40
BBC and SKY News were now down, for whatever reason, and Lloyd had to settle for CNN. They all listened, and although the US were on high alert, it appeared that this disaster wasn't really something that was affecting the world, it was something that was happening in the UK only.
"Holy fuck!" Kyle scratched at his brown hair and continued to glare at the TV. "This is bad. The trouble is we're an island."
"Isn't that a good thing?" remarked Joan. "The less people are infested, the better."
"No it's not." Kyle began to shake and his demeanour was making Lloyd and Ianto tetchy. Dylan, Kyle's brother, just sat in silence with his head down.
"Why the fuck not, man?" Lloyd sat in his chair with his arms folded, his muscular forearms bulging.
"Because we're an island, and if they did it there'd be no collateral damage for other countries, with the exception of France and Ireland...maybe."
"What the fuck are you talking about, man?" snapped Lloyd.
"They need to consider the safety of the rest of the world, right?" Nobody answered Kyle. Nobody knew what he was talking about.
Kyle sighed, "They're gonna nuke the shit out of us."
Ianto sighed, "They won't do that."
"How do you know?"
"It's too severe, too final," added Ianto. "What they'll do is send in the military, NATO, the US, as well as others, and clean the place up. Millions will be killed, but that's understandable."
They all continued to watch the TV in silence, and ten long minutes had passed, but there was news reports suggesting that France, Spain, Belgium and Germany had experienced pockets of violence.
"Looks like this thing is going to be global after all," sighed Ianto, then dropped his head in his hands.
Kyle shook his head and was becoming hysterical. "I still think they'll nuke us."
"More reason for us to stay in the Barrens," his brother, Dylan, spoke up. "If they do bomb us they'll go for the populated areas—the cities."
Gwen guffawed, "Fallout could be a bit of a problem."
"What's wrong with you people?" Kyle stood up and was shaking with fear and anger. "Are you all off your rocker? You all seem so calm about it."
"I can tell you now, man," said Lloyd, "the last thing that we are is calm. I had to kill an infected child yesterday and almost shat a brick. Now...sit the fuck down and stop pissing in your nappy."
"And we're only here due to luck," Ianto chipped in. "We're not calm. We're all still in shock. This is a lot to take in."
"Fuck this!" Kyle stormed out of the living room, and a concerned Dylan followed after his brother and called after him.
Lloyd stood to his feet and yelled, "And where the fuck do you think you're going, man?"
"This is a pub, isn't it?" Kyle yelled as he progressed down the stairs, his brother right behind him.
"I'm going to the bar for a drink."
Jack, Ianto and Owen looked at Lloyd for a reaction.
"Not a bad idea," snickered Lloyd. "I suppose we better go down there anyway in case they do something stupid, especially that Kyle fellow."
"Don't you trust them?" queried Ianto.
"He's a man, and he has access to a free bar, so...no, I don't trust him. We can have a couple of brandies to calm us, but let's not go overboard."
"About time," scoffed Gwen. "I was wondering when you were going to offer us a proper drink."
"I did offer you wine the other night."
"I want to thank you for letting us stay," Sue said, trying desperately to lighten the mood. "I know you don't know us—"
"None of us really know each other," added Jack. "This thing just seemed to have thrown us together."
"Well, I certainly trust you lot more than I trust them," Lloyd began picking his teeth with his finger and managed to pick out the bit of nut stuck in the back of his mouth.
They could hear the clinking of bottles coming from the bar area downstairs.
Lloyd sighed and approached the exit of the living room.
"Where're you going?" asked Gwen.
"I thought you wanted a drink?" Lloyd laughed, then clicked his fingers. "I better tell Junior where we're going."
"What is it with Junior?" Gwen questioned. "As soon as Ianto mentioned crossing the pond, he freaked out."
Lloyd ignored the woman and said to Ianto, "Are you coming? We need to keep an eye on these two retards."
"What did you let them in for in the first place?" Sue spoke with confusion in her tone.
"Because they were people in need. I didn't turn you lot away, did I?"
Sue never answered. She knew he had made a good point.
Ianto remained sitting on the sofa, massaging, his temples.
Lloyd called over, "Are you coming, Ianto, or what?"
"I'll be down in a sec." Ianto continued to massage his temples, his eyes closed. "I've got a blinding headache. I had a shit sleep last night."
"Well, there's tablets in the kitchen drawer if you need them." Lloyd then snickered, "But don't take the blue ones, otherwise you'll be pogo-ing down those stairs."
Lloyd went to a bedroom and told his son he was going downstairs, then went to the bar with Joan and Sue in tow.
Ianto sighed and lay on the couch, Jack still massaging his temples.
Six minutes later he fell asleep.
Rhiannon watched silently from the bed where she was nursing the baby.
.
.
.
.
"My nerves are shot to pieces," moaned Kyle. He went behind the bar, with Lloyd's approval, and poured himself and his brother a pint of lager.
"Don't go overboard," Lloyd warned. "Maybe we should all have a brandy or two to settle the nerves."
"Great idea." Kyle looked for the bottle of brandy and took it down.
"I'm fine," said Sue. "I'm okay with lemonade."
"Nonsense." Kyle took two full glasses off the bar and handed a glass each to Joan and Sue. Both women took the glasses. Dylan handed Lloyd a glass, then he and his brother downed theirs quickly before starting on the pint that Kyle had pulled earlier.
"Easy now." Lloyd was beginning to become a little tetchy. "Let's not go overboard."
Kyle turned to Lloyd and put his hand in his pocket. He pulled out his wallet, took out some cash and slapped the money on the bar. "We've had the fright of our lives. We're just trying to let off some steam."
Kyle pointed at the money on the bar. "That should cover it."
"I don't care about the money," snickered Lloyd. "In fact, the way things are going money will be pretty much useless to us if things don't improve. I just want to make sure we're all focused."
Gwen chipped in with her own advice for the two new arrivals. "If they come for us, like they did back at the guesthouse, being drunk will only get you killed—well, infested at least."
"Don't you worry about us, love," Dylan remarked, now leering at Joan.
"I'm not worried," she said, straight-faced.
"Nothing wrong with a bit of Dutch courage in case the shit hits the fan."
Joan sighed, and looked over to Lloyd for some support. The pub owner was already regretting letting in these men, and was trying to get them to slow down before any unfortunate incidents occurred.
Dylan and Kyle were like two kids in a sweet shop and began to look at what else they could drink.
Kyle asked, "What else do you fancy, bro?"
Dylan pointed. "Let's try some Jack Daniels."
Gwen threw a glare in Lloyd's direction and said, "Aren't you gonna do something?"
Lloyd sighed, rubbing the palms of his hands over his face. "I suppose I better"