Modern Day Folktales (6/12)
madaboutms really earned her beta stripes with this one! Thanks for the rescue, next time I will go to bed instead of writing the next chapter!
Gwen
Home, no place like it and she had never been so pleased to see it after the events of the day. All she wanted was to find Rhys, curl up in his arms and have him hold her, just hold back the world until she thought she could face it again. She had seen a lot of things in her short career in Torchwood. From the wonderful and magnificent to the downright scary and disturbing. Today definitely ranked in the latter category.
From the front door she could hear the TV on in their living room. Taking a deep breath in she paused at the threshold of the door to try and gather herself, feeling and thoughts from the day overwhelmed her and she didn’t know if she could handle Rhys’ empathy, his concern. One comforting touch would be enough to send her over an edge that she wasn’t sure she could crawl back from.
She could still hear and feel the sobs of the little boy as she held him tightly against her chest as she ran from that house. She could still taste the guilt at the back of her throat as she ran, leaving Ianto to face things on his own. Taking a deep breath she listened carefully as the resonant laughter of Rhys started to filter into her heart, pushing aside some of the angst from the day. The need to get to him now was too much as she tried to calm her shaking hands to unlock the door.
Finally she got the key in the lock and opened the door, leaning against the frame taking a calming breath but that didn’t work. Somehow she knew it wouldn’t. Slamming the door behind her she moved into the lounge room in time to see Rhys dislodge himself from the couch.
“Hiya Love, have a good d…..”
The words died in his throat as he took in her appearance.
Christ she thought, I must look as bad as I feel.
“Oh hey….come here, Love.”
Walking quickly toward her he held his arms out before enveloping her in his strong arms.
The dam burst and she cried into his chest. He held her through the shuddering sobs rubbing circles on her back.
“I’ve got you now, your safe Love.”
8 hours earlier
Gwen followed as Ianto took the lead into the house Jack had assigned them to search. It was so musty and damp that she crinkled her nose at the smell of mould that seemed to hang in the air. Methodically they cleared the rooms on the lower floors and it seemed obvious to her that the place had long been abandoned, not even falling prey to squatters.
“All clear down here, upstairs next?”
Ianto indicated to the stairs as she fell in line to follow him. Gwen inwardly smiled at his initiative. He was no longer the reclusive manservant he was when she first joined and little by little he was revealing himself to them. Oh she doubted they would ever fully know the real Ianto, he was an enigma and so different from her, she wore her heart out on her sleeve and there was not much any of them didn’t know about her. Ianto was a mystery, maybe that was what Jack found so alluring. She had to admit the more she found out about him the more she liked him.
Owen’s voice shook her out of her reverie.
“Jack, Ianto, Gwen, come in.”
“What have you got Owen?”
Gwen heard Jack answer as she and Ianto silently agreed to listen rather than participate. She shared a look with Ianto as he listened and mouthed the word ‘bodies’ as Jack cut across their exchange asking for an update.
“Ianto? Gwen?”
“Yes Jack?” Gwen’s lilt came over the coms.
“Your house clear?”
“We’re about to check the upper levels but the bottom is all clear.”
“Good, once you’ve checked that out head over to Owen and Tosh, we need to run some tests on that room.”
“Got it Jack.” She signed off.
“There’s something up there.”
Ianto’s head indicated to the first door and she could hear it now too. Low voices spoken in comfort, small sobs being wrung out in high pitch.
She tightened her grip on the gun as they approached the door, the murmuring getting louder, the sobs more desperate. Gwen took the lead now indicating their next move with the non-verbal commands Jack drilled into them all as part of field work training.
She braced herself as she tried the door, the handle turning easily and she flung it open with one fluid motion at the same time sweeping the room with gun outstretched. She felt rather than saw Ianto behind her, covering her and doing his own sweep of the room. The sight before them made Gwen blanch as the room span dangerously as she heard Ianto’s sharp intake of breath that matched her own.
