7
So Stephanie was trying to get home from University. This had all happened so fast but last time she spoke to her parents the village had quarantined itself. Smart choice. But the thing was in the dust, airborne. They clearly had not known.
Stephanie was trying to get a response from Emma as Ianto drove along the country road looking for any possible problem ahead. He glanced over "She's mute. You will not get a reply."
"No but she can makes noises." She replied.
"Rarely. I am teaching her sign" Ianto slowed the truck and groaned as he saw the tangle of metal ahead. "Fuck."
"Well, just as well I guess. Your potty mouth can teach her too many bad words" she giggled.
"I am sure I will forget to filter and sign it for her sooner or later" Ianto said as he stopped the truck and started to get out, pulling the gun with him, then he paused and placed it on the passenger seat. Best save the five meagre bullets anyway. The Bowie knife was a better fit.
Let's stay frosty.
She called after him "where did you learn it?"
"In Touchwood One, UNIT were too stupid to recognize common sign language and thought we had some alien thing going on. We loved to mess with them" Ianto called back as he walked towards the tangled mess.
If Uglies were about in the immediate area best make noise and bring them early. You do NOT want to be arse deep in the twisted metal and unable to run. He stopped walking in the edge of the 'danger zone' to slowly turn in a circle as he looked for any signs of Uglies. They would have come by now if they were within range. Right? They do not do covert waiting or stalking, nope. They see or hear you, they attack. Every time.
He turned back to find her on the running board of the truck looking at him and she called out "Did you say Torchwood? Where that Terrorist bomb took out the entire building?"
No point correcting her, what it's the point at all so he nodded and turned back to the mess. She had to stop shouting. Emma might get scared. Little Bit hates loud noises. Let's hope these can be moved, those bodies inside do not stink too much and he does not lose too much time.
He could not help but feel like the gods were against him though.
A literal roadblock on the way to Jack.
He moved to the foremost car and looked inside, not as surprised as he should have been to find the driver's seat empty. Whoever it was driving had either been ejected out the windscreen or climbed out afterwards.
The other car was a dead family in de-comp. Ergh.
Ianto got into the empty car and tuned the key, hoping like hell it would turn over despite the damage and to his relief it did. So it was drivable? And the driver left it?
Ianto looked to the passenger seat and he stared at the various flu remedies and such, the bundled up tissues and half drunk juices. Ianto sat there so long staring at them that Stephanie honked the air horn, shaking him from his fugue with horror as he motioned for her to stop.
Fuck. Too loud.
Ianto put the car into reverse and then with a deep breath he slammed the gas and shunted the other car off the road, then he slowly turned the vehicle, the twisted chassis making it pig jump, to gently hit the other car that to his fear, was also empty.
Please tell me they survived the lesser impact and got out and run. Right? Were not sick?
Just this fucker?
Please only one Ugly around here somewhere now running full tit towards them thanks to that bloody air horn. He could throttle her. The localized noise would have been fine but she could have alerted some that were not involved with the crash, too many is a bad thing.
He had the car reversing back and he gave a bark of alarm as it suddenly lurched to the left and slid off the road into the ditch. Bugger. He was closer than he had thought. Well, had to do.
He didn't want to touch anything to check for any stuff they might need. This car had contained a sick person. A sick person who had probably deliberately caused this crash as the Rage took over their system.
No.
Ianto just wanted out and has he got to the top of the embankment he saw him. He was still at a distance, coming across the fields as Ianto got to his feet and started to run. Stephanie could not see him, her focus on Ianto as she called out repeatedly 'are you OK?' and other things he was not listening to.
He wished she would shut the hell up.
Has she learned nothing? First blast, for localized dangers… then move quietly.
Ianto started to pant, the footfalls not taking him close enough and he glanced back at the man coming way too fast. Finally she saw why Ianto was not answering and she squealed, disappearing into the truck.
Right.
Good idea.
Hide.
Ianto slammed into the bull bars and skirted around the grill to the door, wrenching it open to find his own gun in his face.
He gave a yelp as he instinctively dropped to his hands and knees, the gun's bark loud.
Then Ianto looked back at the Ugly who had staggered, then fell on the side of the road, almost close enough to grab him.
Ianto clambered in and slammed the door shut, Stephanie hysterical as her hands slapped at him checking him for any injuries as she sobbed and apologized for firing the gun so close to his head.
Ianto pushed her off and struggled to the back of the cab, his baby girl sitting there with wide eyes, hugging one of his shirts like a cuddly.
"Hey, I'm OK" he said, signing as well "I am fine. Scary, huh?"
She sniffled softly and he kissed her, and then got in the front seat.
"Ianto, he's still moving" Stephanie called out with open fear. Ianto started the truck and with a grim satisfaction he drove forward, pushing into the gap he had made with the cars, then they gained speed.
"OK, I don't want to do that again" she sobbed as she settled in the passenger seat with Emma in her arms, the little baby seat next to her in the middle of the cab waiting as she buckled the bub in.
"Next time, let's just speed up and go for it" Ianto agreed "This big bitch will blast through just about anything and I would rather risk a blown tire than that again."
"Agreed" she settled with her hand still over her heart to calm it. "Besides, it's my home town next. Hopefully there is someone still there and we can take a break, get some fuel and work out what we are doing next."
Ianto did not answer, glancing at the map that told him they were heading to the right place.
The last Port of Call before winter.
