Yet more thanks to my wonderful reviewers, who have put up with me (and my cliff-hangers!) for so long: NikkieSheepie, gurugirl, gernumblies, Ravenja70, Steph, L.A.H.H., milady dragon, ImmortalsDoItForever, thedeejay, Marian Locksley, thedarknessrevealed, Alibrandi, DoctorWhoXTorchwood and izzfrogger!
Chapter 5
Something leapt at her out of the darkness. She swiped at it blindly with the plank of wood, the rotten piece of floorboard splintering in her hand. It backed off, but another came, and another. She tried to defend herself, lashing out with her torch as she screamed at them, but something grabbed it, wrenching it out of her grasp. Then there were jaws round her shoulder - sharp teeth digging in viciously - and another set round the end of her trouser leg. Gwen screamed with pain as she was dragged across the floor, her already-injured leg trailing behind her. The pressure on her shoulder loosened, and she struck out at them again, this time with her fists, unable to get up off the floor. But there were things climbing over her, holding her down, and she writhed in vain as more things dug their teeth into her flesh. Then all she could feel was agony everywhere as things ripped and bit and tore, her nostrils full of a smell she knew was her own blood, her eyes blinded with light as her ears filled with the sound of her own screams and gunshots and Jack shouting:
"Get her out! Get her out!"
No one said anything. They weren't sure what to say.
Gwen was lying in the back of the SUV, still shaking, with Owen bandaging up her arm. She hadn't said anything yet either, just sobbed as they had pulled her out. Jack wished that she would say something – that she would shout at them, scream at them, anything.
Ianto was the one who broke the silence. "I'm so sorry. It was my fault. I should have checked the building, I didn't know…"
"No. It's my fault." Jack broke in. "It was my stupid idea, my stupid tradition. It's only thanks to luck that this had never happened before."
"All I cared about was my computer." Tosh said softly. "I'm sorry Gwen. I should have listened."
Owen nodded curtly. He didn't even want to say how he felt. He'd seen what was left of the cat – the one he'd laughed at her about. All he'd bloody cared about was having to clean out a fridge.
Gwen didn't reply. Owen wasn't surprised. If he were in her position he wouldn't want to speak to them either. He'd want to bloody kill them.
Jack broke the silence with a command all of them agreed with: "We are never, ever doing this again."