.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox
.
Something niggled in the back of John's mind and he came awake with a start. He looked down and saw Teyla still resting against his chest. Her legs had crossed his and they were hunched as close to her body as her belly would allow. He knew she must be cold; he was too.
He glanced at his watch and saw they had been sitting here for a few hours. He closed his eyes and listened. His Spidey senses were tingling and he didn't think it was just because his entire body ached. Something had woken him.
Sure enough he heard it again. It was just a small sound like the snapping of a twig but it stuck out for him among the other forest sounds. He sat and waited and in a minute he heard it come closer. It was definitely footsteps and he'd bet any money it was Armstrong. If it were any of his friends and they had already taken care of Armstrong they wouldn't be so quiet.
The sound stopped and John saw light overhead and knew it was the beam of a flashlight. Armstrong had come well prepared. John figured along with that flashlight he most likely had a gun and possibly even that enormous knife he'd used on Teyla. John had nothing.
He closed his eyes and swallowed at the memory of what had almost happened. He couldn't let that happen again. He looked around the small enclosed area but didn't see much in the way of useful weapons. There was a thick stick resting near Teyla's foot and a few average size rocks. He wasn't sure how helpful they'd be.
But he moved the stick near his hand and placed a few of the rocks within reaching distance too. If all else failed he could throw the rocks at Armstrong to maybe distract him long enough for Teyla to run away. He knew he could put up a good fight even though in his condition he wouldn't win. But if he could give Teyla time to get away then she might stand a chance.
The light skimmed over his head again and he tensed up waiting for Armstrong to see them here. The branch they'd laid over them gave them some protection but it hardly hid them completely. He debated whether to wake Teyla so she'd be ready if they were spotted or let her sleep knowing she could make some noise on waking that would easily give away their position.
He could hear Armstrong moving around although he had to give the man credit, he had stealth. John didn't even dare budge an inch to try and hide further in the rocks. He knew his body was already screaming for him to just pass out and he didn't think he could actually move without making some sort of groaning noise. Armstrong was bound to hear that.
So he just sat on the cold earth, his butt growing number by the minute, shivering against the cold and trying to keep Teyla warm and hidden. If Armstrong found them like this he wasn't sure he could protect Teyla all that well. She was right out in front of him.
A few minutes later John saw a shadow cross over them and could see through the leaves Armstrong's figure pass by. He held his breath and hoped the man had really bad eyesight. His hand lowered from Teyla's shoulder and grasped one of the larger rocks. He knew his left hand would do no good. He had lost feeling in it hours ago. He was pretty sure that wasn't a good sign.
But Teyla must have sensed his arm leaving her and shifted next to him with a soft sigh. John froze and lifted his hand to gently push her head into his chest closer as he lowered his lips and whispered a tiny, "Shh."
He could tell when Teyla woke and he immediately sent her thoughts of danger and begged her to be still. He felt her panic rise then she opened her eyes and looked wildly around. John squeezed her shoulder and threw his eyes in the direction of the Marine walking around the woods far too close to them.
When Teyla had sighed, John noticed that Armstrong had gone completely still and motionless as if he had heard and was trying to listen. He hadn't heard any sounds from him since then. That made him nervous.
Minutes seemed like hours as they played the waiting game. The tension he felt in Teyla was multiplied tenfold in him as Armstrong just stood there listening for any sound and looking around the forest. He had moved close enough that John could see his silhouette just a few feet away.
At one point John thought he had seen them as he appeared to be staring right at them and John's hand tightened on the rock in his hand. Then Armstrong just looked away but continued to stand in the same place still looking around. John seriously considered just chucking the rock at him to see if he could knock him out but he had to admit the rock wasn't that big and he'd have to move Teyla out of the way before he could move his arm enough to actually throw the rock.
And now that he thought about it, his arm was throbbing a bit where the chair had fallen on it and crushed it for far too long this afternoon. With all his other injuries he hadn't really paid much attention to that. But sitting here now with nothing else to do but wait to be killed, John could feel every ache and pain in his entire body. And there were far too many of them.
Armstrong finally started moving again but kept looking back to where John and Teyla were hidden. He glanced around one more time then started to take steps back in their direction when suddenly something flew out of the rotted tree trunk that was next to them.
Armstrong took a step back and then a few more as what John thought might be a muskrat ran around Armstrong's feet then took off chattering away in muskrat language.
"Damn animals," Armstrong cursed and John was relieved to see him move quickly away further into the forest. Apparently he thought the sound he had heard earlier had just been the muskrat. John wasn't about to correct him on that. He just breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Teyla tighter to him.
They stayed that way for at least ten minutes then Teyla whispered, "Do you think he is gone?"
John had been listening and knew Armstrong had definitely walked away from them but how far he had gone he wasn't really sure. He hated to take a chance. They should probably try and go back in the direction Armstrong had come from knowing he had continued on further into the woods. But if he was still anywhere nearby he would most likely hear them get up and start moving.
