Ianto had shaken off his disappointment by the time they arrived at the lift. "Do you really believe we'll run into these zombies?" he asked.
„If we make it back to my quarters, we'll be fine. That's considered a zombie-free zone, and I don't think the voice will change our arrangement," Jack said, looking over his shoulder to ensure nobody followed them. They rushed in when the lift doors opened. He pressed the button for their floor, and the lift began to rise with a slight rumble.
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„Always keep your sword ready. We need to be careful," Jack instructed while he pulled out one of his Katanas and grabbed one of the daggers from his belt.
Ianto nodded and reached for his sword. His heartbeat thumped in his ears, and his pulse was racing. Ianto had previously faced the prospect of being turned into a meal during their encounter with the cannibals in the Brecon Beacons. He'd hoped he'd never have to deal with anything remotely similar again. If wishes were horses...
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"No," Jack exclaimed. In frustration, he slammed his fist against the panel. "Stop the fucking lift!" he yelled towards the ceiling.
"What's going on?" Ianto wasn't sure if he wanted to find out.
„Dammit! He forces me to play when I refuse. This has happened before. When the lift doors open, we have two choices: destroy every zombie on that floor or find a stairwell and fight our way down. We'll be safe when we reach 056."
"Where are the stairs?" Stairs sounded like a good plan.
„Not near the lift," Jack laughed desperately. „On the other side of the station. In case you haven't noticed, there aren't really two options."
Ianto swallowed the rising dread and tightened his grip on the sword with both hands.
When the lift doors opened, they stepped into the empty hall.
"No one's here," Ianto said quietly.
"Shhh, listen," Jack cautioned.
Ianto strained his ears. After a while, he could hear shuffling and throaty grunts getting closer.
"I usually prefer to outrun them, but I fear we'll have to go through at least some of them if we want to get to the stairwell," Jack said quietly. „Stay behind me; I'm trying to attract their attention. You try to go around them."
"Jack, you shouldn't..." Ianto protested, but Jack cut him off before he could finish.
„You keep your distance. This is not a game," Jack's stern look didn't allow any objections. Ianto simply nodded. The large hall was stacked with boxes of various sizes, making it very easy to hide from their rather clumsy opponents.
When the zombies came closer, the air became thick with the smells of rancid meat and mould. Ianto felt the urge to gag but swallowed the rising bile. He focused his attention on the scene in front of him.
In his usual impetuous way, Jack approached the zombies, who had emerged from the corridor's narrow opening and spilt into the larger room.
„I'm glad you could make it, fellas! I've heard you're looking for a dancing partner!"
When they began shuffling towards him, he charged forward with one of his Katanas, decapitating the first undead with a single clean stroke. The head rolled a few feet before he stomped on it, crushing it beneath his heavy boots.
"Your dancing abilities clearly suck," Jack told the crushed skull. „Next!"
One down, at least ten to go, Ianto realised with dread.
Jack was able to cut through three more zombies, but the onslaught of bodies began to push him into a corner.
Ianto knew he should stay back, but he couldn't; he had to help. If he could knock some of the stacked boxes over, he could distract a few zombies and give Jack more space. To get a better position, he began creeping along a row of the boxes closest to him.
Suddenly something attacked him from behind, pulling him back. The stench of decay grew stronger around him. The zombie who'd grabbed him bit down hard and sunk his rotting teeth deep into his upper arm. Searing pain shot through his left arm. Panic washed over Ianto as he struggled to suppress a pained grunt and free himself. With his elbow, he pushed the creature behind him in the stomach. He broke free with a wild jerk and whirled around, raising his blade with his other hand. His left arm throbbed violently, and his fingers were limp and useless. Ianto finally faced his opponent, his breathing shallow due to the rising panic.
It was a woman with brown hair that surely used to be a neat haircut. Only a few strands of hair remained on her now mostly bald head, and her teeth shone through a deep hole in her left cheek. Her clothes were ripped, and she limped awkwardly.
The female zombie hissed and tried to grab him once more. He bore down the blade with a huge swing and cleanly sliced through her neck, exactly like Jack had shown him. Ianto staggered forward, losing his footing. Swinging the sword with one hand proved more difficult than he had anticipated. As he came crashing down on his knees, another zombie jumped at him from behind, pulling at his clothes and biting down into his right thigh. Ianto screamed in agony. The teeth had sunken deep into the flesh. He grabbed the zombie's tattered sleeves and tried to pull him off. He had to use all his strength to dislodge the grip and shove the undead away.
Ianto pushed himself to his feet, breathing heavily, just in time to repel another attack from the same undead. He grabbed him by the sleeves again and pushed him as far away as possible. Ianto reached for his sword and decapitated the zombie, gasping for air and trying to ignore the raging pain from the bleeding bite wounds.
