Hunter and the Hunted (Septiplier)

~~ CHAPTER SEVENTEEN ~~

I may be a murderer, but I wasn't heartless, was I? I mean... I did what I did in the mall to protect Mark and I, and I left Markus a knife... If he woke up. The feeling of regret was washing through me the further we drove.

The car trip was going the be along one... A berry long one. We had decided to get as far away from the city as possible. The area was a hot zone. Now we were headed to a place not known to us, only Cry. He says it was an old cabin of his, but it would be a long way out. We were going to need to get fuel sooner or later for a five day drive. Cry says that the place is well build though; two story and a bathroom. Apparently the old place runs off an old generator, so we should have some power.

Two years...

That's all it takes to change a person into someone they would have once called the antagonist towards people in most cases... The bad guy. That's what two years has turned me into... Nothing more than a villain in the eyes of a young child watching his super hero movies in his very own cape and suit. I used to be the protagonist... The good guy. Well, at least, that's what I thought.

As we were driving, the sun was setting, putting an end to another day. I pulled over and we all relaxed. Mark was till passed out in the backseat, I still need to ask him about what happened when he wakes.

"Hey Jack?" Cry asks, sitting beside me now. Him and Wade swapped spots a few hours back.

"Yeah?"

"What happened to Mark?" There it is.

"I don't know. I was downstairs in the mall in the city. I came back up and he was knocked out cold. I would have asked him myself, but he hasn't woken since it happened."

I remembered the pill and bandages I had snagged from the store.

"I had a trolley full of gear that may have come in useful, but pushed it down an escalator..."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because Mark went into another store; I left him alone and some people showed up. There wasn't many, but I remember a youngish girl... She was chasing me up the escalator so I pushed the trolley down to save Mark and I. I killed her..." I whisper out the last part. Putting it in words only made it harder to get my head around, yet made it so much more real.

"It wasn't your fault Jack..." A scratchy tone sounded from the backseat, "You did what you had too. If not for you, we would have died, and maybe these guys too."

"Mark, you're awake..." Wade said from beside him.

"Mark, I could have done something else, anything else. She shouldn't have had to die. It should have been me." As I say this, I notice myself scratching at the scars on my arms. The only time I ever did that, was when I used to... Cut.

I just look at Mark behind me and he stared right back.

"You say that again." Mark dared. I could feel the tension rising in the small car cabin.

"Ummm... Ahh, Wade? Cry? Can you come with me for a moment?" Ken asked as he opened the car door and stepped out into the cool night air.

"Gladly." They both answer, almost in sync.

After they had left Mark was still staring me down, like a cat watching its prey.

"I meant it." I say slowly, turning towards him a little more, "What are you going to do about it?"

"You can't have ment it!" Mark shouted. Although he was still a little groggy, he still managed to scare me the slightest with his tone.

"And how would you know what I do and don't mean?" I was wondering why he was so angry at me. Then I remembered the kiss. Was he just being protective?

"Because I just do Jack..." He sighed this time; as he does, I take in a sharp breath. I fall silent, that was his cue.

"Being in the army taught me a lot of things Jack. My commander taught us that it was going to be rough out there, and that it wasn't uncommon to want to end it whilst we were there."

He stopped for a moment and just watched for a reaction. I gave none, so he continued after another sigh.

"He said that there was a way to tell if we really meant what we were thinking or not. If you really wanted to off yourself, you wouldn't have saved yourself Jack. You obviously want to be here, so why say those things at all?"

"Mark..."

"What? You don't believe me?"

"The only reason I didn't let them get me was because I had you! I wasn't going to let them hurt you! I wasn't going to let them get you!"

He seemed shocked, and saddened. He must have just realised how serious I actually was about the matter.

"Jack?" He spoke after a decent silence.

"What?"

"Can you make me a promise?"

Where was he going with this? Why did he need me to make him a promise? What would the promise be?

"What promise?"

" can you just please promise me that you will never do it. Never kill yourself because I need you. I need you so, so much. I never noticed before I left for the war, but I did not long after. You should have felt my happiness when I noticed it was you in those woods. You should have felt my glee when you noticed me; and you should have felt the pain I felt when I looked into your eyes and couldn't find you... But I know you're still here now..."

I just stared, I didn't have words.

"I-I...I." I just hung my head a little.

"And you need to promise me that you'll never put yourself in harm's way to protect me, ever, because I will never forgive myself of something were to happen to you. You should have been inside my head when I saw you climb through that window in town. I was so happy that you had come back for me... Even if you didn't want to. Yes, I know... But hear me now; if one day the world, not this world, but your world, turns on you like a rabid dog, and you have a good enough reason, and I'm talking good, then... And only then can you think those bitter painful thoughts."

" I have a reason Mark! I don't want to be here anymore! I don't want to be the murderer I've become! I left Markus for dead, and have killed numerous people in the short space of two years. I'm the kind of person that people sour usually lock up, put into an insane asylum or kill! At first I thought I was afraid of being a soldier to the human side of our god gone planet, but now I would give anything to be him. The man I though I was before this. A filthy murderous piece of useless Shit. I am nothing now but the thing I once spat upon. I don't wanna be this person Mark... Let me leave..."

"Well don't... And no, I will never let you go. I hate to tell you this but, not even that, is a good enough reason to contemplate what you're thinking. You can change the person you are Jack. I will help you be the person you want to be if you will just let me. Please... Your reason isn't good enough because you have a way of changing what made it that way. If something were to happen that was completely irreversible then maybe but now? With that reason? No..."

I didn't know what to say after that... He made sense but I didn't want to promise something I can't uphold. What if I just snap and let it happen anyway? What happens then? I would let Mark down, I would let myself down and for what?

"I... Promise."

A/N

Hey guys! I'm really sorry that the last few chapter have been short and relatively shifty lately. I have been really sick for a while now and college has been messing with me big time... Haha, well anyway...

Thank you all for 750+ reads on this book! That's amazing for me! I didn't expect it, and I thank you all dearly for brightening my day just that little bit, by doing something so small to you, yet so breathtaking for me!!

And for this chapter I'm sorry, I didn't it all on my phone and there will be mistakes...

Thank you again, and I will get the next chapter going as soon as possible!!

Cheers, Re_Written_