John pressed his nose against Teyla's ear and barely breathed out, "We'll stay right here. We can move once it's light out again and we know Armstrong hasn't come back this way."
Teyla just nodded and relaxed against John again. Although he knew she was far from relaxed. Her warrior instincts were on high alert and he knew it. He wished he could assure her everything would be fine and that she should just sleep and not worry. But he knew she could feel his pain and there was nothing he could do to hide it from her. Right now he just didn't have the strength.
.
xoxoxoxoxoxox
.
"Rrrrrrggghhhh!" Ronon growled as he came to another dead trail. The sun was just starting to come up and he had spent the whole stinkin' night trying to find his friends. And he had found their trail several times but the dark had made it almost impossible to follow any longer.
He had gone back to the cabin and grabbed an hour's sleep as other military and police officers had wandered around closer to the cabin looking for John and Teyla. And he knew they were out there. He just knew it.
He did wonder what kind of shape they were in though. Early on he had found four sets of handcuffs tossed aside in the brush and they had bits of skin and lots of blood coating them. There had been rope tied to the bed so he figured the cuffs had been used for hands and feet for one person. That would not have been easy to get out of. Breaking the chair had been the only way and Sheppard had obviously done that. But had it been soon enough?
He followed along the trail he had found yesterday with Carter, O'Neill, Teldy, Mehra and Carson spread out around him a few hundred yards away. This time he could actually see and hopefully he could find where they had gone. But he still saw the prints Armstrong had left too and that worried him.
Armstrong had not been back to the cabin although now that it was crawling with cops he didn't expect the man to come back. He almost wished the Marine had given up and just hightailed it out of the area and Sheppard and Teyla were just holed up somewhere trying to avoid him. But that was only because he wanted his friends safe.
He truly wanted to find him and blow a hole in his head to make him pay for what he'd done. And not just this time but previously. He still remembered that Sheppard had been a mess when he thought he would be removed from Atlantis and never be able to see Teyla and Torren again.
He continued moving in what he hoped was the right direction. And every now and then he would catch sight of a drop of blood on the ground or some leaf and know he was. But the blood also had him worried that fresh blood was still dripping from someone. That was not good. Even Carson had said that whenever he pointed it out.
He spotted some more tracks and pushed ahead faster though he knew if he went too fast he might miss something really important and go in the wrong direction. And that would not be a good thing. It could mean the difference between life and death for his friends.
.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
.
Teyla shivered as she opened her eyes and became aware that the sun had risen. She could not believe that she had actually fallen asleep again after they had encountered Armstrong. But her body was exhausted and after running through the woods for hours and then worrying the whole time about whether or not they would be found, it had simply given in.
She turned her head and looked at John and saw that his eyes were closed but she could sense that he was not asleep. But she could also sense that he had gotten even worse than yesterday. She could feel his body shaking and when she shifted away from him his eyes only opened a crack and his hand exerted just a small amount of pressure on her back as if that's all he could manage.
She looked around quickly trying to assess whether Armstrong was anywhere in the area. John knew what she was thinking and gave his head a small shake.
"I haven't heard anything for a while."
John's voice was soft and raspy and she could tell he did not have the strength to speak any louder. She needed to get him some medical help and they would not get it sitting here in the woods. She shifted her weight again and pressed a kiss to John's forehead. Her eyes widened as she felt the heat emanating from his skin. He had a fever and she was guessing it was from his shoulder wound.
"John," she whispered, "we must try and get you back to the cabin. I believe your shoulder is infected and it needs attention."
John gave a small nod and his eyes closed again. He barely had the strength to keep them open but he knew Teyla was right. They couldn't stay here. But he honestly didn't think he had the energy to actually stand let alone walk back to where they had been. They had spent a few hours moving through the woods yesterday and that was when he had still been high on adrenaline. That had long since dissipated.
"You need to start making your way back, Teyla," John instructed weakly. "Follow the stream and see if it leads to any other cabins or a road."
Teyla threw him a confused look. "You mean we should make our way back. I am not leaving you here, John."
John closed his eyes again feeling Teyla's fierce loyalty and devotion to him. And he completely understood it. He actually hated the idea of her going off without him but he figured he would just slow her down right now.
"I'll stay here and make sure to distract Armstrong if he comes this way again. Hopefully he just kept going in that direction thinking that we did."
Determined resolve flared in Teyla's eyes and John knew she was gonna put up a fight. He loved her strength but now was not the time to fight with him. He didn't have the energy to fight back. He'd have to go with reason.
"I don't think I'm going anywhere, sweetie," he admitted reluctantly. "I'll just slow you down. You need to go and find help and then you can bring them back here. I promise I won't go wandering around. Not sure I have the strength for that anyway."
Teyla just narrowed her eyes at his attempt at humor. She touched her forehead to his and whispered forcefully, "I will NOT leave you here!"
John's mouth twisted and he said, "You're very stubborn, you know that, right?"
Teyla got a smug look on her face and replied, "Yes, and it is one of the qualities I believe you love about me."
John just rolled his eyes and muttered, "Usually."
