Does It Matter

28

Zhang Qiling glared at the rain that was once again pouring down and blocking his view. The sedan was in a fairly good condition, however it was lacking in some of the important areas, especially for the time of year. Namely, the windshield wipers, one being completely stripped and the other one with the rubber barely held on at one end.

As a result he could barely make out that he was still driving on an actual road, and the torn rubber strip slapped the driver door's window with every swish, which only served to fuel his bad mood.

But none of that compared to his main problem at the moment: the fact that he was being forced to drive under the speed limit, in order to stay on the road and not get pulled over (as he still doesn't have a licence, and is driving a stolen car.), and meanwhile the significantly newer vehicle that he was attempting to follow had originally started out with a ten minute head start to begin with, and was quickly getting further out of reach with every minute that passed.

"Damnit." He muttered under his breath, shoulders tense as he leaned closer to the windshield in an attempt to see more than five feet in front of him.

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Wu Xie slowly came to consciousness, hearing the pitter patter of rain and the occasional bout of thunder. Of course it would be another stormy day to pair perfectly with his throbbing headache. He groaned quietly as the passing thought brought his full awareness to the migraine, then went still as his senses awoke and he became aware of his surroundings.
The first thing that he noticed was the numb sensation in his arms and legs, which he realized was due to the restraints on his wrists, as well as the position he had apparently slept in. The second was the breathing of multiple people besides himself in the area, which two realizations basically outlined the situation for him.
The third was that what he had originally registered as a pitter patter, was actually a harsh torrent of rain, as if he was moving at a fast pace against the tide of the storm. And the fourth was the conclusion that he was definitely in a car, bound and gagged, with a blindfold and strangers, and they were in a hurry to take him somewhere, to someone. Most likely these people were mercs for hire, or something of that sort.
He must have tensed up during his mental journey, as he heard someone shifting nearby, and felt the presence of someone looming over him.
"He's awake." A gruff voice spoke.
"And?" Another with an annoyed tone front in front, most likely the driver. "He can't do anything anyway, if he irritates you just knock him out again."
Wu Xie tensed further despite himself, he could barely breathe around the cloth stuffed in his mouth, and that in addition to the blindfold and general numbness throughout his limbs left him with only his hearing to rely on, meaning he had no way to fight back until whatever drug they had gave him left his system completely. And if they knocked him out again it would be that much longer before that happened.
Luckily he felt the presence back off a little, and assumed that he was safe for now, well, as safe as this situation could be considered.

He forced himself to relax, only allowing himself to shift his arms a bit from where they were tied behind his back to try to bring feeling back to them.

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It felt like forever before they finally stopped. He could smell the overwhelming scent of gasoline, indicating that they had stopped at a gas station somewhere.
Wu Xie by now could feel his limbs again, and knew that this could be his chance to get away if he managed to play his cards right. He had managed to subtly search his back pockets during the ride, and had managed to find the key to the Pangzi's motorbike, which he had been using to carefully saw at the multiple zipties holding his wrists. If only I had put more effort into working out, so that I could just snap these.
"Alright, Feng, go pay for gas, Bao stay here to watch the kid, I gotta take a leak." The man who Wu Xie assumed was the driver, and also the leader, gave instructions and left the vehicle. He heard the other man get out from the passenger side and both doors slam shut, and then silence. He allowed two minutes to pass as he prepared himself, running over his partial plan in his head. He had no way of knowing the best way to get away from the one he was left with, as he couldn't see the man, but he knew that he had to take a chance, and if he failed, at least he knew that they wouldn't kill him before delivering him to whoever had hired them.

He carefully let out a breath, his wrists had been free for the past five minutes, and all that was left was to tear off the blindfold and bolt, depending on whether he could manage to take on his remaining captor.
One..
Breathe in.
Two..
Breathe out.
Three.

With a fast jerking motion he removed his hands from their hidden position behind his back, glad for the many years of spending time in dark undergrounds that allowed him to find his way without relying on sight as he landed a forceful punch at the man's throat, leaving him gasping for air for a few seconds, which gave him the time to snatch at the door handle, thanking the heavens that they hadn't thought to turn on a child lock, he launched himself out of the car, ripping the blindfold off on the way.

Just in time, as the door to the convenience store opened with a jingle and the other two men stepped out. They saw him bolt, and gave chase immediately.

"I fucking hate my life!" Wu Xie shouted in frustration as he allowed the adrenaline to take him wherever as long as he got away, he could find a way to wherever he needed to go later as long as he could just get away.
Thank all things good that they were still in the middle of seemingly nowhere, and the tree line was just within reach. If he could only make it into the forest he knew that he had the skill to get away. The wilderness was his turf, and while these men were large and strong, he had confidence that they would not have the necessary litheness to catch him there.
The rain was still pouring, which helped to mask his steps as he darted through the trees and foliage. Fallen leaves that would have crackled in dryer weather were instead squelching in a slippery mesh under his feet.

He heard shouting behind him, the words almost indistinguishable amongst the thunder and the rushing rain. He knew that they had lost him, given their frustrated cries from far behind, but still did not slow down. He ran nimbly across the forest for what felt like hours but was likely only about thirty minutes before he allowed himself to catch his breath. His lungs were burning and his left leg throbbed, but he felt alive with the adrenaline still running through his veins.

He took the opportunity to take a look at his surroundings, seeing that he had stopped beside a road, likely the same one that he had been traveling down not too long ago. He collapsed beside a tree a dozen feet from the road, feeling exhaustion finally kick in, his skin felt like ice beneath his sopping wet clothing, and even his jacket felt thin and useless in the onslaught. He thanked the heavens for the third time that day, for the fact that he had been too tired to remove his coat the night before, and as he felt his pockets and realized with relief that they had not taken his belongings from it's pockets. His cash and wallet were still tucked away in the inner pocket, and his smaller knives were still tucked into his boots. His larger weapons he recalled were in his bag, which he had left at the motel, much to his dismay.
He straightened up as he heard tires on the wet pavement approaching at a fast pace, wary of being recaptured he scooted himself further into the tree's shadow.