4

"Ianto, wake up"

Ianto sat up in the passenger seat to find the transporter slowing, ahead a roadblock that looked more cared for than the last three they had passed through in the last two days. It looked freshly rearranged like someone had come through and reset it, the ones they went through were left open.

Something to protect behind it?

"What town is ahead?" Ianto asked, reaching for the map they had taken from the last fuel station they had hand pumped gas from.

"Well?" Jack glanced over "Is there one?"

"Yeah, only little by the looks. A name, no symbols for fuel, B&B or even a food stop. Looks like a little farming township or something in the middle of Hicksville" Ianto muttered "The good news is, little people numbers, might not have been Bugs dropped in this area? Could be fuel?"

"God, you think?" Jack asked with hope, and then glanced at the roadblock again.

Ianto knew it was his problem, the passenger gets out. The Driver picks the music. That's the rules.

Ianto slid out and stood listening for sounds, walking to the roadblock to touch the barrier, then freezing as he looked at the tin cans attached. A booby trap? WOW. There were Bugs about then, clearly there must be if they had sound as a warning system.

Clever.

Ianto considered options. He didn't want to start off on the wrong foot, also he didn't want to leave the chance of food behind either. He was torn. The sound of a car door slamming made him spin and gape as Jack stood there by the grill of the vehicle looking at him "so? Need some help shifting it?"

Ianto motioned him to stop shouting, to get back in the vehicle, to do anything they had bloody agreed to in the first place but apparently Jack was more of a dickhead than first thought as he started to calmly walk towards Ianto and the barricade, leaving the vehicle running, the soft thrumming engine like a cow bell in the crisp cool air.

Ianto felt the rumbling beneath his feet and he turned to look past the barrier towards the town, expecting a tractor or something, then the horrible realization that it was coming from the nearby woods hit home.

"Run" he hissed as loudly as he dared, running for the vehicle and as he got to it, Jack finally turned to reach for his own door, both men finding the doors locked at the same time.

Really?

Ianto looked through the vehicles cab windows to see Jack patting his pockets like a fuckwit, the keys clearly in the fucking ignition as it was going. Fuckwit. Ianto looked up at the roof, is the sunroof open?

Then it made no difference as the first of the creatures made that familiar noise, almost out in the open. Ianto dropped to his stomach and rolled under the rig, his hands over his mouth to try and muffle his breathing.

Jack?

Ran.

Seriously? They had done this whole talk about... well... oh well. Bye Jack. Ianto watched as the creatures took off after the idiot and he then checked around the outside, no legs. Had the vehicle moved? Was one on the roof waiting to take his head off when he stands up?

Oh great.

Great imagery.

Ianto sighed and counted himself down, then slid out from the front, so he could see the grill and hood. Nothing. He looked up. Nothing. The sunroof... yes! He remembered right. It was cracked.

Ianto clambered up on to the hood and then to the roof, reacting in to calmly and deftly unclip the sunroof, glancing back down the road to see much to his shock, that Jack was still running.

Really?

Ianto shot into the driver's seat and knew he didn't have a wide enough road to turn so once again it was a matter or reversing at full speed. He was really getting used to this, was that a good thing or a bad thing?

Ianto did not stop until he felt two solid thumps and looked forward to see two squashed bugs.

Was is two? Or three?

A soft knock to the door had him squealing, and then looking over to find Jack's pale face inches away.

"You fucking idiot, go around the other side. What are you going to do, crawl over my fucking lap? You dickhead!" Ianto roared, well aware he was shouting too loud, and that he was cussing far too much too.

Jack's nervous laugh did nothing for his growing temper.

Looks like the rules might need to be written on the fucking dashboard in felt pen!