Chapter 19: Point of View

He was floating. That's the only way he could explain what he was feeling. Floating. His head felt light, and his body felt weak, he drifted in between two realities until white, hot pain lanced through his stomach and arm. That pain alone was enough to yank him roughly from where he was drifting and send him hurtling back into the reality that he was most familiar with.

He came out of unconsciousness with a yell that echoed of pain, and tears burned in his eyes as he forced himself to breathe through the pain. One cautious breath after one cautious breath. That was better, a little less pain now. He could relax a bit. He tried to bring his hand up to his forehead, where a dull, throbbing ache had wedged itself in his skull, but he found that he couldn't move.

With silent shock, he looked to his hands, and sawhis wrists strapped securely to the bed. He was in restraints! Why? What had he done to earn this kind of treatment? On the floor, next to the bed was what appeared to be a type of basin, but Jonas couldn't imagine what it was for. His stomach did a sickening little flip and he closed his eyes to shut out the sight of the room swimming across his field of vision. He now knew why the basin was there. He breathed through the flip flops of his stomach and strangled the sick feeling that was bubbling inside of him. When it had passed, he opened his eyes again.

"Why am I tied down?" Jonas muttered, his voice thick with a mixture of pain and drowsiness.

Footfalls! Light, quick footfalls! Someone was coming toward him, he forced his eyes to open and through the swimming haze of vision he saw Dr. Fraser's kind face looking down on him.

"How are you feeling, Jonas?" Fraser asked, her voice careful and slow, as though she were speaking to a small child.

"Sick. Why am I tied?" Jonas asked again, his stomach leapt ungracefully.

"Your fever caused you to become violent. Your temperature was so high that you were delusional. I'm sorry, Jonas, we had no choice, but to restrain you." Fraser said gently. She softly placed her hand on Jonas's forehead, and a small smile crossed over her lips.

"Your temperature's gone down a bit." She said in satisfaction.

"Doctor Fraser, did I do anything that I normally wouldn't?" Jonas asked, his voice suddenly small and anxious.

Fraser nodded, but didn't speak.

"What? What did I do?" Jonas asked, his voice still anxious.

"Let's just say that Sergeant Siler's got another concussion to add to the one he already had." Fraser said, her voice soft and sympathetic.

"I don't remember." Jonas replied, a look of utter guilt flashing angrily over his features.

"I wouldn't think that you would. You were pretty out of it when I got here."

"Pardon?" Jonas asked, indicating that he wanted her to clarify.

"When I got here, Siler was out cold, and you were stumbling in the hall. Then you just collapsed."

"I saw that thing. It was a living nightmare." Jonas replied, his stomach did another sick little flip, and he felt his face flush red.

"Jonas?" Fraser asked.

Jonas closed his eyes and drew in a shaky breath, when he opened them, all seemed to be normal once more.

"Nothing, never mind. Can you untie me, please?" Jonas asked, his voice sounded hushed and forced, but it was desperate nonetheless.

Fraser watched him for a few long minutes, seemed to be satisfied, nodded curtly and began to undo the restraints holding Jonas down. When the work was done, Jonas sighed in a grateful manner.

"Thanks." He replied.

"It's okay, you seem to be back to normal. More or less, you've still got a bit of a fever though." Fraser stated.

Jonas was quiet, listening to see if she would say more. He didn't have to wait long, for within the next couple of seconds, Janet spoke again.

"What thing are you talking about, Jonas? What did you see? Can you describe it to me?" Fraser spoke calmly, she sank down on the bed next to him and he felt the mattress give under the new weight. When he looked up to meet her gaze, he saw that the doctor was listening intently, her brown eyes were clear and friendly.

"It was grey, all of it, an ash grey, and it had red eyes, glowing red eyes. And . . . " Jonas's voice trailed as he thought of the claws. Those claws, those were what had killed all of those innocent victims in the village, he knew it, somehow he was sure of it.

As he thought of this, he found that he was gripping the bed sheets so tight that his hands were sore. The room lurched around him and tears slid down his cheeks. So much pain, there was just so much of it!

His wounds gave another jolt of pain, as though begging for attention. His stomach turned again, and didn't stop turning. Jonas moaned miserably, and closed his eyes.

"Jonas? What else?" Fraser asked, her fingers were now wrapped around his wrist, checking the pulse that fluttered there. She seemed to be concentrating very hard on the face of her watch.

Jonas opened his eyes again. "Claws, it used its claws to kill the other people." Jonas saw flashes of slow images drifting through the back of his mind. Images that showed the deaths caused by the claws, as this was going on, he got an overwhelming sense of giddy excitement in seeing all those people falling victim to the shadow creature.

There was another horrible pain that crashed through him and he gasped. He swallowed hard, and listened for Fraser's answer.

"How, Jonas?" Fraser asked.

Jonas shook his head, he didn't want to explain the images that were flashing madly through his brain at the moment, it was just too much for him.

Fraser said nothing, but waited for Jonas to gather up enough courage to speak to her.

"He marked them, marked them alland tortured them." Jonas gagged at the thought of it, as the strange taste of blood filled his mouth. That was when he realized he'd bitten his tongue, and it was now bleeding freely. Fraser tore a tissue from the box and handed it to him. He placed it over the bleeding cut in his tongue and bit down to keep it in place.

"How do you know all of this?" Fraser asked, her gaze locked on Jonas.

