Chapter 22: In The Clutches of Torment

Jack had heard Jonas yell and he looked up in the direction of the shout. As he squinted into the dusty darkness, he noticed Jonas, about five feet ahead of him. The young man was stopped and unmoving. Jack could hear his sharp breathing as he neared him.

"Jonas?" O'Neill regarded him curiously, face splashed with concern.

Jonas continued his labored breathing and Jack reached out and lay a gentle hand on his shoulder to bring him out of his trance.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked quietly.

"It was so real Colonel, so real." Jonas whispered, he sounded terrified.

"What was Jonas?"

"She was executed, pushed over the edge. Colonel, she did something, a chant that opened a green portal type thing. There was lightening, and...and rain. The green light, I was its target..." Jonas's frightened voice began to trail.

"Who was executed?"

"Coris."

"That creepy little kid?"

Jonas nodded silently but, vigorously as he confirmed Jack's assumption. At that moment the wind picked up, screaming around them, chewing into their clothes and making them shiver. Jack sat on the hillside, watching the unmoving Jonas through worried brown eyes that caught a glare of a light coming from somewhere. That somewhere was above them, on the cliff-top.

Minutes that seemed like hours crept past slowly as Jonas fought to regain control over his emotions and trembling hands that gripped the hill side.

At long last, Jonas felt ready to proceed and drug himself further up the cliff, slowly, but he was determined to reach the top and wouldn't let anything get in the way of him doing so.

Jack watched him in sympathy, the kid had been through a lot since the gate spit them out on this rock, and Jack knew he'd need some extensive R&R upon arrival back at the base. Until they got back though, he wasn't going to argue with him and so, followed him in his slow trek up the hillside.

OOO

Sam sunk to the ground next to what she would've liked to call a fire, but sadly it hadn't worked out quite as planned.

She wondered why they hadn't thought of fire when they first arrived and drew the conclusion that had they have been in different circumstances, it would've crossed their minds.

True, the attempt at fire would've failed miserably anyway, Sam had found that out as she tried to nurse a tiny spark into a means of light and warmth. The fire refused to start, every time she thought she was getting close, the fire would die and leave her and Teal'c in total darkness again.

"Remind me again why we're trying to make a fire? We should be looking for Colonel O'Neill and Jonas." Sam replied to Teal'c.

"We will be of no help to either of them without rest, and your body temperature has dropped critically since we began searching, Major Carter." Teal'c replied from somewhere in the dark.

Sam bit her lip as she continued to keep holding back the chills she kept getting. Hot chocolate sounded good about now, but she had to keep searching.

"It's no use Teal'c, the fire isn't going to start. Let's keep searching." Sam said through chattering teeth.

"We will not find them." Teal'c stated.

Carter's brow creased at that statement, and she got slowly to her feet, looking in the direction Teal'c had spoken from.

The Jaffa emerged from the shadows and his face was a mask of hate, something Carter knew couldn't be a good sign. She began backing away, slowly at first, then gradually increasing her speed as she backed up.

Teal'c kept up her pace, staying no less than two feet away from her.

She felt herself back into something solid and turned around. She was staring into piercing grey eyes, face hidden behind a black mask. Her instincts kicked in at full force as she whipped around to face Teal'c, only to be met by someone totally different in his place.

The person closing in on her was a woman, brunette curls being pulled every way by the wind that had suddenly picked up. Her violet eyes were filled with hatred and anger and she wore a sly smile on her face. She folded her arms across her chest, smoothing the pale blue dress that danced about her.

Sam turned back to the grey eyes, they were still hidden behind a mask, making it impossible to make out the face of her silent tormentor. Then she turned back to the woman who had come to a halt, less than a foot from her and was staring viciously at her.
"What do you want?" Sam spat venomously, her voice quavering with fear.

"Me? What could a child like me possibly want?" The woman before her morphed into the small form of Coris, the blue dress still floating about her, shrinking to her new size. The child pushed a curl behind her ear and continued to smile. Not at her, but over her shoulder to the man behind her.

Sam jumped back and was seized by strong arms from behind, she let out a startled yelp and turned her head to look into the face of the masked grey eyes, her blue eyes widened in fright as the grip on her tightened, digging into her middle, and pushing the air out of her.

"You know what Sam?" Coris questioned slyly, her childish tone concealed in raspiness and warning.

Sam looked at her, through a venomous glare.

"What?" Carter asked, threateningly.

"I think you're much more trouble than what you're worth. We have to do something about that." Coris snarled.

Sam squirmed in the grip holding her to no avail.

"Take her to the cliff top, we'll get her to calm the trouble she's causing us." Coris said, smiling evilly. That's the only way that it could be explained, an evil smile, coming from the most innocent form, a child.

Sam struggled against her captor.

"I hope everyone's up for seeing an execution. We'll put her through the same fate I was put through. Let's see how she feels about her desperate soul wondering this god-forsaken place for an eternity..." Coris laughed, musically, as she skipped ahead, beckoning for the executioner to follow, Sam still helpless in his clutches...