Doctor Who_ The Nightmare of Black Island - Mike Tucker [40]
The Doctor bounded to her side. Bronwyn pointed in disbelief at a 93
rock pool at the water’s edge. The water had turned thick and treacly, glowing from within like lava. It then boiled and writhed like a living thing as a crude face formed on the surface.
‘Time Lord!’ The voice boomed around the island. The Doctor stared incredulously at it. ‘Impossible.’
‘Doctor, look!’
Bronwyn tugged at his sleeve. Silhouetted against the sky, two large figures lumbered into view, pot-bellied and thick-legged, their huge clawed arms steadying them on the uneven surface. Jet-black eyes fixed on the Doctor and Bronwyn, and the things giggled horribly, like huge babies.
From somewhere in the dark there was a harsh grating cry: ‘Seek!
Locate! Exterminate!’
The Doctor turned and bundled Bronwyn towards the boat.
‘Get it started! Now!’
Flustered, Bronwyn scrambled across the weed-slick rocks, hauling herself into the boat and fumbling with the starter cord of the engine. The Doctor unwound the rope from where it was tied, tossing it to Bronwyn and then hopping onboard himself.
The engine coughed and spluttered. For a moment the Doctor thought it was going to die, but then with a roar it caught, billowing bluish smoke around them. Bronwyn swung the handle of the outboard hard about and the motorboat swung in a tight circle. The prow lined up with the entrance to the cove and the boat surged forward, waves splashing across its prow. The Doctor looked back at the island, eyes flicking from rock to rock desperately, hoping that they’d not left their escape too late. His eyes narrowed. A small figure stood on a craggy promontory watching them. Not a monster, but a small child. A boy clutching a ragged cloth toy.
As he watched, the child gave them a wave, then turned and vanished from view. The Doctor’s mind raced. Up to now the creatures that had stalked the woods and the island had been impossible imaginary creatures, their shapes and sizes drawn directly from the over-active imagina94 tions of frightened children. The last few apparitions they had seen, however, had been quite different. The Nestene Consciousness, the Slitheen and the Daleks were all creatures that no earthbound child could possibly know about. They were creatures with their basis in fact, and here and now there was only one common denominator other than himself.
Rose.
95
Ali watched from her hiding place in a cupboard under the stairs as Rose was half-led, half-carried from the ward by two nurses. She ducked back out of sight, closing the cupboard door to a crack as they manoeuvred Rose across the hall and dragged her up the stairs. Their heavy footsteps sent trickles of dust down on where Ali had tucked herself between old Hoovers and boxes full of empty wine bottles. She covered her nose, determined not to sneeze.
Following Rose and her captors through the dark of the old rectory had been the most terrifying thing that Ali had ever done in her life. Every corner she rounded was a step into the unknown, every shadow was thick with menace. She had hurried up the stairs from the cellar, desperate not to lose sight of Rose, padding along darkened corridors, following the sound of footsteps echoing through the dusty old house. She had nearly been caught as she made her way into the wide hallway. A door had opened behind her and she had run forward blindly, expecting to be seen at any moment. But she had been lucky
– the nurses in the hallway had their backs to her. She had spotted a cupboard under the stairs and dived into it, holding her breath as two more nurses rounded the corner, making their way across the hall and 97
vanishing through two big double doors.
Ali had waited in the cool dark of the cupboard, watching as Rose was marched across the hall and pushed through those double doors by the woman with the gun. That had been ages ago. Ali had been wondering how long she would have to wait before trying to make her escape from the house when the doors had opened again and Rose had been dragged out.
Ali waited as short a time as she dared,