"I don't know, I'm getting fleeting flashes of all that happened to those poor people. He murdered them in cold blood!" Jonas pulled the tissue from his mouth, and his voice was rising. Fraser moved further away from him, slight fear creeping over her face.

"Jonas, just calm down." Fraser replied, Jonas was babbling again, and Fraser was tempted to replace the restraints.

Jonas forced himself to calm, and his stomach still twisted angrily. He brought a shaking hand up to place on his stomach and sighed. The room capsized again, and Jonas gagged once more.

"Jonas? What's wrong?"

"He murdered them! How could he do that?" The images flashed through Jonas's mind, a repetitive movie of haunting silence, while people died all around him. Then Jonas realized that his point of view in these flashes was viewed through the eyes of the tormentor. He murdered them! But, he couldn't have...could he?

"Make it stop! Make me stop! I don't want to do this!" Jonas yelled, Fraser watched him anxiously, the young man's face had flushed to crimson, but beneath the flush, she could see ashy paleness.

"What are you talking about?" Fraser called to him.

Jonas immediately stopped yelling, Fraser's voice striking home. What was he talking about? He sounded like a ranting madman. Jonas's face went blank as he contemplated everything he'd just been thinking. His hand still rested on his stomach, and didn't move.

"I...I'm not really sure." Jonas replied. His stomach gave another sickly turn and Jonas whimpered a bit.

Fraser watched Jonas in stunned silence. The young man didn't even know what he was talking about? She heard him whimper, and her sympathetic gaze, which she had been trying to avert from Jonas, returned to rest on him again.

A few moments later, she saw his eyes drop shut again, and didn't even move to wake him when he didn't answer to her calls.

Jonas came to again, andlookedaround the infirmary. He saw Sam seated next to his bed, a book propped on her knees, and she was silently mouthing the words.

"Sam?" Jonas replied quietly. Carter almost immediately tossed her book aside, and rose to stand over him.

"Hey there, how are you doing?" She asked softly.

"Not great, but I'm living for the moment." Jonas replied. The taste of blood still brushed across his taste buds and he moved to grab the glass of water from a nearby table. When he moved, he immediately regretted it. The figure of Sam shimmered in and out of focus, and his face flushed again.

Sam looked alarmed, but said nothing. She just looked at him, her eyes glassy with unshed tears.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm fine." Jonas said to her.

Sam nodded and smiled. "I'll be right back." She said and trekked off toward Janet's office, emerging seconds later with Dr. Fraser following behind.

"I see you decided to join us again, Jonas." Fraser placed a hand on his cheek and turned to Sam.

"Could you get me a cool cloth? He's still got a fever." Janet asked. Sam nodded and went off in search of a cloth.

"Now then, lay back down." Fraser said and watched intently as Jonas leaned back against his pillows. Janet grabbed the glass of water and stuck a straw in it. She held the glass out for him, Jonas took it and drank gingerly from the straw. When he'd finished, he handed it back to her.

"You told me earlier that you saw people being murdered? What did you mean by that?" Fraser asked curiously.

"That shadow creature murders those who venture out after nightfall. He murders them, marks them and sends the bodies back to the village, either in the town centre or on a relative's doorstep." Jonas found his stomach protesting again.

"How awful!" Fraser exclaimed. Jonas nodded, fresh pain dashed through his injuries and he winced.

"Jonas, what is it?" Janet questioned.

"Pain."

"Where?"

Jonas passed a hand over each of his wounds. With that he felt another flash, only this time it was stronger. He felt the claws on his hand dig deep into someone's skin, and he smiled in a threatening manner at the man quivering before him. He was shoved roughly from the flash and found himself shaking uncontrollably.

"It's done it again. There was another murder." Jonas replied.

"What?"

Jonas didn't answer, he was still shaking, a strong feeling of nausea lashed out at him, and he found his stomach churning wildly.

"I think I'm going to be sick." He muttered miserably, voice thick and unsteady.

"That's alright." Fraser said calmly, and seconds later, Jonas lurched to the side of the bed.

The young man's shoulders heaved, and Janet lay a comforting hand on his middle-back. Even through the shirt, she could feel the heat radiating from him. Sam walked in and surveyed the scene with wide, frightened eyes.

Jonas coughed again, and Sam quickly threw the cloth at Dr. Fraser, who was seated calmly next to Jonas, her hand on his back. Janet looked up as the cloth soared at her. She caught it expertly with one hand, and lay it across the back of Jonas's neck. Sam's eyes welled with tears, and she tore from the room with a frightened sob. Janet watched her go, wanting so badly to go after her, but knowing that she couldn't leave Jonas like this.

A moment later, Jonas wearily raised his head and sat back. Fraser handed him the glass of water and he took it in trembling hands. His face had flushed bright crimson, and his eyes were glassy. He finished the glass of water and didn't resist Janet's hand pushing him easily back on the pillow. Fraser took the cool cloth and placed it against Jonas's forehead. She then sat with him until he finally fell asleep again. Fraser got up from the bed quietly and went about cleaning out the basin incase there would be further need for it.

When this was done, and she'd checked on Jonas once again, she hurried off in search of Major Carter, she didn't know where to find the Major, but she had a fair idea.

A/N: Well, this chapter was a bit longer. It probably didn't explain much, it's more like a bridge between the action. If you want to call it that. I'll try to explain more in the next part. Until then, let me know what you think, and don't be afraid to give suggestions!