Doctor Who: Series A [COMPLETE]

Episode Ten: Lights Out

Dear grandma,

I miss you already. I don't like this new house as it is too big and I hear funny noises at night. 

Thank you for my new teddy bear. I like him a lot. Mummy says he will keep me safe from monsters, but I'm not so sure. 

Sometimes, I hear scratching downstairs at night, coming from cellar. Mummy says I can't go in there as it's full of things the last people left behind, but I looked - don't tell her. They left so much behind, including boxes of photographs, old films not on DVD, and boxes of treasure.

They also left a statue. I don't like it. I saw it move once, but mummy told me I was being silly. I'm scared of the statue, but I'm going to leave my new teddy to watch out for it.

I hope you visit soon.

Love,

Jensen

"It's sad, isn't it?" Detective Chalmers observed, turning the letter over in his hands, as if it might provide more of a clue.

"What's that, detective?" Ngozi distractedly replied, typing out the last of a frantic email to her boss in social services. This was the last place she wanted to be at three in the morning, standing in a stranger's hallway being interviewed by police about a case going rogue.

"Well you must see it a lot, right? Families going on the run?" 

He handed the letter to a constable, and as he did so, another piece of paper slipped out, gliding to the tiled floor. Ngozi spotted it, bending down and tutting when the detective made no move to retrieve it, caught up in his postulating. She flipped the paper to find a drawing on the reverse: the usual crayon scribblings of a child, their favourite cuddly toy, and...

Ngozi slipped her phone into a pocket and brought the drawing closer to her face.

"What's that?" the detective asked, peeking over her shoulder, suddenly interested in something beyond himself.

"It's not personal space, Mark," she snapped, shooting him a look before peering closer at the drawing and hazarding a guess.

"I think it's an angel."

A door slammed somewhere above them. 

"I thought you said they were missing?!"

Ngozi was furious, pushing her way to the stairs, up which she scrambled frantically. Mark followed, reaching the top of the stairs panting. He'd gotten out of shape since their break up.

The house was tall and narrow, greeting visitors to the next floor with a choice: another flight of stairs that ascended into a darkness which the hallway's light could not reach, or a narrow corridor that branched off to various doors.

"I think it was upstairs," Ngozi whispered, her eyes guided by the bannister, up to the pitch black waiting for them. She heard Mark gulp and rolled her eyes.

"Stay here. I'm trained for this. I'll call you if I need anything."

"Are you sure?" Mark asked, quietly relieved.

"Just stay here, Mark."

Still clutching the drawing, Ngozi made her way up the stairs, each step threatening to creak and give away her position. Catching on quickly, she adjusted her gait, making sure that her feet landed at the far edge of each step with a cushioned impact. She even made sure to not use the hand with her new engagement ring to clutch at the bannister - this wasn't the first time a quiet approach was needed to coax a child in need.