Jack balanced on either side of the broken coffin and grabbed Mac by the shoulders of the ugly cheap suit. Jack almost fell backwards when the jacket came off Mac with one tug. Jack tossed the useless garment away and reached down pulling the kid up by his arms.
Mac looked terrible. His body was covered with blotches of target shaped red circles swollen to black bruises and blue was a terrible color. Jack's heart pounded as he pulled Mac to him gently. Even through the solid crust of dried blood Jack could see torn flesh. Jack winced. By tugging off the suit like he did he'd reopened whatever wounds tore across Mac's chest. Blood flowed free.
Jack grunted and hopped behind Mac's back and pulled his head toward Jack's chest. Bozer jumped down into the coffin and hauled up Mac's feet. Riley held Mac's middle as they awkwardly pulled him from the black hole he'd been trapped in. Jack kicked the mattress to the floor and stretched Mac out.
"C'mon, brother...c'mon, Angus." Jack whispered as he tilted Mac's head opening his airway. His hand shook as he reached for Mac's carotid. He closed his eyes and dipped his head closing out everything but the feeling of Mac's neck under his fingers. C'mon, c'mon… Yes!
"He has a pulse-barely." Jack breathed out. Mac's team mates shared a brief grin of relief. Riley pulled out a small O2 tank and connected a mask. Jack put a hand on Mac's chest. Nothing. Shit.
"Riley, oxygen!" Riley handed him the mask. Jack gently covered Mac's nose and mouth. Jack studied Mac's face. A fist sized bullseye spread out from the corner of his left eye swelling it shut. Mac's nose, lips and cheeks were covered with different shades of bruises and a long scrape covered most of his lower right face. Jack put a hand on Mac's chest he could feel it rise as his lungs filled with oxygen.
Mac jerked and his arms flailed. His eyes were wide with panic and his mouth opened as he desperately tried to breath. Jack lifted Mac's back up then crouched behind him. He didn't know how bad Mac's chest was hurt. He wrapped his hands around Mac's gut and clenched them together just over Mac's belly button. Jack jabbed his hand hard against Mac's gut. Air exploded out Mac's mouth. Mac blindly grabbed Jack's arm as he sucked in another quick breath. Jack waited ready to pull again, but Mac seemed to deflate forward with a stuttered moan.
Jack let out a deep breath of his own. Jack felt Mac's blood soak his shirt. Jack replaced Mac's oxygen mask and pushed Mac's hands away as the blonde reached up for it. Bozer knelt in front of Mac and slowly cleaned off the blood on Mac's chest. Riley handed him gauze and tape.
Jack leaned his forehead against Mac's shoulder feeling as if he'd just climbed Mt. Everest. His nose wrinkled as he took in Mac's smell. Mac slurred something and tried to wriggle free. Jack could feel Mac's chest rumble as it heaved trying to take in air. Jack gently held him so Bozer could finish his first aid.
"Easy, brother, easy." Jack said in Mac's ear. Mac jumped and moaned half turning to see Jack. Mac's pupils were huge and he fought to get free. It was clear Mac was still out of it. Jack slid to the side balancing Mac against his knee. Jack gripped both sides of Mac's face. Mac slurred a frightened protest and thrashed his head back and forth trying to free it. Jack leaned forward.
"Mac! Mac! We're here, you're out...shhh...it's ok, brother.
You're safe." Mac's hand twisted Jack's sleeve as he stared at Jack blinking his eyes. Mac's mouth moved with each congested breath. Jack frowned. What the hell did they do to him? Jack gently shook Mac's face. Mac's eyes widened. He tried to push free. His eyes darted around him as he frantically looked at every shadow, nook and crevice. Jack held onto Mac's head tighter keeping the blonde from seeing the macabre still audience watching them. Jack opened his mouth to talk to Mac when Riley jumped up with a startled cry. All three men jumped. Mac redoubled his efforts to wriggle free. Jack pulled Mac closer trying to calm the blonde. He shot Riley a questioning look. Riley stepped forward stomping on something. Jack looked down. A giant squashed ant. Jack's eyes widened. He took in the number of swollen circles on Mac's body.
"Bullet ant?" Riley asked bending down. Jack and Bozer shared a look of horror.
