26

"So… what happened?" Gwen asked as she walked around the two men, and then tried to push between them, Jack responding by snarling in her face and shoving her back then going back to placing the cold cloth over Ianto's forehead where a bruise was forming.

"They first hit Myfanwy in the head, then waited for him to come find her, clocked him too!" Owen explained "They took him to the wooded area and… well… I don't know if after they beat the shit out of him they were gonna leave him hanging for the Grey Men or not but I also don't know if they were going to leave him breathing either."

"Bastards!" Rhys spluttered "I outta…"

"Calm down is what you ought to do" Jack said as he lifted the cloth off and leaned in to blow on the bruise as Ianto blinked with surprise at the intimate action.

"So… what is the next step?" Toshiko said, her own anger evident as he stood with her feet apart, a gun from somewhere in her hand. Ianto felt a spike of affection as he looked at her all ready to shoot someone for him.

"We leave" Jack said as he sat back "Ianto and I were travelling to scout another village when we found them… this village is further back in the hills, harder to get to… so.. Grey Men might not even know it is there. Less people so smaller body count… this one is definitely going to get hit first. The head count keeps rising and more are likely to arrive back from the sales if these one did… they said they were only part of the main group right? Too dangerous, this many people in one spot."

"We just leave them… Jack who will defend them!" Gwen said with anger.

"You don't have to come… but who defended Ianto out there? It's OK, we will not miss you" Jack assured her "Anyone who does not want to come is welcome to stay here… this is not a dictatorship, I am not your boss anymore but me and Ianto are getting out of Dodge."

"Me too" Owen said he looked at Toshiko who nodded.

"Me too" Rhys echoed, looking to Gwen as he added "And so is anyone who is on our side."

She let her arms drop as she glared and Andy spoke up, confirming he was going with. Alice didn't have to speak, clear in the way she was now fussing on Ianto's small cut over his eye, even if it seemed smaller and less intense than she first thought it was.

"Pack the SUVs, we roll out as soon as we are done" Jack said as he reached for Ianto again, "We leave what we don't need, what might help them live a little longer but remember… they did this… they are not our friends."

Owen turned on his heel and stomped from the room and over to the nearest SUV, opening the driver's door and reaching in to retrieve a pistol from the lockbox under the seat, then turning to find Mathew behind him with a shotgun over his arm.

"We are leaving" Owen told him softly "This place is toxic since Thane returned and he is making it too easy for the Greys… it is no longer safe for us and we will peel out as soon as we are ready."

"Can I come? My kid and me?" he asked Owen.

"Just the two of you?"

"Yeah... my wife stayed on in the city with my brother and his wife, their kids wanted so see some movie but my boy kicked up and wanted to come home… only reason we lived." He sighed.

Owen nodded "OK, but we leave soon."

"I will go pack now… can I take my truck?"

Owen seemed to pause, then asked "you have horses right? And you put horse in the stock truck as well as some stock? I don't know if the village we are heading to has good roadage… if we have to trek the last bit… horses might be good."

"Owen's right" Ianto said making both men jump "Stock horses are a good idea, and dogs. Greys and dogs do not mix, dogs are a good deterrent."

"Alright, I will go get ready now" Mathew nodded, then ran for his house along the street.

.

.

Emily was arguing with Ray as their children played without a care in the world "Look at them, happy, settled… safe. Why do we have to traipse off again!"

"Em, they did good by us so far, if they want to move on… we need to stick with them." He argued with his wife.

"A fortnight… barely two and a half weeks since the shit hit the fan and we do not even know these people… that last one and his dog, they give me the willies. You saw those huge bear things… are our kids safe with those things out there somewhere? What if they are lying about them being on our side, what of those things are part of the attack?"

"Can you hear yourself?" he snarled "Our kids are only here because those people let us come with them."

"Well this is not up for discussion. You want to leave? Leave! But me and the kids are happy here, the house is bigger than our old one and this seems the right place for us!"

Ray slumped in defeat as he knew she was right. This house was twice the size of their town flat, the kids enjoining the clean air and the food was great. Money was no longer a problem, and as the days went by he was enjoying being a mechanic here more and more, those he was helping seemed appreciative and welcoming.

"OK… we will stay"

.

.

Mathew rumbled into the middle of the village with the stock truck, the sheep inside yelling lustily as they do, the four cows less noisy and the four horses in the end of it didn't' care as all.

"What's all this? Noah's ark?" someone called out with amusement as a few dogs peered out he back windows of the double cab with lolling tongues.

Mathew slid from the driver's seat landing on the ground to motion at the SUVs, "I am leaving with them."

"Leaving…" Ralf said then turned to look around "Where is bloody Thane. This is down to him, isn't it!"

"We did what we said we would, we got you all ready to defend and now we are defending as well. As long as we are in danger from those within these walls as well as those outside them, we are not able to defend you all" Jack said as he clapped the old man on the shoulder "Stay frosty. Once we leave… they will probably come."

Ralf looked around with annoyance as he knew damned well that boy had done something.