Thanks for the support and encouragement - it is much appreciated. :) Just a quick note, not going to go into a massive amount of details in the time the group is separated, I want to concentrate more on the aftermath and the dynamics of it rather than the blood and the gore.
After a stop at a roadside lunch caravan and the sudden lack of appetite when Tosh mentioned hepatitis, they had found a large, open area that Jack declared would be perfect for setting up their tents. Nestled in a small valley it offered a natural wind buffer and after dragging the large carryalls containing the two man tents and a smaller one containing a single the discussion began as to who would sleep with whom. Despite Ianto's threats of making Jack sleep with Owen or Gwen while he and Tosh took one of the two man tents unless he stopped trying to convince Ianto it would be best to zip their sleeping bags together it was clear that it would end up being he and Jack in one, the girls in the other and Owen would have his own. It was also obvious that Owen had no intention of lessening his attitude when he snarled an insult at Tosh that clearly hurt her feelings. He had been having difficulty setting up his tent and when she innocently inquired if he was having trouble getting it up he snapped at her that even if he was she would be his last choice to help. Ianto opened his mouth to say something but Jack touched his arm and shook his head, stopping him from getting involved. Gwen's smirk changed the hurt to anger and Tosh threw back her hair and snorted at the medic before tossing back a comment on the lack of a decent sized and rigid stake being the reason he could only manage to raise anything halfway. Owens jaw dropped and Tosh, leaving Gwen floundering with the second tent, went over to help Jack and Ianto assemble the stove, their tent already standing and set up for the night.
They ended up sitting round the fire and just when Ianto was sure it couldn't get any worse Gwen started an incredibly childish game of "Who Was the Last Person You Snogged?". First of all, Ianto agreed with Owen's snapped comment about who still said snog anyway and while he was not ashamed of his answer he had a feeling that someone was going to be hurt by this and most likely that someone would be Tosh. He was sure of it when He saw the smirk appear on Owen's face after Gwen announced her last snog had been with Rhys.
"Of course it was," Tosh muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Tosh? Who was yours?"
Tosh sighed and glanced at Gwen. "Owen. Last Christmas. Under the mistletoe."
Owen looked a little stunned and for a moment a bit wistful. "Really? Well lucky me then." The smirk reappeared and he clapped his hands. "Now, PC Cooper, I believe you might have told a lie just now because unless you..."
"Owen, shut it!"
"...are carrying Rhys in your pocket you know only too well that your last snog was..."
"Owen," Jack said sharply.
"Owen!" Gwen shrieked.
"...a few short hours ago in the corridor leading to the cells when I pushed you up against the wall and spent several moments tickling that gap in your teeth with my tongue."
There was silence except for Gwen's harsh breathing and the sound of the grass whispering softly in the light breeze. Finally Tosh cleared her throat and glared at Gwen. "Didn't take you long to get your feet under that table."
"It's not your business," Gwen snarled. "Jack? Who was yours?"
Anything to lighten the tension. "Are we including non-human life forms?"
"I'm afraid if you have been snogging Myfanwy again we are going to need to have a long conversation about the possibility of your lips ever getting near mine again," Ianto dead panned, shifting his knee to bump it lightly against Tosh's. "And if you've been snogging Janet than I can promise you will never get near them again."
Jack stuck out his lip and gave Ianto a very ineffective pout. "What about the Hoix?"
"Impossible, because if you tried snogging him you wouldn't have any lips left." He rolled his eyes at Jack. "Owen is waiting to try to embarrass me so just go ahead and say it."
Owen smirked at him. "That sure it was you then?"
Ianto rolled his eyes again. "Well? Out with it Captain Harkness so Doctor Twat can have his go at me. But really, this time try for some sort of originality, Owen."
"It was Ianto. Ianto Jones." Jack leered at him. "Jones, Ianto Jones was my last snog."
Gwen looked annoyed. Very annoyed.
Ianto raised an eyebrow at a silent (in his defense, he was still trying to recover from the blatant remarks Ianto had made about the reality of his and Jack's relationship) Owen. "Nothing? Well, I would say that leaves me then?" Ianto looked round. "Mine was some bloke who grabbed onto me at the Castle, pulled me into the shadows and gave me a lovely snog. Seemed quite fit and he was a bloody good kisser. Shame I didn't get his name."