"A lot of them." Bozer whispered horror on his face. Jack pulled Mac's head to his shoulder and curled around the younger man. He could feel Mac shaking. He realized the kid was cold, or in shock. He looked up at Riley who had already fished out and was unfolding a mylar emergency blanket. Mac's chest shook and Jack could hear Mac's breathing loud against his ear. Mac reached out as if to grab something in the air. Jack gently took his hand. He and Bozer switched places as Riley wrapped Mac in the blanket. Jack pulled Mac forward until the kid's head hit his shoulder. Jack put a hand on the back of Mac's neck and murmured nonsense things in a soothing tone as he ran his hand through Mac's hair. Jack grimaced as he pulled out two other ants netted against Mac's scalp. Mac cried out and flinched forward.
"Dammit." Jack growled as he squished the bugs in his hand. Jack felt a trickle of blood from the fresh bite.
"Jack!" Mac called. Jack winced at the despair and fear in his brother's voice.
"We're here, brother. We're here." Mac slowly stilled. He leaned back. Bozer supported Mac's back. Mac huffed in a number of painful breaths as he took in Jack's presence.
"Jack?"
"Yeah, brother it's us. See Bozer and Riley are here." Mac glanced around him dazed. Mac turned back to Jack and flopped curled forward his arms circling Jack; his fists twisted the back of Jack's jacket. Mac started to shake. Bozer sat back and nodded at Jack. He'd finished badaging the blonde's. Jack pulled the silver blanket around Mac completely then drew Mac close to him.
"Why don't we check in with Matty?" Riley said softly. Boze nodded. Riley kissed Mac's cheek, "It's ok, Mac. We're not gonna let anything happen to you." She whispered. Bozer squeezed Mac's shoulder gently.
"Take a minute, bro. It's ok. We are so-so glad we got to you in time." Bozer said. He nodded at Jack then joined Riley. Jack ignored them as he closed his eyes and kept mumbling in soothing tones. He could feel Mac's tears and snot smear into his shoulder as he rocked the kid. It could have been a minute or a millennium before Mac stuttered in a breath that broke off into a weak string of coughs. Jack felt Mac slump in his arms. Jack gently laid Mac back making sure the oxygen mask stayed in place. Mac sniffed. He turned to Jack and smiled. Jack stared at him in disbelief.
"Took...your time." The blonde gasped. Jack smiled and wiped his eyes. Mac laughed then put a hand on his chest letting out a moan, "Y...you crying?" Mac whispered reaching out and grabbing Jack's T-shirt. Jack laughed.
"Shut up, dog." The pair fist-bumped and sat staring at each other a long minute. Jack let out a relieved breath glad it was over. The second he thought it, he was proven wrong.
Canned applause exploded from speakers around the room. Mac looked at Jack panic in his eyes. Jack put a hand in the middle of the kid's chest offering reassurance and keeping the kid from moving. He still had to check the kid over properly. Jack reached over and pulled his AR-15 closer.
"That was...magnificent." Jack narrowed his eyes. Even through the mechanical alteration he knew that voice, but he couldn't place it.
"Come down here, you son of a bitch!" Jack pulled the AR-15 to his shoulder. Squinting against the bright lights of the large room, he scanned the space around them. Nothing moved.
"No, no cliches won't do. Tell you what, get yourself ready and tomorrow we'll finish act 2. Sound good? Perfect." There was a click and the lights went out. Jack grimaced. All the fake Mac's glowed in the dark. He pivoted at Mac's course intake. Mac was face to face with the fallen statue of Mac being eaten by the three women. Jack squeezed Mac's shoulder. Mac jumped. He struggled to sit up. Jack tried to hold him down, Mac shoved his arm aside.
"I...I think we...should catch up." Mac mumbled breathlessly. Jack clicked on his maglite and scanned the area around them including the ceiling. All four sides had ten feet open area and he could see nothing hanging over him. This place was as defensible as anywhere else in the mall. Wandering around the enemy's stronghold was never a good idea. Jack sat on the mattress beside Mac.
"I hope you like fucked up Halloween stories." Jack growled. He could feel Mac's body coil tight beside him.
"N...not really." Mac's voice cracked in mid breath. He jumped as Bozer sat beside his feet. Riley paced in the light from Jack's torch. She talked to Matty her soft voice echoed loudly in the silent dark theater.
"I hear ya, brother. I hear ya."