In The Heat Of The Night Chapter 13/14
Title: In The Heat Of The Night Chapter 13
Author: TalliW
Characters: James Lester/Connor Temple
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Primeval is the property of Impossible Pictures. I write just for fun.
Acknowledgments: Thanks to the wonderful Fredbassett for beta duty.
Summary:
Lester and Connor have to fight for survival in a future where a
climatic catastrophe has drastically changed the world.
Six hours had gone by since the riot had started. The noises from outside had died down. The night had finally crept up on the mob, covering the traces of their villainous deeds in a blanket of darkness and giving the survivors time to regroup.
While Connor was still awake, Lester had finally succumbed to sleep. With his head resting on Connor's shoulder, he was softly snoring.
Beacher had allowed himself only an hour of rest, knowing it was only the illusion of quiet. Like hungry wolves, the rioters were besieging the building, only kept back by Beacher's little private army. But the food the rioters were hoping to gain was long gone. Most of it had already been handed out to the workers and the rest Beacher had given to the boys to buy their loyalty. Now only a handful of rations remained, just enough to keep him and the other occupants of the building fed for two more days.
Beacher's eyes swept over the small group of sleeping teenagers on the floor, huddled together as if they needed to conserve bodily warmth but probably just seeking comfort in each other’s arms and a stab of regret hit him. They were not much older than his nephew. But he could not save them. He wasn't even sure if he could save Mattie. But he had to try.
Beacher was circling the hall for the fifth time now. Usually the pacing helped him think. This time however he had a hard time concentrating.
It would be difficult to get out of the camp. He might make a deal with Johnson to get free passage for himself and Mattie. But handing Connor over was out of the question. Mattie would never forgive him that. Besides, they needed Connor to operate the ADD. No, he had to find another solution, and he had to find it fast.
With a grim smile, Beacher noticed how Connor eyed him with mistrust and how he clutched the handheld ADD a tad more firmly as if he could read Beacher's dark thoughts.
If only the damned thing hadn't been protected against improper use, he and Mattie could have got to safety long since. He should have forced the secret of how to activate the device out of the guy, before Mattie had started to care for him so much. He had got far too softhearted in the last few years.
Having finally come to a decision, Beacher turned away from Connor and approached Mattie, who was still sitting at the same spot he’d been in for hours.
"Mattie, I don't want to be alone tonight," Beacher whispered, hating himself for the pleading tone that had crept in his voice.
But he wasn't overly surprised when Mattie raised his head and regarded him with disdain.
Another time he might have accepted Mattie's refusal but not tonight. "Come with me. Now!" he said more sharply than he intended.
Mattie took one look at Beacher's face and then stood gracefully up to follow him to one of the back rooms.
In the morning, the ADD announced an anomaly only about five miles away from the camp. But, as quickly as the anomaly had turned up on the screen, it flickered out of existence.
Another anomaly in the same area appeared three hours later and stayed open for almost twenty minutes. Three hours later there was a third.
For Lester and Connor it was close enough to a pattern to take their chances. Beacher would deactivate the electric fence after sunset and then they all would creep out of the camp under the cover of night and go looking for the anomaly.
Connor sat up with a start as he heard the sound of nervous chatter. Lester was still not back from his trip to the loo and Connor tried to evaluate how long he'd actually been asleep.
As he'd blinked the haze of sleep from his eyes, the barrels of several guns came into focus and then moved out of sight as the group of teenage boys started to walk towards the exit looking like troopers marching off to war.
Confused, Connor watched them go as Lester stumbled into the hall with Mattie's limp body in his arms and Beacher close on his heels.
Worried what had happened to his friend, Connor rushed towards Lester and came to an abrupt hold as he noticed the gun Beacher was holding pressed between Lester's shoulder blades.
"Are you barking mad? What have you done to Mattie?"
"He's only unconscious. Come on. Move! We don't have much time."
Beacher waved his gun and urged Lester and Connor forwards, along the corridor to the hangar normally used as a parking place for the lorries.
There in the rear corner stood an old, battered two seater dune buggy with two bottles of water lying on the driver's seat
Stunned, Connor stared at the vehicle, completely forgetting his intention to disarm Beacher until Beacher barked at Lester, "Get in! Now!"
With Mattie still in his arms, Lester sat down on the passenger seat whilst Beacher deposited the water bottles in Mattie's lap and climbed in the driver's seat himself.
Beacher motioned at Connor. "The same goes for you, except you might want to stay here."
There was no room left in the buggy for Connor, so he quickly handed Lester the handheld ADD and positioned himself on the steel-tubed frame behind the seats.
