Dog Tags

by ErikaHK

After a team fails to return from a mission, Sheppard goes to find out why and ends up alone lost on an unknown planet with no means to return home. Shep Whump. Set in Season 3 somewhere after Sunday. COMPLETE

4. Chapter 4

DOG TAGS
By ErikaHK

Title: Dog Tags
Chapter: 4/9
Word count: 1.970
RatingPG13 (some language and graphic violent scenes)
Characters:mainly John Sheppard, but also features some Rodney McKay near the end, with appearances of Evan Lorne, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan and Elizabeth Weir.
Genre:Drama, Angst, H/C, Gen
Spoilers: for Sunday and Phantoms
Disclaimer: Stargate and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment. Not done for profit, just for fun.

Summary:After a team fails to return from a mission, Sheppard goes to find out why and ends up alone lost on an unknown planet with no means to return home. Shep Whump. Set in Season 3 somewhere after Sunday.

Thanks Lauriel for the beta!

Is anyone still reading?

…

Chapter 4

Day 3

John woke up with a jolt the next morning. The images of his dream still filled his mind and he tried to slow down his breathing. He could almost smell the burnt bodies. As he calmed down, John put those thoughts aside and concentrated on the day that would follow. He would go over to the river today to get some water and maybe even catch a fish. He packed his stuff and wrapped the last of the meat to eat during the journey.

He followed the markings in the rocks to find his way up the hill again. He had already memorized the way, which was a good sign and meant that his concussion wasn't so bad now. He continued on his way and by midday he was by the river, after only getting lost once and very briefly.

The river came down the mountain in a twirling path, going over pieces of rocks that resisted the constant ripping of the water. The water was clean but icy cold, so he decided to sit down on the margin where he could avoid getting his ankles wet. He wiped his sweat, ate the rest of the meat and drank some water.

After his picnic he took out his fishing kit, but wasn't fortunate enough to catch anything. The damn river barely had any fish. The ones present were either very small or escaped easily. He continued trying for a few more minutes just out of stubbornness before he gave up, letting out a frustrated grunt.

Without any fish, he turned around and headed to the jungle to seek something else to eat. He would need some fibers and vitamins to go with the protein of the hunt, so he would need fruit. Easy to find in a jungle. The hard part was to actually find one that wasn't poisonous or didn't have any ill effect. He proceeded searching, with his survival instructor's advice inside his mind.

The last thing you need is diarrhea when in a survival mode. Even if you see an animal eating it, that doesn't mean that humans can. When in doubt don't eat it. Don't eat it when it has weird different colors in it. Don't eat it when it's acidic. Don't eat it if it has thorns, hairs or spikes. Don't eat if it's bitter. Don't eat it if a bird falls dead from the sky after eating it.If you decide to eat, do so cautiously. Eat a very small amount. Try it first. Don't swallow. Wait a couple of minutes. If it doesn't feel wrong, swallow and wait several hours before eating the rest of it. If you live then you can eat it in moderation.

He collected a couple of samples of the only fruit that looked friendly. It was a yellow fruit, the size of a fist, that he had seen being eaten by some kind of primate. It had a slightly sweet smell and the inside was tender and juicy. He cut a small cube and tasted with his tongue, then bit a piece and chewed slowly. It had a sweet taste that was similar to a melon. Without sensing any ill effects, he swallowed and carried the rest with him back to his cave.

…

Day 4

John ate the rest of the fruit after considering it safe for consumption. His thoughts lingered on the field of destruction and all the dead bodies that were shown to him again during the night. He shook his head. There was no point in thinking about it. Letting it go, John got up and headed out for another day.

He spent the morning looking for more of the same fruits and the squirrel-like animal. He was heading back with a full pack and eating a melon when he heard a snarl to his left. He slowly turned and saw a big feline-like creature staring directly at him. It looked like a leopard, but it had a dark fur that went from dark gray to black and much larger teeth. His hands went silently to his weapon and he started to lift it. The leopard snarled fiercely and showed its fangs. John halted all movement and controlled the breathing that came with the fast beat of his heart. Both stared at each other for a few seconds with the same thought in mind.

John lifted his weapon observing the animal's reaction. The beast gave him an unfriendly look and curved its back, growling with all muscles tensed, ready to attack. He had only a few seconds to react as the feline jumped at him. The shot of his weapon shook the trees and silenced all sounds of the jungle, but still John was knocked down hard on his back by the leopard.

