Amanda recalled.
There was a heavy pause before Mark sighed deeply, visibly pulling himself up as he did so.
"Steve can't drive – his head injury is worse than I had thought. You'll have to do it… I can watch Jesse." Mark spoke in a tone that could only be perceived as exhausted and dejected, but for the very fact that he had finally responded Amanda forced herself to push her concerns to the back of her mind. The events of the past few hours would undoubtedly have lingering effects on them for a long time to come, but her immediate fears were for Jesse's safety. If the situation should worsen the repercussions would be far worse than she dared to imagine.
Waiting for Mark to continue, Amanda noticed his gaze had rested on the empty passenger seat. She turned her head and took in the blood stained seat, her mind flashing instantly back to Jesse's car and the faint laughter that had been whipped past her ears in the stormy darkness that night.
It was probably him… he was watching the whole time, laughing at us…
The thought sent a shudder throughout her entire body and a vague sense of foreboding seemed to permeate the very atmosphere.
Please… she thought desperately, unsure of what exactly it was she was pleading for, Please….
Following the instructions given to her as they worked, Amanda helped Mark to move Steve into the back of the jeep. Whilst he was conscious, he was far from lucid. He had struggled slightly when Amanda had attempted to unhook his seat belt, and she had had to calm him before she could continue. His eyes had flashed with confusion and a nasty bruise shone purple on his forehead, but he had settled to her touch and relented to her helping hand.
Despite the fact that Mark had initiated Steve's withdrawal from the driver's seat into the back of the car, he appeared to lose himself in thought and offered little by way of actual assistance. Once Steve had been settled onto the floor of the jeep as comfortably as was possible – the actual seats being filled to capacity by Jesse – Mark clambered stiffly from the car and wandered up onto the damp highway.
Peering with mild interest at the tyre marks which had been etched into the grey tarmac, Mark heaved a sigh. The past few hours had been more of a nightmare than he could ever have imagined possible in the supposed safety of his own home, and the weight of his continuing concern for both Jesse and Steve pressed heavily on his mind. Now to compound matters was the fact that a man who could be described as no less than psychopathic had absconded, and from recent history alone seemed likely to remain a threat until either his recapture or his death. And whilst Mark had earlier proclaimed his preference for the prior, he was fast finding himself hoping for the latter and an end to the monstrosity who had seen fit to wreak so much destruction in the life of an unassuming stranger.
Mark was in fact truly amazed that the man had managed to vacate the jeep at all, let alone depart the scene so fully. He wondered if he had perhaps underestimated the severity of his wounds – multiple gunshots surely should have rendered him immobile if not unconscious, and yet he had managed to overcome Steve at the steering wheel and flee with the appearance of ease.
It's almost as if he's not human, Mark thought flatly. Whilst the conclusion was far from logical it did seem to explain his apparent inability to be stopped. Mark snorted at the absurdity of his musings and shook his head at himself, smirking at the effects of tiredness as it scrambled his usually good sense.
As quickly as it had come the moment of joviality passed, and Mark again found himself flushed with burning anger at the man who would seemingly stop at nothing to allude punishment.
He should be dead… he though maliciously, instantly angered further by the depth of hatred he felt. He was now not only angry with the still nameless man, but also at himself for sinking to wishing death upon another human being; such an act being unfamiliar to his usually kind-natured character.
He can't have got far, Mark deliberated with a frown. Logic told him that, even if he had overestimated their severity, the man's injuries would prevent movement rapid enough to allow him to have fled the scene beyond their reach.
He must be around here somewhere. As the thought occurred to him Mark swivelled on the spot, as if he expecting to see the man laying somewhere in plain sight.
Without any real conscious awareness of it happening, the investigative skills which came so naturally to him kicked in and Mark scrutinised the ground intently, convinced he would find clues to the direction the man had taken. Whilst tracking had never been a particular forte, the weather and circumstances such as they were allowed him to easily spot the muddy footprints which led away from the car and into the scrubland at the side of the road.
Pausing for a moment before deciding what he should do, Mark contemplated whether or not it would be safe to attempt to apprehend the man on his own, and if he should even attempt it when Jesse's life hung so precariously in the balance.
Deciding on the spur of the moment that he could not allow the man to go free after everything he had done he stalked forwards, totally obvious to the questioning look on Amanda's face as he disappeared from the road.
Hi everyone, Sorry for leaving such a long gap in chapters – I've had no access to the internet over the holidays. Lots of time to write though! Hope you enjoy this chapter, and once I've checked over the next bit I'll post that too.
Happy New Year!
Sarah