The way in which this fic is structured is in little increments, randomly going between Sheppard's experiences versus the others'. I am trying my hardest to keep each chapter compelling enough to keep you going. It's a challenge, and the way I'm approaching this fic is a refreshing change from my previous ventures. Thanks again for your reviews – they are much appreciated and they encourage me to keep trekking on!
--//--
Rain poured down from the raven black sky, spilling off the edge of his nose as he stared on in disbelief at his hands. Red glistened underneath torn skin of which was swelling.
His gaze traveled past his hands to the three bodies lying at his feet.
Their eyes were open, staring without seeing into the clouds weeping upon them. Their skin was as pale as the white of their eyes.
Ronon. Teyla. Rodney.
He had killed them.
His heart beat slowly like the gentle sway of a pendulum. Everything around him was spinning madly, time flying too fast for him to comprehend.
Shaking his head in disgust, knowing he wasn't capable of such horror, he turned and ran….
--//--
The ground beneath his feet threatened to reach up and claim him for its own. The rain had made it soft and unforgiving. Layers of mud eliminated the traction on his boots but he couldn't stop now. His heart raced, his mind trapped in a loop, playing over and over the dead faces of his teammates.
He could not discern whether his mind was playing tricks on him or he was blacking out, for he was very aware of a sporadic timeline of events that did not meet up. It was like someone had placed a distorted film in his head and then cut away the essential bits and pieces, of which were still there, but hidden in the dark. It made him nauseous.
He had to stop this maddening cycle. Within minutes, he could be trapped up in another nightmare. He had to find a way out. He had to have faith that whoever those bodies had been, they were not his team. He had to believe that they were out there somewhere, safe, perhaps even trying to get him out of his predicament. He didn't want to think if they were suffering the same fate as he.
A rumble of thunder roared so fiercely from above that he skidded to a stop, ducked, and shot his hands protectively over his head. He could see a brilliant flash of light, even through his closed eyelids. The rain stopped instantly.
He straightened. Something tickled his left elbow. Eyes casting downward, his breath caught in his throat. A deep gash was in the process of tearing across his bicep. Trails of red ran from the wound, dripping down his arm, down his palm, and off his pinkie.
What the hell? He couldn't explain the injury, not unless he had received it during…NO! He couldn't think of them, not now. They weren't dead.
Panicked, he slapped his right hand over the wound and glanced around desperately for something to absorb the blood. He didn't have his tack vest. He glanced back in the direction of the bodies he had run from. Teyla and Rodney always wore vests off world.
And then he stopped himself. They weren't dead. They weren't there. He was imagining it. That was all there was to it.
He grimaced turning in the direction he had been running to, and continued onward.
--//--
He couldn't recall which way the gate was.
Left?
Right?
Had it been a space gate? Had they flown in on a Jumper? Where had he parked it?
Where was his team?
Nothing made sense.
His mind was buzzing. His heart was thrumming.
He closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, and opened them.
Clear blue skies. A warm sunny breeze. And a ring…a Stargate…lying eternally in a field of waving golden grass that stood as tall as his waist.
Brow wrinkled, he circled the gate's full circumference, eyes casting about to see any sign of struggle. There was no DHD. The grass had grown over, around, and through one particularly dooming crack within the ring.
He hadn't expected that.
Frustration welled within. He had reached the end of his tether. He craned back his neck and bellowed to the empty sky above until his voice ran hoarse.
Fists clenched at his sides, chest heaving, Sheppard leveled his angering gaze upon the disabled ring.
Whatever this hell was, he'd had enough.
--//--
The scenery flickered and he was again in another setting. Lying twenty feet ahead of him was his 9mil, half-submerged in a murky puddle. He picked it up with caution, scanning his surroundings.
Had he been here before? He didn't recall. Yet here was his 9mil.
He heard a sound just barely audible over the gentle breeze.
Was someone calling his name?
He craned his neck, listening hard against the wind.
There.
He had heard it again. It…was it Teyla?
He spun around, scanning the flat horizon.
There was nothing but boulders of all sizes. Nothing more.
"Hello?"
His voice sounded hollow and weak.
"Teyla? Ronon?"
He waited for a response, believing with all his heart that he would finally catch a break.
"Rodney?"
The breeze died to nothing.
And the skies above poured down in a torrential rain. Sheppard growled and ran for cover.
There was a thicket of trees before him but how he had not noticed before, he did not ponder. It was a dark canopy of solace for now. It would suffice.
The moment his feet entered upon the mossy ground, cool air embraced him. He felt a calming take effect, unsure of where or how or why, only that his heart wasn't racing like it had before. He ventured in a little further, the green tufts of leaves towering above him sheltering him from the storm.
At last: a reprieve.
Relaxing, Sheppard rolled his neck, breathing in deep. He checked his 9mil. Loaded. No shots fired. Perfect.
He turned and watched the rain, mesmerized by the thin strands streaming from sky to ground. It relaxed him.
Snap.
Letting out a groan under his breath, Sheppard rolled his eyes. Would this ever end? He turned around to face the dense trees behind him.
Faces - in the trees. They were staring at him. All those eyes, narrowed in on him. Accusing. Threatening. Haunting.
Raising his 9mil, he gritted his teeth. Lightning flashed, illuminating their pale faces. He knew them all for each had died by his hand.
Sheppard released a howl and raced forward into the trees, pulling the trigger on his 9mil with a fury born of rage.
--tbc--