Until The End Of Time Itself [Thasmin]

episode two: the sickness II

Sometimes its hard not to think that you're a sickness, tainting a perfect thing.

***

It was dark there. Black. And cold. The whole place was covered in shadow, for as far as her blurred eyes could tell her, somewhat comparable to the rest of the house, only that the light always found a way to creep through.
Next to her was empty space, a draft of air at either side, and silence. Complete and utter silence. Not the howling of the wind, or the bashing rain, not the breath of a person who would bring hope. The only breath was her own. She smiled, for a moment, not realising the situation. Moved her arms up to wipe the tears falling along her face, for, she knew they were they but wasn't sure how they had gotten there, but the movement snapped her arm back down, a pang of cold and inconvenient pain shot signals through her, but she smiled once again.
The Doctor looked down at her wrists to make out the absent outlines of her wrists encased in metal chains, and the sound only just echoed in her mind. The clanging, the dragging as she pushed her back up against the wall, and smiled again into the darkness as her eyes finally closed once more.

***

Drowsy. Her arms and legs were heavy and numb, and her head as clouded as the skies felt, even though there were no windows, no light at all in this cold room. There was a clattering, quiet at first, then louder, and as Yaz looked up, she saw the man, his name, she had since forgotten. And then the memories came flooding back.
He had the same look in his eyes as before, his face a few breaths away from hers, and in the darkness, he disappeared, faded inwards. But the eyes, they were bright and animated, melting, and reforming, the colours splashing out in terror. His hands were still shaking, but she knew that it was no longer down to the cold that ran through both their bones on this night.
"What are you doing?" She looked down to see her wrists bound together, but still, nothing else was clear. Where she was and what it was that had actually happened still muddled her mind.
The man only laughed through sliced breaths, damp and warm.
"Where's the doctor? What have you done with her?"
"Why, you're not worried for yourself?"
She shuddered. "What are you planning?"
His wide eyes disappeared as he pulled away, a draft in his wake.
"If I told you that, you'd try and stop me."
"There's not much I can do while tied up, is there?"

She could not see him, but she could feel him, his presence, his smile, wide yet uncertain, could feel the air shift as he shrugged his shoulders.
"Yes. Perhaps that's true. Perhaps." He paused and the silence waited. "But it is safer this way."

Yaz didn't know what to say. She didn't want to speak. Didn't want to disrupt the air by breathing. All her thoughts were on The Doctor and where she was and if even she was still alive, but she stopped herself before her thoughts could get too out of hand. If she were to worry of the Doctor, she could not worry for herself, and she would be useless to anyone and anything. She needed to figure out his plan.
Biting her lip, the feeling empty, it took a few moments for her to find her voice, but he found his first.

"Soon." He muttered. "Soon. Soon. This will all be over." He muttered, then it began again, louder. "Really, I don't mean to put you through this horror. Sometimes a man only has one way out."

"And that way out is?"

"I...no. It's not that easy to explain. I guess there are multiple ways out but I saw an opportunity and-" He paused and let out a breath of air. "I went for it. I'm sorry. But I am no more in control of this now than you are."

Yaz's breathing intensified, but her lungs were full up from damp musty air and she began to cough.

"You will be alright. Don't worry. Don't..."

"And what about the Doctor? What about her?"

"Oh...her." His footsteps paced, and the wooden floorboards whined, and the wind beat against the house, stood, still, pushing back. Nothing for a second, and then- "No. Not her. I'm sorry. That's just the way it has to be."