With the immediate danger gone, he slumped down, still clutching the sword. While trying to catch his breath, Ianto looked around. For the time being, he appeared to be out of danger. He could hear fighting closer to the corridor but couldn't see what Jack was doing. Ianto's vision swam as he examined his lacerated wounds. The bite marks were deep and began to inflame already. A slow-burning fire crept into his veins. It took all his concentration to keep a clear head. He pressed his blood-soaked hand against the wall and pushed himself up.
Ianto finally saw what Jack was up to. He was cornered and surrounded by zombies. He'd lost both Katanas and was now armed with knives. Ianto needed to help him! His right leg almost gave way beneath him when he tried to walk.
He watched in horror as they finally overpowered Jack and pinned him down. Jack's screams nearly tore him apart. Ianto limped closer. His sword dragged behind him. To his relief, none of the remaining zombies noticed him; they were single-mindedly focused on their prey, which had become unnervingly quiet by this point.
When Ianto finally reached them, he used his sword as a machete. He impaled the first zombie with an anguished scream. The next blow was a clean decapitation. Stab, swing, again and again. He didn't stop until all three of them stopped moving. Jack lay half-buried underneath them.
„Jack? Jack!" Ianto wheezed, exhausted, as he pushed the undead remnants away from him. When he finally got a good look at Jack, he realised it was too late.
Ianto sobbed as he gazed down at Jack's remains. The zombies had been merciless. One of the zombie's jaw was still locked into his leg when it faced its demise. With trembling fingers, Ianto grasped the skull. He cracked the jaw open, freeing Jack from his teeth.
Ianto tried to calm his breathing, but it remained jittery.
The tears began to flow freely as the young man's distress from everything that had happened finally broke free and overwhelmed him. He was crying and rocking back and forth, holding Jack's body tightly in his arms, waiting for him to return.
Jack inhaled sharply when his body started to function again. A painful groan escaped his lips. Why did breathing hurt so much? He slowly opened his eyes. All he could see was a grey ceiling high above. He stared at it for a while. Maybe Ianto was right; this wasn't just a game with infinite lives. This dying business felt all too real. The events that led to his most recent death crept into his mind gradually. Ianto! Where was he? Fear gripped him... had the zombies gotten to him? With a jolt, he sat up and looked around.
Surrounded by severed parts of dead bodies, he lay in a puddle of blood. Hopefully, it was only his own. When Jack realised he was lying in Ianto's lap, he also realised he had been wrong.
Shit!
Ianto was unconscious, a fine film of sweat covering his face. Carefully Jack touched Ianto's forehead, which confirmed his suspicions. The young man was running a high fever. Frantically Jack examined the other for injuries. Two deep flesh wounds, which should have been treated hours ago. The zombie's rotten teeth had infected the wounds, and blood poisoning had begun to creep spider-like through Ianto's veins. He needed to get Ianto to the infirmary. Now.
„Ianto?" Jack whispered.
„Mmmh?" Ianto mumbled.
„I need you to try standing up. You're hurt and I need to get you to the infirmary," Jack said as he carefully pulled him to his feet.
„I want to sleep," Ianto begged.
„I know, but not right now. Come on, let's go," Jack half dragged, half carried the young man to the lift.
There were numerous infirmaries located throughout the station. Given the high rate of injuries and deaths during the games, it was no surprise that they were well-equipped and cutting-edge. Jack placed Ianto on one of the exam tables and activated the automatic med assistant. Then he took a step back and let the androids get to work.
The automated med assistant administered a cocktail of painkillers and sedatives and recommended an overnight stay for the patient. Jack firmly declined. Ianto would spend the rest of the night on the couch or in bed, back at his place.
Jack was relieved that the lift was working properly again and that it brought them to his level without difficulty this time. When they returned to Jack's quarters, he nudged Ianto to his sleeping room. While Jack gently pushed him forward, Ianto drowsily snuggled into him and kissed him on the jaw, making Jack's skin tingle.
„Ianto," Jack murmured into Ianto's hair as he held him close and made him take one step before the other. „You're still not feeling well. Don't try to tempt me."
„Just hold me close, and everything will be fine," Ianto murmured, his eyes closed as Jack led him to the bed. Despite his drowsiness, he noticed it wasn't his bed. „Jack, you're far too easily tempted," Ianto said, smiling as he looked into Jack's eyes.
"Come on, stand straight," Jack coaxed him into standing on his own. „You'll be staying with me tonight, and I'll be keeping an eye on you. Just sleeping, nothing else," Jack clarified as Ianto's smile widened. He smirked but nodded. Jack quickly undressed the young man and tucked him under the blanket.
„Stay there."
They had both been able to clean up and change into new clothing in the infirmary, free of dried blood and zombie goo. But Jack yearned to scrub his teeth once more thoroughly. The taste of rotting flesh on his tongue was driving him crazy. When he returned from the bathroom, Ianto was already fast asleep.
