14

Ianto considered the moat and then calmly pushed the pen over that contained some pigs, herding them into the moat to disrupt the Zs. He watched the madness as pigs ran screaming, dying … the door of the building flew open and people ran. They did not notice the Wolfing quietly watching, moving past them into the building to search.

"Would have been easier to nuke the site from space" Ianto muttered to himself, Jack's question in the bond as he ran to catch up making him show Jack the state of the place. Like a butcher's room, blood, gore and pieces of meat. Not just pig and beef. Clearly humans as well.

"Cannibals?" Jack asked softly as he jogged around the corner to find the place "Why is it always fucking cannibals. Why can't' the meat they clearly have be enough? Jesus!"

"I think they feed the humans to the Zs, keep them keen on the meat" Ianto hissed back and Jack sighed softly as he agreed, seemed the horrible truth to the matter. Better watchdogs.

Ianto entered a room and froze as a woman turned to face him with matching shock, the knife in her hand still dripping with blood as a child lay convulsing at her feet while he bled out from the severed neck. Several other children were dead. Fresh. Ianto knew there was a couple more hiding behind a large chair in the corner and wondered if she knew that too.

"So … this is the answer? Think you are overrun so you kill the children rather than let them free?" Ianto asked. "Or … are they from the others … hostages?"

"We are Sparta" she snarled "As in the ancient times, we are the last of those strong enough to survive the wrath of god!"

"Oh great. Zealots too" Ianto groaned, "Look lady. I don't know who you're fighting with but it's not us. We just arrived by train and have no idea what feud is going on between you and your neighbours."

The woman seemed to hesitate and then straighten up frowning "You are not of the Souths?"

"Souths?"

"Souths and Easts. We are named as such" she said with growing confusion "Once we were one then a fight made us split. They want what we have here, they do not like it out there but they chose to leave."

She was starting to ramp up into some sort of rant so Ianto took a step closer "Well I don't know. I think my partner might have encountered them but … we did not come to fight. Merely scavenge. That's all. Knowing it is a town occupied … we will leave you in peace. We will not bother you again. We wish to leave in peace, like we came."

"How many of you are there?" she changed tack so fast that she reminded Ianto of Gwen. He hadn't thought of her in so long yet here he was … wanting to take this woman's head off for her sass.

"You are Sparta? We are Legion. We are many. We could raze this entire town to the ground. We could destroy all of you and what you have if we are angered. Let's not be angered. Let's move in a peaceable way, yes?" Ianto reasoned "I will go. You will let me. My people will leave and you can go back to your feuding in peace."

She seemed to consider then to Ianto's horror she spun, throwing the knife at a child who had bolted from behind the chair. The child fell and Ianto roared with anger.

This was going nowhere.

Time to chomp.

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Hope had gone to the rooftops, showing off more than anything as she knew Dean had a fear of heights. Luckily she had her father's love of flight and she was currently jumping from roof to roof with glee while searching for anything that needed to be cleared away.

Tommy and the school forgotten as she showed off and Dean chased after her sending anger through the bond as they grew further form the path they were supposed to be on. She was always so stubborn and foolish, he so staid and fuddy-duddy. He hated her saying that, even as he knew she was really saying she was Daddy's and he was Taddy's. Like … he couldn't just be himself?

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Jack had found the source of their heating behind the building Ianto was racing from. Gas cylinders. Not a big brain needed here and as Jack already had that nifty lighter in his pocket …. Well … here we go.

As Ianto exploded from the building in Wolfling form Jack stepped back from the lines he had cut and flicked the lighter, turning to run as well and he experienced that free-flight he loved so much as the force of the explosion took him off his feet and he yodelled as he was swept over the moat and into the building opposite where he sat panting and quietly dying for a moment.

Totally worth it.

The flames ran up the gas lines inside of the building that was also full of gas and windows exploded as it died taking those within out as well.

Now no one could fight over it.