#FreakshowFriday

Chapter 20: Pictures

October 16, 2023

Nathan's first inkling that something is wrong comes when Jamie's eyes go saucer-wide in an instant.

At first, he doesn't understand why. Nothing seems to be off. He and Jamie are standing under the red awning of Gelateria Salvatore on a quay along the vast Giudecca Canal, engaging in lighthearted bickering on the validity of biting into the ice creams they're holding. They get to do so undisturbed by Jamie's parents, who mill about the outdoor seating area in hopes of finding a table that meets their standards, and Stella and Gino, who prove mutually indecisive about which of a whopping forty ice cream flavors they'd like to choose and therefore still linger inside. The quay itself still buzzes with energy—people from all walks of life and corners of the world pass by, having a good time while an accordeon player looking to make a quick buck serenades them.

So none of this is out of the ordinary. It's a mundane Venetian evening like any other. Yet, Jamie's voice trailed off into nothingness right in the middle of stating that Nathan should consult with his dentist if his teeth are truly that sensitive. And silencing Jamie tends to be a hard thing to do. Alarms go off in Nathan's head. His scar even stings a little, which means he might have a new stress response.

"What?" he asks, growing more worried by the second. "What's wrong?"

Jamie has gone slightly slack-jawed, but finds the strength to speak. "It's here."

Nathan immediately knows the actual reason his scar hurts. He just didn't want to believe it before. He still doesn't, but Jamie is pointing to the left, and what he sees as he follows the trajectory of her finger confirms his worst fears. A humanoid figure lumbers through the crowd, clad in shabby black robes and a discoloured plague doctor's carnival mask.

The killer is in Venice.

It makes its way across the quay and towards the gelateria slowly, but Nathan and Jamie are the only ones fazed by its presence. Tourists and passersby glance at it—some amused and laughing, others weirded out or annoyed—but most simply go about their day. "What's it doing here?" Jamie sputters out, voice low and quiet. "How did it find us and why the fuck are people not batting an eye?"

Nathan would like the answers to these questions, too, but fears he won't like them once they're in his possession. He watches, tense, while the creature gets closer and closer, and there really is only one reason he can think of to explain the Doctor's presence in the city.

It came for him and Jamie.

But what does it want?

"Be careful," Nathan warns just in case, struggling to keep his hands from accidentally crushing his ice cream cup. "This can't be good."

"What are you pointing at, dear?" A female voice asks Jamie from behind. "Did you find a good table? The best ones all seem occupied..."

Jamie stops pointing at once, startling at her mother's sudden appearance. "What's... a table?"

Linda Carrera either fails to catch or chooses to ignore this stress-and-confusion-fuelled comment. She's in an excellent mood tonight, has been sporting an imperturbable smile throughout their walk to the gelateria. She's an American tourist let out to play on a pleasantly warm October evening in one of the world's most unique cities and thriving on it. When her eyes fall on the Doctor, Nathan spots a faint echo of the excited twinkle he's used to seeing in Jamie's.

"Oh, that's an even better find. A street performer! So quaint and local!"

For once, Jamie looks at her mother like she's an alien instead of it being the other way around. "Street performer?"