Explore The Stars (Doctor Who Fanfic)

Chapter 6

"Out of that door is the planet Jurka, it's the year 5784 we are 47.3 light years away from Earth. Want to take a look?" The Doctor grinned pulling on his long, brown trench coat.

"Yeah!" Anna said, still bewildered by the fact that she was travelling through time and space.

The Doctor ran to the door and strode out his coat billowing behind him, Anna quickly followed. She caught her breath as she stepped onto the luminicient purple soils with bright, yellow-barked trees with dull blue leaves. In the deep blue sky above she could see millions upon millions of stars. Anna's own eyes glistened in the starlight and her skin reflected the glowing soil.

She looked up at the Doctor, beaming.

"I'm dreaming again aren't I?" She questioned.

"Not at all Anna, come on! Let's go find civilisation!" He grabbed her hand and they started running towards what looked like a village nearby. Anna laughing all the way, enjoying this new way of life.

They slowed to a walk as they neared the village, It was silent. Anna found it peaceful and didn't see anything wrong with the situation but she turned to the Doctor to see that he wore a worried expression.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

The Doctor was about to respond when he was interrupted by a dark green man wearing brown combat style clothes and he had what looked like fins all the way down his arms.

"What are you doing!? Inside, quickly!" He said hurriedly, ushering them in. They both walked in and the man shut the door and bolted it shut.

"Hello! I'm the Doctor and this is Anna, if you don't mind me asking, where is everyone?" The Doctor asked the green man.

"Where have you been for the past year?" He questioned, looking at them as if they were stupid.

"Oh, just around. Been out of town for while that's all." He grinned back, trying to lighten the conversation. "I'm the Doctor by the way and this is Anna. Here to help."

Anna wanted to say something, "W-what's your name?" She was bewildered by the fact that she was talking to an alien. A real alien!

The green man just sighed and rubbed his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept for days.

"I'm Saleem." He said wearily. "I... I lost my family 6 months back to... Them." He had tears in his eyes and Anna felt sorry for him. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose her family.

"Who's them? This plant's been peaceful since 5693. You've had no quarrels with any species within a 30 light year radius for years!"

"You think I don't know that?" He replied solemnly. He fiddled with the fins on his arms. He looked scared.

"Saleem," the Doctor said with a serious note, "what's going on. Who are these people?" He looked deeply into Saleem's eyes, trying to calm him as he was clearly getting panicked and upset. Anna just stood awkwardly and watched.

"I wouldn't call them people Doctor. They lurk in the shadows, all we can do at night is hope that the plants don't lose their glow and that our lights don't go out." Saleem hurried to a gas lamp on the wall and turned up the brightness. Why were they using gas? Anna wondered. Surely if they were in the year 5784 then they would at least have some form of electricity.

"And what happens to the people who don't keep their lights on?" The Doctor asked. Anna was starting to feel scared. If the Doctor was worried then it must be bad.

"Th-they..... Get eaten. All that's left is the bones." Saleem broke down into sobs of tears and Anna immediately went to comfort him. She'd had enough times where she'd broken down into tears in the corridor at school and no one had come to help. No one. She wasn't going to leave someone upset if she could help it.

"I've met these things before..." The Doctor muttered.

"What? What are they?" Anna questioned. Looking up from Saleem who had almost fallen into her arms with his racking sobs.

The Doctor just turned to her with a fierce expression on his face that chilled her to the bone. Was this really the same Physics supply teacher that she had met the other day who had bounded into class like an excited puppy?

"Anna, we're dealing with the Vashta Nerada."

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A/N Hello lovely people! Sorry it's been a while since an update. I was tied up with exams and then I was just not writing. But I'm back! I will hopefully be posting every few days. So we'll venture further into the story of Annabell Taylor and the Doctor!

Much love,

-thepinkgremlin