highlander_ii

He checked the items in his cart, making sure he'd picked up all the things he needed to combat this cold he caught skiing in Vancouver. After this shopping trip, he was going to go home, grab a blanket, make his tea and collapse on the couch to watch a movie and take a nap.

Really, that was the plan. But on the way to his Jeep, there was a distraction. A bad distraction.

"Hello, MacGyver," the raspy voice greeted him from the passenger seat of his vehicle.

"Keep the Jeep," MacGyver said and turned to wheel his cart back to the store.

The door opened behind him and MacGyver started walking faster. "Wait, MacGyver! I need your help!"

That had him stopped dead in his tracks. "We've done that before, Murdoc. I am not interested in helping you again."

"It's for a good cause."

MacGyver laughed. "What good cause? You don't have any more relatives. And I can't think of any other common ground that we have, Murdoc." He wasn't getting sucked into these games again.

Murdoc stepped out of the Jeep and closed the door. "I'm turning over a new leaf. I want to go straight. Clean. No more HIT, no more killing."

"And I'm supposed to believe that?" MacGyver asked, knowing he sounded like he didn't believe that, not for a second.

"Of course not," Murdoc confirmed. "But it would make this so much easier. Though, I'll tell you what - I'll give you a headstart. Because you're sick. And I don't want to catch whatever you have."

MacGyver frowned. Then shoved the shopping cart at Murdoc before he turned to run, heading across the parking lot at a decent jog. He ran back into the store. Though, he knew Murdoc wouldn't have any qualms about shooting up a store full of people.

He wasn't sure how much of a headstart Murdoc was going to give him, but he was sure he was going to take advantage of every second he had. With a new cart in hand, he moved around the store gathering up items he could use to make weapons against his nemesis.

He got some strange looks from other customers, but he continued on his quest, then rolled toward the back of the store. He handed the manager he saw some cash and wheeled through the backroom to find a service entrance. He didn't see Murdoc out that way, but he couldn't be sure he'd come in the front entrance either.

Until he heard a bit of commotion out in the main body of the store. He pushed through the service entrance door and wheeled his cart around the side of the building toward his Jeep. He threw everything in and jumped in the driver's seat. Murdoc would be along shortly and MacGyver hoped he would be able to make good on his headstart before Murdoc figured out where he'd gone.

He couldn't go home. That would be too easy. He couldn't go to Phoenix, that would put too many people in danger. He needed to find someplace isolated.

"So, MacGyver, are you going to help me or not?"

MacGyver hit the brakes so hard he almost rolled his Jeep. How had Murdoc gotten back into the thing? What was going on. "How...? What?"

Murdoc just laughed at him. That deep, wicked, painful laugh of his.

This wasn't going well at all. How did Murdoc end up back in the Jeep? How? There was no physical way for that to be possible.

Then the laugh rang in his ears, a continuous, grating sound that won't go away...

...and turned into a hacking cough. He sat up on the couch and grabbed a tissue to sneeze into. The movie he'd been watching was nearing the end. And he'd just had the weirdest dream. He leaned back on the couch and drew the blanket up over his head. He was going back to sleep.