11

Rhys turns. Anwen is there, with Ianto. Jack stands a little way further back.

"I... I'm fine, honey. I'm sorry. I just lost my temper. I..." He breaks off.

"What?" she asks.

Rhys frowns. A hand goes to his temple."Anwen..."

Abruptly, the colour is draining from his face. He shouts to Anwen "Get away from me."

"Dad?"

"Get away from me!" Rhys screams and looks to Ianto "Get her away from me!"

Anwen is moving to Rhys "Why? What's..."

Rhys lashes out and shoves Anwen away, knocking her back to the ground. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

A trickle of blood runs out of Rhys' nose. Then he doubles up, clutching the side of his head. He screams with pain

"Ianto..." Jack yells breaking into a run "Ianto, he's Turned!"

"No!" Anwen lunges towards her dad, but is caught by Jack. Holding Anwen back he shouts "Ianto!"

But Ianto is frozen, holding his hockey stick. Rhys screams again. Then drops to his knees. Anwen struggles with Jack, trying to get to Rhys. "Dad!"

"Ianto!"

Ianto is still frozen, hockey stick half-raised.

"KILL HIM!"

And Rhys looks up, his face contorted. The infection has taken hold. And at that moment there is a rifle report, a rush of air, and a rapid thump of impact. Rhys falls forwards to the tarmac. A moment of silence.

"...Dad?"

Jack lets Anwen go. Suddenly, the GUNFIRE comes again. Three shots in quick succession - into Rhys' motionless body. In a daze, Anwen starts towards her dead father.

"STAY AWAY FROM HIM!"

They all turn to see three British soldiers standing by a jeep. One of the soldiers (Farrell) advances, with his gun still raised, while the others (Mitchell and Clifton) hold back giving cover. "Get away from the man! NOW!"

Ianto steps towards Anwen and grabs her, pulling her away from Rhys' body. She doesn't struggle. She is in a state of absolute shock.

"Jesus." Jack sobs before composing himself.

.

.

.

.

A jeep drives down a small road - away from the blockade. Ianto, Jack and Anwen sit in the back. Behind is the cab, driven by the Sergeant. A little way ahead of them, the walled grounds of a huge country mansion appear.

From a cast-iron gated entrance, a gravel driveway leads up to the impressive country mansion, surrounded by a high perimeter wall. The grounds show acres of lawn and flower beds. These have obviously had many years of very careful cultivation and attention, but now are just starting to look unkempt and overgrown. The jeep pulls up by the front steps. Waiting there is another soldier, a major. Like the other soldiers, he is unshaven, but has the authority of command about him, even in the relaxed way that he stands. As Ianto, Jack and Anwen dismount from the jeep, he appraises them. Then speaks. "I'm Major Henry West. Welcome. We've got beds with clean sheets and a boiler that produces hot water. So you can all have a shower. You look like you need one."

Ianto, Jack, and tear-streaked Anwen gaze back at Henry blankly.

Ianto has a shower, sees the cab driving round in circles outside the shower window, then...

Ianto walks down a sweeping staircase to the front hall. Scattered around are various bits of military gear. A pair of muddy boots, a jacket, assorted kit, webbing, etc.

Henry is sitting, looking out over the back lawn. Pulling back, we see Jack is with him. "You heard our broadcast."

"Yes."

"We must be a disappointment. You were hoping for a full brigade. An army base, with helicopters and field hospitals." Henry said with sorrow.

"We were hoping for..."

Henry interrupted "The answer to infection. Well, as I said, it's here. Though it may not be quite what you imagined."

"I didn't know what to imagine, so..." Jack shrugged "We just feel lucky to have found you."

"You were lucky. The fire drove hundreds of Turned out of Manchester. The surrounding area is teeming with them." Henry glances back at Jack.

"But there's no need for you to worry. We're well protected here."

Henry shows Jack around the grounds. "Three-sixty visibility. Flat terrain all around the house... Floodlights, which we've rigged up to a generator. Don't like to waste the fuel, but when we want to, we can turn night into day. Moving on...High perimeter wall, which helps, and we've been lacing the grounds with trip wires and land mines."

Henry indicates where Farrell, Smith and Davis can be seen, running a trip wire. "You wouldn't want to go mowing the lawn, but if they get in, we hear them."

Henry leads Jack into the basement level of the mansion. "Secondary to protection, our real job is to rebuild. Start again. Down here is the wood-fired boiler that provides us with hot water. Our first step to civilization. Then to a kitchen...And here, the kitchen."

Several of the soldiers are unpacking the food bags from the cab. One of the soldiers, Mathers, is wearing an apron. "

What are you cooking, Mathers?" "It's a surprise, sir!"

Henry leads Jack into a small courtyard, hanging with bloodstained laundry. And finally...The laundry starts to billow - and with it we hear the sound of rushing movement. As a darkly stained sheet is ripped aside, a Turned is revealed only a few feet away. Jack jumps back, but Henry stays put - as the Turned is suddenly jerked backwards by a chain around its neck. "...meet Mailer."

Mailer is uniformed. A soldier. Apart from the chain around his neck, he is gagged with a filthy and blood-blackened rag tied tight into his mouth. "Johnathan Mailer, Jack. Jack, Mailer. Got Turned three days ago. Mitchell managed to knock him out cold. Got a chain around his neck."

"You're keeping him alive?" Jack gapes.

"The idea was to learn something about infection. Have him teach me."

Jack frowns as he considers "And has he?"

"In a way." Henry kneels "He's teaching me he'll never bake bread. Plant crops, raise livestock. He's telling me he's futureless. And eventually he'll tell me how long the Turned take to starve to death."

A moment.

"Dinner's at seven. Don't forget to tell the girl and your young pretty boy." Henry moves, leaving Jack with Mailer. Mailer lunges at JAck - a moment between them.

Then Jack moves.