Chapter 10: Countrycide, part 3

Holy crap three parts sorry! I didn't realize I had made it this long. Hope you like! Last part, promise.

Ianto was kicking ferociously at the door when the small panel opened. It swung open and they backed off a bit, Tosh brandishing the meat hook. The woman on the other side looked terrified as Ianto rushed towards her, giving a lame attempt at disarming her.

The woman shook him off. "Get off," Ianto glared at her as she spoke. "Look at me, you idiot. I'm not gonna hurt you!" The woman looked sincere, but they were all still tense.

"You've got a gun." Tosh gestured to the long, double barrel shotgun that she was holding.

"I promise," The woman, said.

"Okay, okay. Give her some space." The Doctor said, pulling his friends back. He was just as on edge as his friends, and he looked the woman over warily as she spoke again.

"Thank you." Her expression was concerned as she studied their grimy state. "Were you injured when they took you?" She received no response. "Can I see? I'm a nurse," She reached towards them, and they all backed away, Tosh once again brandishing the rusty hook. The woman held up her hands in defeat. "Okay. Okay, okay. Does anyone else know you're here? Have you managed to call for help?"

"We don't need any help. There's three more of us in the village." Tosh said, raising her chin a bit.

The woman looked like she was about to cry. "I can't help you. I'm sorry."

"What d'you mean?" Ianto's brow crinkled.

"I've been sent to collect you. I've got to take you to them."

"Then tell us what's going on. We can help," The Doctor said, soothing her. He had seen plenty of scared, repressed people during his travels, but never had one had the ability to shoot him before.

"No one's safe. Every ten years it takes us again." The woman grip tightened on the gun.

"What takes you? What is it?" Ianto asked, scared.

"The Harvest." She paused for a moment, then raised the gun quickly, and pointed it at each of them. "No, please, you have to come with me." Tosh dropped the meat hook as she stared down the double barrels.

"You sure you're alright?" Owen asked as he helped her down the road. She was walking steadily, at least, but her painkillers were wearing off. She was happy to find that the pain was dulled now. She must have a faster healing time now. She had noticed that she never got bruises anymore. Odd. She shook her head as it spun a bit and turned back to Owen.

"Yea. I'm fine." He looked at her doubtfully and she rolled her eyes. "I'm fine." He nodded and they turned back to the road as a car's headlight's pierced the darkness. A police car rolled up next to them as they watched, and a police man stepped out. "Bloody brilliant. Let me do the talking." Owen opened his mouth to protest, but Rose shook her head as the police man approached.

"And who are you, please?" He asked her, his voice bordering irritated.

"We're Torchwood. Special Ops. Have you heard of it? Torchwood?" She asked him, trying not to sound breathless. She wasn't doing a very good job.

"What's that then? A band, is it? What's wrong with her then?" He directed the last part to Owen.

"You wouldn't understand, mate," He said a little dismissively. As the police man opened his mouth to reply, Rose turned and started.

"What's that light? Over there, what's that light?"

The police man looked more irritated than ever. "The Big House? Sort of unofficial Village Hall. Village meeting tonight, I'm here to make a Constabulary Report," The man explained, but Rose was uninterested. She was already quickly walking. In her determination, she ignored the flaring pain in her side, and simply walked forward on her own. Owen quickly followed after her. The police man followed the two. "Where do you think you're going?" He protested.

The woman pushed Tosh, Ianto, and the Doctor roughly, urging them into a small cottage. "In there, please." She ordered.

"If you help us, we can stop all this. Please," Tosh looked at the woman, who only shook her head.

"I'm sorry. Get back." They all looked around the cottage. It was small, and there was a plastic sheet separating it halfway. There was blood splattered in various places around the room, and the Doctor gulped. He really hoped Rose was okay. God, she better be okay.

Tosh grimaced, and for the first time, was shaking. "Oh, God, that stench," She said, staring hard at the bodies wrapped in plastic that hung from the ceiling. "Tell us what these creatures are. Do they look like us?" She asked the woman, who simply looked in the direction of the sectioned off room. She pushed them inside and they saw a chuckling man standing there.

"How else are we gonna look?" He asked her rhetorically, and he pulled the woman to him. The two kissed, and the Doctor wrinkled his nose. Ianto looked like he was about to bolt, but before he could, the two separated and brought Ianto's hands behind his back and cuffed them together. The woman looked at her... husband? and smiled.

"There are three more out there." The Doctor stiffened. Did that mean the rest of the team were out there?

"Not a problem. How are they?" The man studied the three of them, and Tosh shrunk away as he approached her.

"They're in a good state." The woman replied as Tosh's wrists were bound together by the blood-stained cuffs. "I think they're the best we've ever had."

"Yeah? Oh, I forgot to tell you, we caught the boy. Finally. Come on." He pulled up a young looking boy, who looked terrified. They hauled him up a bit, so he was in a sitting positioin. "Come on," The man urged him, shaking him a bit.

