Doctor Who_ The Nightmare of Black Island - Mike Tucker [5]
‘Great if you like fish.’
‘Exactly!’ He lowered the glasses and turned to her. ‘Where did you see the fisherman?’
Rose nodded down the cliff. A well-worn path snaked through the gorse, winding its way to an untidy jumble of rocks at the water’s edge.
‘Down there, on the rocks.’
The Doctor raised his opera glasses again, scanning the coast. ‘No sign of any monsters. . . Hello. . . ’
Rose’s heart jumped. ‘What is it? Have you seen it?’
‘I think there’s someone there.’ The Doctor frowned. ‘Thought I caught a glimpse of someone at the shoreline.’
‘The creature?’
‘Not unless it’s taken to wearing a long white coat.’ He tucked the glasses back into his pocket. ‘Come on. Let’s take a closer look.’
The Doctor set off down the rocky path, his own coat billowing out behind him.
‘Hang about!’
Rose set off after him a little more cautiously. The rain and spray had made the path treacherous and gorse barbs tore at her clothes as she pushed her way down the narrow sheep track. By the time she reached the bottom, the hems of her jeans were streaked with mud, her trainers sodden.
The path ended at a narrow spit of land, scrubby grass that sloped down to the sea. Huge wet boulders, flecked with foam and seaweed lay jumbled up against the shore. The Doctor was squatted on top of one of them, seemingly oblivious to the spray that swirled around him each time a wave crashed in. He was prodding at the rock with his sonic screwdriver.
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He glanced up at her as she picked her way over. ‘Nothing. No sign of monster, fisherman, anything. . . ’
‘What about your white-coated figure?’
‘No.’ The Doctor pursed his lips. ‘No sign of him, or her, either.’
‘Well, they can’t have got past us. There’s no other way down from the cliffs and they’d be mad to take a boat out in this. You must have been seeing things.’
The Doctor hopped down from his rock. ‘Perhaps I dreamt them.’
‘That’s not funny.’
‘Neither is this. Look.’
The Doctor pointed at a rock pool, little more than a crevice in the wet rock. Rose raised a hand to her mouth. Among the seaweed and barnacles the pool was bright red.
The Doctor knelt down, scanning the liquid with his screwdriver. Rose knelt next to him.
‘Is it. . . ’
‘Blood, yes.’ The Doctor’s face was grim. ‘There’s more here. And here.’
Leading Rose by the hand, the Doctor followed the gruesome trail across the rocks, pool after pool filled with diluted blood. Their route led back from the rocks to a patch of flattened grass. The Doctor knelt down once more and pressed his palm to the ground. It came away stained a deep red. Rose stared in horror at the large dark patch that discoloured the grass.
There’s so much of it.’
The Doctor’s face was grim. ‘So where’s the body?’
‘Perhaps the thing took it back into the sea. You know. Food?’
‘Possibly.’
Rose looked around. ‘No, hang about. He was a fisherman. He had bags, rods and stuff. They’ve gone too.’
‘Well, I can’t see our mysterious creature being an avid fishing fan somehow.’ The Doctor shook his head and wiped his hands on a patch of clean grass. ‘No. Someone has been here, cleaning up after their pet.’
Rose looked at him in horror. ‘You don’t think –’
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‘I’m not sure what to think yet.’ He gave her a reassuring smile. ‘But we’re not going to find out anything more down here, not tonight at any rate. We should try the village. Ask around. Someone must know something.’
‘We’re gonna have to try and find his friends. His family. Let them know that he’s. . . ’
That could raise some awkward questions. But yes, you’re right. We’ll have to do it.’ The Doctor caught her by the hand. ‘C’mon. Let’s get away from here.’
And with that the two of them started to pick their way back up the slippery path to the cliff top, Rose leading the way, pushing determinedly through the gorse, trying to avoid the signs of violence that were now so obvious all around them.
Something made the Doctor glance back at the dark shape of the lighthouse in the bay. A glint of light