Doctor Who_ Nightshade - Mark Gatiss [76]
weapon of sorts.
Trevithick pushed his finger on to the button again and He cast a glance at the lift doors. If the power was off he the doors began closing once more. Still the creature fought was as good as dead. But some of the consoles had come on, hooking its claws around the creaking metal doors.
back to life. There was just a chance...
Trevithick bit his lip and caught hold of its eye with shaking Trevithick strained his old eyes, cursing himself for hands. It was cold to the touch. With a great cry of effort, he leaving his spectacles, and just made out a tiny winking red brought down the extinguisher on to the compound lens light by the lift buttons. He sighed with relief and paddled and beat at it repeatedly as the creature wailed and chittered his arms across the floor.
in pain. Again and again he struck till the eye fractured and Got it.
exploded, splattering his coat in colourless fluid.
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DOCTOR WHO: NIGHTSHADE
DOCTOR WHO: NIGHTSHADE
With one final heave, he pushed the great head back into It’s going to get through. It’s going to get through.
the corridor and the doors clanged shut. A beautiful Trevithick gave up on the door and looked around the lift.
humming silence met his ears and he slid to the floor. The There was a knee-high tubular ashtray in one corner. In the lift went up.
ceiling was the familiar escape door he’d seen in countless Something bulky was pressing into his side and he films. He’d even crawled through one in some cheap grabbed at his jacket to remove the obstruction. With a sigh American picture his wife had persuaded him to do in order of disbelief, he pulled out his service revolver. Curse his to pay for a new fridge.
useless memory! All this time attacking the thing with a fire But this was now, this was real. Could he even squeeze extinguisher when he could’ve...
through the hole? And what would he do when he got there?
There was a dull thud below. The lift shook slightly but Trevithick jumped as the creature ripped through the continued its flight upwards. Trevithick looked at the floor floor. The bristly head lolled back mockingly.
indicator. He had been on Level 8, it appeared, so there Trevithick gave it two bullets in its uninjured eye.
were seven floors below ground. The indicator went up to The creature bellowed in pain and fell back some way 27. Right the way up to the dish. He swallowed nervously, through the hole in the floor. Fist-sized lenses spattered never having been good with heights. In his agitation he against the walls.
had pressed randomly. Level 15 was his destination, but Trevithick pulled at the ashtray which fell and spilled its that was bound to be beyond the creatures’ reach, wasn’t it?
contents. He picked it up and jammed it against the wall, At Level 15, the lift shook again. Trevithick frowned, got pocketing his revolver and casting an anxious glance at the to his feet and waited for the doors to open. Nothing hole in the floor. The creature’s claws were scrabbling about happened. He placed the flat of his hands against the cool again, making a fresh attempt to pull itself into the lift.
metal and tried to push the doors apart.
Trevithick tore at the expensive lining of his jacket until it With a terrifying screech, the lift floor buckled as the ripped across, then stuffed the fire extinguisher inside. It creature attempted to punch its way through. Trevithick was bulky and heavy but, once he was out of bullets, it was gave a little whimper and thrust his fingernails between the the only weapon he had.
doors. He had been so desperate to get in, now...
Without another moment’s hesitation, he climbed on to Please, please, please...
the wobbling ashtray and reached towards the ceiling hatch.
The creature must have forced its way through the He pushed with his fingertips but the hatch resisted. Why exterior set of doors and clung to the bottom of the lift as it was nothing going right for him?
ascended. Trevithick felt