Doctor Who_ The Nightmare of Black Island - Mike Tucker [44]
That had been two hours ago and Mervyn had stood in the window, staring into the night, ever since. Beth had never seen him angrier or more despairing. She had tried to talk to him but the anguish on his face had frightened her more than she dared show. Now she tried to convince herself that Ali was a sensible girl. That she knew the dangers of the night and would find herself somewhere safe to hide until it was dawn.
Beth looked over at the clock that hung above the bar, watching the second hand making its way inexorably around the face. Dawn was such a long, long way away.
The door of the pub crashed open and Beth swung round in fearful anticipation. The Doctor breezed through with Bronwyn in his wake. He crossed to the bar, flashing a brilliant smile at Beth.
‘I know!’
The assembled villagers watched him in open-mouthed amazement.
‘I know how to deal with this. At least I know how to start to deal with this. Bronwyn’s idea. Brilliant. But I need your help.’
Mervyn charged across the pub, catching the Doctor by the lapels 104
of his coat and slamming him back against the wall.
‘No, Mervyn!’ screamed Beth. ‘Don’t.’
Jeff Palmer stepped forward. ‘Don’t be foolish, Mervyn.’
‘The only foolish thing we’ve done has been to let this man and his friend anywhere near our daughter.’ Mervyn Hardy’s voice was shaking with rage.
The Doctor shook himself free from the big man’s grip, looking round at the hostile faces in the pub.
‘I haven’t got time for this. Rose is in trouble and I need your help to rescue her.’
‘Oh, so now you need our help,’ Mervyn sneered contemptuously.
‘You sent your friend up to the Morton place, and now she’s trapped there, and our daughter with her!’
‘You mean to say that Ali. . . ’ The Doctor looked from Mervyn to Beth in alarm.
Beth came out from behind the bar, her face pleading. ‘You said you were going to help us. And now Ali is out there, like Mervyn said. With those things. . . ’
Unable to hold it in any more, the tears started to flood from her eyes. She buried her face in her husband’s chest.
‘Now listen to me.’ The Doctor’s voice rang strongly across the pub, confident and controlling. ‘I said I would help and I meant it.’
‘Help?
Poking around on Black Island with that mad old bat.’
Mervyn nodded at Bronwyn.
‘Yes, poking around on Black Island. Very interesting poking. Interesting and informative poking that might just hold the key to what is going on here. We found machinery in the lighthouse –’
‘That lighthouse hasn’t been used for years,’ Mervyn interrupted.
‘Well, it’s being used now! Perhaps if you’d done some poking of your own, you might have found that out for yourselves!’
‘What sort of machinery?’ asked Bob Perry.
‘Alien machinery.’ The Doctor kept his voice level. ‘Alien machinery that affects the minds of your children, that keeps you docile and afraid and stops you thinking straight. Alien machinery that has paralysed you into inactivity.’
105
A low muttering went around the pub.
‘Alien?’ Bob snorted. ‘What? You think you and your girlfriend are like those two from The X-Files or something?’
‘Yes.’
‘You’re having a laugh.’
‘Do I look like I’m laughing?’
‘Now look, it’s our daughter out there.’ Mervyn’s voice was low and dangerous. ‘And she’s –’
‘Completely safe if we wake everyone up!’ shouted the Doctor. The pub went silent.
‘The creatures are created by the children. That’s one reason why you didn’t want to call anyone for help, isn’t it, Mrs Hardy? You worked it out. You knew that the creatures only appeared when your children fell asleep, and you were afraid. Afraid that if anyone found out your children would be taken away.’
The Doctor looked at the expectant faces surrounding him. ‘Whatever is going on at the rectory relies on the dreams of the children.