Beacher started the engine as soon Connor had found purchase by gripping the roof frame.
The dune buggy shot out of the hangar, past the stone shanties in the direction of the opening gate. Beacher took the curves very sharply and didn't even slow down as three men tried to block his way. They managed to jump to the side at the last moment.
Mattie began to stir as they raced past the Counter. The moment they passed the gate, his eyes flickered open and he ushered a silent moan as the pain in his head from where Beacher had knocked him out with the butt of his gun, set in.
"How could you? They are almost children," Mattie gasped out and with horror Connor realised that Beacher had sent the boys out as some sort of diversion.
"We can't leave them behind. Stop the car. Immediately!" Lester thundered and made a move torwards Beacher.
Beacher lifted his right hand, which was still holding the gun, from the steering wheel and pointed the gun back at Lester whilst he floored the accelerator and took the buggy up to maximum speed. Now only being steered with one hand, the vehicle wavered slightly as it cut its way through the sand dunes.
"I’ve had enough of your morality. I heard you talking the other night. Back then Connor found it quite acceptable to sacrifice anyone in the camp as long you survived. I only did what was necessary. There was no other way to get out of the camp. Johnson would have expected us to flee by night," Beacher shouted over the sudden sound of gunfire from the camp. "The boys are well armed. If they don't win they will at least die fast and with dignity. That's a luxury we won't have if they catch us. So if you don't want to end up like Dafyyd, shut the fuck up now."
No one dared to say a word after that. Connor squeezed his eyes shut to stop the tears from running. He knew his callous words from the other night would haunt him for forever now.
The motor of the buggy began to stutter after the first two miles and died half a mile later, stranding them in the middle of nowhere in the afternoon heat.
Beacher cursed and kicked the tyres. He'd known the buggy wasn't in the best of condition when he’d bought it four years ago for a third of his year's salary. But since then he had put a lot of effort into the car to have an escape option if things should turn nasty again. Regardless of that, the vehicle hadn't even lasted long enough to get them to the anomaly.
Lester, Connor and Mattie watched Beacher's outburst with detachment. They only had two bottles of water and the place the anomaly was appearing periodically was still about three miles away. Clearly, Beacher hadn't thought their hasty departure through very well.
As if by command, the three began to move, not really caring if Beacher was following them.
At first they made good progress. They were used to heavy activity in the scorching sun. Beacher, however, wasn't. With increasing frequency, he stumbled and fell into the hot sand, his breathing accelerated to the point of hyperventilation.
Finally, Beacher was at the end of his tether. Instead of rising up and continuing walking, he simply stayed there, lying down in the sand.
Mattie was by his side in an instant. He unscrewed the cap of the water bottle and pressed the neck of the bottle against Beacher’s lips. Beacher took a large sip then pushed the bottle away.
"Come! Stand up!"
But Beacher was too exhausted. When Mattie tried to pull him up, Beacher struggled against Mattie's grip and sunk back to the ground.
"Go on without me."
Mattie shook his head. "I won't leave you behind. Come on, stand up. It isn't so far any more."
"You have to hurry. The anomaly will open soon. I'm just slowing you down. Go!"
"No!"
"I will follow you when I'm feeling better. As an alternative I can always go back to the camp. It's closer anyway."
"They will kill you."
"No, they will leave me alone. I'm still one of them. They just wanted you and your friends."
"I don't understand."
"Camp 4. I've been there," Beacher panted. "With Johnson, Lem, Ben, Jailbird and a few others. Something like that welds people together. But they would have expected me to hand you over. I couldn't allow that. They would have killed you. Just like the other younger ones. I couldn't stand to watch you die."
"Why would they do that? Why kill the younger ones?
"Their meat is more tender and not as sweet-tasting."
A shudder went through Mattie's entire body as the implication of what had transpired in Camp 4 hit him and as he realised what had happened to Dafyyd.
"What, were you thinking how the people in Camp 4 survived when the food ran out?" Beacher laughed cruelly.
His laugh went over into a sob when Mattie dropped the water bottle in the sand and started to run away from him, his face distorted into a look of sheer horror.
"Lester, Connor, take him to safety. Please. He has to survive," Beacher ground out.
Connor took a last look at Beacher and then followed his friend.
Lester regarded Beacher with a stony expression then he said in a grave voice, "I will do what is necesary to make sure that they both survive."
Gasping from the exertion of sprinting, Lester caught up with Mattie and Connor half a mile later. By then, Mattie had calmed down and trudged stoically through the sand, his face completely closed off.
