Lost In Time: A Doctor Who Fanfiction

Chapter 32 - The Curse of the Black Spot, Part 2

Lyssa smothered a yawn into her hand. Now that the adrenaline of running from the Siren - or from wanting to run to her - was over, she was really starting to feel ready for a nap. On the bench off to the side, Rory looked nearly as exhausted, though Amy just looked cross, her arm wrapped protectively through her husband's as he leaned against her.

The Doctor hovered protectively close to her, posture just a bit too stiff to be natural and hand wrapped tightly around hers. The remaining pirates stood huddled across from them, with Avery's son - Toby - standing quietly by his father, running a finger over the condemning spot on his palm with a worried frown.

"There's nothing wrong with the boy. He has no scars, and just a minor cough," Avery hissed in a low voice, sending a worried look over his shoulder at his son. "And he's seen no battle to frighten him as your... companion has."

The Doctor nodded, eyes darkening as he frowned in thought. "Yep. Ignore my last theory. Or just... add to it a little."

"He has his good days, and his bad days," Amy said with a fond roll of his eyes.

"It's not just trauma. She's coming for all the sick and wounded. Anyone who's not up to par. Like a predator chooses the weakest animal," he mused, expression grim. His hand tightened on Lyssa's. "The easiest prey."

"Okay, look, he's got a fever," Amy said dismissively. 

The Doctor shook his head. "His fever, Rory's scratch, Lyssa's illness. The Siren knows it. Humans. Second-rate. Damage too easily. It's only a matter of time before everyone gets bruised. My ship, it can sail us all away from here," he said, addressing his comment to Captain Avery. "You and me, we fetch it. Let's go," he said, reluctantly releasing Lyssa's hand and jerking his head at the door.

Avery pulled out his gun and waved it about threateningly. "You're not the captain here, remember?"

The Siren's ethereal singing filled the room and Lyssa gasped, eyes darting over to a water bucket in the corner of the room. Toby stood in front of it, the lid held in his frozen hands as he watched with wide eyes as a hand, bathed in a green glow, slowly rose out of the water.

The Doctor leapt across the room, snatching the lid out of Toby's hands and slamming it onto the barrel. He pounded his fist against the top of it, hammering it into place, before letting out a sigh of relief when the singing faded.

"The water's dangerous. That's how she gets through. One touch of her hand, and you're a dead man," Avery warned his son. "Don't let her in. You've been marked, Toby."

"He's been marked by the curse, you mean!" one of the pirates snapped, bordering on hysteria. "We'll all be cursed if we stay here!"

"It's not a curse. Curse means game over. Curse means we're helpless. We are not helpless!" the Doctor reprimanded him sternly before turning to Avery. "Captain, what's our next move?"

Avery reached under his coat and removed a golden pendant bearing the symbol of a mermaid and draped it around his son's neck. "Wait with the boy," he ordered the two remaining pirates.

"Captain, we're all in danger here!" the first one protested.

Avery fixed him with a scathing glare. "I said wait here, and barricade the door after we've gone. You got a problem with that, Matthews?"

The pirate shrunk back and shook his head, averting his eyes from the stern gaze of his captain. "No, Captain."

"Doctor," Amy said hesitantly, tugging on his sleeve to grab his attention. "Are you sure you want to go?"

He raised his eyebrows at her. "We have to get Lyssa, Rory and Toby away. She's out there now, licking her lips, boiling a saucepan, grating cheese."

"You sound like she's making a pizza," Lyssa grumbled, fighting off another yawn. "She's really not. And why would she boil a saucepan? Is that some obscure phrase that I just don't know 'cause I'm not British?"