I stretched out my body on the side of the road in the midday sun. My entire body was aching after hours of hiking through farmland then along the side of a very empty road. Jake thankfully managed to wave down the first vehicle we saw. It was a delivery van, but given it was the first vehicle we had seen, we were desperate. I waited on the forest's edge as Jake was negotiating with the driver for a ride.

"Well, he can't get us all the way to the border, but he can at least get us to the next town," Jake sighed as he walked over to me.

"It's better than nothing?" I shrugged.

Jake nodded and opened the back of the van. I peered in and noticed it was pretty much empty anyway. Jake climbed in first and sat down on the floor, holding his backpack in front of him. I got in and closed the doors behind me and sat down next to him. He put his arm around my shoulders and gave me a quick squeeze before pulling out his laptop from his backpack.

The driver turned and glanced back at us before driving off. He gave me a weird vibe, but if Jake felt he was ok, then he must've been. Honestly, if some serial killer had picked us up, I'd probably still be more terrified of Jake. I imagined him putting the likes of Jack the Ripper in his place, which made me giggle. It made me think what would've happened if he had found the Man Without a Face in those mines. Well, I guess the question really was, did Jake become the unhinged man he was today because of what happened, or was he always like that? Did it awaken something that was dormant underneath? I couldn't help but wonder if he had been looking forward to the chance to take on the legend, and saving Hannah and Richy was just his excuse to fight him one-on-one. He never got that chance though; the legend was just smoke and mirrors. Did that just add to his frustration, that there was no actual monster to fight?

My attention was drawn back to Jake's laptop as he was opening several windows. "What are you doing?" I whispered.

"Just checking on a few things," he assured me.

"Did your contact cross us?" I questioned.

Jake paused, then turned to me, "I don't think so. Things would have gone much more differently if it was a set up. Still, he's not getting the rest of the money."

Several maps of the area loaded including a standard street map showing our current location still fifteen minutes from the next town center. One of the maps was a topography map. Another showed the border crossings and defences. The last one showed the rail lines in the area and their status, including the one that currently had an obstruction on it. He spent a lot time going through the different maps and working out the best course of action.

"They're going to make things more difficult for our trip," he mumbled.

"Are you sure we should be traveling by road?" I asked.

He tilted his head back and forth, "We could try to wait it out, but that would mean we don't get there in time."

"Or? You have another idea?" I pushed.

"If not by land then by sea?" he joked. "Except in this case by river."

"How is that any safer?" I queried.

"Then by air!" he exclaimed.

"Uhh, exactly how?" I was struggling to keep up with him.

"We hang glide across! Look, we can jump from this peak here," he pointed to the topographical map.

"Have you ever hang glided before?" I narrowed my eyes in suspicion.

"No, but how hard can it be?" he shrugged.

I knew it, he had no idea how to do it. "Wait, what's here?" I gestured to the middle of the forest.

"Trees?" he responded innocently.

"And? What security is there?" I pushed.

Jake swapped back to the border crossing map, "A fence."

"Can't we just go over it?" I suggested.

"Hmm, it will likely have barbed wire, but we could just make our own way through. The only problem is if there are cameras," he explained.

"Can't you hack those?" I said quietly.

"Exactly what do you think I do? I don't just wave my laptop at things and say a magic spell," he rolled his eyes.

"Ok, fine, we'll just have to do what my people do back home with speed cameras," I mused. "We shoot them."

"You realise that's as effective as being seen, right?" he frowned.

"Realistically could they get to us in time before we're through?" I questioned.

"Probably not. That forest is rather dense. No off-roaders can get through," he admitted.

"Well, I think this is better than hang gliding," I teased.

"A helicopter could still track us moving through the forest," he argued. "They could have people waiting for us on the other side."

"I thought we were safe as long as we crossed the border," I frowned.

"The southern border, not the eastern border," he sighed. "Unless..."

"Unless what?" I leaned forwards to look at him directly.

"How much do you trust me?" he smirked.

"That sounds like famous last words," I narrowed my eyes.

