Chapter 13: Escaping the Grasps of Evil

"We are going home first thing in the morning! I'm not staying here any longer." Jack exclaimed, gently placing Jonas over his shoulder for easier carrying.

The metallic smell of blood assaulted O'Neill's nose as he led the way, Jonas's blood. He could feel it seeping through his own shirt, but ignored it. They were getting out of these woods!

"Hold on Jonas, we're almost there." Jack replied to the unconscious man, knowing very well that his words couldn't be heard, but the mere act of speaking to Jonas, made him feel a little better.

About halfway back to the palace, Teal'c took over Jonas's weight to allow O'Neill a break. Jack gave the young man up willingly; Jonas was much harder to carry than one would think. He rotated his aching shoulder after making sure Jonas was safely in Teal'c's care.

Behind them, Jack heard the scream of the creature and heard the snapping of branches as it rushed after them. The shot couldn't have forced it under for long. It had to have been following them for the better part of the trek to be this close.

He shoved Teal'c in the lead, and hung back with Major Carter. The creature was just about on top of them when Jack shouted the word 'run!'

Slightly behind him, he heard Carter yelp as she was tackled by the thing, and turned back in time to see it hovering threateningly over Sam. Teal'c looked back in shock.

"Keep going, Teal'c! Get Jonas back!" O'Neill yelled.

Teal'c hesitated, but a glance at the unconscious man in his arms changed his mind, and he followed orders.

Jack turned back to Carter, quickly and saw her struggling wildly beneath the shadowy figure.

"Hey!" O'Neill yelled, aiming his gun. The creature looked up, and O'Neill fired, catching it squarely in the chest. It went down, writhing, and lay still, while Carter lay panting to its left.

Jack quickly ran to where Sam lay and knelt next to her, pulling her toward him. Her eyes were wide and frightened, but at the sight of Jack, they calmed slightly.

"Are you okay? Did it cut you?" Jack asked, his voice seeping with concern.

Sam shook her head.

"No sir, I wouldn't let it get close enough." She smiled.

"It looked pretty close to me." Jack replied and continued to support her back, not offering to let go.

"It was close enough." Sam said.

"Yeah." Jack said and pulled her gently to her feet. For good measure, he turned back to the thing and fired three more shots.

"Hopefully that will keep it out of commission long enough for us to get back and lock everything up." Jack said.

"Yes, sir." Sam agreed.

O'Neill led her forward, casting continuous glances back over his shoulder to see if the thing had moved yet. When satisfied that it wasn't moving for a while, O'Neill nodded and began to jog, Sam following him.

When Sam and Jack finally reached the edge of the forest, they saw Teal'c carrying Jonas toward the front door. Inside, there was a light burning through the window, and at the door, someone opened it for Teal'c and quickly led he and Jonas inside.

The other two members of SG-1 got to the door shortly after and found it was still being held open. Sam looked up into the eyes of one of Johnston's butlers, and saw a clear flood of relief pass across the serious face. The door was shut and locked behind them, and the candle taken from the windowsill.

The butler led Sam and Jack after Teal'c, into the parlor, where the Jaffa carefully placed Jonas on the nearest couch. Sam went to the young man's side and inspected the wound. The wound was worse than the first, it was packed full of dirt, and the skin around the cut was already turning an ugly red shade. She called for the disinfectant and went about cleaning and dressing the fresh injury.

When that was finished, she followed Teal'c up to Jonas's room, where the young man was placed on the bed, and the sheet pulled up to his chin.

Colonel O'Neill immediately went to the open window and shut it with a slam, locking it in place. He tested his work, nodded in approval and made his way back to where Jonas lay on his freshly made bed. The butler had put the room back together, after he realized what had happened.

"You are all very fortunate. I was not sure you would return." The man replied with a slight accent to his words.

"You aren't gonna get rid of us that easy." Jack said with a smile.

"That is good to hear. You should return to your rooms and get some rest. I'll keep watch over Jonas." The butler replied.

"Nah, that's okay. I think I'd like to stay and keep an eye on him as well." Jack said, sitting lightly on the edge of the bed.

"Very well, but the rest of you should get some rest. I will be around the palace somewhere." The butler responded.

After a nod of okay from Jack, the other members of SG-1 returned to their rooms and after making sure everything was locked up, went back to bed.