Tosh had to bite back the giggle at the look on Jack's face. Gwen looked hopeful. Owen groaned and covered his eyes.
Jack seemed stunned and then it was as if a light came on over his head and he let out a shout and grinned, the full set of Harkness teeth on display. "That was me! I'm the fit bloke who is a bloody good kisser!"
Ianto smiled gently at him and patted his knee. "If you say so, sir."
"I'm going to get firewood." Gwen jumped to her feet and stalked toward the trees. Owen gave a shrug and stood to follow her, pointedly ignoring the looks of disapproval from the rest.
"Tosh?" Ianto touched her arm, drawing her attention back from the spot in the trees where Owen had vanished.
"I don't know why I care," she sighed. "I know who and what he is so why should it surprise me that he's doing all he can to get her into bed? I just wish I knew what it is that makes me so wrong that he won't even give me a second look."
"It isn't that you're wrong," Jack told her gently, coming up beside her to wrap an arm round her shoulders and tuck her against his side, "it's how damaged and filled with fear of losing someone he loves again that keeps him from being honest about his feelings. He doesn't want to open himself up to the hurt again so he treats real emotions with contempt. I understand to a point - when you see people you love die and you are forced..." Jack's voice trailed away as his eyes met Ianto's. "It's not you, Tosh. It's not you at all."
"He's the one missing out on the best thing he could find," Ianto said, brow furrowed as he stared at the last place the medic had been. "And I'm sorry, I know I haven't been an icon of morality when it comes to being committed but Rhys deserves better. She knows I know him, she knows my sister can't stand her and wants to tell him about her yet she flaunts her..." Ianto suddenly blushed and shook his head. "Sorry, not my place. I can't make choices for Owen or for..." Again he trailed off and glanced at Jack. "If people choose to act on their feelings it's not my business. I'm going to see about sorting some more coffee, care to help, Tosh?"
Jack released her and grabbed Ianto's arm before he could walk away. "No, stop right there." He tugged Ianto closer to enable him to wrap an arm round the slender waist. "Whatever Owen is feeling and does is on Owen. I know she's interested, she makes no secret of it but I think I have made it clear my interest lies elsewhere. Give yourself some credit, Ianto."
"Jack's right." Tosh grinned and thumped his arm. "I think the whole who did you snog game made that point very clear to her. Now come on, I need coffee before the two of them come back and annoy us all even more."
Ianto draped an arm across Tosh's shoulders. "She's..." Whatever she was had to be left to the imagination when Gwen ran into the camp, shouting something about a mutilated body.
-TW-
"No animal I can think of did this." Owen slowly got to his feet, snapping the gloves off his hands and staring at the skinned torso lying on the forest floor. "No teeth marks, and the cuts are clean. It almost looks like it was done with a saw or a cleaver. Hasn't been out here long, just..." He stopped, his head whipping round when they heard the sound of a racing engine. "Hang on, is that..?"
It was and Ianto and Jack sprinted for the campsite, the rest on their heels. They arrived in time to see the SUV run over the last standing tent before tearing up huge chunks of earth as it sped off over the hill, the receding sound of the powerful motor mixed with the loud cursing from Owen. They could only stand and listen as it faded into the distance, leaving behind the sounds of harsh breathing and rustling grass. "Someone care to explain to me how that happened?" Jack asked, the softness of his voice belying the anger in his expression.
"Yeah, pretty sure that was on me," Owen sighed. "Left the keys in the boot lock when I was getting my kit. Sorry, I ballsed up."
"Sorry doesn't change the fact we are now stranded out here, Owen!" Tosh raged, hands on her hips and her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. "What were you thinking? Basic safety protocols!"
"We're in the middle of nowhere! How was I supposed to know that someone would try to steal the bloody thing?" Owen shouted in return, his face red. "What are we going to do, Jack? That fucking lunch caravan was miles back!"
"There's a village about three miles from here across the fields," Ianto said, studying his PDA. "It also appears that the SUV is on course for said village." He looked up and arched an eyebrow at jack. "Fancy joining me for a walk, sir?"
