“Isn’t it full of infected?”
Nick slowed down. “Yeah, it is. Who knows what he’s up to.”
Jan slowed down to a jog and then a lolloping walk. “He’s got no place else to go then. Let’s not corner him into doing anything stupid.”
Nick didn’t like increasing Shawcross’s chances of running away, but he was too out of breath to keep running so fast anyway. Against his better judgement, he allowed himself to slow down. “Where were you, anyway, man?” Nick asked Jan. “You saved my ass back there in the nick of time.”
“A man spends long enough in a prison, he starts to appreciate solitude. I was just walking in the woods, enjoying the quiet.”
“I understand what you mean,” said Renee.
Jan looked at his fellow prisoner, dumbfounded. “You…you talk?”
Renee shrugged as if it was nothing.
“Long story,” said Nick. “I’ll fill you in later.
“Fair enough.”
Shawcross was out of breath, too, and had slowed down to a panicked stagger. In front of him was the dark spectre of Ripley Hall.
“What are we going to do with him if we catch him?” Jan asked.
“When we catch him,” Nick said. “And I don’t know. I’ll figure it out once we have him.”
They entered onto the lawns of the grand old house and stuck close to the rows of trees that towered over the lawns. Shawcross kept glancing back over his shoulder at them, but made no effort to increase his speed. He seemed broken and unable to run from them any faster.
Nick cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. “It’s over, Shawcross. You’re done.”
Shawcross turned around to face them. He was panting heavily. “It…would…appear so…wouldn’t it?”
“No one else needs to get hurt, buddy,” Jan said. “Just surrender.”
Shawcross shook his head and gave them an icy stare. “You really think I’m stupid enough to do that? You’d just kill me. You have no choice after what I’ve done.”
“No more killing,” said Nick.
“Then what? What do you plan to do with me?”
Nick was silent. He had no answer.
Shawcross nodded slowly. “Exactly.” He took a step backwards, towards the house. Then he took another.
“What are you doing?” Nick asked. “Get away from there.”
“I’ve looked after this house like it was my own for ten years, did you know that?”
Nick shook his head. He quickened his steps, hoping to get close enough to grab Shawcross without him making a bolt for it. There was some distance to close before that could happen though. They still had to shout to be heard.
“I was in charge of a piece of history. Lords have lived here; cousins to kings and queens. Powerful men with royal blood running through their veins. My job was to walk in their footsteps and respect their past.”
“Where are you going with this, Shawcross? What’s your point?”
“My point is that you all fucked it up! You brought death to Ripley Hall. You tarnished its legacy and now you scuttle around like rodents, disrespecting the history of where you are; disrespecting my position as guardian of this place. I was in charge here and you knocked me down, you violated me, and you reduced me to your level. You took away my integrity and the integrity of this place. You have no respect, for anything.”
“It’s just a house and a shitty amusement park, Shawcross. A cash cow. The integrity of this place was lost long before we arrived here.”
Shawcross took several more steps backwards. He moved up onto the front steps of Ripley Hall. “Hold your tongue, for you know not the nonsense you speak.”