Desperate for some kind of update on the progress, or syaye of the country, Ianto and Jack had left the basement once more to watch the news on the TV. It appeared that, despite the frightening scenes from outside earlier, everyone, including Stripy Steve, was overcome with intrigue to see if there had been any kind of progress.
Ianto and Jack were naturally apprehensive but wanted to see what was happening to their country. Sue had also appeared in the living room to watch the TV, and Stripy Steve, although shaking with fear, was also present. The bodies and a stench were present in the living room, but the group were doing their best to ignore it.
Through the cracks of the boarded-up living room window, Jack told the group that he would just listen to the TV and peer out of the cracks of the window to see if it was safe outside. He also told them that he had left the basement door open so if these things did turn up, it was just a quick run to the kitchen, and valuable seconds of opening the basement door wouldn't be necessary.
Ianto smiled and patted Jack on the shoulder once he was told this
The TV went onto the channel that it was last on, SKY News. Ianto had an assortment of news channels to choose from, but stuck to the channel that was being broadcasted from the London studios. It appeared that, despite what was happening, some parts of London hadn't been affected and that people were still trying to do their job.
The channel came on the moment the editor of the Daily Mail was being interviewed by phone by Stephen Dixon, and it appeared, from what the editor was saying, that some places in London had already been quarantined, but the army was struggling to contain the 'problem'. When he mentioned the word problem, Ianto correctly assumed that the editor meant the hundreds of Hitchers that were out there.
It was no wonder they were struggling to cope, Ianto thought. This seemed to have come out of the blue, with no build-up or nothing. Of course the authorities were struggling to cope with the outbreak! A day ago they probably didn't know they had an outbreak of any kind. They weren't prepared for this. No one was prepared for this!
Rhiannon was once again in the other room with the children, Ianto listening as David's little voice rose and then fell as he spoke to his mam.
The pasty-faced anchorman announced that they had received two more pieces of footage and advised the viewers that it will contain scenes of violence.
The first scene was taken from the skies by a media helicopter, and the film showed hundreds of these things running through Soho's streets and entering buildings by force.
Jack took a quick peep and made a nervous joke about stealth not being their strong point, but nobody responded.
A person was videoing from a third floor flat, and it showed a dozen or so Hitchers sprinting after a family down a street. The family, which consisted of a mother, a father and a teenage boy, were taken down. By the time the group of freaks backed off, the family had reanimated and quickly got to their feet and began running along with the rest of the group.
Although promising to just listen and keep watch if anything was happening outside, Stripy Steve was now transfixed to the TV.
"We've all seen horror films, right?" he spoke. "So what would you class them as?"
"We've already gone through this the other day," Jack sighed. "They're humans that have been infested."
Ianto rubbed his face, exasperated that there was no positive information on the crisis, and although this virus was spreading, speedily, there had been no reports on attacks outside the UK.
Ianto said, "I don't think this thing is gonna last long."
"No?" Sue spoke up. "What makes you so sure?"
"We're an island. I'm sorry, but if I was living in the USA or even France, I'd be happy for the whole of the UK to turn on one another, so long as it didn't affect my country..."
"So what are you saying?" Jack asked.
"Well, I'm guessing that once the population of these things outweigh the uninfected human population, then they're gonna starve. They're eating us, albeit briefly because of the quickness of the infection, but they're still eating, and I don't think they're the type of things to sit down and eat cheese and crackers if no more meat is on offer."
"Unless they turn to animals. That could keep them going." Jack finally broke the uneasy silence.
"Shit." Ianto shook his head. "I never thought of that."
"If they were attacked, I wonder if animals can be infested?" Sue queried no one in particular.
Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise; that was something he had never thought of. "That's a very good point."
Ianto continued to watch TV, and was shaking his head with exasperation.
"Why is it just London?" Ianto seemed unhappy that most of the footage that had been shown on TV had been London-based. "Isn't the rest of the country important enough to be given a mention?"
"Relax, Ianto," said Jack. "They just show the footage that they're given."
"I know, but what about Liverpool, Swansea, Dundee or Stoke?"
"That's it," Owen snapped. "It's a foregone conclusion that we're all fucked."
"Right, everyone." Ianto clapped his hands together. "We've been in here long enough. Back in the basement."
Jack was still holding back, checking his VM discretely and Ianto felt a spike of anger.
After everything, Jack was still a disciple of the Church of Timelord?
Ianto wondered if any prayer would help them now.
For in all the footage, there was no mention of a mad man in a box.