Jack stood there watching him. He looked so young and innocent while sleeping. The constant frown and seriousness had given way to a softness that made Jack's heart melt. He crawled under the blanket and snuggled close, taking care not to wake him. He also fell asleep with a sense of belonging in his heart that he hadn't felt in weeks.
When Ianto awoke, he felt Jack's warm body next to him. He turned around to face his lover with a smile on his face.
As he did so, he became slightly confused because something didn't feel quite right, but then he remembered where he was and that the Jack sleeping so close to him wasn't his Jack.
The zombie attack flashed through Ianto's mind, and he reached for his leg, where he remembered being bitten. His fingers felt the bandage, and he tried to recall where he had been patched up. Everything that happened after the attack was a haze in his mind.
Ianto rolled onto his back and gazed up at the ceiling. This was not supposed to be real - just a part of Jack's imagination. When the zombies attacked him, the prospect of death felt very real. The whole concept was simply mind-boggling. How can you die in the mind of someone else?
„Hey handsome," Jack had woken up. Ianto turned his head to see Jack facing him. „How are you feeling? "
„Pretty good," Ianto said, and he meant it. He wasn't in pain and was well-rested. „Looks like you took good care of me after our fight."
Jack laughed softly. „I simply returned the favour. Thank you for watching over me, after I got killed."
„You're welcome," Ianto said, smiling.
He rolled over and pushed himself up until he was hovering over Jack, looking into his gorgeous blue eyes. Jack's soft, slightly parted lips a tempting invitation. Ianto smiled and leaned in for a kiss. Ianto really liked kissing this younger, brasher version of Jack. Their lips caressed each other gently at first, but as their bodies responded with arousal, their kisses quickly became passionate and wild. Ianto could feel his teeth colliding with Jack's as they hungrily explored each other's mouths. He ran his fingers through Jack's hair and moaned when he felt Jack's member stir beneath him. While he tried to slip his hand between them, he suddenly felt Jack flinch. He then recalled the problems Jack had the other day. He tried to back away, but Jack held him tight, his hands on the back of Ianto's head.
Ianto pushed away his concern after a brief moment of hesitation. Following Jack's lead, he relaxed and leaned back into the kiss. A wave of belonging and peace washed over him as their bodies pressed close together, and their lips moved in unison. When Ianto felt Jack trembling beneath him, he realised something had changed. His eyes snapped open, and he stared into his partner's steel blue eyes. This wasn't the new acquaintance he'd just met, but his own Jack, no mistake.
„Jack," he breathed, their lips touching.
„Ianto, you've got to help me," Jack whispered in a rush. He then kissed him again as if to maintain the connection. „I try to shield you as much as I can, but you have to get me out of here."
„How, Jack? What do you need me to do? Jack?" Ianto asked, but Jack didn't answer. When he pressed their lips together again, Ianto felt Jack trembling like before, and something snapped back. Jack groaned beneath him and struggled, shoving him away.
„Jack?" Ianto was dazed and confused.
„What the hell?" Jack burst out at the same time while he pushed himself up into a sitting position.
Both stared at each other wide-eyed, breathing heavily after the intense kisses.
„Oh boy, that was the most surreal thing I've ever experienced!" Jack let out a whoop. He leaned forward and snatched another kiss from Ianto, who was still staring at him, trying to catch up.
Ianto stammered, lightly pressing his fingers against his lips, „I was just speaking to Jack."
„You totally did! It was insane! I felt like I was in two places at once! I was kissing you, I felt him kissing you, then it was like me kissing you through him...," he laughed, excitedly gesticulating with his hands. „I have no idea how to describe it. At all!"
„Two places at the same time?" Ianto stared at him. He didn't feel like laughing.
„I was here with you but also in the Control Room," Jack explained. „Being there felt so weird, like suspended in mid-air," Jack rambled. „Wait...," he realised what he was describing. „Shit. That's probably how the Controller must have felt."
Jack's face became solemn as he stared at Ianto. „I guess my first impression was correct yesterday. The parasite kidnapped your Jack and uses him to control his nightmares." Jack took a breather to let the realisation sink in. „Fuck."
Ianto stared at him with wild eyes. He then grabbed Jack's shoulders and shook him. „Kiss me again, kiss me! I need to speak to him! Come on!"
„No, Ianto! Don't! Let go of me!" Jack said and freed himself from Ianto's grasp. They stared at each other while Ianto tried to calm his frailed nerves. Jack eventually drew him close and wrapped his arms around him tightly.
„I'm sorry I lost my temper," Ianto said, his voice small and desperate. „But I need to know what I should do."
„I think I have some answers for you," Jack whispered into Ianto's ear. „Let's have some breakfast and talk about it."
