Mark grabbed the brunette by her hand and began to walk faster. He made sure to move at an unnoticeably higher pace.
The footsteps following them had been present for the past few minutes, always keeping the same distance and pursuing the two despite Mark's many attempts to lose them with subtle turns into open alleyways.
They were nearing the residential northern district but remained in the central part of the city. It was a dangerous place since they were too far from the shops and general crowds, but not within the area of patrols either. Only communal apartments rose to the foggy sky- and aside from those pursuing, not another person was to be seen.
It was hard to tell exactly how many people were behind him. More than a handful for sure, but he couldn't get more precise than that.
He felt his hand get tugged. Cathy looked at him with a determination that seemed to seep into his body and soul. They were just about to turn a corner, and from the look of her eyes, the plan was obvious.
Just as they left the sight of their pursuers, the two made no hesitation to dash away. He could hear people start to run behind him, the fear of their dreadful steps adding to Mark's haste.
It began to seem as if they would lose the people following them, but a few seconds after the sudden rush, a problem showed itself.
Cathy was much slower than Mark had expected, her top speed being not even half of his own. Running with her felt like carrying an extra weight.
'Well damn! Now what?'
He looked at his fleeing partner.
'Do I leave her behind?'
Mark played with the thought for a few seconds. She has the money and looks to serve as bait, and letting her go would allow him to run freely. It was logically a sound choice- in the short term. It was also true that she served as his wallet and source of food, basically being his lifeline.
She turned her head and looked at Mark with desperate peach eyes.
'Wait, no. How could I ever think of doing something like that?'
The line of thinking seemed inhumane as it was rational, her gaze riddling him with guilt.
But the fact remained that as long as they remained together, they would eventually get caught. Something needed to be done if those damned pursuers were to be lost.
His mind toiled and laboriously thought at an astounding pace, the surroundings beginning to blur while Mark diverted all his attention to thinking of a reasonable way out. The people behind were just a dozen meters away and catching up, simply stalling while they drained the stamina out of their prey.
Sadly, two plans came to mind after playing every scenario in his mind. Both used a hostage. One risked the future, the other risked the present, and Mark picked the latter.
Determination filled him while he resolved to his plan.
When they turned a corner, Mark abruptly pushed Cathy into an alley.
"Go!"
Then he continued to run forward.
By the time his pursuers regained sight of him, Mark was already turning the corner onto another street, his vague silhouette giving them the illusion that the brunette was still with him.
Using his ability to instigate their annoyance, they disregarded everything else and continued to follow the young man.
He had successfully turned himself into the bait, but the act was destined to fail after a bit of time, so before the pursuers could realize the brunette's absence, Mark decided to take the initiative.
Turning into an alleyway and slowing down, he reached for the gun that lay inside his windbreaker. The cold metal fought against his burning heart, instilling a chilling rationality into his mind.
Raising the firearm, he pointed it at the first person who turned into the dark passageway. When the pursuer saw the gun, he immediately froze while Mark stretched his mind and petrified the scoundrel with fear.
He hesitated to shoot, not knowing if it was a good idea to kill someone while being so close to the northern district.
The rest of the crowd soon joined, each of them equally surprised to see Mark alone and with a gun drawn.
Silence filled the alleyway as the gang of scoundrels and the lone man faced each other.
'Haha, exactly where I wanted you all to be...'
His plan worked, but he wasn't happy at all. Mark should have thought further, but then again, he didn't have much time to think in the first place.
Awkwardness filled the atmosphere with the group beginning to feel less intimidated when looking at the lone man confronting them.
Not wanting to seem any less oppressing, Mark sharpened his gaze while amplifying the dreadful fright each one of his pursuers felt, making them subconsciously back away. Their shuffling noises nearly brought a smile to his face.
And then, they stopped.
The sounds of leisurely-made steps resounded through the narrow passageway as the group cleared to the sides, pressing themselves against the wall.
Mark's gun was then pointed at the newcomer: a man with jet-black hair and eyes as red as roses, who emitted a familiarly oppressive aura, like that of a boss. Two callous men followed in his tracks.
'You!'
Having seen him at the bar, Mark had pushed his image to the corners of his mind but was never able to fully rid the figure from his mind.
Now that the red-eyed man stood in front of a group, his presence seemed indefinitely more domineering.
"Boss, I know this guy! He's that bastard who killed our men!"
A hardened young man spoke up amidst the crowd, drawing everyone's attention. It didn't take long for Mark to recognize him.
It was the young wretch who he had beaten, whose friend was killed by the gun Mark now held.
The leader didn't spare a glance but instead broke into a smile while looking Mark in the eyes.
On his formal wear, there was a punctured coin.