Tosh stormed past him and snatching the device from his hands without breaking stride, still muttering under her breath about stupid doctors who were more concerned with their dick than their brain. Knowing she would feel better having electronic control Ianto didn't object, instead strolling after her with Jack coming behind, leaving Gwen and a still red-faced Owen bringing up the rear. The walk was made in silence, everyone concentrating on avoiding holes and dips in the ground that were hidden by the long swatches of grass. It seemed to take forever but eventually they found themselves on the crest of a small hill looking down on long, low stone buildings in the valley, the eerie silence wrapped round them.
"It appears the SUV is parked over there," Tosh said, pointing in the direction of what looked like a barn. "It hasn't moved for well over an hour."
"Right. Tosh, you and Ianto go see if you can get it back. Owen, Gwen and I will take a look and see if we can find who stole it and what else might be going on. I'm getting a bad feeling that the fact there appears to be nothing and no one to be seen down there is something to do with the reason we're here. Everyone be careful and don't take unnecessary chances." Jack caught Ianto's hand and gave it a light squeeze. "You and Tosh watch out for one another."
Ianto smiled at him, returning the pressure on Jack's hand before letting go. "We will. No blood on the coat, sir."
Jack flashed him a wide grin. "I'll do my best, Mister Jones."
With that, the five separated into two groups and made their way carefully toward the silent village.
-TW-
It never failed to amaze Ianto just how many different ways things could go to complete and utter shit.
Having Tosh vanish was bad enough but then to be rapped smartly in the back and the head and dragged - while semi-conscious - over rough terrain and tossed unceremoniously into a dank, stinking darkness was just the icing on the proverbial cake. As the world swam slowly back into focus he carefully sat up with a groan, freezing when he heard scraping and shuffling off to his left. Slowly he opened his eyes, swallowing the sudden urge of nausea in his stomach as the room spun, righted and tilted for a moment before the vague outline of shadows could be seen.
"Ianto?"
"Tosh!" He turned toward the sound of her voice. "Are you hurt?"
"Apart from feeling like an idiot for getting captured I'm fine." He heard movements coming closer before he felt the warmth of her body beside him. "Are you?"
"Lump on the head and a bit dizzy." He squinted in the gloom. "Where are we?"
"Not sure. I found a light with a cord, I was half afraid to turn it on though until I knew what was making the noises. I'm pretty sure it was just you though."
"Won't know until we look." Ianto closed his eyes. "Go ahead."
Tosh tugged the cord and shielded her eyes against the glare of the naked bulb. "Storage of some kind. Lots of nothing." She frowned when she spotted the large freezer in the corner. "Might be a root cellar of some kind."
Ianto opened his eyes and grumbled at the stab of pain while they adjusted. "Bastards. At least they didn't hit you." He got slowly to his feet and took a long look round the room. "We need weapons. And maybe we can get the door open, or is that a chute of some kind?"
"Looks like it." Tosh went to the open grate and touched the slide, grimacing when her hand came away sticky and red. "Ianto, there's blood on it."
Ianto was busy staring at the corner near the freezer. "Tosh, are those shoes?"
She looked and nodded. "Lots of them." She walked slowly over and nudged the pile with the toe of her boots. "Ianto, what...?" Almost against her will, she moved to stand in front of the freezer, watching her hand as if it belonged to someone else when it reached for the handle.
"Tosh..."
She couldn't stop it, fingers curling round the metal and she gave it a sharp pull. The waft of cold air made her shiver but the heavy smell of iron made her blanch and her eyes went wide, staring into the depths of the frigid monster before sanity took over and she slammed the door as hard as she could, spinning round to fall back against it. Her eyes found Ianto's and locked with his, her mouth opening and closing but no sound coming out.
"Tosh..?"
She shook her head violently, trying to push him back as he came closer but her body refused to obey and he gently put her aside, reaching for the handle, opening the door and the sound he made broke her trance and she shoved the door, knocking it out of his grasp and shutting it hard enough to cause the whole freezer to shake.
"Oh shit, oh shit," Ianto chanted, eyes wide as saucers in a far too pale face. "Tosh? Tosh, was that a foot?"
"Don't think about it. Don't think about it." She breathed heavily, trying to force her own panic down and keep Ianto's from taking over. "Door. We need to get out of here. Ianto, focus." She pushed away from the freezer and stood in front of him, placing trembling hands on his chest. "Come on, we need to find the others. They took our guns and comms, so we need..."
