Doctor Who_ Bad Therapy - Matthew Jones [132]
The black cab was wider than the stairs. It touched the bannisters and its front wings bulged around the metal bars for a moment before it absorbed them into itself and began moving up the first step.
Patsy screwed her face up in disgust. She almost gave up, only the idea of the monstrous vehicle swallowing Christopher girded her into action. She climbed up past him before turning, getting hold of him under his arms and dragging his dead weight up the steps.
Come on, Squire Cwej. Don’t give up on me yet.
The cab moved slowly, perhaps affected by trying to accommodate the railings within itself, but it showed no sign of giving up its chase.
Patsy reached the flat roof of the Top Ten Club and dragged Chris across to the far side. The air was clear of smog, the fires in Notting Hill had filled the night sky with dark orange streaks.
There wasn’t anywhere to go from here. They were trapped.
She shook him gently. ‘We’re in trouble, Cwej; you can’t go to sleep, not yet.’
He looked peaceful. She almost could taste his need to rest on her tongue.
Well, you can’t always have what you want.
She slapped him rudely awake. ‘Wake up, Adjudicator Cwej, or I’ll have you transferred and get myself a decent squire.’ Patsy didn’t know what the words she was saying meant, but she knew who they belonged to.
‘Roz,’ he slurred and opened his eyes, focusing on something beyond her.
‘Roz, behind you.’
The cab bounced on to the roof, accelerating, its bright headlamps chasing each other across the wet floor of the roof as it swung from side to side, searching them out in the darkness.
The air was like treacle in the underground cavern. The aniseed smell from the pools of black tar was overwhelming, and made Jack feel giddy and nauseous. He moved as quietly as he could down the crumbling stairs that were cut into the side of the cavern. Below him he could see the Doctor bent over one of the fiery spheres, behind him Moriah held his bride in his arms.
229
Jack’s attention was distracted by movement in one of the corners of the cavern. From out of the shadows, he saw a figure in a white tunic stalk the Doctor. It was one of Moriah’s blank-faced mannequins, armed with a double-pronged spear.
‘Doctor,’ Jack cried, but he was too far away and his voice was lost in the huge chamber.
Moriah’s attention appeared to be completely focused on his bride.
Jack shouted down at the tiny figures again. At this distance he couldn’t tell if the Doctor had heard him. He set off, taking the large, crumbling stone steps two at a time.
As he neared the floor of the cavern, he could see the Doctor more clearly.
His mouth was moving as if he were engaged in an anxious conversation with himself. His face was a mask of concentration. His eyes staring, without blinking, at the task in front of him.
The creature moved stealthily towards him, stalking the Doctor as if he were a dangerous animal and it a brave hunter. Jack saw that Moriah was looking over his bride’s shoulder, watching the creature’s progress with his old, impassionate eyes. The creature crept up behind the Doctor and raised its glinting spear, preparing to plunge it into his back.
‘No!’ Jack screamed. ‘Doctor! Look out!’
The Doctor looked up from his task to see Jack running down the last of the stone stairs towards him and his face furrowed in desperate annoyance. ‘Jack, don’t, you’ll spoil –’ And then he must have understood the panic on Jack’s face because he spun around just as the creature brought its weapon down upon him.
Chris blinked as he lay on the edge of the flat roof. Someone was shining lights in his eyes. Two bright white shining lights. They were getting nearer.
His shoulder felt frozen, the joint had locked and he couldn’t feel his arm at all.
He blinked again. The shining lights were headlamps of a black cab – no, of the black cab. Part of his memory returned. The monster, coming for them out of the smog.
Through his tears he saw someone – Roz? – standing next to him. It was just like her to have to end up looking