15
The diseased townsfolk have all gathered on one side of the building now, putting all their efforts into tearing down one door. Some have even climbed onto the roof above it, curling off the gutter and roofing overhead.
Jack grabs his leather satchel and starts to reload his shotgun. Rhiannon sees that the diseased townsfolk have almost torn down one of the doors.
"This is stupid." Rhiannon goes to the other door and starts tearing away the planks they nailed there.
"What are you doing?!" Ianto asks.
"We can't make it. Just get away, when you get the chance."
"What?"
"He wants me, Jack! I'm going to get him to take me to him! See if you can follow me and kill him!" she snarls.
"No, Rhiannon! No!" Ianto gasps.
Another full metal plate is pushed off the door. A diseased man's face peeks through. Andy swirls to see it. The Man GLEEKS, hitting Andy on his chest. Andy looks down, in shock.
And the whole door and part of the wall bursts open. The Diseased pour inside and around Andy, GLEEKING all over him, splattering his body with the burning liquid. Andy starts to puff up, swelling, becoming soft. They grab him.
"Nooo!" Owen grabs Andy by the wrist and tries to pull him away from them. But Andy SCREAMS in agony; the liquid has made his flesh too soft. His entire body splits apart like wet tissue, his organs spilling out in front of them.
Owen stares down in shock, still holding Andy's arm.
Rhiannon has pulled away enough boards of the other door. She throws it open. None of the diseased are on this side of the building anymore. She moves outside.
Jack and Ianto follow her. Two diseased people appear, screeching and running toward them. Jack shoots them both. And he makes a break for it, running as fast as he can across the street.
He turns, expecting to see Ianto and Rhiannon right behind him. But she has stayed behind, staring quietly at the ground.
Rhiannon has tears in her eyes. She motions with her head for Ianto to go.
Jack is confused. The diseased townsfolk come up around Rhiannon from the sides of the flower store, no one paying attention to Ianto or Jack. They encircle her, slowly. Some SCREECH angrily at her. She's too disgusted or fearful to even look in their eyes. They BREATHE with SICK, RASPY breath.
"Rhiannonnnnnn! Rhiannonnnnn!"
And they wail, in a cacophony of simultaneous voices, all the deep angers, fears, frustrations, and jealousies they inherited from Johnny.
"You said for better or worse! You lied!"
"I gave you everything! I. Loved. You!"
"It's not just about lesson I wanted you by my side, plans! Hank Wilcox wants sugarplum. But I'm too your ugly for pussy! ugly now, huh!?"
"Your daddy would still be molesting you... if it weren't it for me! You always thought I was a fucking joke, don't you?"
"You like Captain Harkness-Jones better than me? That's who you want to screw now?!"
"Johnny... Please... he's my brother's man, you know that" she sobs. They surround her. They touch her body, her ass, her breasts. Pull on her clothes. She trembles. "I'm sorry... I know I haven't behaved how you - how you want. I know. Don't... hurt... me."
Rhiannon glances down to see a diseased dog licking her calf, tasting her.
Jack has hold of Ianto, both of them watching with horror as Owen runs around everyone to get behind Jack and Ianto.
"We need... to... talk." She sobs.
A diseased man grabs the side of her neck and face. "Then talk. Then talk."
"Not here, though, okay? Not all of you. I'm not used to - I want to talk to your face, Johnny. Your more real face. Your …"
The diseased townsfolk grab Rhiannon, enveloping her, and start dragging her away. A few townsfolk remain behind. They look around for Jack and Ianto.
"Harkness-Jones?! Where are you, Harkness-Jones boys!"
But they are nowhere to be seen.
They SCREECH angrily.
.
.
Jack runs as fast as he can across the street here – the same direction the hoard took Rhiannon, but down a block. Ianto follows as he desperately wants to save his siter.
Jack falls against the side of this building, hiding in a dark crevice, pulling Ianto in beside him. They embrace for a moment. Down the way, they can see numerous dead bodies, and a woman is chased down and tackled by some infected townsfolk.
Some diseased townsfolk wander by Jack who has Ianot behind him against the building, looking for him. Jack crouches down so he isn't seen.
"Harkness-Jones. Harkness-Jones. Harkness-Jones. Come on out, Harkness-Jones."
"We've surrounded the town, you pricks! Ain't no way outta here!"
Jack waits for them to pass. When they're gone, Jack and Ianto look up toward the next street - they can see the hoard moving Rhiannon across that street. They make sure no one's looking and follow her.
One of the diseased pushes Rhiannon too hard, and she falls to her hands and knees. They keep pushing her. She stumbles back to her feet and moves on. She's almost hyperventilating.
The Diseased Townsfolk around Rhiannon stop. She looks up to see that they've led her onto her own front yard. Rhiannon gazes up at her home: The diseased have done a little remodeling. Part of the front wall has been torn away, replaced with some primitive thatched woodwork. The front doorway has also been partially destroyed. Because of the sloppy reconstruction, the roof is caved-in and sloping.
Diseased people sit in meerkat-like poses on all sides of the Johnnys' home, watching out for trouble.
Jack, out of breath, arrives across the street. He can see Rhiannon standing with the diseased. He hides behind some shrubs. Ianto has caught up and clutches at Jack with horror as they gape at the scene before them.
The diseased push Rhiannon up between them, violently, to the front door.
Rhiannon stops at the dark hole on the front of the house. It's pitch-black inside. She looks back at the rotting faces behind her. And then slowly enters.
Rhiannon balks at the smell. She looks beside her at the garage; the wall has been torn out, and this has become Johnny's feeding area, with rotten meat, including some bodies, in a pile.
Rhiannon steps slowly forward, looking around. "Johnny?"
Rhiannon can see into the shambles of a kitchen from here.
Jack and Ianto look at the diseased surrounding the Johnny home. They seem impossible to get through. Jack eyes the house next door, maybe twenty-five feet from Johnnys'. He makes sure no one's paying attention for a moment, and he darts across the street to a parked car. Ianto follows. The diseased don't see them. Ianto gazes down the street beside him.
The sun is just barely beginning to rise. They don't have much time to move in the darkness.
They make a break for the house next door.