Doctor Who - 04 - The Wrath of the Demonns

Doctor Who - 04 - The Wrath of the Demonns - Part 14

My scream died in my throat.  I looked around. It was pitch black. 

“Doctor?” I called, my voice echoing in what was apparently a large room. 

The echo only made it more unnerving.

“Sarah.”

It was the Doctor’s voice, and it echoed... and echoed, and echoed…

I looked around to try and find the direction it was coming from, but it seemed to be coming from everywhere. 

            “Doctor!” I called again. “I can’t see anything! Can you turn on some lights please?”

A weak light flickered on, above me. It wasn’t much, but it illuminated the room enough that I could see. Enough that I wished the light was still off.

“Oh, my god,” I said, hands coming up to cover my mouth as I backed up.

In front of me was a sight most horrific.

A jail cell. It used to contain a prisoner. Now, however, the only thing it contained was rotting bones covered by a few rags on the ground.

The thing the rags didn’t cover, however, was the smell.

 “Doctor?” I called again, my voice meek.

“Sarah! Where are you?”

“I’m… Does the TARDIS have a dungeon?”

“No, why do you ask?”

“Did you ever take prisoners, Doctor?”

There was silence for a moment. Finally, the Doctor answered. “Once.” His voice is quiet. “A long, long time ago.”

“And what happened?”

“I think you can see what happened. I forgot.”

“Oh my god,” I whispered. “How do I get out of here, Doctor?”

There was silence again.  When the Doctor spoke again, his voice was back to normal. “Ah, I think if you walk down the corridor to your left for a little ways you should find the door out.”

“Alright, what do I do after that?”

“Let’s… We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

“Oh, fantastic,“ I muttered. “I’m at the door.” I pulled at the handle, but nothing happened. “Of course!” I shouted in exasperation.

“What’s wrong?” The Doctor asked.

“The door’s locked. Or jammed. I’m not sure which.”

“Try it now.”

I tried the door again. “Still locked.”

There was no reply. “Doctor?” I called.

Nothing. I was about to call out again but before I could, I heard a growling noise.

I whipped around and squinted, trying to see through the dim light.

I was about to call out again, but I realised that if whatever-it-was was unfriendly, which it probably was, calling to it would probably be a bad idea.  I walked quietly away from the door, in the opposite direction from where I’d heard the noise.

It sounded again. I froze. It was closer this time. I looked around frantically, trying to find something I might be able to use as a weapon. There was nothing but a rock on the ground. It was going to have to do. I bent down as quietly as I could, conscious of every little rustle my clothes made. I picked it up and started to straighten my back, and as I did so, the rock slipped from my hand and fell.  It wouldn’t normally have been considered a loud noise, but in the silence of this prison chamber, it was almost colossal. I looked up, in the direction of the shadows from which the growling had come from.

Something scuttled around. I grabbed up the rock again, backing away, no longer trying to stay quiet. I heard it scuttling again, and this time it was like it was right in front of me. I couldn’t see it! Why did it have to be so dark in here?

“Doctor!” I shouted. “If it’s not too much trouble, I’d really appreciate some more light!”

He still didn’t reply, and the lights didn’t get any brighter.

I cursed.  I started jogging backwards, rock still in hand, glancing behind me every couple of seconds to make sure I didn’t trip. The scuttling grew louder, and almost more frenzied. Another growl followed.

I glanced back again, and I saw a corridor approaching. Abandoning my backwards jogging, I turned my back on the whatever-it-was and full on ran to the corridor, turning down it. There was a door at the end.  I bolted for it, sprinting harder than I’d ever sprinted before. I heard the growl behind me turn to a roar. I reached the door and nearly skidded into it.  I grabbed the handle and yanked at it, trying to pull the door open. But just my luck, this door was locked as well.

            “Aw, come on…” I cried frantically.

I turned back to the corridor. I thought I saw something scrambling around the corner and I knew that the whatever-it-was was in the corridor with me. I looked around, trying to find another escape. But there was none; the corridor was hard concrete and the only door was the locked one behind me.

I glanced at the rock in my hand. I looked back down the corridor and, aiming as best I could with only sound as an indicator, I drew back my arm and hurled the rock as hard as I could. I closed my eyes and drew into the corner, awaiting my fate.

I heard the rock collide with something. Wait… That isn’t the noise it should’ve made if it hit the floor or the wall. I hesitantly opened one eye and looked down the corridor. The growling and scrambling noises had stopped. Dead, eerie silence settled over the corridor and I shuddered. I walked slowly back down the corridor, my eyes scanning the ground for the rock or the creature.

There! There’s the rock. I rushed over to it and knelt down. I frowned. There was nothing else there. There was no sign of anything else. I felt around with my hands, just in case it had found another shadow to hide in, even there weren’t any in the corridor.

Nothing.

I stood up, suddenly feeling very uneasy. I backed up quickly, returning to the locked door. I tried the handle again, and this time the door opened. I sighed in relief, a noise cut short as I heard the growling again. I whipped around just as the rock I’d thrown shifted slightly, as if something had walked passed it and bumped it slightly. I heard a noise, not the growling. It was… Heavy. Footsteps. They were footsteps! Coming towards me.

Oh. Oh dear.

Suddenly, I realised that, in fact, the monster that was chasing me was invisible. And it wasn’t as small as I’d first thought. I quickly pulled the door open wider and launched through it, yanking the door shut.  A loud thump sounded and a dent appeared on my side of the door. I backed away, eyes wide. I bumped into something and whipped around, prepared to face whatever horror awaited me next.

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