AN: And now for chapter 7.Oh, and let's just say the Stackhouse is a lower class Sgt. than Bates. Oh, and let's also say that on the Life Signs Detector on the jumper can tell human life signs from bugs.

Thanks to all my reviewers out there:

Shootingsilverstarlight- Nice to have you back reviewing. Good luck on your finals too!

nebbyJ- umm, if you don't like bugs, not to sure how much your going to like this chapter!

Somebody- It's nice to know I'm driving someone else crazy besides myself!

Dee- Yea, it does suck to be a prisoner in my stories. Oh well.

Out of Phase- Sorry, all my chapters are short, I get confuse because they take up like ten pages in my notebook, maybe my hand writing is just too big.

Dr. Dredd- your right, killing everybody just wouldn't work. Although, there always is the alternate ending! And I just had to make everybody tolerate Bates, I like him to much, even though he is a jackass most of the time.

Rowana Farrin- Of course I had to leave you hanging, it's just so fun!

Dawn- hmmm, should mckay live or should he die? Let's find out.

Tricky1379- see, I updated quick this time!

Angw- "or maybe he should look in the other shack over there" rotf lmao! Love it, you kill me. Makes me just want to write, Then they turned around and they saw Mckay's face staring at them through the window, looking irritated at them for taking so damn long. But that wouldn't be dramatic enough.

Also, the intensity gets stepped up in this chapter.

Chapter 7

Too Close

"Stackhouse," Bates said after he got over his own shock.

"Yes, sir." The voice came back.

"Scan the rest of the surrounding area for life signs."

"Sir?"

"Just do it, Sgt."

Sheppard finally rose back to his feet, the steel mask back on his face. Ford had a similar look on his face, but he was less practices and his eyes betrayed what he was feeling. Bates himself couldn't accept that after all this time and searching, fate could end it like this.

"Sir, there is a faint life reading about half a click north, north-west or you. It's getting weaker. That area is also still on fire, some debris started a fire on the dry grass."

"Copy that Stackhouse. We're going to check it out." Bates told Stackhouse as he chased after Sheppard and Ford as they had taken off as soon as Stackhouse said where the life sign was located. After about three minutes, they stopped to talk to Stackhouse again.

"Stackhouse, how close?" Sheppard barked into the mic.

"About 100 yards east of you, Sir." Stackhouse replied as they took off through the mild smoke cover. Just enough to labor their breathing and make them begin to cough. All three pulled up their shirts to cover their noses and mouths to help them breathe slightly as they ran, never missing a beat. They came up on a tiny metal shed with flames almost all around it. Ford threw off his backpack and pulled out his flame proof blanket and threw it to Sheppard who, with Bates and Ford right behind, preceded to the door. The sight that met them when they got the door open was one that would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

The air was smoldering inside the shed and you could see the air washing our and disturbing the sight. Mckay was not even recognizable, but the three men knew it was him. Both of his eyes looked swelled shut and all the bruises and bleeding were hidden under a couple layers of dirt and mud. His leg was at an unnatural angle, but all three almost gagged when they got a closer look at him. Where ever his flesh had been ripped apart were insects, feeding off of his body and now burrowing inside his body to escape the heat.

"Let's get him out of here!" Sheppard yelled over the sounds of the fire as the three carefully but quickly carried him out of the hot box and away from the worst of the fire. "Beckett you copy?" Sheppard again bellowed into the mic.

"Aye. What is it Major?" the thick Scottish accent replied.

"Lock on out position and get over here now!" Beckett didn't even bother to reply and Sheppard watched as the insects inside of his friends wounds started appearing as they felt the cooler air. He frantically started brushing and pulling them out of him. Bates and Ford followed his lead. More and more kept appearing out of everywhere, there were hundreds of them. Only when he barely heard a low moan from his did he realize he never checked to see if his friend was still alive.

"Rodney? Can you hear me?" He leaned closer to his friend and felt for a pulse that was almost not there. Shit, he's not breathing. He reached for Rodney's head and opened his mouth, preparing him for mouth-to-mouth to keep him alive when he found the problem. He reached inside Rodney's mouth and started pulling the insects and worm like bugs that had taken residence there. It took him a minute or two to get the ones out that were lodged in his throat. When he was done with this he checked his friends breathing again, but there was none still. He started breathing for him when the jumper came into view.

AN2: hehehe. Just the image of Rodney being beaten and covered in bugs that were everywhere is what I've been writing this whole story to get to. Now, I need to figure out how to end it, although it's so inviting to just put The End at the end of this chapter. I'm going to go shut up and study now. Three finals down and four to go, feels like I'm back in high school! Peace. REVIEW