12

"How bad was it?"

"I can't… it was bad."

"You don't have to talk if you don't want to. I still have new show tunes I can sing."

Ianto smiled at the voice coming over the speaker, Jack was goring even more adorable as Ianto sat back, needing that. "The kids, the worst part for me was... little ones. Some looked normal just sort of sleepwalking and… it was hard. I thought I would be calmer, I mean I have seen death before and in the last few days I have seen so much damned death but… it's… god. The kids still tear my heart out. The ones missing parts of faces seemed easier somehow… does that make sense?"

"Well, I know it's been hard only moving now and then, the small burst and such small ground made but we are almost there. Two… three hours tomorrow tops and we will finally reconnect" Jack soothed softly "Hang in there."

It was crazy to think a three-hour drive would become so… long. Vehicles blocking the road, biters making them hunker down and the need to stay still for hours each time so the biters would bugger off made it almost farcical. I know… they are Zombies. OK? Zombies. But Ianto still doesn't want to admit to it… saying the word sounds so stupid.

They moved an hour each day if they were lucky, pausing and hiding when the biters came, then the next day moving a little more. Slow and steady. But Jack was right, they didn't want to start dragging them like the Pied Piper.

"I know, it doesn't make my nerves any calmer mind" Ianto said then added "Phantom of the Opera?"

"Ohhhhhh…. You think you can trip me up?"

Ianto settled back to listen as Jack serenaded him in the 'darkness of the night' folding in and the monster kept at bay.

For another night.

.

.

They were almost there, another half hour if they could make it without gaining any attention and Ianto was feeling good about it when the radio crackled, then came Jack's voice full of energy "Ianto stop… stop."

Everyone came to a halt as Ianto reached for the mic "Jack?"

"Some sort of… music festival or something I think, or a bloody drug weekend… there are Biters everywhere and they seem hyper pissed. More focused and… fuck… they are trying to open the doors." Jack hissed.

"Oh god, so close" Toshiko sighed, looking at the sleeping tot and scanning out the windows with open fear.

"Where are you?" Ianto demanded.

"Swindon… in … where? Wiltshire" Jack whispered now.

"Home to the White Horse" Ianto muttered "And… OK. We will shut down for a couple of hours so they don't come our way, we are close enough for them to hear our engines if they are spread about. You need to move … ah… Lyneham isn't far, it has a military museum. Best get there, the armoured vehicles will offer the nest protection."

"Shit, you're right. We need a distraction… hang on… Owen… fuck. He is causing a distraction."

"As long as he is not running naked through them screaming like a nutter, you should be OK." Ianto replied and heard silence the other end. "Tell me he's not naked."

"No… he is fully dressed."

Ianto felt a giggle forming and managed to choke out "Well… he is a fucking hero."

"See you soon… Stone Henge?"

Wow. Ianto sat there with surprise that Jack would choose that as their meeting place but it sort of made sense. Wide open space would see Biters coming from miles away.

"Deal, see you this afternoon" Ianto said with more enthusiasm than he felt, the final meeting plan making his stomach flip flop. Barely half an hour's drive BB (Before Biters), but an entire day's crawling at under 10 kph along the roadway.

Ianto turned to find Toshiko looking at him and he knew he needed to say something "that Owen Harper is a bloody nutta."

"I know" she giggled softly, "but he is such fun!"

"Each to their own I guess, I prefer mine a little more… husky."

"And American?" she asked, "Sorry… secretly Scottish?"

"Oi!"

With a soft giggle Toshiko snuggled more and he saw that she was cold so he clambered over the seats into the back and together they cuddled the baby and tried to get some sleep, Rhys on watch for the next few hours while everyone tired to relax.

.

.

Ianto brought the jeep to a stop "Well… fuck."

Tohiko looked out between the seats, then behind them and finally noticed the huge gap between vehicles "where are we?"

"Ten minutes from the rendezvous point and SOMEONE wants to pee" Ianto huffed, the unspoken name most likely Gwen.

"Can't she hold it?"

"What I said" Owen's voice came over loud and clear "Maybe she needs nappies. We're here waiting for you damn it all and it's too exposed for my liking Welsh Boy!"

"I heard that!" came a snarled reply. Gwen getting out to pee on the side of the road while Rhys opened the door to try and get her to hurry up, now everyone on guard as they searched around them for any lurking Biters.

"Well, where are you now?" Jack asked.

"At the turn from the main road, we are literally minutes from you" Ianto groaned.

"Right, we will come to you. I mean… you have an idea where we are going to go right?"

Ianto turned to Toshiko who stared back at him with equal shock. No. No idea at fucking all. What? Ianto blinked slowly and took a deep breath before answering "I am not working in a Tourist Information Center Sir, I am Torchwood same as you."

"Yeah, but you know this place, right?"

"The Highclere Castle, we can go there" Ianto said after a while "I worked there as a teenager for pocket money in summer, mucking out stables. It's a lovely place, high end and they just started filming that TV series there… Downton Abbey or something it's called. A period piece. Going to air in a year or so apparently."

"I know that place… well set up!" Andy agreed over the radio, "And posh as all get out!"

Right. Up to the Castle then.

Ianto hoped it was still in good repair.

I mean, if they are starting to film some TV series there it must still be grand… right?