Rendezvous

The Hunting Ground

"We've got to get back to my car," Sara breathed hurriedly, spinning to face the direction they had run from. Her mouth was open as she sucked in desperate breaths and her eyes were wide with fear. Michael followed her gaze to the empty waste ground before them, his back pressed to a cool metallic surface behind him and his mouth twisted with his own deep inhalations.

"It's too far," he whispered huskily after a pause, lifting his aching muscles to his face where he pulled his sunglasses free from his eyes. Michael flicked a glance at Sara as he spoke, quickly returning his gaze to the waste ground they had left behind.

"If we go now, before he gets more people?" Sara heaved, her voice higher in pitch than before and her hazel eyes fixated on Michael's form. Her eyes that searched for the answers.

"He's not going to call for back-up," Michael said in a tone that sent a shiver down Sara's spine as Mahone's car crunched to a halt in the dry, dusty dirt. She clutched at the foreign harshness of the wall in front of her, seeking comfort in anything she could find. Michael pushed himself off of the wall opposite the doorway and pressed himself to the one opposite, his eyes darting around the corner to where the dust covered car had stopped, its front bumper hanging loosely off from their collision and its entire side void of paint. "He wants his privacy," Michael panted with distain.

"Why?" She queried Michael soon as the words left his mouth.

"He's not trying to catch me," Michael breathed quietly, his gasps ragged as he spoke and his throat burning from the dry, dusty atmosphere. His steely blue gaze never left Mahone as the agent stepped confidently from his car; his dark shades hiding his eyes as he casually pushed the door closed and surveyed his hunting grounds. Michael frowned, desperately trying to interpret Mahone's intentions. "He's trying to kill me," Michael revealed, eyes still fixated on Mahone.

"What the hell?" Sara screeched on a whisper, her own frown invading her brow as she grabbed for Michael's arm, shaking him to face her. Michael took in her fear, etched across every inch of her face and his eyes darted to where her hand warmed his skin through his shirt. "Michael?" Sara urged, using his name like a question.

Michael shot another quick glance at Mahone behind them before rushing forward, his entire weight pressing against Sara's and willing her to move. Sara fell into step behind Michael, quickly shooting a glance behind her shoulder as Michael strode off confidently in front of her, taking in his surroundings and formulating a plan. The old factory was dark, musty and very claustrophobic.

"I don't want to get trapped in here," Sara confessed, her own husky voice almost cracking with her revelation as she scuffed her feet to keep up with Michael. Michael didn't look at her, just ahead, to the side, anywhere. He had gotten her into this, and he had to get her out.

"There's got to be an exit on the other side," he rationalised, his voice a little more steady than before. They rounded a corner and Michael threw his weight against a wall with a bump, peering around the concrete column hurriedly before turning back to Sara. He stepped forward towards her and caught her frightened eyes with his steady blue stare. "You go on..." he told her firmly.

"Michael..." Sara whispered, her skin flushing hot with fear and her heart pounding in her chest. The escalating numbness of her adrenaline raged body was evident in her voice, a begging plea for Michael not to leave her.

"I'll be right behind you," Michael breathed sternly. He reached out and cupped her elbow gently with his hand, sending a different kind of shiver through Sara's terrified body. "Go!" he mouthed to her with wide eyes, moving Sara's body with his own and sending her off into one direction of the abandoned establishment. With one last glance behind her, Sara took of into the unknown, her flat soled shoes slapping silently against the debris laden floor and her hair flailing behind her rushing body.