37
Finally, Ianto decided to go with his original plan.
He would start shovelling out the driveway, that way when the plough came he could abandon ship ASAP.
It would allow him to stay close to the house, in case the creatures came back.
He felt secure in the house.
The things hadn't been able to get in last night, and he was sure it would continue to protect him.
Having something to do might calm his frayed nerves. He still ached from his exertions the day before, but he was sure he would loosen up soon enough.
Ianto dressed again, adding the snow pants to his outfit, and slung the rifle over his shoulder.
Lucy tried to follow him out the door, but he pushed her back inside. "It's too cold. You'll freeze your little tits off out there."
Lucy huffed, but stayed, and he left the inside door open so she could watch him through the glass of the storm door.
The work was hard.
His only thought was to get the driveway done. If he could just get this done, everything would be all right. He stopped every minute or so to look around and to adjust the rifle dangling across his back.
It would be so much easier without that encumbrance, but Ianto didn't want to put it down. What if those things came back?
He was beginning to think that they were nocturnal, seeing neither hide nor hair of any of them in the last few hours. He worked steadily for over an hour, and had the driveway about three quarters of the way done.
The last several yards went through the trees that bordered the property.
He paused, panting, willing the sharp pains in his lower back to go away.
The next time he saw Jack he was demanding a snow-blower.
He looked back at the house and made out Lucy sitting in the doorway.
She saw him looking and stood, wagging her tail. Ianto chuckled and shook his head. He would have liked to have her out here with him, but she was a Setter, and a particularly slight example of the breed at that. She wasn't built for the cold, and he knew her paws would be caked in ice in no time. It was better for her inside.
He wished he was inside.
He leaned against the snow shovel and listened to the quiet. He heard a crow call, maybe the same one from yesterday, and looked up, but saw nothing. He cocked his head, listening for sounds of traffic.
All he got was a soft plop as a clump of snow fell from a tree nearby.
After a moment he sighed, stretched his arms over his head and twisted side to side. Time to stop, power used was nearing the rationed amount and it was good enough.
Then he heard it, the chattering sound.
Ianto froze in place.
The sound came again, and he tried to figure out where it came from, but couldn't pin-point the direction.
The sound echoed through the trees, a call and repeat.
There was more than one of them. There was a rustling, a creaking and snapping of branches. To his left he saw a smudge of deep red against the gray and white background of the trees, slinking close to the ground.
The chattering sound grew louder as the creature moved closer.
He dropped the shovel and it landed in the snow with a soft thump as he struggled to get the rifle off his back.
It caught on the bulky coat, and for a few precious seconds he took his eyes off the creature to get a better handle on the situation. The rifle came free and he held it ready, watching the thing as it moved from one tree to the next, seeing only snatches of red.
He glanced around the area, trying to keep the creature in sight. It was the only one he could see.
He took a step backwards, and raised the rifle.
The thing stopped for a moment, and raised its head.
There wasn't much of a shape to make out as it was partially hidden behind a tangle of branches, but green eyes glinted as if they were lit from within.
They stood watching each other for a long time.
Ianto's breath appeared as clouds in front of him.
He saw nothing like that coming from the creature.
It started moving again, and in a few steps it was out of the trees, standing before him.
The creature was taller than he had imagined. Its legs were submerged in the snow, but its torso cleared it by two or three inches. It had a wolf-like head with a snout too long in proportion to the rest of the skull. Its body was long and weasel-like, and he caught the motion of a long bushy tail.
It raised its nose to sniff the air.
Then it opened its too large mouth, and screeched.