Chapter Four

Rodney could smell it too. "Oh, no." He looked around wildly. "They wouldn't…"

A thin trail of smoke was weaving its way up through a small section at the base of one of the hut's straw-like walls. Elizabeth and Rodney backed into the other corner slowly.

"Rodney…?" Elizabeth sounded shrill and more panicky. "They're burning the hut!"

Rodney, wide-eyed, managed to pull his gaze from the hypnotising curls of white smoke beginning to envelop the base of a supporting stake. "Out. We need to find a way out." He clung to Elizabeth as he searched for a weakness in the structure. He saw none.

Elizabeth was shaking now, a whimper escaped her throat. Rodney peered at her.

"Hey. 'Lizabeth?" He'd never seen her like this, shaking and almost cowering.

"Oh god," she whimpered, "We're going to die in here. Burn to death. Can't breath…" She pushed herself out of Rodney's arms and pressed herself back against the wall, her eyes mesmerised by the sudden flicker of a flame catching alight opposite her.

"Damn." Rodney saw the flame, too. "No, look, there's still time to get out of here, maybe put it out." He took a step towards the smoky wall, but the flames licked quickly around the straw and stake, hungrily leaping higher and crackling ominously.

"Rodney!" Elizabeth screamed.

He retreated hastily, the heat coming at him in waves as the orange and red fire spread, the straw glowing and sparking on either side. "It's taking hold, the wind is so not helping." Turning back to face Elizabeth, he saw her standing there, her eyes staring, frozen for a moment.

Then she was sobbing, between her shouts. "Rodney… There's no time…! Oh god…!"

"Hey, hey, hey," Rodney was no fool. He knew how fast fire could spread, and they were in real trouble, that was for sure. But Elizabeth was losing it, and that wasn't going to do them any good. "Listen to me. We need to…" he snapped his fingers, "I'll try and cut us out."

He quickly kneeled down, pulling a knife from his vest. He began hurriedly cutting at the straw near the floor, hoping to hack an exit. Elizabeth was still pressed with her back against the wall, slim hands grasping as if she could somehow move further back. Her head moved from side to side, her neck straining, harsh gasps punctuating her incessant whimpers of panic.

A bellowing roar and a smashing of a force against the wall where Rodney was cutting caused him to fall back onto his backside. "Damn!" He shouted, crawling onto his hands and knees. "Let us out, you freaks!"

He looked around to see that the entire stake was burning, up to the ceiling thatch, the flames threateningly tasting the roof. "Oh no," he breathed.

Elizabeth spun around to face the wall she had been leaning against, and began ripping and grasping at the thick, fibrous material that formed the structure. "We can't…! We're going to…! Oh god, Rodney…!" she was sobbing, and grasping, shaking pale hands failing to make a mark on the wall.

Rodney stood up, and wrapped himself around her from behind, whispering in her ear firmly, "Elizabeth, work with me here. We have to stay alive long enough for Sheppard to rescue us, OK? I know you're afraid… hell, you're practically distraught. You must have had some helluva fright one time with fire or something, but we need to use what air there is, OK?"

He started to pull her down towards the floor, but she was petrified, her muscles rigidly keeping her against the wall, her face buried in the straw, only sobs escaping.

"OK, OK, "Rodney muttered, and released his hold on her, eliciting another whimper from her, as he scrabbled around in his vest pockets. He pulled out a bandage and a small bottle of water. He could feel the heat of the flames burning into the back of his head and neck, as he carefully wet the bandage.

"Here, put this over your mouth." He knew it was barely going to help, and he needed to get Elizabeth down near the floor, in case there was a draught there. Hell, he didn't even know if there was going to be one. Again, his arms covered her and he reached around. Elizabeth was barely leaving a millimetre between her and the frame of the hut, as if she could exit by osmosis.

Her hands flailed weakly as Rodney tried to hand her the damp bandage, before he held it gently over her face himself, cursing silently.

"Elizabeth, hon, you need to lie on the floor where there might be cool air. Come on, sweetheart, I know you can hear me." He pulled at her gently, his strong hands rubbing her arms. She just whimpered, her eyes closed. Getting nowhere fast, Rodney instead managed to turn her until she had her back against the wall again, and he covered her body with his own. Holding her close, blinking in the smoke and his breath catching, he leaned in close and spoke gently, fighting his own rising panic.

"Elizabeth. Don't give up on me, hon. I need you to help me. We need to breathe, for as long as we can. I'm burning up here, please, lie down with me." Even as he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck singe, he hoped it was just his imagination or else they were in deep trouble, he couldn't help himself press closer to Elizabeth and place his mouth over hers in a fast, solid kiss, moving his hands over her back. He pulled back a little, and could see she still had her eyes closed. She was rigid in his arms and he really, really hoped he wasn't going to have to wrestle with her or knock her out to get her down. He wasn't even sure if he could. He really hoped he wasn't going to have to.

TBC


A/N: Can you believe I'm doing this to them? It's just plain evil. Rodney will find a way, though. Or will he?