Doctor Who_ Cats Cradle_ Witch Mark - Andrew Hunt [64]
'Nitro-nine!' Ace dropped her rucksack and pulled out one of her explosive cans of deodorant. One of her hands clamped lightly on the lid in readiness. She looked to the Doctor.
'All right, Ace, just this once,' he gave his permission.
The beast moved towards them from out of the gloom. Quick as a flash, Ace whipped the top of the can off and flung it at the advancing creature.
'Five-second fuse!' she cried and flung herself to the ground. An orange and white flower blossomed briefly in the dark.
The creature let out an ululating howl, thick with pain. In the light of the explosion, Ace had glimpsed its long, rangy limbs and its thick trunk; its head sported two bulbous, glaring eyes and its mouth bristled with fangs that dripped saliva.
‘Jesus Christ,' she breathed a prayer - the creature was still standing. In an almost human motion, it shook itself as if to clear its head.
Hatred shone in its eyes as it turned to face them. It had them now - they could not outrun it. Now perhaps they would never reach Goibhnie. Maybe this demon had been sent to prevent their approach.
Ace wondered if it would toy with them, like a cat playing with a mouse. She inched closer to the Doctor seeking reassurance. His skin was icy cold.
With a wail of attack, the creature bore down on them. Stretching its gleaming talons ahead of it, it slashed at Ace's face. She fell backwards, crashing down on to her rucksack. The Doctor reached forward to help her up, but now the beast was over them. It exhaled noxious fumes into her face and its IIWS opened wide to accept her flesh.
7:
Unwelcome Visitors
Inspector Stevens reversed his car a few metres and pulled up on to the grassy banking and into the damp clutches of an overgrown gorse thicket. Jack stumbled alongside the car, trying to pull the door open. When the car came to a stop, he managed to jerk the handle up and almost fell on to the passenger seat.
'You mustn't stop,’ he gasped, ‘we’ve got to get after them.’
Stevens pulled back on the hand brake 'Now just a minute, lad. Get after who?’
'I don't know who they were,' Jack almost shouted. ‘But they’ve got my friend. Kidnapped him.’
‘Kidnapped? Stevens queried him .
‘Yeah, we were camping in that field d o wn there and they just came along, ripped open the tent and bundled David into the van. You must have seen it!’
Stevens nodded. ' The van you were chasing?'
‘Jesus Christ!’ Jack shouted and buried his head in his hands. When he turned to look at Stevens he spoke very slowly. ‘Look, it’s very simple. Those guys have kidnapped David and we’ve got to get after the bastards.'
‘Well why didn’t you say so?' Stevens revved up the engine and slammed the car into gear. Spewing mud up from the banking, it leapt into the road. 'You picked the r ight car to jump in front of,’ he commented and took a hand off the wheel for Jack to shake. ‘I'm Inspector Stevens of Scotland Yard.'
‘Yeah, I’m Jack. Can you keep your eyes on the road?’ White arrows intermingled with black loomed ominously close in front of them and then swing away rapidly.
‘Any idea why these people kidnapped your friend?’
‘No… well, yes. Sort of You wouldn't believe it though. I saw the damned centaur and I'm not sure I believe it.’
Steven’s eyes gleamed and the flab on his face hardened as his muscles tensed. 'My dear chap,' he said flippantly, 'it's my job to believe in things that other people wouldn't credit. Flying saucers? Of course, they exist. Yeti! Saw them in the London Underground twenty years ago. Ghosts! A headless woman in white with a black dog used to walk through my bedroom at midnight. Mermaids? Grandpa was rescued from the Marie Celeste by one. Vampires? I always wondered where my dad went to at night. Telepathy? Right now you're thinking that I'm talking crap. So what can you tell me that I won't believe in?'
Jack shifted nervously in his seat and wondered if he was safe with this guy. Eventually he ventured,
'Centaurs?'
'Centaurs and unicorns?' Stevens clapped his hands but, Jack was pleased to note,