Author: TalliW
Characters: James Lester/Connor Temple
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Primeval is the property of Impossible Pictures. I write just for fun.
Acknowledgments: Thanks to the wonderful Fredbassett for beta duty.
Summary:
Lester and Connor have to fight for survival in a future where a
climatic catastrophe has drastically changed the world.
Six hours had gone by since the riot had started. The noises from outside had died down. The night had finally crept up on the mob, covering the traces of their villainous deeds in a blanket of darkness and giving the survivors time to regroup.
While Connor was still awake, Lester had finally succumbed to sleep. With his head resting on Connor's shoulder, he was softly snoring.
Beacher had allowed himself only an hour of rest, knowing it was only the illusion of quiet. Like hungry wolves, the rioters were besieging the building, only kept back by Beacher's little private army. But the food the rioters were hoping to gain was long gone. Most of it had already been handed out to the workers and the rest Beacher had given to the boys to buy their loyalty. Now only a handful of rations remained, just enough to keep him and the other occupants of the building fed for two more days.
Beacher's eyes swept over the small group of sleeping teenagers on the floor, huddled together as if they needed to conserve bodily warmth but probably just seeking comfort in each other’s arms and a stab of regret hit him. They were not much older than his nephew. But he could not save them. He wasn't even sure if he could save Mattie. But he had to try.
Beacher was circling the hall for the fifth time now. Usually the pacing helped him think. This time however he had a hard time concentrating.
It would be difficult to get out of the camp. He might make a deal with Johnson to get free passage for himself and Mattie. But handing Connor over was out of the question. Mattie would never forgive him that. Besides, they needed Connor to operate the ADD. No, he had to find another solution, and he had to find it fast.
With a grim smile, Beacher noticed how Connor eyed him with mistrust and how he clutched the handheld ADD a tad more firmly as if he could read Beacher's dark thoughts.
If only the damned thing hadn't been protected against improper use, he and Mattie could have got to safety long since. He should have forced the secret of how to activate the device out of the guy, before Mattie had started to care for him so much. He had got far too softhearted in the last few years.
Having finally come to a decision, Beacher turned away from Connor and approached Mattie, who was still sitting at the same spot he’d been in for hours.
"Mattie, I don't want to be alone tonight," Beacher whispered, hating himself for the pleading tone that had crept in his voice.
But he wasn't overly surprised when Mattie raised his head and regarded him with disdain.
Another time he might have accepted Mattie's refusal but not tonight. "Come with me. Now!" he said more sharply than he intended.
Mattie took one look at Beacher's face and then stood gracefully up to follow him to one of the back rooms.
In the morning, the ADD announced an anomaly only about five miles away from the camp. But, as quickly as the anomaly had turned up on the screen, it flickered out of existence.
Another anomaly in the same area appeared three hours later and stayed open for almost twenty minutes. Three hours later there was a third.
For Lester and Connor it was close enough to a pattern to take their chances. Beacher would deactivate the electric fence after sunset and then they all would creep out of the camp under the cover of night and go looking for the anomaly.
Connor sat up with a start as he heard the sound of nervous chatter. Lester was still not back from his trip to the loo and Connor tried to evaluate how long he'd actually been asleep.
As he'd blinked the haze of sleep from his eyes, the barrels of several guns came into focus and then moved out of sight as the group of teenage boys started to walk towards the exit looking like troopers marching off to war.
Confused, Connor watched them go as Lester stumbled into the hall with Mattie's limp body in his arms and Beacher close on his heels.
Worried what had happened to his friend, Connor rushed towards Lester and came to an abrupt hold as he noticed the gun Beacher was holding pressed between Lester's shoulder blades.
"Are you barking mad? What have you done to Mattie?"
"He's only unconscious. Come on. Move! We don't have much time."
Beacher waved his gun and urged Lester and Connor forwards, along the corridor to the hangar normally used as a parking place for the lorries.
There in the rear corner stood an old, battered two seater dune buggy with two bottles of water lying on the driver's seat
Stunned, Connor stared at the vehicle, completely forgetting his intention to disarm Beacher until Beacher barked at Lester, "Get in! Now!"
With Mattie still in his arms, Lester sat down on the passenger seat whilst Beacher deposited the water bottles in Mattie's lap and climbed in the driver's seat himself.
Beacher motioned at Connor. "The same goes for you, except you might want to stay here."
There was no room left in the buggy for Connor, so he quickly handed Lester the handheld ADD and positioned himself on the steel-tubed frame behind the seats.