"I won't tell anyone," The boy begged, and the Doctor felt bad for the young boy. He couldn't be more than 19.

Apparently Tosh noticed the same. "Who is he?"

The man looked at her. "He's meat. I'm afraid we're all just meat." He trailed off at the end, looking down at the quivering boy again.

The Doctor and Ianto met eachother's eyes, and the Doctor immediately saw it. That spark, that plan churning away in his mind. The Doctor nodded and Ianto turned to Tosh. "Get ready to run." He whispered to her.

She stepped forward, jutting her chin up defiantly. "What're you going to do, put us on meat hooks?"

The Doctor was impressed. However, a bit of her nerve melted away as the man grabbed a baseball bat up off the floor, and smirked. "No, not yet. You see, meat has to be tenderised first." He walked over to Ianto, who was eyeing the bat warily. The man seemed to sense his fear. "Good. Ready?" He asked, not wanting or needing an answer.

Ianto smiled at him for a moment. Then he drew his head back, and headbutted the man into stumbling back. The Doctor, who had not yet been handcuffed, grabbed the woman. He yelled at Tosh to run, and she obliged, sprinting out of the shack. The Doctor was pushed to the ground and cuffed. He saw the woman slam down on Ianto's head with the butt of a rifle, and grimaced. He saw the rifle coming swiftly towards him, and for the second time that day, everything went dark.

Tosh was running. She was gasping, barely maintaining her balance. She threw herself behind a tree as she heard running footsteps behind her. The man slowed.

"I know you're here," She heard him say, and she struggled to control her breathing. It was no use though, and she gave a small shout as the man caught her. She was standing in front of him, and saw the wicked glint of the machete at his side. She paused, then kneed him in the crotch. She took off again, and he stumbled after her after a moment of recovery. He caught her once again and threw her to the ground. She struggled to push herself away from him, but it was no use. He pinned her down and wrapped a hand around her neck. "No more games. Hush now." His other hand joined the first. "Hush now." He squeezed, hard, and Tosh's air was cut off. Her eyes bugged out for a moment, then suddenly the pressure was gone.

"Get off her." She almost cried out in relief at the sound of Owen's voice. She looked at him, and found his gun pressed against the temple of her pursuer. She saw Rose and a police man standing to the side a bit, Rose's own gun drawn and cocked, but held at her side. The man was not moving, so Owen kicked the side of his head roughly. He quickly recovered, standing, but keeping his hands in the air.

"We saw the torchlight," Rose explained to Tosh, who for once in her life, didn't care.

"They've murdered all the villagers. They're cannibalising the bodies." She said, and saw Rose's eyes darken with anger and fear.

"Put the gun down." the man said to Owen, who chuckled.

"You're in no position to negotiate, mate."

Tosh let out a small sob, and Rose rushed over to her, wrapping her arms arounf the small woman. The woman was unable to express it without breaking down, but she was immensly grateful the blonde was there.

"It's all right, it's all right. You're safe." Rose to the PC who was standing to the side. "You can arrest him now." He did nothing. "Oi! I said you can arrest him."

"Are you gonna arrest me, Huw?" The man chuckled.

"That'd be a laugh, wouldn't it? My own uncle." The PC, Huw, pulled out his own gun, and pointed it at Owen. Rose reacted quickly, standing and pointing her gun at the PC.

"Put the gun down." Rose spoke through gritted teeth. "Don't you hurt him,"

"Shoot the bastard. Split his skull!" The bloodthirsty man cried out, and Rose began to shout.

"Put the gun down, Dammit! NOW!"

"Shoot!" The PC was frozen.

"I will shoot you. Put it down." the PC finally told Rose, who paused.

"Pull the trigger. Kill!" the older man demanded, but Rose stopped him before he could say more. She raised her hands and placed her gun slowly on the ground. She met Owen's eye, and he saw the pain there. He would have been touched, if he didn't have a gun trained on his head. The man got up from the ground and approached Owen.

"Why don't you give me the gun, mate?" Owen looked furious, but had no choice. He handed over the gun, and they were led back to the cottage, roughly pushed through the door. Rose gasped as she took in their surroundings.

Tosh looked at the two cannibals in digust. "Who are these people?"

"This is our village." The woman replied.

Rose shook her head. "No. The villagers are dead."

"They're all involved. They've all been doing it." Tosh put in, and Rose felt like puking.

"This is our Harvest."

Owen shook his head, despite the gun pressed close to his head. "Only in the bloody countryside. You sick fuckers." He said, looking straight at the man.

They heard Keiran whimpering in the corner, and Rose and Owen would have been relieved, if they themselves weren't in need of a good saving right about now.

Rose felt her mind whirring, and finally asked the question she was afraid to hear the answer to. "Where's The Doctor? What have you done with him?" She was proud of how confident her voice sounded. The man bent over, and she gasped as she saw the bag over his head, but it was definitely him. She recognized his brown shirt he had worn. They removed the bag, and she saw that he had a rapidly bruising mark on his forehead, acompanied by a small gash. They pulled Ianto up, and he was in a similar state. They must have been knocked out. Tosh grimaced. They had gotten knocked out, so she could escape. The love she had for her team doubled in that moment.