"Not even a little?" he pouted. "It's not like I lost our clothes."

"What are-," I began to say before the realisation hit me. "Oh fuck." Of course, I left our bag at my seat on the train.

"And that's why I carry the computer," he mocked.

"What am I going to do? Look at my pants!" I gritted my teeth as I gestured to my bloodied pants.

"Well I don't mind if you don't wear any," he teased.

"Ok so we have to go shopping when we reach the town," I insisted.

"Uh, you can't. Not looking like that," he frowned.

"But we have no spare clothes!" I exclaimed.

He groaned, "Fine, we find a thrift store. In and out quickly, ok?"

"Can I pick out your clothes?" I mused.

"No," he answered simply.

"Why not?" it was my turn to pout.

"Plain, black clothes will do me just fine," he glared.

"So boring," I stuck my tongue out at him.

Jake leaned over to bite my tongue, but I pulled it back before he could. He smiled and sat back against the van again.

"I forgot to mention it earlier, but nice work on the message," he grinned.

I blushed, "Thank you. I was worried you might not have heard it."

"No, I heard it. Clear as day," he nodded. "You just didn't give me a lot of time."

"The next train wasn't going to be for another three hours," I explained.

"No, it had to be that one," he agreed. "I almost didn't make the train though."

"What happened?" I frowned.

"I jumped," he laughed.

"Wait, what? How?" I asked in disbelief.

"If I told you, you'd probably commit me," he smiled.

"For being suicidal, I definitely will!" I slapped his arm.

He grabbed my hand and held it, "I had it under control. It wasn't the first time I jumped on a train and it wasn't even at speed."

"Oh my God, I can't even... ugh!" I shook my head and looked away.

He laughed, then leant over to whisper in my ear, "Remember the lengths I will go to get to you. Nothing can keep me from you anymore."

"And if I run?" I asked suggestively.

"I will find you, pin you down and remind you who you belong to," he responded huskily in my ear.

My body shuddered as a chill ran down my spine. The urge to provoke him was too great, but as our gracious driver glanced over his shoulder, I was reminded that we weren't alone. It was going to have to wait. It didn't stop Jake from putting a hand on my leg and rubbing my inner thigh teasingly.

"I haven't forgotten what you said last night. Know that my plans for you haven't changed and I intend to act upon them as soon as I can," he spoke quietly, but dominantly in my ear.

Suddenly the van started slowly down to a stop, but it was too soon to be at the town. Jake pushed his laptop aside and moved up to a crouching position to look past the front seats. He said something to the driver and the driver said something back, but I couldn't hear over the sound of the engine.

Jake turned back to me with a look of annoyance, "There's a checkpoint ahead."

"We should get out then. Before they search the vehicle," I thought out loud.

"No, it's too obvious," he shook his head.

Jake packed his laptop away, then removed his hoodie and his mask. There was a baseball cap tucked away behind the driver's seat that he took out. After giving it quick shake he put it on.

"I am going to sit up front, ok? You do your best to make that leg look injured. If anyone asks you, we were hiking in the woods when you fell and since you couldn't walk on your leg, we got a lift to get you to hospital. Remember your new identity?" Jake explained as he ripped a section his shirt to tie the fabric around my shin.

"Emily Wagner," I confirmed.

"You're the same age as you are now, only born a month later. We've been together for five years, married for two. No kids yet, but we're trying," he continued.

"Is that last part necessary?" I laughed.

"Ok, maybe just me," he smirked impishly. "We're celebrating our anniversary which is why we're away from home."

"We have a golden retriever back home. His name is Lucky," I added. Jake looked at me confused. "If you can add your fantasy, so can I," I teased.

"Why is he named Lucky?" he went along with it.

"Because we found him in a well," I humoured.

"If you say so," he smiled.

"Uh, we don't have rings," I pointed out. "It'll be a little obvious."

"Keep your hand in your pocket," he said as he got up to move to the front. "Don't worry, I've got this."

"Again with the famous last words," I mumbled to myself.

Surely this time wouldn't end in a shoot out. Right? Right!?