The Shadowmen

Chapter One

Chapter One

The Doctor had been sitting in the TARDIS for days, trying to fix her up as much as he could. He hadn't moved her in months, not since Clara anyway. But he had decided to do something about it. He was going to try to find Clara. He realised after the dream he had the previous night that he owed it to her. She had saved his life after all.

"I need to refuel you, don't I, old girl. Fine, next stop, Cardiff. Best hope Captain Jack doesn't hitch a ride, eh?"

The Doctor chuckled. That was the first time he'd laughed since the dream. He ran into the control room and expertly twiddled the knobs and threw the levers as he swooped around the console. Try as he may, he couldn't stop the smile that lit up his face when he heard the familiar sound of his beloved TARDIS taking off.

"That lovely sound," the Doctor thought. Then he said, "You know, Sexy dear, I should really check up on Captain Jack. It's been a few hundred years. I'm sure he's fine, but still, making a friendly house call is never bad."

Suddenly, the TARDIS shuddered, throwing the Doctor across the slippery glass floor.

"Whoa, girl, what's wrong? Did mean old Strax shoot you again? That's not good. I've told him to stop." He regained his footing and walked to the doors. "Actually, I'll get on that after you're all refuelled."

As the Doctor's eyes scanned the room, he noticed that Amelia's glasses had fallen from their honorary perch at the TARDIS console and ran to pick them up. He placed them gently back with tears in his eyes.

"I- I should best be off. There might me things to do outside." He ran outside, barely concealing the tears that fell on the floor.

As he walked along, he calmed down. It was sunset in Cardiff, and the street was surprisingly busy for eight o'clock at night. Suddenly, he heard a commotion coming from inside an apartment building. Then, the doors burst open. People ran out, screaming at everyone to get help. That something's in there. And something's killing people. As the Doctor's eyes focused, he saw some of the people were soaked in blood. Someone was catapulted from the rooftop. Flashes from when Amy and Rory jumped from the rooftop appeared in the Doctor's mind's eye. He had to help.

He yelled at some shocked bystanders. "CALL THE POLICE AND AN AMBULANCE. GET THESE PEOPLE SAFE AND CALM." The crowd just stood there, shocked. "DONT JUST STAND THERE. GO!" The extra push was needed, and a few people were jolted back into reality. They took control and got emergency services there. When they went to look for the man that told them what to do, he had disappeared.

The Doctor had, of course bolted into the building, to help the survivors. It was surprisingly quiet. Whispers started. Not one voice, but many. Suddenly, a scream sounded from the next room. The Doctor ran to help the person, whoever he or she was, but there was no one but a shadow. A human shadow. Nothing else. It wasn't confined to the ground, like a normal shadow, but upright, like a normal human being. It wasn't see through like you'd expect shadows to be, but it wasn't a solid colour either. It flickered, flashing bright scenes. A man and a woman getting married. The same man running to hug a child. His child, perhaps? The same man, older and dressed in black at a funeral. They were important events in someone's life. He couldn't see them clearly, though, because the shadow seemed to have its back to him. The Doctor had never seen anything like this before. Things that he had never seen before excited him, simply because, after traveling the world for 1200 years, there isn't much you haven't seen, or at least heard of.

"What are you? I don't mean you any harm, bu-" After the Doctor made a noise, the shadow turned around and looked at him. It started flashing scenes from his life. There was Donna. And now Amy. The Doctor felt a sharp pang of loss at both of them.

Looking at the shadow head to toe, facing him, the Doctor noticed three things. One, it had some sort of knife in its hands. Two, as the shadow turned, the Doctor got a glimpse at something behind the shadow, which appeared to be a human corpse of an old man. The same man, in fact, whose life was flashing in the shadow being. Three, the knife was dripping a dark liquid that could possibly be blood. The shadow let out a scream and started to run at the Doctor, bringing the knife up, ready to attack. The Doctor ran outside and closed the door behind him, but also, in the heat of the moment, gained a gash from the knife. A second later, he heard the knife thump into the door and another scream. But that scream was the Doctor's.

The Doctor was dragged away by police to be questioned, but the emergency personnel managed to convince them that he needed to be treated first. The Doctor sat and watched as the caution tape was erected, as the crowd dispersed, as the bodies of the jumpers were cleared away. The Doctor waited for the police to come, and sat in silence. About two hours later, a tall (but not too tall) fellow with dark, curly hair in a Belstaff coat walked up to him.

In a very rude manner, the man asked in a deep, baritone voice, "Well, I know that this is hard for you, and blah blah blah, but just tell me what happened, and this'll be over with."

The Doctor simply said, "I went inside to help anyone trapped, but found no one alive anyway. I heard someone approaching and ran off. I must have tore my skin in my race to get out." The police officer simply looked at him, and the Doctor got the impression that he was disappointed and that he knew that the Doctor had lied.

The man merely said, "Well, if you suddenly remember anything else, call Scotland Yard." The man spoke with a very sarcastic tone. "Just tell them you need to speak to Sherlock Holmes."