Gone

Jason stops as the car pulls up behind him, and for a moment, squints in the headlights. Hearing Katie's voice, his emotions reach their limit. She'd come for him again...he should have known that. She was too good at sensing his danger for him to have thought he'd get all the way to TJY on his own without her showing up. He was just as glad he wasn't at the house anymore though.

Trooper readily agrees to getting in the car, climbing into the backseat and having just a little trouble sitting down. Jason slides into the passenger seat. Now in the brief light of the interior bulb of the car, it's seen that his white tee has been blackened, along with his hands and face, his outer flannel shirt slightly singed from his flight across the porch. He reeks of smoke, and his eyes are still watery. Only now does he realize he has several small burns on one of his hands and isn't even sure when it happened.

Jason stares at the floor, too stunned and emotionally wrung out to even think of what's going to happen now. "It's all gone, Katie," he manages. Suddenly tears pool behind his eyes, and it's not from smoke. He wills them back though, refusing to let them fall. "Everything. The house is gone. Someone set fire to it...I barely made it out." He swallows hard. "There's nothing left..." Mustering up his strength and rebuilding a thick wall, he takes a deep breath as if believing the discussion is over. "Just take me to TJY."