The man smacked the Doctor's face, trying to rouse him. "Wake up, man." The Doctor finally blinked awake, and as he realized where he was, he began to struggle. Looking around, he was sad to see Ianto beside him, and Tosh had been recaptured. Oh well. Worth a shot. He looked up however, and saw Owen there as well. Well shit. His breath caught as he saw Rose there too. As he studied her, Tosh studied him. As he saw his best friend in this slaughterhouse, she saw fear in his eyes for the first time that day.

The man chuckled and pulled out a long knife. The Doctor mouthed at Rose to run, but she shook her head. Her words from a long time ago echoed in his head again. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. The blood covered machete was lowered to his cheek, interrupting his thoughts. "Time to be bled, like veal. It takes a long time, but it definitely makes the meat taste better."

"Right, good to know." The Doctor replied sarcastically. If he was gonna go, he wasn't going to go out with out at the very least a little sass. He saw Rose open her mouth to cry out to him, but before she could say a word, the whole cottage started to shake.

"What the hell?" the man said, removing the blade from the Doctor's now sligthly cut cheek. A small drip of blood fell from his cheek as the rumbling grew louder. "What is it now? What the fuck!" The man cried as a wall of the building was demolished. Bits and shards of wall tumbled around, and a large piece of construction equipment came barreling into the room. The team smiled genuinely for the first time that day as they saw Gwen and Jack in the cab. The two hopped out, and immediately started firing. They took out each of the killers, only hitting kneecaps and non-fatally wounding them. They each fell to the floor, writhing in pain. Huw was able to move a bit, and strained to reach his gun. Jack saw this and rolled his eyes

"Oh really?" He fired a single shot, and the man moved no more.

The team stood and Rose rushed to the Doctor. "Are you okay? You're not hurt badly are you? How is your head? Did he cut you anywhere-"

"Rose!" She stopped and looked at him. "I'm fine. What about you?" He surveyed her for the first time and his eyes widened as they reached her blood soaked torso. "Rose, what the hell!"

"So I kinda... sorta... well I got shot," she said and pulled her shirt and hoodie aside to show him the bandage. He gaped at it as Jack came behind him and undid his cuffs. As one hand was freed, he turned and smiled softly at Jack, who just nodded. As his second hand was freed, he quickly grabbed Rose, wrapping her in a large hug. He was careful not to put any pressure on her wound, but held her for several long moments. She finally pulled away as the man behind her hissed in pain.

Jack turned to the man, and cocked his gun back. Rose turned and protested. "No, Jack! Don't,"

He kept his gun trained on the man. "These kinds of people don't deserve warnings."

Gwen was the next to speak up. "Let me question him, Jack. I need to understand. Otherwise, all this... It's just too much." She was begging him. He finally lowered the gun.

"They're injured, they have to get to a hospital," Tosh put in.

"Owen, you control the bleeding and then phone the police. Jack, give me and Gwen an hour with him." Jack looked at her, and before he could disagree she cut him off. "I know you Jack. You want to know too." He nodded.

"The whole village was involved?" Gwen questioned first. They were back in the tap house. The police had arrived and were taking care of all the official work for the investigation.

The man did not look up. "Every generation. Our tradition. Once a decade target those travelling through, those most likely to disappear."

"And butcher them. What sort of people are you that you wake up in the morning and think, this is what I'm going to do? Why'd you do it? Come on. Make us understand." Rose coaxed him. She wasn't quite sure why she wanted to know so badly. Closure?

"Why do you care?"

Rose glared at him coldly. "I have seen things you would never believe, and this is the only thing I can't understand." The Doctor was watching from a few feet away, standing firmly next to Jack.

"So keep on wondering." The man smirked at the two girls across from him.

"Tell me. I need to know why!" Gwen shouted at him, slamming a fist on the table.

Jack stepped forward. "That's enough. Time to go." Gwen shook him off, and he stood where he was.

The man smirked again. "All right, I'll tell you why." He said, his crooked teethdull in the light. Rose and Gwen looked at him, waiting. "Cos it made me happy." He had a wistful smile on his face, and Gwen's mouth hung open, stunned. Rose clapped a hand over her mouth, and for the first time in a while, began to sob. She felt the tears drip down her face, and she felt the Doctor's strong arms wrap around her, but she couldn't stop.

So there we are guys! The end of Countrycide! I really like this episode, and I know. It was a reeeally long one :P but I hope you guys enjoyed, cuz I certainly did! I dunno how much I will get written over the next week as I am on Spring Break and am being forced to go to Tennessee. Rural Tennessee. Yay. Anyway, thanks for reading! Please follow, favorite, and review! Xoxo, Roxy