There was blood, there was mess, and in the middle of it all there was a man lying on the floor holding the hand of a very young little girl.
“Please don’t hurt us, don’t hurt her, my wife…no…..”
The man’s voice was weak, hardly discernable over sobbing girl while a menacing figure, tall, broad with soulless eyes that looked to be made out of clay loomed over them both. It moved with alarming intention and Gwen felt the fear and the evil radiating from it.
She screamed at the thing, only barely aware that Ianto had done the same. She watched in horror as the figure grabbed the bleeding man by the ankles and threw him over its shoulder before taking them both by surprise pushing past her and Ianto before either could react. Ianto started after the figure as the man’s screams echoed down the long passage.
“Ianto!”
“Gwen, RUN!”
“No Ianto, I’m not leaving you….”
“Gwen you gotta go, get her out of here, get her out safe, I’ll go after the parents.”
“Ianto wait for the rest….”
“Get her out safe Gwen, get the others but get her out safe NOW RUN!”
She vaguely heard Jack over the coms as she grabbed the crying child from the floor and ran as fast as she could down the stairs.
“Mam……Tad,” the child sobbed out against her chest and squirmed slightly.
“It’s ok sweetheart,” Gwen breathed out.
The child clutched at her desperately and the sobs increased as she reached the bottom of the stairs, running for the front door. She saw Jack running toward her slowing down to take her and the child in.
“What is it Gwen, where’s Ianto,” Jack asked frantically.
Gwen tried to catch her breath as her heart hammered into her chest. “There was a man, her father, this thing grabbed him and dragged him out…..Ianto went after them Jack….the blood, there was so much blood.”
“Get her into the SUV and lock it down.”
She hesitated torn between protecting the girl and running back in to salvage what might have been left of the girl’s family. Eventually Jack made the decision for her.
“Now Gwen….GO!”
She turned as she reached the SUV and saw Tosh and Owen enter the house a moment after Jack and prayed they would all be alright, she prayed for Ianto, she prayed they would save this little one’s parents.
Something told Gwen they were beyond prayers so she held onto the only thing she had left……….hope.
Chapter Seven
Gwen
Home, no place like it and she had never been so pleased to see it after the events of the day. All she wanted was to find Rhys, curl up in his arms and have him hold her, just hold back the world until she thought she could face it again. She had seen a lot of things in her short career in Torchwood. From the wonderful and magnificent to the downright scary and disturbing. Today definitely ranked in the latter category.
From the front door she could hear the TV on in their living room. Taking a deep breath in she paused at the threshold of the door to try and gather herself, feeling and thoughts from the day overwhelmed her and she didn’t know if she could handle Rhys’ empathy, his concern. One comforting touch would be enough to send her over an edge that she wasn’t sure she could crawl back from.
She could still hear and feel the sobs of the little boy as she held him tightly against her chest as she ran from that house. She could still taste the guilt at the back of her throat as she ran, leaving Ianto to face things on his own. Taking a deep breath she listened carefully as the resonant laughter of Rhys started to filter into her heart, pushing aside some of the angst from the day. The need to get to him now was too much as she tried to calm her shaking hands to unlock the door.
Finally she got the key in the lock and opened the door, leaning against the frame taking a calming breath but that didn’t work. Somehow she knew it wouldn’t. Slamming the door behind her she moved into the lounge room in time to see Rhys dislodge himself from the couch.
“Hiya Love, have a good d…..”
The words died in his throat as he took in her appearance.
Christ she thought, I must look as bad as I feel.
“Oh hey….come here, Love.”
Walking quickly toward her he held his arms out before enveloping her in his strong arms.
The dam burst and she cried into his chest. He held her through the shuddering sobs rubbing circles on her back.
“I’ve got you now, your safe Love.”
8 hours earlier
Gwen followed as Ianto took the lead into the house Jack had assigned them to search. It was so musty and damp that she crinkled her nose at the smell of mould that seemed to hang in the air. Methodically they cleared the rooms on the lower floors and it seemed obvious to her that the place had long been abandoned, not even falling prey to squatters.
