4
Johnny hears barking and turns to see the beagle next door, tied to the tree, yapping at him.
Johnny looks around to make sure no one's watching.
.
.
Rhiannon walks to get the paper in her robe, and she sees a boy, aged thirteen or so, stapling a LOST: REWARD flyer to a telephone pole, with a picture of the beagle. "Roscoe's gone?"
The Boy's face is streaked from a long night of crying. "You haven't seen him, have you?"
Rhiannon shakes her head. "I'm sure he'll show up, Tim."
The Boy nods and walks to the next telephone pole to put up another flyer.
.
.
Johnny moves up a hill in the forest, between trees, looking around for something. He comes to a stop, trying to remember which way to go. He does and moves on. He comes upon an old wooden barn. The structure is maybe a hundred years old, and long abandoned. It's spattered with graffiti. Johnny stares at it.
Johnny gathers large fronds and other foliage in his arms. He spreads the plant life over the floor of the barn. He arranges it, fluffs it there. His actions are very animal-like when no one's around. He seems to be making a nest. He sits back, looks at it.
He's happy.
.
.
Rhiannon, dressed in her weekend finery, is looking in the mirror above her dresser, and putting on earrings. "Johnny, are you almost ready?"
Johnny looks ill. He is leaning over the sink, sweating, clutching his stomach. "Yeah, hon, I'll be right there!"
Johnny turns and pushes open his door.
Johnny sees Rhiannon sitting on the edge of the bed, her back to him, as she puts on her nylons. She doesn't know he's there. He stares at her, demented, and moves slowly toward her, stalking her. Something starts to push Johnny's shirt up at his stomach, like a bellybutton erection. The thing slips out of his shirt - a writhing, pointy tubule, aiming toward Rhiannon's back.
Johnny looks at the nape of Rhiannon's neck. Her delicate ear. He becomes confused; he softens.
Rhiannon turns to see Johnny, his body now turned away from her. He's trying to push the tubule back down.
"What are you doing?"
"You're pretty."
Rhiannon nods, confused by his behavior.
.
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A banner hangs across the front of the Torchwood Lodge, "DEER CHEER 15" - the first Friday of deer season in Torchwood.
Inflatable deer totems decorate the front of the wooden lodge. Loud music comes from inside. Partyers enter.
Johnny and Rhiannon step out of his truck. As they do, one of Rhiannon's students, Will, sees her and waves. Rhiannon waves back. He notices this and grabs Rhiannon's arm, a bit too hard, pulling her back. "Who's that?"
"It's just one of my students, Johnny. Ianto has him in his class too"
Johnny stares at the boy with distrust, and ushers Rhiannon towards the lodge.
Jack, Andy and Gwen are hanging out on a large rock outside the entranceway, drinking beer. Jack watches Johnny and Rhiannon cross the lot. Andy sees this.
Andy asks, "What's she see in that douchebag?"
That's the mystery of the ages there, Panda." Jack snorts "Rhiannon was seventeen when they got engaged. He was, like, in his thirties. No one even knew they were going out till she had that ring on her finger. Still, Ianto was sixteen and me twenty so… can't really complain. I punch above my weight there too".
"Come on, the Jones family left everything to Ianto, she got nothing after the car accident. Still, fell on her feet les than six months later? You tell me" Gwen replied.
"Gold-digger, huh?" Andy asks.
"Hell, you don't know that, Gwen." Jack bristles "Ianto lives her and she is a good girl… hell… Johnny might be a bit… ergh… but he makes her happy."
Gwen shrugs, belches "Like your fella who isn't even here… again?"
Owen, the mayor, with his wife, stops beside them after she does, staring at her. "Jack, you're Chief of police now."
Jack makes a face like he is shocked and didn't know.
"Comes with some Goddamn responsibility, like keeping your people in line." Owen points in the direction of Jack's companions.
"Shit. You're right, Owen." Jack nods "Gwen, you're fired."
Gwen and Andy laugh.
Owen shakes his head with disdain and enters the party.
Torchwood citizens celebrate. A country-western band plays. Couples two-step.
Rhiannon and Johnny move through the party. Johnny looks around at the dancing and laughing bodies. Rhiannon sees Ianto in a quiet corner as per usual, away from Jack's shenanigans "Rhiannon!"
Rhiannon laughs heartily and the two embrace.
"Hey, Johnny." Ianto says in a flatter tone.
"Why don't you two catch up? I'll go see what the boys are doing."
Rhiannon nods. She and Ianto watch as Johnny moves off through the crowd. Then she says softly to her brother "He's been strange the past couple of days."
Johnny steps outside and looks around.
Across the parking lot is a playground. Two young children are spinning on a little carousel there. Johnny starts toward them. The Children giggle, unaware of Johnny inching up on them. Johnny gets closer, excited, when he hears:
"Hey there, handsome."
Johnny turns and see Mary Gutierrez standing there. Once again, she's very drunk.
"Must be fate, us meeting again like this."
Johnny smiles. "Well, you might be right..."
Johnny sees if anyone's watching. He circles around her. "You're lookin' awful pretty."
"Shut up." Mary sniggers happily.
"Where's the old half-Mexican?"
"Took the kids to his Mum's for the weekend." She giggles, "He's not really Mexican ya know. Just… annoying."
Johnny smiles.
Johnny holds Mary's hand, and he pulls her between the trees. She giggles "Where you takin' me, you bad boy!"
Johnny stops in a secluded place down behind the lodge where the trail tappers off, beside the creek, looking around. No one's there. He turns toward her, smiles. "Take off your shirt, doll."
Mary looks at him, confused.
"Guess it's hard to explain how amazing a human brain is to someone who that's all they know." He said strangely.
"What?"
"Stuff you can never imagine." Johnny grins "Feelings. Big thoughts. And love. Yeah. I'm inclined to parlay it into something more. So, go ahead there, beautiful, and take off your shirt."
Mary, though startled, leans back on a boulder and starts unbuttoning her blouse. After a moment, she looks at Johnny, trying to be sexy while she does it. Johnny looks at her in her bra.
"Nice."
Johnny unbuttons his shirt as well. As he removes it completely, he turns toward her.
Mary sees the wound on his stomach has blossomed into a veiny, blue-moss-encrusted yellow spout, huge and pulsing. "Johnny!? What … ?!"
Johnny grabs her. She tries to push his arms away.
"No, no, we …"
Mary gets up, trying to run away. But Johnny grabs her necklace, yanking her back. The necklace snaps and falls into the creek beside them.
Johnny pins Mary's wrists against the rock. She struggles to get free.
Mary's eyes widen as she looks down to see the writhing, tentacle-like tubule emerge from Johnny's wound. She SCREAMS.
Johnny shoves his hand over her mouth, shutting her up. He's extremely strong. She watches as the tubule twitches, feeling its way like a blind snake.
The tubule comes to rest on her abdomen. Tears stream down from Mary's eyes. It pushes into her flesh. Mary goes into convulsions. Something - a fluid - pumps through the tubule and into Mary. Johnny watches Mary without emotion as her body spasms there beside him.
Then she falls back, unconscious.
The tubule retracts into Johnny's torso.