8
They had stopped at a truck stop in the middle of nowhere. Perfect. The air horn had not brought forth any Uglies, as they had hoped. Remote, no other vehicles and a stale feeling to it. Safe.
They were currently inside the store with their torches on the ground beside them, both of them holding their respective cans like they were about to make a toast. Ianto had perused the kitchen tools and found the can opener, opening his and then flicking it to Steph who had opened her own and as she dug her fork into her can of peaches her eyes widened seeing baked beans on Ianto's.
"Oh my god, are you eating cold baked beans straight from the can?" she giggled. "You heathen!"
"Mmmm, love them. Even before this all happened, I used to eat them straight from the can. Jack always said it would be the death of me if the world ran out of them when…. When…" Ianto stopped talking, looking at the can in his hand and then sighing.
"Jack? Is that who you are trying to get to?" she asked softly.
"Yeah." Ianto said after a while "I am trying to meet up with my friends and one of them is my… well… man I guess. I mean, I don't know. Sometimes I feel like his boyfriend and the other times it's like I just get to hold his bloody coat."
"Oh. I coat man" she giggled, taking another slice of peach "I am an arm gal. All my boyfriends had arms like pistons. Football guys, ya know… those big biceps you can swing off."
"Ah. I like tall strong women. I was never into guys. Jack is the… well … only one." Ianto looked down at his can of beans and shoved it onto a shelf "bloody beans."
"Sorry. I should not have asked."
Ianto shrugged and turned to check the sleeping child in the laundry basket, her face still smeared with baby food. Ianto hefted the large banana box full of food "I will leave her here with you and the gun. I will take this out to the truck and scout about, then come for you when it is clear."
"OK, I will fill this other box with more peaches and maybe some apricots. No more beans, the farting will not be good." She scolded, trying to lighten the mood and Ianto smiled softly as he headed out. "Get those torches for the display over there, batteries too."
Steph sat and smiled wanly at the little girl, her food mood leaving with Ianto.
She sat to wait.
.
.
"Steph come on, it's this way" Josie had hold of her hand dragging her as she looked back to make sure Greg was following with Manny, both boys carrying the heavier stuff in their backpacks.
It had all happened so fast, the sickness sweeping through the dorms and to find another girl not sick was such a break. When the two boys came to them and said they were not sick either, they should make a run for it, the girls were ready to go.
Steph didn't really know Greg, even though they had a class tighter in Ethics, bit Manny had been her friend forever. One of those great Gay Beards at the parties to save you from those leering fuckers.
They entered the store and shot along the aisle to the end, then swung to the next aisle only to find it was a dead end. Josie dropped Steph's hand and reached for a carton of juice, her face one of pure relief and as she tipped it back to started drinking, the screams of one of the boys made both girls freeze.
"Oh my god, it's Manny. I know his screams" Steph cried out, starting to run for the end of the aisle, intending to run around it and head out to help her friend. The large industrial sized tin of fruit salad hit her fair in the side of the head, felling her instantly and as she lay there dazed and confused Josie leaned over her.
"We stay here. You show those things where we are and I will cut your fucking thorax bitch!" Josie snarled, the knife in her hand something that was a surprise as well and Steph lay there silently with wide eyes, even as the shop door slammed open and the sound of feet slapping came closer.
One of the boys, they will see and stop this right?
The thing that had once been a middle aged fat man slammed into Josie like he did not see Steph on the floor, flying over her to tackle Josie back into the dead end wall of the aisle. Steph lay there confused and then got to her hands and knees to crawl out of the aisle, even as she heard Josie screaming her name.
Steph now had the knife that had been dropped and that bitch could choke!
.
.
"Hey"
Steph jumped awake and looked up at the man who was smiling down at her "Come on sleepyhead. We are good to go. You pick up the beast and I will take the box yeah?"
"Thanks" she clambered to her feet and was shocked to find some tears on her cheeks, rubbing at them with the heels of her hands. Ianto must have seen her crying, must have known she was having a flashback and yet, being the gentleman he was, he did not say a word.
They drove closer to her home town and hopefully someone was still there she knew.
Once someone held her that she knew, that she might finally be safe… then she would also feel safe to cry.
She had a feeling Ianto knew exactly what she means.
