The Disappearance of Jessica Stark

11. Pity

      "We have to get him" I said "if not us then no one else will" I watched as the car swerved around a few parked cars. He was leaving the parking lot "I'm not letting him get away" I broke away from them and pulling the keys out from my back pocket.

      "If you are then you'd better not drive a Station Wagon" Stephanie caught my wrist. She nodded her head to a black Porsche.
In less then thirty seconds, Mr. Westbrook sat in the drivers seat. I sat beside him and Stephanie sat in the back.

"Try to keep your feet off the dash" Westbrook added as he started the car.

      "It doesn't matter where you put your feet in a high-speed chase!" I yelled, raising my hands in the air.

      He gripped the wheels and floored the accelerator "It does to me" he mumbled, going 0 to 80 in less then 6 seconds. The SUV was disappearing down the road, but this car was fast. I gripped the arm rest as the dark trees blurred together because of the speed.

      "How are we going to get him?" Stephanie asked, leaning forward in the seat. We approached the SUV, it swerved to hit us but Westbrook backed us away "we can't even touch the guy" he fired his gun at us. I ducked under the dashboard to escape the bullets.

      I glanced out the window, a plan was brewing "Get as close as you can" I said to Westbrook. He gave me a puzzled look but didn't argue. The SUV kept making quick movements to try and get away, but Westbrook was a good driver. When our car was 8 feet away, I reached for the door handle and opened it. Sharp wind blew my hair back and caused me to squint my eyes.

"What are you doing?!" Mr. Westbrook yelled, not slowing in speed.

      "I saw this in a movie once" I replied over my shoulder "Can't remember which one... but it was a good movie" I stood up from my seat, positioning my legs for the jump. The SUV came closer. I took a deep breath and sent a quick prayer to the God of Thunder above before leaping from the Porsche.

      The strength given to me by that extremis helped me gain the momentum, and gave me the ability to stick the landing. I gripped the top of the car, my fingers digging into the metal. In the window, my reflection was orange. The man in the car whipped around to see me dangling just beside his window. He aimed his gun at me. I scrambled to the top of the moving car, just trying to stay on top.

      The pavement below didn't look very inviting as we pushed 100 miles an hour. Westbrook kept the Porsche close just in case things became critical. I raised up my fist and punched through the top of the car. My fingers gripped the steering wheel. He punched at my arms, trying his best to regain control. The car ended up jerking to the side and tumbling off the road. I manage to rip the steering wheel off the dash before being thrown off by the crash.

      My body tumbled onto the grass as the SUV rolled into the trees. I laid their for a moment, debating if that whole ordeal actually happened. The black Porsche pulled up and Westbrook hopped out with Stephanie.

"Jessi!" she yelled, running to me.

      "Score one for the boys back home" I said in a sarcastic tone before pulling myself to my feet and stomping to the car. The man in the car kicked the window of his car and crawled out as the engine caught fire. I gripped him by the collar and threw him across the grass. He landed with a low grunt and rolled into the street "screw you" I gritted my teeth and rolled up my sleeves.

      He didn't even try to fight back which surprised me. I knelt down beside him and gripped his collar, my fingers rising in temperature. My eyes glowing with anger "who are you?!" I snarled through gritted teeth.
He laid there, his eyes were bright blue, and scared. I didn't feel bad. He shot all those people, those kids "Who. The Hell. Are you?!" I yelled.

"Maxwell Harper" he flinched, holding his hands up "please, you have to understand"

"Oh I understand" my eye twitched with rage "you killed those people... you murdered them"

      "Because she told me to!" He fell limp in my hands, readying to take any punishment that was coming his way. That wasn't what I was expecting. I allowed him to keep talking " She's in charge... she said she'd kill my family if I didn't follow her orders"

      Mr. Westbrook crossed his arms over his chest. I let go of his collar and his shoulders rested on the pavement "You work for April?" I whispered, narrowing my eyes "She's in charge? In charge of what?" I placed my hands on my hips.

      "Well... not technically in charge. She's leading this mission, the mission to find you. But there's someone else, he's the one that calls the shots" he propped himself on his elbow, looking extremely disappointed in himself. His eyes turning red from tears.

"Someone else?" Stephanie whispered.

"How did you find me?" I asked in a low tone.

      He didn't waste time explaining "We found Henry Morgan" I heard Stephanie exhale sharply behind me "She... tortured him for the information on you, but he wouldn't comply" my heart filled with dread. Shivers ran down my spine as my palms grew clammy "Then there was a news article online. A glowing person stopped a moving car from crushing a boy. She knew it was you. Then we came here".

      It makes sense that April would come to the football game. In this small town, it's the biggest event that they have. Word would get out fast. That school is the only high school for miles "I'm... I'm so sorry" he cried, pinching the bridge of his nose "I hate this job but I got roped into it. April said she'd kill my daughter and wife if I didn't help her find you" he looked to me "I have no quarrel with you, or Tony Stark. I just wanted my family to live"

"So you shot those innocent people?" Mr. Westbrook questioned.

      "I... I made sure not to hit any important parts of the body. Just legs and arms... but I know that's no excuse" he sat up, wiping the tears from his eyes. The SUV was engulfed with flames now "You can arrest me, but please don't hurt my family. They have no part in this"

      I dropped my eyes to the ground, kicking my foot against the pavement "Where is April now?"

Maxwell's eyes widened "she's still there" his voice grew tight "she's going to kill people"

"We need to get back" Mr. Westbrook gripped my shoulder.

      "Wait" I stopped "You said there's someone else in charge, who?" I demanded answers now.

      "Adrian Toomes" he said quickly "The Vulture, Toomes Salvage Company in New York. She works for him, and I work for her" The Toomes Salvage Company does ring a bell for me. Once he was done talking, he lowered his head. Tears slipped from his eyes. I sighed and rubbed the back of my head. The orange glow of my skin had subsided.

      "Look at me" I said in a softer tone. He looked up to meet my eyes "go home, get your family and run. Run and hide until this is all over"

"Jessi what are you-" Stephanie started but I cut her off.

      "Go, now!" I raised my voice. He sprang up from the ground and bolted down the street. His body disappeared in the darkness. I waited until his footsteps ceased before turning back to face my new friends.

"You let him go?" Stephanie asked with raised eyebrows.

      I honestly wasn't even sure if it was the right thing to do "He was forced to do something that he had no say in... it reminded me of someone else" I thought of another man who was forced to kill, to assassinate. He couldn't resist even if he tried. I felt nothing but pity.

We hopped back into the Porsche and started  back for the school.

      A/N : So fun fact about Stephanie. Stephanie Morgan was the name of the main character in my first ever book (which has since been deleted cause it sucked😂) and the book was a Paul Walker fan fiction. Also, Jessi's name was originally going to be Stephanie, until one day I watched Toy Story and the character 'Jessie' caught my eye. I decided to change her name to Jessi :)