Not Alone [Doctor Who] {1}

Chapter 7

I let out a small moan, opening my eyes. I blinked a few times before slowly setting up. I glanced down to see I was on a table in a room I didn't recognized. I heard a groaning sound and whipped my head around.

A man sat up in a coffin and I frowned, "Are you all right?" I asked but he didn't answered. He out of the coffin and I got off of the table, and went for the door. I tried to open it but it was locked. "No, no, no," I whispered and I turned slightly to see the old woman setting up in another coffin.

I looked around before spotting a vase on the smaller table. I grabbed it and threw it at the man before turning back to the door and pounded on it, "Let me out! Open the door! Someone! Help!"

Suddenly, the man grabbed me by the waist and I let out a small scream. The door suddenly was kicked open and The Doctor entered the room, "I think this is mine," He said as he tugged the arm off of me and pulled me towards him.

"It's a prank. It must be. We're under some mesmeric influence," A man said. "No, we're not. The dead are walking," The Doctor said and then looked at me, "Hi."

"Hi. Who's your friend?" I asked. "Charles Dickens," He replied. "Okay," I said, nodding slightly. "My name's The Doctor. Who are you, then? What do you want?" The Doctor asked the man and the old woman.

"Failing. Open the rift. We're dying. Trapped in this form. Cannot sustain. Help us," The man said. Then a blue gas left both the bodies and they fell to the ground. We all went to the living room after that.

"First of all you drug me, then you kidnap me, and don't think I didn't feel your hands having a quick wander, you dirty old man," I snapped at the old man, Mr. Sneed. "I won't be spoken to like this," He said.

"Then you stuck me in a room full of zombies! And if that ain't enough, you swan off and leave me to die! So come on, talk!" I yelled. "It's not my fault," He said, "It's this house. It always had a reputation. Haunted. But I never had much bother until a few months back, and then the stiffs, um, the dear departed started getting restless."

"Tommyrot," Charles said. "You witnessed it. Can't keep the beggars down, sir. They walk. And it's the queerest thing, but they hang on to scraps," Mr. Sneed said. "One old fellow who used to be a sexton almost walked into his own memorial service. Just like the old lady going to your performance, sir, just as she planned."

"Morbid fancy," Charles said. "Oh, Charles, you were there," The Doctor said. "I saw nothing but an illusion," Charles said. "If you're going to deny it, don't waste my time. Just shut up," The Doctor said and turned back to Mr. Sneed, "What about the gas?"

"That's new, sir. Never seen anything like that," Mr. Sneed replied. "Means it's getting stronger, the rift's getting wider and something's sneaking through," The Doctor said. "What's the rift?" I asked. "A weak point in time and space. A connection between this place and another. That's the cause of ghost stories, most of the time," He explained.

"That's how I got the house so cheap. Stories going back generations. Echoes in the dark, queer songs in the air, and this feeling like a shadow passing over your soul. Mind you, truth be told, it's been good for business. Just what people expect from a gloomy old trade like mine," Mr. Sneed explained.

...................

After a little while, I went to a room with the maid, Gwyneth. She light the gas lamp and I started the washing up. "Please, miss, you shouldn't be helping. It's not right," She said. "Don't be silly. Sneed works you to death," I said. "How much do you get paid?"

"Eight pound a year, miss," She replied. "How much?" I asked, frowning. "I know. I would've been happy with six," She said. "Did you go to school?" I asked. "Of course I did. I went every Sunday, nice and proper," She replied.

"You went to school once a week?" I asked in disbelieve. "We did sums and everything. To be honest, I hated every second," She said. "Me too," I said with a smile. She smiled back and we giggled a little.

"Don't tell anyone, but one week, I didn't go and ran on the heath all on my own," She said. "I did plenty of that. I used to go down the shops with my cousin, Rose. We used to go and look at boys," I said.

"Well, I don't know much about that, miss," She said. "Come on, times haven't changed that much. I bet you've done the same," I said with a smirk. "I don't think so, miss," She said. "Gwyneth, you can tell me. I bet you've got your eye on someone," I said.

She looked at me and smiled shyly, "I suppose. There is one lad. The butcher's boy. He comes by every Tuesday. Such a lovely smile on him," She said and I smiled. "Well why don't you ask him out. Give him a cup of something, that's a start," I said and She smiled, "I swear it is the strangest thing, miss. You've got all the clothes and the breeding, but you talk like some sort of wild thing."

I smiled and shrugged, "Maybe that's a good thing. You need a bit more in your life than Mr. Sneed," I said. "Oh, now that's not fair," Gwyneth said, "He's not so bad, old Sneed. He was very kind to me to take me in because I lost my Mom and Dad to the flu when I was twelve."

"I'm sorry," I said softly, knowing what it was like to lost your parents. "Thank you, miss. But I'll be with them again, one day, sitting with them in paradise. I shall be so blessed. They're waiting for me. Maybe your Mom and Dad up there waiting for you too, miss," Gwyneth said. I smiled a little, "Maybe," I said but then frowned, "Who told you they were dead?"

"It must have been The Doctor," She said. "My parents died years ago," I said. "But you've been thinking about them," She said. "Yeah . . ." I trailed off, "But, how do you know all this?"

"Mr. Sneed says I think too much. I'm all alone down here. I bet you've got dozens of servants," Gwyneth said. "No, no servants where I'm from," I said, giving a small chuckle. "And you've come such a long way," She said. "What makes you think so?" I asked.

"You're were born in New York, but you've lived in London for a long time. I've seen London in drawings, but never like that. All those people rushing about half naked, for shame. And the noise, and the metal boxes racing past, and the birds in the sky, no, they're metal as well. Metal birds with people in them. People are flying. And you, you've flown so far. Further than anyone. The things you've seen," She said, "The darkness, the big bad wolf."

She took a step back so did I, shocked. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, miss," She said. "It's all right," I said as I put my hand on Gwyneth's shoulder.

"I can't help it. Ever since I was a little girl, my Mom said I had the sight. She told me to hide it," She said. "But it's getting stronger," The Doctor said, making us both jump slightly and we looked at the doorway to see him standing there with his arms crossed across his chest, "More powerful, is that right?"

"All the time, sir. Every night, voices in my head," Gwyneth confirmed. "You grew up on top of the rift. You're part of it. You're the key," The Doctor said. "I've tried to make sense of it, sir. Consulted with spiritualists, table rappers, all sorts," She said. "Well, that should help. You can show us what to do," He said. I frowned, "To do what?" I asked. He smiled, "We're going to have a séance," He said.