Trust Your Instincts

-65- The Last Encounter (part I)

 It was 6:30. Mark had half an hour to get to the mall, and though it was only a fifteen minute walk from his house, a part of him just really wanted to put his shoes on and start heading there now. 

 Maybe he should be more scared, more cautious. He knew just what Minx was capable of, and despite the small army of irate redemption seekers that Mark and Jack secretly gathered, there was no guarantee that everybody would live to see the sunrise tomorrow.

 Despite the chill that the thought brought, however, the prospect of waking up tomorrow to a Minx-free world was causing his stomach to do somersaults, in the best way possible. This wasn't like last time. She didn't have the upper hand anymore. This time she had no idea what she was in for.

 It's what she deserves. Mark thought to himself as he gave into temptation and headed out the front door and into the cold evening air. She had caused nothing but pain and suffering to him since they met, and if she was delusional enough to think that he would forgive her just because she treated him with kindness and respect, then she had another thing coming.

 She should've thought twice before she orchestrated Isaac's murder.

 A surge of adrenaline rushed through Mark's body as he picked up the pace and closed the gap between himself and the mall. It was a nice night, given that it was still January. There were a few clouds, but not enough to mask the waning half moon that was continuing to rise through the darkening skies.

 A perfect night to kill the bitch.

 Okay, maybe he was acting a little too arrogant and homicidal than the situation elicited, but can you blame him? He was going to get revenge at long last, standing alongside Jack, Ken and the rest.

 It scared him a little that the thought of watching the blood pour from the gaping wound that he would inflict on Minx's neck was so appealing. Maybe he was a little fucked up in the head. He forced himself to tone down his excitement as the abandoned mall came into view. As far as Minx was concerned, he had just broken up with Jack and he was heartbroken. The last thing he wanted was to stride through the front doors with a malicious smirk plastered on his face for the whole pack to see. Talk about spoiling the plan.

 In spite of the enthusiasm that forced him out of the safety of his home early and caused him to speed walk towards his destination, Mark stopped in his tracks a couple of blocks away from the shopping complex. It wasn't that he was too terrified to move, or that he was having second thoughts about the whole thing.

 He knew how important this night was, and he also knew that one slip up could be the difference between life and death. Minx was cunning, she was deceptive, and even Mark couldn't deny that she was incredibly intelligent. He may be excited to take her down, but he wasn't stupid enough to believe that this would be a walk in the park.

 He had to take a minute or two to collect himself before he walked in there. For all he knew, this might the last time he would be standing in the open air, and though he forced himself not to dwell on the thought, there was no way to stop it from crossing his mind. He couldn't be arrogant, because from experience, all arrogance did was cloud your better judgement.

 After a few deep breaths, Mark realised that standing out here for any longer than he already had wouldn't be beneficial in the slightest. He was starting to allow doubt to creep into his mind, and though he made sure not to be too arrogant, he couldn't allow his confidence to abandon him. With a shakier step than he felt comfortable with, he started to walk that little bit more to the mall, not stopping, and not looking back.

 This was it. As long as he played his cards right, nothing would go wrong. Right?

 It was hard to describe what exactly he was feeling, because he was feeling a lot. He was excited, but he was terrified. He was anxious yet confident. In this moment, however, what he felt the most was ready. Ready to take Minx and her pack down.