“All clear down here, upstairs next?”
Ianto indicated to the stairs as she fell in line to follow him. Gwen inwardly smiled at his initiative. He was no longer the reclusive manservant he was when she first joined and little by little he was revealing himself to them. Oh she doubted they would ever fully know the real Ianto, he was an enigma and so different from her, she wore her heart out on her sleeve and there was not much any of them didn’t know about her. Ianto was a mystery, maybe that was what Jack found so alluring. She had to admit the more she found out about him the more she liked him.
Owen’s voice shook her out of her reverie.
“Jack, Ianto, Gwen, come in.”
“What have you got Owen?”
Gwen heard Jack answer as she and Ianto silently agreed to listen rather than participate. She shared a look with Ianto as he listened and mouthed the word ‘bodies’ as Jack cut across their exchange asking for an update.
“Ianto? Gwen?”
“Yes Jack?” Gwen’s lilt came over the coms.
“Your house clear?”
“We’re about to check the upper levels but the bottom is all clear.”
“Good, once you’ve checked that out head over to Owen and Tosh, we need to run some tests on that room.”
“Got it Jack.” She signed off.
“There’s something up there.”
Ianto’s head indicated to the first door and she could hear it now too. Low voices spoken in comfort, small sobs being wrung out in high pitch.
She tightened her grip on the gun as they approached the door, the murmuring getting louder, the sobs more desperate. Gwen took the lead now indicating their next move with the non-verbal commands Jack drilled into them all as part of field work training.
She braced herself as she tried the door, the handle turning easily and she flung it open with one fluid motion at the same time sweeping the room with gun outstretched. She felt rather than saw Ianto behind her, covering her and doing his own sweep of the room. The sight before them made Gwen blanch as the room span dangerously as she heard Ianto’s sharp intake of breath that matched her own.
There was blood, there was mess, and in the middle of it all there was a man lying on the floor holding the hand of a very young little girl.
“Please don’t hurt us, don’t hurt her, my wife…no…..”
The man’s voice was weak, hardly discernable over sobbing girl while a menacing figure, tall, broad with soulless eyes that looked to be made out of clay loomed over them both. It moved with alarming intention and Gwen felt the fear and the evil radiating from it.
She screamed at the thing, only barely aware that Ianto had done the same. She watched in horror as the figure grabbed the bleeding man by the ankles and threw him over its shoulder before taking them both by surprise pushing past her and Ianto before either could react. Ianto started after the figure as the man’s screams echoed down the long passage.
“Ianto!”
“Gwen, RUN!”
“No Ianto, I’m not leaving you….”
“Gwen you gotta go, get her out of here, get her out safe, I’ll go after the parents.”
“Ianto wait for the rest….”
“Get her out safe Gwen, get the others but get her out safe NOW RUN!”
She vaguely heard Jack over the coms as she grabbed the crying child from the floor and ran as fast as she could down the stairs.
“Mam……Tad,” the child sobbed out against her chest and squirmed slightly.
“It’s ok sweetheart,” Gwen breathed out.
The child clutched at her desperately and the sobs increased as she reached the bottom of the stairs, running for the front door. She saw Jack running toward her slowing down to take her and the child in.
“What is it Gwen, where’s Ianto,” Jack asked frantically.
Gwen tried to catch her breath as her heart hammered into her chest. “There was a man, her father, this thing grabbed him and dragged him out…..Ianto went after them Jack….the blood, there was so much blood.”
“Get her into the SUV and lock it down.”
She hesitated torn between protecting the girl and running back in to salvage what might have been left of the girl’s family. Eventually Jack made the decision for her.
“Now Gwen….GO!”
She turned as she reached the SUV and saw Tosh and Owen enter the house a moment after Jack and prayed they would all be alright, she prayed for Ianto, she prayed they would save this little one’s parents.
Something told Gwen they were beyond prayers so she held onto the only thing she had left……….hope.
Chapter Seven