10
Scarved and masked, Jack carries his axe as he leads the survivors step by step through the biting snow, as screeches echo distantly around them. Lucy stumbles, Carter helps her as they fight to clear their vision. Through the chaos, we hear Ianto's breath, shallow and tense.
Whiteout.
Alistair stands with Iris, peering through the sheets of snow. He hears something but cannot see.
Jack and his crew feel their way up the steps of the general store. Lucy practically sobs with relief as Owen helps her in. The doorway looms like a black hole with snow collecting in the open threshold. Owen stands by the door peering out nervously, the shotgun ready.
Ianto runs his flashlight over the store as Jack's ready to swing his axe - all appears clear. The survivors pull plastic trash bags from their parkas, as Jack looks first to Lew, Lucy, Denise and Doug "You four, grab all the canned goods you can. Ianto and Carter, propane and batteries. Stephen, medical supplies. I'm getting axes and bear traps. You have two minutes."
Stephen stuffs his bag with pain meds and bandages. Jack passes him and grabs a handful of Inhalers. Jack pops one open, shakes it, then flicks it at Ianto who catches it easily and blasts himself gratefully as Jack shoves the inhalers in a pocket and moves on with a new energy -
Jack pulls three bear traps, tucks them under one arm, then reaches for axes. Down the aisle, Ianto and Carter bundle up more propane canisters and batteries
Denise, Lew and Lucy collect cases of Ensure. Doug additionally stuffs his pockets with Oreos, grimly chuckles "Told my wife I wouldn't live on these while she was gone"
"She'll cut you slack." Denise smiles. As they wad their trash bags full of emergency nutrition, they hear a quiet sobbing coming from the back. The four of them exchange looks, and warily walk toward the rear storage room where they see, from behind, the source of the sobbing. A cute little girl is bent over the prone, bloodied body of Tom Milles, the kid we met kissing his girlfriend farewell "It's Tommy Milles" Denise whispers "Oh, honey, you need to come with …"
The girl turns and looks at them. Her mouth is covered in blood, and we see now that it's Tom Milles who's doing the sobbing - the girl is a vampire.
"I'm done playing with this one" She places a taloned hand on Tom's jaw and rips as she eyes them eerily "You want to play with me now?"
The four onlookers freak - Lew reaches for a shovel to serve as a weapon, while the others charge back into the store. Owen hears the commotion behind him as he continues his vigil at the window. Denise hisses in a panic toward Jack and Ianto "In the back - !"
Lew's tossed violently back into the store like a toy, the shovel clattering uselessly behind him. Jack drops his bear traps, brandishes the axe, ready to swing but the little girl careens out of the storage room like a dervish, presenting a smaller target than Jack expected - he swings over her head and she knocks him down -The little girl's about to pounce on Jack when Ianto grabs her from behind and throws her down the aisle -Doug pulls Denise toward the front, as Carter reaches for a can of mace and sprays it into the little girl's face –it shrieks and only lunges for Carter all the harder, ripping off his cap and baring her fangs -But now Jack's back - he charges the girl and fights to pin her against the wall - she kicks and spits like a snake -Jack looks for help – Owen and Ianto join him to pin the girl as she nearly wriggles from their grip - they can't hold her long "The axe - somebody - !"
Doug keeps pulling Denise and Lucy toward the door "Come on - !"
The women waver, not sure if they should run out yet. The little girl kicks and twists - Jack, Owen and Ianto are losing their grip on her
"SOMEBODY! THE AXE - !" Jack cries and an axe blade flashes past Jack's face. Suddenly the little girl's body is still - writhing only in automatic nervous movement for a few moments. Jack, Ianto and Owen look up to see -Stephen - axe in hand - falling backward against the dry goods, knocked for a loop by what he's done, fighting tears -Jack embraces his grandson in concern - then looks to Doug, Lucy and Denise as they slowly emerge "Where the hell were you?!"
"I thought we should get the food back to the others - in case you lost." Doug says with a weak smile.
Ianto rises in pain, catching his breath as he considers Doug's plan - then ruefully claps Doug on the shoulder "Smart call."
Stephen stands over the corpse, still overwhelmed "She - just a girl."
Consoling him, Ianto says softly "Not anymore."
"She spoke to us. In English. Was she some girl they just turned - or one of them? Does anybody recognize her?" Denise asks.
Jack is now correcting Denise "It. Not her."
They look toward the decapitated head, wincing. Nobody has an answer. Lucy walks toward the front door, reeling. Carter (scarf tightly wrapped around his head) sounds nauseated "It pulled Tom's head off before it attacked us"
"Maybe they don't just do that out of blood-thirst" Ianto ponders.
Jack nods, agreeing "They want to keep their numbers down. They don't want to give themselves competition."
Jack and Ianto share a look: no enemy has ever been more ruthless
Lucy calls softly from the doorway "The whiteout's over"
Jack and Ianto appear in the doorway in panic toward the front - to see it's true. The snow has eased to the point where the street is visible again through the front door. Ianto groans "Our cover's gone."
"And the fresh snow'll show tracks." Jack agrees. They regard each other in dread.
.
.
.
Lighter snowfall. Alistair and Iris stand and shake the snow from their shoulders, ready to hunt again -Across the street, they see two other vampires climbing along the eaves of houses, also starving.
.
.
.
The survivors huddle in the back, trapped, brainstorming. Jack considers "They watch the store more than anyplace else. We need to move or we'll be trapped."
We can't get to the Utilidor." Doug argues "It's too far without cover."
"Could we make it back to your station if somebody created a diversion?" Carter asks.
Jack studies his friend, hearing how Carter's offering himself for that role "It's not going to be you, Carter "
Jack and Carter face off, respecting each other's bravery when Ianto speaks up with the energy of a new plan "It won't be you either. These things can't survive the sun. What if we brought the sun early?"
"Like how exactly?" Jack turns to Ianto with interest.
"Alice had that medical marijuana operation at home" Ianto explains and Stephen turns.
Getting it, Stephen steps closer "Yeah - she used an ultraviolet lamp to grow the stuff"
Desperate for some humour Denise gasps "All right, Alice!"
"I can run for her place - let them follow me - then fry them with the sunlamp while the rest of you beat it to the sheriff's station." Ianto offers.
"What the hell makes you think a sunlamp will make a dent in them?" Doug snorts.
Carter's argument is overlapping "We've got all kinds of wattage at the Utilidor and they still came and ate Xavier"
"Ultraviolet, Carter. There's no UV light here for another two weeks. It'll be the last thing they expect."
Lew points out "Just because something stopped Bela Lugosi doesn't mean it'll stop these things."
"They didn't show up till it was dark. Why would they use that stranger to cut us off - unless they just can't handle sunlight?" Ianto asks.
"What if it doesn't work - ?" Stephen whines.
He's got nothing, Ianto shrugs "It has to. (a deep breath) Take this, I need to run light"
Jack whispers "You don't even think this plan'll work."
"But they do. Right?"
Look, who's the immortal here?" Jack asked "I'm making the run. I'll stop them with the sunlamp and see you back at the attic."
Reluctantly handing him the walkie-talkie Ianto reminds gently "You'll need to start her jenny first."
It's in her side yard by the woodpile. Head in the back door, the pot's growing in the laundry room." Stephen clings to Ianto with relief as Ianto lets him slide into his arms.
Ianto holds Jack to this "See you soon."
He turns to go - Ianto's loving and hating him for putting himself on the line like this.
He seizes Jack and kisses him with an energy that left Jack lightheaded.
"Be careful" Ianto whispers "You don't know if you can die after you've turned."
Jack nods, taking a moment to memorize Ianto's smell.