Chapter 9 (Inside Job)
Taggart approached the front of the town hall. She was breathing rapidly, but so far nothing had happened to her. No visions, no family members. Nothing. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She didn’t know whether to be scared or relieved. All she knew is that she had to get inside and deal with the situation.
But how was she going to do it? She had lost her bargaining chip...
“You left me, Dangerfield,” said the giant form of Lilly as it loomed over Holly.
“Ignore it, Holly,” said Beth as she grabbed her hand.
“Oh, look at you,” said Lilly, looking down at the two women holding hands. “I’ve only been gone a little while and already you’re holding hands with other girls!” she raised her voice.
“I’m not,” said Holly, letting go of Beth.
“Ignore her, Dangerfield,” barked Faith. “It’s just a hallucination. If you listen to her then she’ll take you. The Dream Catcher will take you!”
“Oh, another girl!” said the giant Lilly. “You just don’t know when to stop, do you? All your life running after boys. Boys, boys, boys. And now look at you. You weren’t content to just try one piece of cake – you had to have the WHOLE CAKE!”
“SHUT UP!” said Holly, turning to face her.
“Lilly, no!” said Beth, jumping in front of her and slapping her across the face.
“Jesus H. Bloody Christ, you two,” said Osborne, wincing as if something was trying to push its way inside his own head. “Just concentrate on what’s ahead. You know she’s not bloody real.”
“Osborne is right,” said Faith. “The rest of us are trained for this. Holly you need to go back.”
Holly looked up, tears in her eyes as the giant Lilly faded away. “No. No I’m okay. I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine though,” said Faith.
“I can do this. I have to help Richard. I have to save him.”
“Okay, but any more outbursts and you go straight back.”
Holly nodded.
Beth looked apologetically at Holly. “I’m sorry for slapping you.”
“It’s alright,” said Holly. “Just...just take my mind off it.”
“How?” said Beth. “It’s not like I can tell you about my life. I’m already trying to stop thinking about Alistair...”
Holly raised her eyebrows at her.
“Stop thinking!” said Beth to herself. “Concentrate on the road ahead.”
“Sing,” said Faith from ahead, as they crossed the level crossing and turned into a side street.
“I ain’t singing,” said Osborne.
“Sing. All of you sing.”
“I can’t sing,” said Holly.
“It’ll take your mind of everything. Sing. Now!”
“What?” asked Holly.
“Anything. Just sing...anything!”
Holly straightened up, her eyes wide with fear and then she began singing. “When you walk through a storm hold your head up high...”
“...and don’t be afraid of the dark...” continued Beth.
“...at the end of the storm there’s a golden sky...” added Faith
“...and the sweet silver song of a lark,” continued Osborne. “I’m a Spurs fan meself.”
“Oliver!” scolded Faith.
And they all sang together.
“Walk on through the wind. Walk on through the rain. Though your dreams be tossed and blown. Walk on, walk on with hope in your hearts. And you'll never walk alone. You'll never walk alone”
“Human beings,” said Stark, shaking his head as he listened to the singing through the intercom. “And what did Midnight mean about not thinking about you, Obsidian?”
“I don’t know, sir,” said Benton, a little smile playing across his lips. “I have no idea.”
“Where’s Swift now?” asked Stark.
Benton shook his head and returned to his monitor, which showed a red blip on digital map of the town. “She’s, erm, she’s at the town hall and is descending into the basement now.”
“She’s a fool,” said Stark.
“The others aren’t too far behind, sir,” said Benton. “It’ll be fine. They’ll stop her before she does something stupid.”
Richard rubbed his eyes as he looked out of the living room window, the golden sunlight casting the room in a yellow hue.
“Everything okay, love?” asked Cheryl, walking into the room with two glasses of lemonade.
“Just...thinking.”
“You don’t need to think, sweetheart,” said Cheryl. “Just enjoy life.”
“You know, don’t you? You know that this isn’t real?” He took a glass of lemonade and went to sit down. “You know.”
“What are you talking about, Richard. Not real?” She laughed at the thought. “Why are you so bothered?”
“You’re the creature, aren’t you?”
“I’m your wife,” said Cheryl, “just simple, plain, Cheryl.”
“But you’re not. You’re just being used as a mouthpiece for the creature. You’re not really her. This isn’t real. None of it is.”
“But it can be. It will be,” she said, sipping on the lemonade and licking her lips playfully. “And you can’t escape it. Why not just enjoy it?”
“Same reason I don’t like powdered milk. It’s not really milk.”
Cheryl’s eyes narrowed and she got up from her chair. “If you think you can escape you are stupider than I gave you credit for. You are weak. There is no escape from me. I have come up against stronger creatures than you.”
“But I’d wager you’ve never taken someone who’s travelled with the Doctor before.” Richard smiled.
Cheryl sneered at him. “Very well then,” she said, closing her eyes. “Let’s see how you like a change in scenery.”
In one instant the entire front room was on fire, smoke billowing through the room and the screams of Richard’s children from upstairs. Cheryl was now scarred and badly burnt, but she continued to smile at him.
“You can’t fool me,” said Richard, walking towards the door. “This is not my world!”
Taggart had attempted to use the lift before realising that power was still down in the town. She searched around and found a locked doorway to a stairwell that led down to the basement. She gave the door a good kick and after about four goes it swung open, the lock broken and the wood splintered.
She looked around her to make sure she hadn’t been followed by the others, made sure the safety was off her gun and then switched on her torch. She made her way through the doorway and down the stairs each step echoing louder and louder.
Eventually she reached the basement. It was cold down here. Colder than outside and she could see her breath in the air. And there was the smell of eggs as well. She wrinkled her nose at the stench and held her gun tighter as she turned the corner.
She had seen it before, but she still had to stifle a gasp as her torch light shone on the creature. It was like some huge, black spider. It stretched across the entire height and width of the basement. Four spindly legs held it up to each corner where the ceiling met the walls and where the floor met the walls. In the centre, dripping with black ooze was its triangular-shaped head, its red eyes blazing.
As the torch light hit the creature in the face its eyes seemed to blaze brighter.
“You have returned,” it said, its voice low and gravelly.
“I have,” said Taggart, her voice barely audible over the creature’s heavy, low breathing.
“And yet he is not here.”
“He’s left,” said Taggart, her eyes transfixed on the creature. “I couldn’t stop him.”
“You knew the deal, Human,” hissed the creature.
“I know. But...I can try again.”
“If he has left-”
“Please. I can try again.”
“It is too late, Human.”
“But you promised me. You promised me.”
The creature seemed to become agitated at Taggart’s pleas and flexed its vinyl-like limbs. “Cease your prattling. I have enough to contend with. The deal is off. Unless you have the Doctor-”
“I...don’t.”
“Then you do not see your family again.”
“Claire?” came a voice from the darkened area near the doorway.
Standing there was Faith, Beth, Osborne and Holly. Faith looked confused, Osborne looked angry and Beth looked upset. Holly swallowed knowingly.
“Sentinel...” said Taggart, her voice threatening to break at any moment.
“What does it mean?” asked Faith.
“Faith, you have to understand- ”
“WHAT DOES IT MEAN!?” shouted Faith.
Taggart looked from Faith to Beth and then to Osborne. She straightened herself up. “It wants the Doctor. When it came here it knew the Doctor had been here. It said it wanted a Time Lord mind to feed on.”
“And in return for your bringing the Doctor to it?” asked Beth.
“I’d get my family back. It’d make a world for me to live in and I’d be happy again.”
To be continued...
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