15
"I don't know" Rhiannon said softly as she fiddled with the table cloth, "this is safe here too."
"The Bugs hit major cities… then headed to the large townships… Rhia. Think about it. They are moving out and looking for smaller and smaller groups. We think… Me and Jack… that the mother ship up there…" Ianto pointed up at the ceiling "is looking for civilization and sending the worker drones out to kill all there. If this is true, the larger the group of people, the more heat coming off it and the easier it is to find… the more likely to get attacked. Yes, there are good defenses but how long… how long before the bullets run out or the Bugs find a weakness… a smaller group out in the middle of nowhere is a safer bet in my book."
Rhiannon shrugged, not sure "But Johnny…"
"Johnny. Fuck. He's not coming back Rhia. We found him. I buried what we could find of them as we were worried bringing back what we had might cause alarm and attract Bugs who would simply follow the smell … he… they went for the train and got caught. The two that made it back… left him to die. Their car was bombed and burned up, the car Johnny was driving had a broken axel. The fuckers that made it back had the only working vehicle and they left Johnny and the others either dead already, or to the Bugs."
She stared at him long and hard, then let out a snort, shaking her head as Ianto placed the binoculars from his jacket on the table. She touched them hesitantly with her fingertips and whispered "Stupid fat fuck."
"He wanted to help, wanted to be the man. He just…"
"Was never much of one" she finished for him, rubbing at her face, then she rose "no more tears. Not for him. No. This town. Seb and the others going on and on about that train… no. I bet this was the plan all along, us told otherwise. No, this town killed him, his need to make up for being a stupid fat fuck… god."
Ianto sat and waited for her to settle down as she gripped the sink and stared out the window. After a while she said "we are not safe. Are we?"
"No. In time this place will fall. Maybe not now, not for months… but… do you want to be here? Anywhere near here?"
She turned to face him "Is there room?"
"The house me and Jack chose has six bedrooms, two of them with ensuites and another communal bathroom. Two living rooms and a gorgeous big dining room. If you come then the kids…"
"Well. I guess if the girls share" she sighed "then…"
"Rhia. Yes. The girls can share, or we can turn one of the living rooms into a bedroom. Rhys has one of the bedrooms but the second ensuite one is empty." Ianto agreed and she made a look of confusion.
"Ah. Right. Um… me and Jack have the master, the one next to us for the girls or two rooms if Rhys's daughter Anwen wants her own room, then David, the other master for you and a room for Rhys" Ianto said slowly as he tried to make her understand his living arrangements now "Toshiko and Owen have a house of their own."
"You and Jack… oh." She blinked with shock "Oh. Really? Oh. Of course I … oh. That's where he slept last night, the sofa did look…. Oh."
"We are leaving tonight. Before Sebastian tries to make us stay or give over the Transporter or something" Ianto informed her "and I am taking my daughter. I want to take you all, keep you safe. But it's up to you."
She nodded as she looked out the window again, much to think about.
.
.
Jack watched Ianto pack the few things he still had in the house, his hands moving quickly to fill boxes with precision. Then he moved to Anna's room and Jack carried the first box out to the Transporter only to find Sebastian there trying to look in the windows.
"Can I help you there Sebastian?" Jack asked as he placed the box on the bonnet of the Transporter and smiled at him with a fake sweetness.
"Looking for Toto."
"Well, he isn't in Kansas anymore for sure, Yan doesn't like being called that" Jack still smiled sweetly.
"So, do you have the key?" he asked like Jack had not spoken.
"I do" Ianto said from the background, his hand full of a box. "what do you want?"
"This vehicle, along with the Fire Truck are now the property of this town and I need to move it" the fucktard said as he puffed his chest out.
Jack laughed as he shook his head and Ianto dropped the box to the ground, and then tapped his sidearm with his fingers as he said again "Excuse me?"
Sebastian looked at the box on the bonnet and paled "Anna? You can't possibly think you are taking her beyond the confines of the walls. Do you know what is out there?"
Ianto and Jack stood staring at him and then looked at each other, then Ianto turned to walk away. Sebastian stopped towards him "Hey! I mean it, give me the fuck….eghhhhhh"
Jack had him by the throat, slamming him back against the Transporter "You take another step towards Ianto and I will fucking show you up close what is beyond that wall, I will fucking throw you over it!"
"Jack, he's not worth it" Ianto said with an eye roll "Come on. Let's finish packing things up."
Jack let the twat go and shoved him out of the way, then turned to pick up the box he had dropped, placing it on the bonnet with the other one.
No way were those keys coming out to unlock the Transporter just yet… just in case.