Doctor Who_ Return of the Living Dad - Kate Orman [85]
She put him on the bed and watched him for a little while.
Her child. She put a hand on her stomach. Had he been conceived that morning? Had the Doctor worked some magic, or was it just time?
Was she somewhere in the future, frantic over her lost baby? Or would she remember, know where he’d gone? Or was this Keith just a possibility, a memory of the future who would simply fade away?
She’d gone into the bathroom to wash her face. It was after midnight, and she was exhausted.
She shouldn’t have left him.
She almost walked into Woodworth, who’d been waiting for her to come back into the room. When she opened her mouth to yell, Woodworth shoved her fist into it.
A bright light filled her field of vision as she stumbled back into the door, trying to keep her balance. It was only a few seconds before the light faded and she could function again. But in that time the torturer had run out, clutching her baby.
Benny almost tripped over Ms Randrianasolo, who was lying half in and half out of the study, very unconscious. She stepped over the black woman and raced down the back stairs, hearing the door slam ahead of her.
Woodworth headed for the road. She skidded in gravel, nearly dropping Keith, as Jason exploded out of the front door of the café and bolted down the street.
Benny sprinted after her. She wanted to shout something to Woodworth, some plea or frantic promise, but she needed all her breath for running.
It was only a coincidence that Chris walked out of the cottage at the moment Woodworth was running by. He took one look at her and hurdled the front fence, standing in her path. She veered left and into the churchyard.
Benny was through the gates even before Chris.
Woodworth was stumbling between the gravestones, looking for a way out, one hand clutching the back of Keith’s overalls.
Afterwards’ Benny realized she had seen the strange light, an orange, pulsing glow like a low campfire, coming from a corner of the graveyard. But she was so fixated on WoodWorth and Keith, barely visible by the distant street lights, that she hadn’t taken any notice of it.
Chris was beside her, in his pyjamas and bare feet. ‘All right,’ he said calmly. ‘We’re not armed, and we’re not going to come any closer. You’re not in any danger. Why don’t you tell us what you want?’
‘Just you bloody keep away from me!’ Woodworth snarled.
Jason had come in through the gate, followed by Isaac and Roz. Where was the Doctor? Chris glanced back at them and raised a hand.
‘No problem,’ the Adjudicator told Woodworth. ‘I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you let the kid come over here, and then all of us will just back away slowly? How does that sound?’
Woodworth just held Keith more tightly. ‘Don’t talk to me!’
she squealed. ‘Shut up, whatever the hell you are! All of you, you’re all monsters’ just leave me alone!’
The heartbeat filled the graveyard, suddenly, as though a switch had been thrown. They all looked around for the source of the sound. Woodworth let out an almighty scream, One of the tombstones was coming for her.
‘What the cruk is that?’ said Chris.
The stone was huge and mossy, taller than a man. An orange light pulsed inside it as it moved. A smaller tombstone was crushed to dust beneath it as it headed for the panicked woman.
‘Keith!’ shouted Benny. ‘Come here’ Keith! Come to mummy! Come here!’
Woodworth had almost lost her grip on the toddler, hypnotized by the stone. Keith struggled out of her arms and made a wobbling run for Benny. She snatched him up and got the hell out of the way of the stone.
Woodworth didn’t try to back away. She didn’t scream.
She just stood there staring up at the worst thing she had ever seen.
The stone hovered for a moment, its orange heartbeat fading to nothing. Then it silently toppled forward and crushed her flatter than a pancake.
Benny and Keith both burst into tears. Jason put his arms around his family and held them tightly.
The stone flared with orange light again, sucking.
‘Well,’ tremored Isaac, ‘that will save on cattle mutilations