11

Rhiannon, Andy, and Gwen stand, wide-eyed and shaken.

All three seem to be in some mild state of shock. Jack, suppressing his desperation, is trying to make contact on his police radio. "11-41. We're gonna need paramedics out here right away. We got four men down."

Jack listens for a response, but there's only STATIC. He presses the button again. "Eugene, you there?"

Still, only STATIC. Jack tries another frequency. "Eugene, this is Jack. We got an emergency here."

"Goddammit." Jack steps outside the doorway, to see if he can get reception. Trailing off "Eugene?"

Rhiannon sees Archie's body on the floor. His skin is white and corpse-like. His mouth is streaked with blood. Rhiannon crouches beside him, and takes his pulse. Her hands are visibly shaking.

"Is he alive?" Gwen asks softly.

Rhiannon looks at Gwen, and nods.

"Praise Jesus." Gwen sighs with relief.

"Praise Jesus? That's fucking pushing it, Gwen." Andy looks about to cry. "What the hell were those things?! You ever seen anything like that? You ever heard of anything like that?"

Gwen shakes her head. Andy looks at Rhiannon, who also shakes her head.

Andy snorts "Me neither. And I watch 'Animal Planet' all the fuckin' time!"

Jack re-enters. "No reception out here."

"Jack, I'll run out to your car, call for paramedics from there." Rhiannon offers.

"That's a long way. Them worms are out there." Gwen reminds her, stepping away from her like she is already infected.

"I'll keep my mouth covered."

"No. I'll go. The lot of you, you wait here. Get these folks, out of the barn. The stench and rot can't be any good for 'em."

Gwen and Andy nod. As Jack starts to leave, Ianto grabs him. "Be careful, Jack."

Jack nods. Makes a feeble attempt at a smile. He jogs off into the forest.

Jack runs into the small glade, and looks around, trying to remember which way he came from. He gazes between some greenery, some distance away, and spies a long-lashed deer munching on foliage. A couple more deer and a fawn are eating as well. Jack looks at them a moment, peaceful, perhaps a sign of some hope... And then a parasite crawls up the deer's neck and slithers into its mouth. Parasites crawl up the bodies and necks of the deer behind it. The deer buck and flounce and scratch trying to get the things off of them.

Jack runs away as fast as he can.

.

.

Andy and Gwen carry one of the deputies out of the barn. He's bloated, corpse-like and covered in varicose veins.

Gwen is wearing a gag-like swatch of clothing tied around her mouths, to protect themselves. Owen's gag is down around his chin so he can chatter.

"It's got to be some Goddamn biological weapons. Government's testin' 'em out on us! 'Cause who gives a shit if Torchwood disappears, right?!" They set down the poor man and head back toward the barn. Owen continues his tirade "I hope it ain't contagious. I'll be pissed as hell I turn into a big mollusk. I'll fuckin' sue, I swear to God."

Rhiannon, also wearing a gag, is kneeling beside Archie, who is similarly sick and bloated. His lips are parched and cracking.

Rhiannon squeezes a wet cloth, dripping all the water onto Archie's lips. Then she stands, and heads toward the creek. She doesn't see Archie open his eyes behind her. He sits up, and stares over at Rhiannon with milky eyes as she kneels down beside the water.

Rhiannon dips the swatch of clothing into the creek, re-wetting it. She stands, and turns, only to see Archie directly in front of her, standing between trees, almost completely covered in darkness.

"Hey, sugarplum."

Pause. Rhiannon pulls the gag from her mouth. "What?"

Archie speaks with Johnny's cadence. "Marriage. It's a sacred bond. Just like you said."

Rhiannon stares at him. Archie almost looks weepy.

I'm sorry 'bout trying to strangle you and all. I lost - Lost my head. I didn't want to do none of the things I done. Not kill them pets. Not make Mary a womb. But it's my nature, ain't it? How can you blame a one for actin' according to his nature?"

Rhiannon, too freaked to speak, takes a step back from him.

"I wanted to tell you what was going on. But I didn't - didn't think you'd love me no more. I never knew... love, Rhiannon, I …"

Andy and Gwen are setting down the Older Cop. They see Archie standing. Gwen pulls down her gag.

"Archie?"

Archie turns and stares at her like some angry animal.

"You all right?" she yells.

Archie doesn't answer.

"Maybe you better sit back down." Gwen advises "You don't look so good."

"Gwen." Andy's staring at something. Gwen follows his eye line. Yong Cop and the Older Cop are sitting up, staring at her, just like Archie. The Redneck stumbles into the barn doorway, also staring at them.

.

.

Kylie is still alone in the Luv truck. The windows are clear; the parasites have abandoned their quest, just as they did with the posse in the barn. But Kylie stays in the car, trembling, afraid to leave.

She hears a door open. She sees her parents and her sisters come stumbling out the front door of her home. They're also bloated and diseased. Their chins and shirts are stained with the blood they spit up.

"Kylie, honey, you okay? Come on out." Her father says in a weird voice.

Her family lumbers up to the truck. They peer in with their milky eyes. Her youngest sister pushes her face up close to the window. "Hi, Kylie. It's me."

Her family tries the door handles, but they're locked.

"Open the door, sweetie. I know we don't look so good, but your mommy and daddy love you." Her mother smiles.

"Get away!" Kylie screams with horror.

"Now, Kylie, there's no excuse why not to be with your family. This is family fun day, isn't it?" They continue RATTLING the door handles, over and over. They slap the windows.

Kylie sobs. Her sister speaks in a singsongy voice "Kyyy-leee, this is your last chance."

Her Dad leans over and picks up a large rock. He carries it toward the truck. He holds it up over the windshield.

Kylie SCREAMS as he SMASHES it down. The windshield CRACKS but doesn't shatter.

He holds it up again.