The formula for distance is:
[tex]d = \sqrt{(x2 - x1)^2 + (y2 - y1)^2}[/tex]
Use this formula to solve your problem where:
1 = (2, -6)
2 = (-4, 8)
[tex]d = \sqrt{(-4 - 2)^2 + (8 + 6)^2}\\\\d = \sqrt{(-6)^2 + (14)^2}\\\\d = \sqrt{36 + 196}\\\\d = \sqrt{232} = 15.232[/tex]
The distance between (2, -6) and (-4, 8) is 15.232 units.