A scrape of a key and the loud click of the lock on the door caught their attention and they turned in time to see the door slowly open and a somewhat rotund woman step inside, a shotgun held across her chest. "Are you hurt?" she asked. "I'm a nurse, I can see to you before I take you to them."
"We're fine," tosh said. "Who are they?"
"Don't ask. I can't help." She seemed slightly panicked but the gun was steady when she pointed it at them. "Come on, can't keep them waiting." She motioned with the gun for them to walk in front of her, Ianto holding tosh close to him as they eased past the muzzle and out the door, following not only her verbal commands but the occasional prod from the gun as she directed them toward a well lit house to the left of the building where they had been held.
At the same time Jack, Owen and Gwen were methodically searching the rest of the village. The first place they had checked which had turned out to be a pub, seemed to be nothing more than closed for the moment but each dwelling after had been left as if the owners had stepped out in mid life. It was in the second that they found another partial body, this one sending Gwen outside to retch violently into the grass, terror making her babble in fear and clutch at Jack, begging him to explain why and wanting nothing more than to turn and run for home. He couldn't take the time to placate her, instead he snapped at her to get hold of herself and remember her job before hustling her on to the next building, this one containing another corpse but while it had been skinned the head remained and even Owen had to fight down the urge to gag.
Angry, and now worried that perhaps splitting up hadn't been his best idea, Jack moved a little faster between houses, kicking open the doors and leaving one outside while he and the other did a quick search. The next four houses gave up nothing more but when they reached the fifth - and the last one in this particular block - a noise in the tall grass made him turn and it was Gwen who kicked open the door, the shot loud and shattering the silence as she crumpled to the ground. Jack charged in, Webley at the ready and returned fire, the face of a terrified kid registering just before the bullet caught him in the shoulder and sent him crashing back onto the steps. Owen was already kneeling by Gwen, shouting to Jack that it was buckshot, the pellets spread over her side and while painful it was not lethal and she would be fine. Jack lifted the crying boy from where he had sprawled, ignoring his whimpers and moans of pain and dragging him into the kitchen where he dropped him into a corner and swept the table clean as Owen carried Gwen inside. He set her on the rough wood, pushing her back and peeling the leather jacket away to reveal several dozen small holes which oozed blood, yelling at her to lie still and let him look.
The boy - for he really was not much more than that - who had shot Gwen was mewing and whimpering in the corner, shrinking away from Jack when he approached and crying out at the rough check of the bleeding wound in his shoulder. It had not been a kill shot, the attempt only to contain the situation and while Jack was grateful he had somehow managed to restrain the fury enough to know answers were needed his level of sympathy for the wounded villager was not much more than nil. "Who are you and what do you know about all of this?" he demanded, looming over the boy in an effort to force any kind of honest answer.
"I don't know! I was going home to see my parents and we...is she hurt? I didn't mean to shoot her I thought you where them!"
"Who is them?" Jack asked again, what little was left of his patience barely keeping his hand off the youth's throat. He wanted answers, he wanted them now, and he wanted desperately to know where Ianto and Tosh had ended up.
"Jack leave it for now, we need to find someplace a little easier to defend." Owen was taping a large bandage on Gwen's side, the woman no longer loudly demanding him to help her but instead holding tightly to the collar of the medic's jacket, the tips of her fingers moving lightly through the short hairs at the top of his neck.
"Saw a pub, that might work. Once you three are inside and safe, I need to go look for Tosh and Ianto."
"I knew sending him off with her was a bad idea!" Owen glared at him, carefully helping Gwen to her feet at the same time. "She's got to look out for him as well as herself! Who knows what they could be walking into."
Gwen made a soft whimpering noise and sagged against Owen. "It hurts," she whispered, scratching her nails along the back of his neck and smiling when he shivered. "You aren't going to leave me, will you? You'll take care of me, won't you?"
Jack decided arguing with Owen or trying to focus Gwen on something other than the damsel in distress act she was pulling to keep Owen thoroughly involved with her was a lost cause so he grabbed the boy by his unwounded arm and shoved him toward the door. "Pub." He followed him, turning his head and watching Owen help Gwen out the door and nodding for them to follow the boy. Carefully continuing to scan the area he brought up the rear, making sure that at least the ones he had with him were safe and worrying more every moment for the ones that weren't.
