Doctor Who_ Full Circle - Andrew Smith [11]
'Let's cut across the marsh,' said Hektir.
Yenik hesitated. 'I don't know... it might be dangerous. We don't know how deep it is.'
'Have faith, Yenik,' said Hektir with a smile. 'Come on. These thorns are cutting me to pieces. I want to get back to the cave before this mist gets any thicker.' Without waiting for an answer from Yenik, he waded quickly into the water. It went up to his waist.
'Wait for me!' Yenik cried, and lumbered after his friend. The two boys moved quickly and noisily through the water. It was a fairly short distance to the other side.
'Hurry up, Yenik,' Hektir urged as he began to lift himself out of the murky water.
Yenik stopped suddenly, aghast, as he saw the slimy, scaly hand rising out of the water behind Hektir, reaching up for his friend's head.
'Hektir!' Yenik screamed, too late, as the hand grabbed a clump of Hektir's hair. Hektir was halfway out of the water. The hand pulled and he screamed as he fell back under the surface of the water.
It was a huge, loud splash, throwing a fountain of water into the air. Yenik stood rooted to the spot, staring at the water where Hektir had gone under until it was perfectly smooth and undisturbed.
It was as if Hektir had never existed.
Yenik was standing in the middle of the expanse of water, feeling cold and very afraid, wondering what the something was that was in the water with him, wondering when it would strike...
For some good time he stood there, unmoving, staring fixedly at the muddy bank some eight or ten feet away from him.
Hektir's boot print. He could see it.
How fast could he move eight or ten feet across water?
He was about to try it when they struck. Not one, but three of them, leaping up out of the water around him, screaming, landing on him and dragging him under. It was over in an instant.
The water settled.
It was as if no one had ever been there.
The boarding area was almost empty. Nearly all the citizens were on board now - just one or two due in from the more remote harvest sites.
Login was still there, waiting, growing more anxious by the minute.
Nefred, standing by the door, was joined by Garif. 'Not long now,' Nefred remarked.
Quietly, as if wanting no one else to hear, Garif explained, 'When that door closes, you will be First Decider.'
Nefred's lips set in a firm, staunch line which told Garif he was well aware of the fact. 'And we shall need a third,' he pointed out.
Both men looked towards Login.
Adric drew to a halt in a small clearing on hearing the shrill, cutting whine of the Mistfall Siren. Emanating from the starliner, it was the signal that the doors were about to close. His legs sagged and he had to hold on to the trunk of a tree to prevent himself from collapsing on the ground.
He had no hope of reaching the starliner in time.
With melancholy sweeping over him like a cold tide, Adric lifted his head... and saw the TARDIS.
It stood on the other side of the clearing, a blue incongruity. At first glance he took it for a monolith, but now, looking more closely, he saw it had doors. Not entirely sure whether what he saw was reality or a mirage, Adric moved towards it.
The doors were ajar. He pushed on those doors and stepped inside, grimacing at the sudden burst of bright white light from the interior. As his eyes grew accustomed to the glare, he took in his surroundings - or tried to. He was standing in a large white room, in the middle of which stood what looked like an instrument bank of some kind.
Then he saw the people - a man and a woman, looking at him with perplexed expressions.
The man said something, but Adric could hear nothing over the throbbing in his head which had been developing since his escape from the marsh. Reading the man's lips, however, he could make out that he was asking, 'Who are you?'
Before Adric could answer, he passed out.
Varsh stood in the middle of the cave, trembling with fright, feeling more helpless and uncertain than he had ever felt before. Hearing the sounds of movement outside, he tensed and brought