Jack. Ianto knew Jack had come for him. The very walls were giving way for his Captain. His vision was blurred making it hard to recognize who was speaking to him but he kept calling out, "Jack . . . Jack . . ." There were people all around and soon Ianto could hear sirens blaring. The figure in front of him disappeared and Ianto was alone amidst the sea of voices and confusion. Soon another person was speaking to him in low tones, but this time it was not reassuring.

The new person was dressed in white but his breath held a scent that only consumption of human flesh causes. Ianto tried desperately to call out but a piece of cloth was shoved in his mouth and his hands and feet were retied. The man started dragging him out of the room through a back door. Waves of terror swept over Ianto as he tried to kick or resist but his body was too weak. The sounds of people and activity faded into the background as Ianto looked up to see stars over head. Cold, wet grass slicked across his back causing pain to shoot through his bruised body.

Eventually, the dragging stopped and Ianto could vaguely hear the back of a truck opening. The man went back to him and started lifting him into the pickup. Soon the noisy engine started and they began moving over a gravelly road. Lying in the back, Ianto was tossed around while bumping into various tools including a shovel and pickaxe. Above him Ianto could see the stars intermingled with tree tops as they were heading into the woods.

After an excruciatingly long drive, the truck stopped and Ianto felt his consciousness finally start to fade away. When he woke, Ianto found himself bound to a small bed. His head was somewhat clearer but still ached along with his sore chest and arse. His clothes had been removed and he was cleaned up. The room was warm and when he looked up Ianto could see a lit fireplace. It seemed to be a small cabin with old crumbling stone walls and boarded off windows.

In the corner, Ianto could just make out the figure of a man sitting in a chair. The man rose and started approaching causing Ianto to shudder in terror. With his mouth no longer gagged, Ianto tried speaking, "Who are you?"

The man smiled coldly and Ianto could start to make out his features in the dim light. He was surprisingly young, probably Ianto's age maybe younger. His body was well built and tall with at least 2 inches on Ianto. His hair which was probably well groomed earlier was sticking up at odd ends only serving to intensify the animalistic gaze on his face. In contrast to the setting and his demeanor, he was wearing a white paramedic uniform.

With a thick Welsh accent, the man began to speak, "It was almost my turn but we were interrupted. Since I'm the youngest, they make me go last. But I saw my chance when that maniac ran the tractor into the room. No one was looking for you so I sprung. Maybe this will work out for the best because I can really take my time with you."

He then stepped to the side of the bed and began running his hand along Ianto's leg, "You're much prettier when you're cleaned up. Luckily no one had the chance to mark you yet."

At that, the man leaned down and bit harshly into Ianto's inner thigh making him scream out in pain. He then pulled back and softly kissed the bitten flesh, "There. Now you're mine."

Ianto was shaking and started yelling, "Let me go! Please, don't do this."

His captor shushed him and brought his hand up to Ianto's face, "Oh darling, I'm not going to eat you . . . yet. First, we're going to enjoy ourselves. You'll be able to know true bliss before I devour you."

Tears started to fall down Ianto's cheeks as he was pleading, "Please, no."

However, the man leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to Ianto's stomach before he went to his bedside table and pulled out a jar of vaseline. He carefully unscrewed the lid and slicked up two of fingers then pushed them inside of Ianto. While he maneuvered his fingers around, he licked and playfully bit at Ianto's nipples. Even though he was trying to be tender, the man's movements still hurt because of what had happened earlier.

Ianto tried to focus his mind on something else. He started wriggling his wrists in the ropes and found he had some degree of movement. During the next few hours, Ianto had significantly loosened the ropes but he still couldn't free his hands. His captor had started drinking and soon fell asleep, splayed across Ianto's chest. With the fire roaring and after the horrendous strain he had just gone through, Ianto soon followed after, drifting off with dreams of Jack rescuing him.

The ride back to the Becon's was deathly quiet. Kieran had insisted on accompanying them. He was seated in the back staring daggers at Owen while Tosh rode up front with Jack. Gwen had stayed behind since she was still recovering from her wounds and so she could coordinate movements with the police. With Jack at the helm apparently trying to break the sound barrier, everyone was holding on for dear life. When he made a sharp turn, Owen tumbled over into Kieran who swore loudly and pushed him off, "For fuck's sake! Why aren't you wearing a safety belt?"

Owen yelled back, "What the fuck is your problem?"

Kieran's faced turned nearly red when he shouted back, "What kind of doctor are you? He was lying there, beaten to bloody pulp and you don't even think to check on him?"

Owen snapped in reply, "Excuse me, I was a little busy with the woman you hit with a shotgun!"