The animal's face was a blur of movement right above his as it attacked John ferociously. He defended himself with the P90, trying to knock it out and keep its teeth from connecting with his skin, but the weapon was knocked away by the animal. John attempted to use his legs to move the vicious attacker from above him, but the it kept coming. Claws slashed his arms as he protected his face and he cried out in pain. His strength was faltering and his limbs trembled, but he still resisted, keeping the jagged fangs away. More slashes hit his arms and face repeatedly and blood dripped from them. He tried to move, but the heavy and strong animal wouldn't let him. Just as the jaw started to come closer and he turned his face away, John saw his knife resting near the dropped melon and reached for it. He stretched his arm towards the blade and brought it closer to his hand, grunting in triumph as he finally grabbed it and stabbed the animal's heart.

It fell dead above him with a heavy thud, knocking out the air from his lungs. He crawled from underneath the body and sat down beside it, still shaking in shock. For several minutes all John could hear was his heavy breathing and the hard beats of his heart. As the adrenalin wore down he started to feel the injuries caused by the claws and he looked at his arms. Ugly slashes covered them and blood dripped on the earth. He put his knife back on his belt and winced as a stinging pain burned his skin. He had to clean them. The river wasn't far from his position, so he started towards it.

He bent down and put his arms in the cold water, grunting in pain. He bit his lip, resisting the pain and the shaking that still hadn't stopped, and started to clean the wounds. The red stained water ran down stream until clean cuts could be seen in his skin. Most of them only needed bandages, but one would need stitching. It was an ugly gash close to his elbow, deep enough to hit muscle. He took a deep breath and swallowed. It wouldn't be easy. Firstly, stitching your own wounds sucked. Secondly, it would hurt even more than it was already hurting. Lastly, the cut was on his right arm, so he would need to use his left to work and it would be slow, especially as he was still shaking.

With his left hand he retrieved the survival kit from his vest pocket and opened it, searching for the sewing kit and the antiseptic. The last thing he needed was an infection. He swabbed some of the substance in his cuts and prepared the kit with the help of his mouth. He took in a deep breath before proceeding. No sound escaped his mouth as he penetrated his own skin for the first time. The needle came out, cutting through the fragile and sensitive side of the wound and he shook even harder. His right hand turned to a fist and he held his breath, fighting the cry of pain that wanted to come out of his lungs. His trembling hands had trouble controlling the needle and he hissed as it traveled through his skin. He continued with the process as fast as he could with his limited coordination, holding his breath for as long as he could before it escaped in a loud grunt. His eyes began to water and blurred his vision. He pulled both ends of the wound together, shutting his eyes and crying out, before tying a knot. He waited a few moments for his breathing to calm down and wiped the sprinkled sweat from his forehead.

Day 5

Another night went by and more dreams of scorched bodies. The contorted faces looked at him in horror and he couldn't move, as much as he tried. That's all he dared to remember from the dream. Shaking his head to dismiss the vision, he got up and picked a fruit collected on the previous day to eat. He also avoided thinking about what had happened after he had collected it. The pinching pain of the tooth now gave into hard, sharp stabs of pain that pounded with a dull throb for several minutes before subsiding, only to start the cycle again on the next bite.

Each day that passed made him less optimistic about his fate. It had been five days. Five days and no one had come for him. How could anyone find him in the first place? He wasn't where he was supposed to be. He had no idea where this god damned planet was. He didn't even know the symbols he had used to reach it. Every time these thoughts circled his mind he pushed them aside, but every day it grew more difficult to ignore them. No. I'm not there yet. He tried to foster a sense of optimism but all he managed was to avoid the inevitable realization that he was alone there. Let's just think of the present. Keep alive. That's what I gotta do. He sighed and heavily lifted his body. He was still sore from the fight with the leopard. He headed outside to do his daily task: find food. He climbed downhill, praying to whichever divinity cared to listen that he didn't meet any more dangerous animals.

After a couple of hours of hunting he headed back with lunch. It was the same kind of squirrel animal he had eaten days before. He was just coming out of the tree line when he felt a sudden crushing pain in his leg. It grew exceedingly painful and his legs buckled under him. Crashing down on the ground, he looked for the source of the pain only to be stricken by horror. Some kind of large reptile had stuck its teeth in the calf of his leg and wouldn't let go. Rivulets of blood leaked from the puncture wounds underneath the jaws of the creature which held tightly onto him. Crying out, he tried to force its mouth open, but it didn't give in, instead it only pressed harder against his bones. Panting heavily and shaking with shock he grabbed his gun and shot the creature, but it still put pressure to the jaws. The bullets marked the hard beaded skin, but didn't penetrate and it didn't even bleed. Already short of air he fired a few more rounds at it and continued firing until he was able to wound the lizard. Green blood oozed from the bullet holes and the grasp of the teeth eased a little, but the animal still lived and stayed stuck on his leg. John could see a heavy bruise beginning to form around the pressure points of the mouth. Too weak to take the lizard away, he gasped for air that came hard to his lungs. He really hoped it wasn't poisonous.

…

TBC…