Gone In the Night
Yay for posting stories online when I should be doing other things! :-D This is one of my favorite chapters even though it's pretty much the shortest one.
John’s arms pumped furiously as he willed his body to move faster down the dirt path through the village. He’d been awoken by Elizabeth’s scream from across the compound, which now seemed to stretch on forever. He cursed himself for ever allowing these people to put such a distance between them. Another yell pierced the darkness, and John fought with his already straining muscles to push them past their limits.
As he rounded the corner and the Stargate came into view, John felt his blood go cold at the sight before him. Elizabeth was only a few paces from the open gate, and a huge behemoth of a man was attempting to drag her through it. In the back of his mind he had a fleeting thought of admiration for how intensely she was struggling, but it was quickly chased away by the realization that she was losing and would soon be pulled through the gate to God knows where.
He tried to think of something, anything to stop that from happening, but the logical part of his mind that still functioned in this situation told him that it was hopeless. He caught her eye as she yelled out his name, and his heart shattered. She was scared as hell, and there was nothing he could do to protect her.
Keep fighting, Elizabeth! I’ll be there soon, just hold on!
Then without warning, the puddle enveloped her, and she was gone.
In an instant, his military instincts taking over, John changed tactics. He sprinted for the DHD, praying he would get there before the coordinates disengaged. The glowing symbols came into his field of vision, and he tried to focus and make out the markings.
Please, he pleaded silently, just a little bit longer…
The gate shut down, and the shimmering blue light vanished, leaving the area pitch black except for the faint glow of this world’s far-off moon. John stopped, breathing heavily and feeling as though the sudden darkness was suffocating him.
He’d gotten five. Five out of seven.
As his eyes adjusted to the change of the light and his breathing slowly returned to normal, John stood staring at the lifeless ring. He closed his eyes for a moment, and tried to calm the emotions running rampant in his mind. Then he took a deep breath, turned abruptly, and ran back to gather the others.
They would find her; they had to.