Sean glanced back at the gas station where Dan and Phil were waiting for him, releasing a long sigh of defeat.
He thought of those who took care of him before, and what had happened to them because of him.
He remembered looking down at Matt's face as a halo of blood surrounded him, his body still on the rain soaked ground as Amanda's sobs echoed in his ears.
I can't let them die because of me.
Sean reluctantly looked at the gun Mark was still carrying that was hooked on his belt, then back at Mark's face, his chocolate brown eyes reflecting the orange flames flickering on the torch.
"I'll go with you." Sean decided hesitantly.
"Good choice." Mark smirked deviously, roughly taking Sean's arm in his and dragging the Irishman after him as if he was a small child.
Sean abruptly cried out in pain and fell to his knees on the ground, his free arm wrapped tightly around his stomach and his head hung.
The puddles of water left on the ground from the rainstorm not long ago soaked through the jeans Dan and Phil had let him wear, causing his legs to become cold.
"Get up." Mark snarled impatiently, attempting to drag the Irishman up to his feet.
Sean staggered to his feet before flying at Mark, caching him off guard and tackling him to the ground.
The torch fell to the ground and rolled a few inches away from Mark as he struggled to reach his gun.
"You really think acting will save you?" Mark laughed as Sean punched him in the face.
Mark managed to roll over so he was pinning Sean to the ground, the gun now in his hand and the barrel aimed at Sean's head.
Sean moved the barrel of the gun to the side just as Mark pulled the trigger, sending the bullet flying towards the gas station.
The bullet hit one of the gas pumps, creating a large orange ball of flames to erupt from it.
"NO!" Sean screamed in a combination of fear and rage as he threw Mark off of him and ran towards the gas station as fast as his wound would allow him.
The whole building was lit up with flames that hungrily ate away at the walls, causing pieces of the gas station to crumble.
Sean stormed past the shattered glass of the doors and through the empty doorway to look for the Brits, his breathing ragged as smoke entered his lungs and threatened to choke the life out of him.
"Dan! Phil!" Sean shouted before breaking off into a coughing fit, his eyes streaming with tears due to the smoke and his own fear as he trudged on.
"Sean?"
Sean stopped when he heard his name, the voice that had spoken weak and raspy.
Sean lifted up one of the shelves to find Phil cowering underneath it, his clothes covered in ash and dust from the rubble.
"C'mon, I'm getting you out of here." Sean promised Phil as he helped him up to his feet.
"What about Dan?" Phil replied worriedly.
"Oh Sean, you're a fighter aren't ya?"
Sean crouched and pulled Phil down to the floor with him, poking his head up slightly to see Mark casually walk inside with the gun still in his hand.
"Shine a light, isn't he the leader of the Blood Gang? What does he want with us?" Phil whispered nervously.
"I'm so sorry." Sean apologized sincerely.
Before Phil could ask why, Sean stood up to face Mark once again with a brave expression plastered on his soot covered face.
"There you are. I thought you were dead for a second there." Mark remarked.
"You can't get rid of me that easily." Sean countered tauntingly, lightly nudging Phil with his foot to encourage him to leave while Mark was distracted.
"Then what's your next move Sean? I have a gun and I'm blocking the only exit, you're weak and defenseless." Mark called out over the sound of the cracking fire around them, seeming unconcerned about the danger.
Sean caught sight of Dan and Phil escaping through the old manager's office window in the corner of his eye as Mark gloated, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"What's so funny?" Mark prompted with a frown as he raised his gun.
"Oh nothing much, just how stupid you are since you think you've won." Sean replied nonchalantly.
Sean waved goodbye to Mark with a grin on his face before he darted after Dan and Phil, bullets streaking by him as he climbed on top of the creaky desk in the manager's office and wriggled through the window to freedom.
"That was...too close." Dan panted as he doubled over to catch his breath, his brown hair hanging limply in front of his face.
"Now what do we do? Mark's on our trail and there's nowhere for us to go." Phil wondered aloud as he looked between Dan and Sean.
"Actually," Sean stated as he looked around him, a mental map forming in his mind.
"I know a place not too far from here."
Should Sean risk leading Dan and Phil back to his base?
Or
Find somewhere else to hide out until Mark loses them?
