Chapter One
Carrie walked down the streets of downtown Salt Lake City. Her pace was quick, as she was in the dangerous slums. Her breath came in hurried, fearful pants and she turned the corner, away from city lights. She was getting nervous now and could feel him following her. She knew she wouldn’t be able to outrun him. After five years of chasing her, he was finally catching up.
The footsteps behind her got louder as her pursuer drew closer and Carrie could feel her heart in her throat. Fear stung her eyes with salty tears and her breath hitched in her throat. She was going to die. She was going to die and she was only twenty-three. Carrie sneakily pulled her phone out of her pocket and pressed the speed-dial to call her sister.
They neared a shadowed alleyway and a strong hand gripped her arm. She opened her mouth to scream and a matching calloused hand closed over her mouth. She bit at his rough hands and he let go, crying in pain. Someone had to save her, someone who helps people. She only had seconds to call, but she had to try. If there was a right time to believe in something, it was now.
“DOCTOR! DOCTOR! HELP! HELP ME!” she cried desperately, “DOCTOR! DOCTOR, PLEASE! HELP ME! HELP-”
Her cries were cut off when her skull made contact with a concrete wall and everything became black.
***
Jen sat at her kitchen table, nursing a cup of coffee. Her phone was in her hand, and she stared at it in silence. Carrie had been dead for two days. The house was so quiet without her. She was usually on the couch soaking up one of her favorite television shows on Netflix. Most of the time Carrie would watch Doctor Who. Jen could almost hear the sound of the Tardis. Wait a second. She actually could hear the sound of the Tardis. Jen set her phone down on the table and ran into the living room.
The television wasn’t on, so what was the sound coming from? She followed the sound into Carrie’s room and turned off her alarm clock. She sighed, running a hand through her hair. Her sadness quickly turned into anger, and she unplugged the alarm clock forcefully. The Tardis clock made a sad dying noise as it crumpled into pieces on the light gold carpet.
Jen looked around at the Doctor Who themed room and sank into the oversized black leather bean bag, moving the red bowtie pillow out of her way. She laughed at the bits of blue plastic on the floor and the laughter turned into the salty flavor of tears. The drops fell from her face and stained her jeans with dark spots.
Her grief consumed her. The only thing she could think of was her sister’s screams heard through the phone and someday seeing Rick in handcuffs. Rick was Carrie’s ex-boyfriend. Jen was absolutely positive that he had done this. He’d been following them for years. He always said that he was going to kill her for leaving him, and now it’s happened. Carrie was so naïve for being with that man. Jen thought about her sister and her smile, her bright hopeful eyes. Even when they were clouded with bruises, the blues were always sparkling with hope. It was pointless hope. She was naïve for believing in an imaginary madman in a ridiculous box.
And still, in her last moments, that hope had flourished and she cried for him. For the Doctor. She didn’t cry out for just anyone. She cried for him; a man who didn’t exist. Jen sighed and walked out of Carrie’s room. She’d been sighing a lot lately. There wasn’t much else to do. It’s not like there was anything to say, or anyone to say it to. Without her only family, she was completely and utterly alone.
A few minutes later, Jen found herself walking down the streets of downtown aimlessly. She didn’t feel the passing of time or any of the faces around her. Then she noticed she was sitting down. She came to her senses. It was dangerous to be in a daze. She was on a park bench, in the park several streets away from her condo. She turned around to head back when something blue caught her eye, contrasting with the orange that was all around her.
