He could try to cross the clearing alone, Daniel thought, though the twisted and torn ankle would make him a pretty easy target.
An easy target for the bat people.
Jack didn't believe him. And why should he? The idea of bat people in and of itself sounded crazy. Then again, the idea of flying goats seemed rather insane until they'd run into them on P9X-080.
Daniel still had nightmares over that incident.
"Don't go near the goats," Jack had told him. "Don't do it. If they come after you this time, I don't want to hear it."
And so it was with this mission. He'd specifically told Daniel and Sam not to go "nosing" around anything suspicious.
What? Did he think they were two?
Jack never really appreciated their need to go out and investigate their surroundings. How else would they have discovered the bat people?
"Okay," Jack said, meeting Daniel in the bushes. Teal'c, carrying Sam, who at least was looking a little better, soon followed them. "Daniel, I want you to dial the Gate. Don't look back. Just keep moving. Teal'c, you—"
Jack stopped, frowning, as he looked up into the night sky. Daniel heard it, too.
It was like hissing, or moaning. Daniel couldn't tell. But the pitch was increasing, and he was sure he saw something flutter over the backdrop of stars.
"Oh no," Daniel murmured, cringing as the pain flared in his head and ankle. "It's them."
"Yeah, you know, I am not so keen on meeting 'them,' so why don't we pick up the pace." Jack quickly motioned for Teal'c to crouch low, keeping Carter out of sight. "Can you make it?"
"I can," Teal'c replied.
"Carter?"
No answer.
"Okay, Daniel?"
Daniel nodded, swallowing down the cotton in his throat as he stared at the distance from where they hid, across the clearing, to the Stargate. Daniel would dial; Jack would cover him and Teal'c. Simple. They could do this.
Sucking in a deep breath, Daniel charged forward, traversing the ground as he pushed himself toward the DHD. The pain seared through his foot, and he limped on despite the throbbing, knowing he could not stop; he could not fall.
As he pushed harder, he heard the sound of gunfire in the distance, a noise that was quickly swallowed by the surge of hissing. The hissing erupted into a cacophony of frenzied howling as the creatures poured over the horizon. Daniel had promised himself not to look back, but he had, and found himself face to face with their horror.
Daniel gasped, shocked as one of the creatures broke from the herd and opened it's elastic mouth, bearing down to consume him whole. Just as Daniel caught sight of its pearly teeth and tasted its stale breath, it cried in pain, erupting into a myriad of pieces.
Daniel, mottled in its grim and filth, stood stunned. It was not until he heard Jack's voice call out to him, did he snap out of his stupor and reach the DHD. Panting hard, he refused to look at anything but the DHD, quickly dialing home with one hand as he fumbled for his GDO with the other.
Within seconds, the Gate activated and the wormhole engaged. Hearing Jack call to him to keep moving, this time Daniel obeyed and ran into the event horizon, hearing Teal'c and Jack right at his feet. All he did was blink once and found himself sprawled across the ramp.
Everything happened so fast. Doctor Fraiser and her team were on him, and he heard Sam muttering in the distance. Jack and Teal'c…General Hammond…
"Close the iris!" Jack called somewhere behind him.
Thumps…so many thumps.
Doctor Fraiser moved over to treat Sam, who thankfully had regained consciousness long enough to start yelling at everyone. Daniel settled for one of her nurses, not even bothering to protest when they helped him onto a stretcher.
"What happened?" he heard General Hammond ask as he slipped in and out of consciousness.
"We were attacked, Sir. By…"
"Bat people," Daniel finished for him.
Daniel could almost imagine General Hammond's face over that comment. "Colonel?"
"They were bat somethings, I tell you," Jack answered. Daniel closed his eyes, only briefly catching Sam's face as she was brought past him. She smiled and he returned the smile, thanking her for what she had done for him. Something he would have to do for Jack and Teal'c later. He continued to listen to Jack's voice. "They came flying out of the trees and the tombs we were evaluating."
"The Shadow Walkers are not ones to handle blithely," Teal'c informed them.
"I'm thinking we should lock this one out of the system, General," Jack said.
"No argument from me there, Colonel. Let's get you down to the infirmary."
Pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose, Daniel sighed, allowing Jack and Teal'c's voices to drown in the sounds of the personnel hovering by the gate. The thumps continued to pound mercilessly against the iris, but the thought of their self-sacrifice did not ease his fears. As the scroll on the tomb of Chibchachum had stated, "Once you gaze into the face of the Shadow Walkers, it forever burrows into your soul, claiming you for this life and the next."
He shivered, wondering how much of the warning was myth or true. In the end, he realized, this time his curiosity was dead, and he had no desire to know. This was one time he didn't mind hearing the words, "I told you so" and was simply grateful to be alive to hear them.
THE END