The Beginning of the End (Doctor Who)

Chap. 8

"We need to find my friend, the Doctor. He can save us." Bill stands up, one hand on the wall.

"One man?" Lucius exclaims, "You think one man can save us all?"

"Come and meet him." She nods, "He came here to meet you. He's met loads of people like you. The terrified, the desperate. And he always helps. He always makes a difference."

"As much as I hate it, she's right." You nod, "though he is a bit of a gloater."

"There are painted barbarians up there. They outnumber us. There is a beast of darkness that laid waste to an entire legion in less than an hour." Bills eyes widen at that, "No man can make a difference to that." Lucius denies.

"Maybe that's what you don't learn when you think it takes five thousand highly trained soldiers to slaughter a bunch of Scottish farmers. Yes, one man can. And he's here." She looks to you, and you nod.

"If you're calling us cowards, carry on. We already ran away. We know." Thracius looks down, appearing a bit ashamed.

"True." You nod.

"You're not cowards. You're scared." Bill softly says, "Scared is fine. Scared is human. But I'll tell you what it isn't. It isn't a plan."

"She's right." Lucius nods.

"Why are you even listening to her, Grandad?" Thracius sighs.

"Because no one else is saying anything. We need a plan. A real commander would have a plan." 

"Why did he call you Grandad?" Bill asks while the others gather their weapons.

"They always call me Grandad. I'm in command. I'm the oldest one left." You remember him telling you that the first night, when you realized just how young they all were. Though their eyes show much older souls.

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen." Bill gasps, looking around at them. They're really just a bunch of schoolboys in armor.

"Whoever's coming with us, you might die." You point out, "but it's better than living out worthless lives in a worthless hole."

Surprisingly, they listen. Vitus leads the way with a torch, lit from the fire. A hissing sound catches everyone in their steps.

"Shh!" Vitus hisses.

"It's nothing." Lucius consoles, "It's the wind in the rocks. Forward, centurion. Keep going. There are lots of entrances the beast could get through. It's a labyrinth."

He's right about the wind, it follows you through the tunnel, leading to a surprisingly flat ground with a ladder.

"This is where we hear them, the barbarians." Lucius explains, "Right up there, up above us. Are you sure your friend will be with them?"

"Yeah." Bill nods, "Basically, he always ends up being the boss of the locals."

"How?"

"Usually by annoying them."

True, very true. The soldiers all jump at another sound, making you wonder how they even survived this long in the Ninth Legion.

"What was that?" Cornelius hisses.

"All right, centurions, stay sharp." Lucius commands.

"That's the way out, so let's get out." Cornelius argues.

"Chill, we don't know what's around those corners." You argue.

"No. Let's go." He argues back.

"Stop! Oh shit." You sigh.