Teyla got to her feet and reached down to assist John in rising. He just looked resigned and grabbed her arm. It took a few moments and more pain that he cared to focus on but he finally got to his feet and leaned on Teyla. He hated that he had to do this. He could tell she was tired and worn out and she also had pain from where the rope had cut into her wrists and ankles and then of course the knife wounds in her sides.
They started to move, slowly at first but then John's joints began to warm up and it got a little easier. He looked down at Teyla, so glad that he had married someone with as much strength and endurance as her. She was truly amazing. He knew if this had been Nancy she would have given up long ago and been absolutely no help to him whatsoever.
They continued walking for what seemed like hours but John truthfully lost track of time. His head was swimming and in a fog and he barely was aware of where they were going. He was trusting Teyla to lead the way. And he knew he did trust her, absolutely and completely.
Teyla looked up and John knew she had sensed his thoughts. She gave him a strained smile and he returned it trying not to grimace as he did. His shoulder had gone beyond pain and was screaming for him to lie down and pass out but he had to keep going. He tried to concentrate on the other aches and pains and the brass band in his head so the pain in his shoulder wasn't so prevalent. It didn't really work though.
They continued to follow the stream when John thought he heard something behind them. He pulled on Teyla to stop and they both looked around, waiting to see what it was. John was hoping it was just another muskrat.
When nothing moved he nodded and they started walking again. But his Spidey senses were tingling again and he had a bad feeling.
A maniacal laugh had their heads snapping to the left and John's stomach dropped when he saw Armstrong step out from behind a tree with a gun pointed right at them. He could see the large knife hanging from his belt.
He pushed Teyla behind him and stared the man down. Armstrong just glared at them.
"You two are just pissing me off," Armstrong snarled at them, his voice filled with hatred. "I spent the whole stinkin' night out here looking for you."
John tried to ease back a few steps as he quipped, "You didn't need to do that. We were just fine. If you want to go back now and have yourself a nice cold beer, we won't stop you."
Armstrong just laughed again and took a few steps forward waving his gun. "I think I'll do her first. That way I can see your face as you watch her die. It should be fun."
John held Teyla behind him and growled, "Over my dead body."
A deep smirk crossed the Marine's face. "That's kind of the idea, Sheppard. Now you, bitch, get over there." And he pointed to a spot a few feet away from John.
John knew the man must be crazy if he thought Teyla was simply going to move away so he could shoot her. They stayed where they were and John's eyes roamed the area looking for anything he could use to distract the lunatic. There were plenty of sticks and rocks on the ground but there was no way John could actually reach any of them quickly. Armstrong would be on him in a second if he tried, especially as he wasn't moving too fast.
Armstrong grew impatient at their defiance and grabbed for Sheppard's arm, the one that had no feeling in it. But as he got closer John saw a small opportunity open up. Unfortunately if might end with him being dead but hopefully Teyla could take a chance and get away.
He threw himself at the man and you could tell Armstrong wasn't expecting anything like that from the walking dead as his gun hand lowered for a second. But he rallied too soon and threw a fist into John's wounded shoulder. John crumpled to his knees.
Teyla saw John make his move and had a split second debate on whether to run or try and assist her husband. She heard John yell, "RUN!" but knew she would never be able to forgive herself if she didn't at least try to help first.
She bent down and picked up a large, thick stick and swung it in Armstrong's direction. It impacted his back and he stumbled but he was in such a rage that it didn't have the effect Teyla was hoping for. She saw his hand a second too late as it swung in her direction and knocked her off her feet. She landed on her back and looked up to find Armstrong breathing heavy but standing over her with the gun aimed right at her head.
John pushed himself up from the heap he'd fallen into and saw Teyla attack Armstrong but when he threw her off easily and flung her to the ground, John felt his adrenaline kick in again. He had to get her out of this.
"No!" he cried as he scrambled in front of his wife, leaning back to protect her as best he could. He knew it wouldn't be good enough though. He could see that Armstrong was ready to pull the trigger and end it all now. They had caused him too much trouble. And once he killed John there would be nothing to stop him from killing Teyla.
John felt Teyla's hands on his back slide around to help keep him from falling over completely and he felt her love and warmth wash over him. At this point he figured there wasn't much left to do but say goodbye. And it was killing him. It shouldn't end this way.
He sent his love and adoration back to Teyla in waves and knew she felt them and appreciated the sentiment but it didn't make the situation any better. They were still going to die right here and now.
Armstrong growled and took another step toward them and John saw his finger start to squeeze the trigger. A loud blast went off and John flinched but couldn't tell where the bullet had impacted. His whole body was screaming in agony at the recent tussle and he wondered how he hadn't felt it.
Then he looked up and saw Armstrong's face go lax and saw him fall to the ground. Confusion swirled around his mind and he wondered if he was hallucinating. He blinked once again but still saw Armstrong's body slump into a pile in front of him. But when he looked up he realized the reason.
Ronon was standing a few feet away and his gun was aimed right where Armstrong had been standing.
.
xoxoxoxoxoxox
.