"That's a pathetic excuse and you know it. What happened? Were you kicked out of every respectable hospital so you had to go work for these fuckers?"

Owen was taken aback at young man's tone and turned his head away in embarrassment. However, Tosh stepped up to defend him, "Shut up! You don't know anything about him."

Kieran turned his rage to her, "And you! He gave himself up so you could get away and you don't even make sure he's alright?"

At that, Jack bellowed, "Shut it! We're almost there."

They were met at the site by the local police as Jack started giving orders, "Okay, the man we're looking for is in his early 20s, dark hair, pale complexion, and may be severely injured. Fan out from here in teams of two and keep your coms at the ready. We need to act fast; we're running out of daylight."

Kieran interrupted him, "Are you daft? I keep telling you: he didn't wander off, he was taken. One of those cannibals probably grabbed him after I passed out."

Jack scowled back at Kieran, "And I keep telling you: all the cannibals are in custody."

"Really? 'Cause there were dozens of them that fled before your team was brought in. They live and work around here. If no one noticed him he was probably dressed as a copper or a paramedic."

Jack was shocked at the boy's words and started doubting his control of the situation but soon the police captain chimed in, "I won't have you accusing my department. We got us all the suspects."

Suddenly, Kieran pointed toward the woods and shouted, "Look at that smoke in the distance. I bet that's a signal."

Everyone turned and could barely make out a plume of smoke rising miles away. Owen groaned, "It's probably just some farmer burning something. Would someone please shut this kid up?"

In frustration, Kieran grabbed the keys away from Jack and sped off with the team's SUV.

His captor had woken with a massive hard on. He took a large swig of whiskey and placed the bottle back on the bedside table. Soon he was on top of Ianto and fucking him roughly again. By then, Ianto could barely feel anything since he was so slicked up with vaseline and cum. In fact, his entire lower body seemed to have gone numb. The man had untied Ianto's feet so he could hold up his legs.

Ianto decided he couldn't take anymore and went for a final chance at escape. He pushed his hand against the headboard as hard as he could until he dislocated his thumb and could slip his hand out of the restraint. In one swift movement, Ianto grabbed the whiskey bottle and smashed it against the man's head knocking him out cold.

Quickly, Ianto turned over and freed his other hand and pushed the unconscious man to the floor. He rummaged around the cabin until he found a pair of jeans, a jumper, and some old boots. In the corner, he found a canister of kerosene and poured it over the furniture. He then grabbed a burning log from the fireplace and with one last scowl at his captor, he threw the log to the floor rapidly igniting the room.

He stumbled outside and made it about 20 meters before he collapsed against a tree. He supposed he should have taken the truck and drove off, but at that point he could barely move. Instead, he leaned back and watched the rising flames with a grim satisfaction.

Kieran sped through the woods toward the blaze in the distance. It had been awhile but still knew those woods from memory. There were many days he spent exploring the forest and surrounding hills. He always hated his home village: it was too small, there was nothing to do, and the people were creepy. Leaving for university was a blessing and he swore he would never return, but the news that his parents hadn't been heard from in weeks forced his homecoming.

Somehow, he felt that if he was able to save Ianto then he could find some peace in all the horror. He'd never met someone so selfless and brave, so willing to throw his own life away. He thought back to Ianto's confused words saying he was alone. Clearly there were people that cared about him, sort of, but what caused him to think of himself as completely alone? Kieran vowed that when he found Ianto he would take care of him and protect him from that intense sorrow.

After driving several miles, Kieran came across the blazing building. It was one of those eerie shacks that he had feared as a child. The flames were shooting out into the descending dusk creating a warm orange glow among the trees. Kieran stopped the SUV and went running toward the figure of a man resting against a tree. His heart leapt as he recognized him as Ianto sitting with a small smile on his face.

The sound of the police sirens was coming closer as Kieran knelt down beside Ianto, "Hey there, are you alright? Can you speak?"

Ianto turned to look at him, "You're the boy from the village. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to take you home. You're safe now." Kieran reassured him as he clasped Ianto's hand.

Ianto turned his head to the side, "You came here for me?"

Kieran nodded. Ianto looked confused for a second before he placed a soft kiss on the young man's face and whispered, "Thank you."

A squad car came roaring to a stop in front of them and Jack flew out of the driver's seat quickly followed by Owen and Tosh. Two more cars were approaching behind them. Jack bolted over to Ianto's side and wrapped him in a tight hug. There were tears forming in his eyes as he pulled back, "Oh Ianto, I thought I'd lost you."

Ianto reached his hand out and cupped Jack's cheek, "You did."