Beacher started the engine as soon Connor had found purchase by gripping the roof frame.
The dune buggy shot out of the hangar, past the stone shanties in the direction of the opening gate. Beacher took the curves very sharply and didn't even slow down as three men tried to block his way. They managed to jump to the side at the last moment.
Mattie began to stir as they raced past the Counter. The moment they passed the gate, his eyes flickered open and he ushered a silent moan as the pain in his head from where Beacher had knocked him out with the butt of his gun, set in.
"How could you? They are almost children," Mattie gasped out and with horror Connor realised that Beacher had sent the boys out as some sort of diversion.
"We can't leave them behind. Stop the car. Immediately!" Lester thundered and made a move torwards Beacher.
Beacher lifted his right hand, which was still holding the gun, from the steering wheel and pointed the gun back at Lester whilst he floored the accelerator and took the buggy up to maximum speed. Now only being steered with one hand, the vehicle wavered slightly as it cut its way through the sand dunes.
"I’ve had enough of your morality. I heard you talking the other night. Back then Connor found it quite acceptable to sacrifice anyone in the camp as long you survived. I only did what was necessary. There was no other way to get out of the camp. Johnson would have expected us to flee by night," Beacher shouted over the sudden sound of gunfire from the camp. "The boys are well armed. If they don't win they will at least die fast and with dignity. That's a luxury we won't have if they catch us. So if you don't want to end up like Dafyyd, shut the fuck up now."
No one dared to say a word after that. Connor squeezed his eyes shut to stop the tears from running. He knew his callous words from the other night would haunt him for forever now.
The motor of the buggy began to stutter after the first two miles and died half a mile later, stranding them in the middle of nowhere in the afternoon heat.
Beacher cursed and kicked the tyres. He'd known the buggy wasn't in the best of condition when he’d bought it four years ago for a third of his year's salary. But since then he had put a lot of effort into the car to have an escape option if things should turn nasty again. Regardless of that, the vehicle hadn't even lasted long enough to get them to the anomaly.
Lester, Connor and Mattie watched Beacher's outburst with detachment. They only had two bottles of water and the place the anomaly was appearing periodically was still about three miles away. Clearly, Beacher hadn't thought their hasty departure through very well.
As if by command, the three began to move, not really caring if Beacher was following them.
At first they made good progress. They were used to heavy activity in the scorching sun. Beacher, however, wasn't. With increasing frequency, he stumbled and fell into the hot sand, his breathing accelerated to the point of hyperventilation.
Finally, Beacher was at the end of his tether. Instead of rising up and continuing walking, he simply stayed there, lying down in the sand.
Mattie was by his side in an instant. He unscrewed the cap of the water bottle and pressed the neck of the bottle against Beacher’s lips. Beacher took a large sip then pushed the bottle away.
"Come! Stand up!"
But Beacher was too exhausted. When Mattie tried to pull him up, Beacher struggled against Mattie's grip and sunk back to the ground.
"Go on without me."
Mattie shook his head. "I won't leave you behind. Come on, stand up. It isn't so far any more."
"You have to hurry. The anomaly will open soon. I'm just slowing you down. Go!"
"No!"
"I will follow you when I'm feeling better. As an alternative I can always go back to the camp. It's closer anyway."
"They will kill you."
"No, they will leave me alone. I'm still one of them. They just wanted you and your friends."
"I don't understand."
"Camp 4. I've been there," Beacher panted. "With Johnson, Lem, Ben, Jailbird and a few others. Something like that welds people together. But they would have expected me to hand you over. I couldn't allow that. They would have killed you. Just like the other younger ones. I couldn't stand to watch you die."
"Why would they do that? Why kill the younger ones?
"Their meat is more tender and not as sweet-tasting."
A shudder went through Mattie's entire body as the implication of what had transpired in Camp 4 hit him and as he realised what had happened to Dafyyd.
"What, were you thinking how the people in Camp 4 survived when the food ran out?" Beacher laughed cruelly.
His laugh went over into a sob when Mattie dropped the water bottle in the sand and started to run away from him, his face distorted into a look of sheer horror.
"Lester, Connor, take him to safety. Please. He has to survive," Beacher ground out.
Connor took a last look at Beacher and then followed his friend.
Lester regarded Beacher with a stony expression then he said in a grave voice, "I will do what is necesary to make sure that they both survive."
Gasping from the exertion of sprinting, Lester caught up with Mattie and Connor half a mile later. By then, Mattie had calmed down and trudged stoically through the sand, his face completely closed off.