Page 11 * * * * * * Sam didn't want to open her eyes.
* * * * * *
She had never had sleep this truly restful before.
Completely relaxed, no dreams, and even better...no pain.
Sensation, yes....in fact her senses seemed to be better than ever as each one kicked in.
She heard the even
breathing of the men beside her and her mind felt safe, knowing her team was with her.
Then, her sense of smell seemed to activate and the scent of blood and death overwhelmed her.
Just as the fact that someone very near to
her position was dead and had been for awhile registered, she felt hands shaking her roughly.
Daniel. It had to be Daniel.
His voice came as if from far away.
She could almost feel his terror and pain.
Dimmly, she
wondered if it was the Colonel that had died...from his shoulder wound, perhaps.
It would make sense that she was being shaken while Daniel lifted the Colonel off of her.
But no, now she could hear the Colonel's voice, too.
Oh no...Teal'c?
She tried to open her eyes now, shaking off the sluggish complacency affecting her reactions.
Her first sight was of Daniel, tears streaking down his face as his entire body shook in sobs.
She turned a
bit and saw the Colonel put his good arm around Daniel, pulling the younger man into a tight embrace as his own tears began to fall.
Teal'c came into her field of vision, confusing her.
If it wasn't Teal'c that was dead, then who?
Wait...
Impossible...I can't be...can I?
Sam jolted upright in panic to show the guys she was still there and found herself sitting in the middle of a body.
Swinging
her legs around, it horrified her to see legs that looked just like hers stay put as she moved.
The instant she saw the body's face her vision swam and queasiness caused her to retch, but nothing came out.
Of course nothing came out...she was dead.
She was dead.
The words kept hitting her.
Over and over...like a chant.
Dead....She was dead...
Forcing her eyes open, she reached down and touched the blood surrounding
the dart that had severed her jugular, causing her to bleed to death.
Noting that while she felt the blood, her hand didn't dislodge any of it as she almost casually dragged her fingers through the dark liquid still pooling a
bit on the ground.
It hadn't even clotted...probably something on the dart.
She looked around, realizing they were still on the path.
Blood squirting from her throat had probably scared off whoever it was that had shot
them.
She didn't remember any pain.
She probably fell asleep as she bled and died, literally, in her sleep.
Wonderful.
So this was death.
She stood up, but when she tried to step away from her corpse she hit what
felt like a wall.
Forcefield?
Daniel and Jack had gotten up and were debating what to do.
She felt sick again as the fear that death meant being tied to the spot where you died assailed her.
Oh please don't tell me this is what I have in store for eternity.
She opened her mouth to scream, but no one heard her.
Daniel paused for a second, though, and dropped to the ground as if his legs had disappeared.
Jack
pulled him upright, the one armed grip a bit shaky, trying to get through to him that they had to get going.
Teal'c's face was carved in stone, but his eyes were filled with pain and he was obviously deliberately not looking at
her body while he continued putting things in their packs.
That's when she noticed what a mess their stuff was.
The natives had probably scavenged through everything.
Great.
She placed her hands against the force field,
trying to find a weakness in it somewhere.
So intent was she on her task, that when her body started moving, she didn't notice at first.
When she did, she simply assumed someone was getting her body ready to drag.
That
thought brought with it hope...at least if they moved her body, maybe she would go with it and not be stuck on this planet.
Then the thoughts of having to stick around and watch her own body be autopsied assailed her.
She
would probably be stuck sitting around in a cemetary for the rest of eternity, possibly surrounded by lots of dead strangers she'd never met.
Depression and not a little anger descended on her, clouding her vision for a second.
Then she heard Jack scream.
It wasn't a fearful scream.
It was one of horror, rage, and emotional pain.
It cut straight through her and she jerked around to see what had caused it.
A small animal...mostly teeth by
the looks of it...had latched it's jaw around her corpse's throat and was attempting to drag her head away.
Jack hadn't finished screaming before Teal'c was there, kicking the animal into the air.
In shock, it dropped her head onto the ground, causing it to roll a bit.
All three men had blanched and Daniel lost control of his stomach as it hit him.
She didn't blame him.
If she could, she would have, too.
There was something just really wrong with watching this.
The men left anything they hadn't picked up and gathered around her beheaded body.
Gently, almost reverently, Teal'c wrapped his shirt around her torso, covering up
the wound.
Daniel picked up her severed head, his fingers shaking violently and carefully put it in the 'samples' bag Jack had found near Sam's pack.
Placing the head in his pack, Jack looked at Teal'c and saw what the
warrior wished to do.
He nodded and put his arm around Daniel to steady himself.
Sam's eyes filled with tears as she watched her best friends, brothers, show just how much they cared.
She desperately wished she could let them know she was here.
Teal'c effortlessly, but carefully picked up her body.
Suddenly the force field vanished.
Sam felt herself sling feet-first into Teal'c's body, all control gone.
As Teal'c walked in the Stargate's direction, Sam was dragged along by a physical force.
Not touching the ground, sometimes turning sideways a bit, she tried to figure out what exactly was happening.
Her mind immediately began flooding with theories and she began experimenting.
It would help to take her mind off the reality of what Teal'c was carrying.
She had been trying to slow down or move away from Teal'c so instead,
she move towards him and instantly the force died down.
It didn't go away, but she could move freely within about 3 feet in any direction except the opposite of where Teal'c was going.
As soon as she turned around, the force
dragged her again, this time turning her upside down.
It wasn't until she heard the tell-tale whoosh of the Stargate that she realized they were there.
The men weren't crying, but pain was etched in their expressions.
Tracks in the dirt on their cheeks showed where tears had fallen.
She had only a brief moment to wonder what the wormhole ride would be like now that she was dead before Teal'c stepped into the even horizon and they were off.
It was even wilder than before.
She usually felt as if she had become speed itself.
Flying with no plane around her.
This, this was indescribable.
Maybe it was because she hadn't entered inside her body, but she would
never forget this experience.
Story, graphics, and extra characters are © 1999-2000 StoneGarnets/Garnet Hyneman. Guestbook by Xoom. SG-1 and established canon characters are © MGM, etc...This is a non-profit fansite.
