Doctor Who_ The Nightmare of Black Island Part 3

A stout lady in her seventies pushed her way to the bar and stood there, tapping on the polished surface with a bony finger. Her silver hair still had streaks of auburn and her eyes were a brilliant grey.

'All started as soon as Nathaniel came back.'

'Give it up, Bronwyn.'

The pub erupted into a babble of raised voices. This was obviously an old argument.

'Who's Nathaniel?' The Doctor had to shout above the hubbub.

'Who is he?'

'Nathaniel Morton, a retired industrialist,' said Mervyn. 'Took over the old rectory at the beginning of the year. Spent a fortune on the place, putting new windows in, new roof.'

'Thinks he's lord of the manor,' Bronwyn sneered. The Doctor shrugged. 'And?'

'He's a local boy, or was, a long time ago.'

'Local? Hah!' Bronwyn snorted contemptuously. 'Turned his back on us, he did. Betrayed us. Came back when he said he never would.'

29.Mervyn turned on her. 'You've been warned, Bronwyn Ceredig. We're not interested in your feud with Morton. Now keep quiet or you're barred.' Bronwyn shot him a filthy look and shuffled back over to her seat by the window. The Doctor watched her thoughtfully.

'Not a close family friend, then.'

'Ah, take no notice of her, Doctor. She's a mad old woman. Had some problem with Morton when they were younger.'

'And she doesn't approve of him setting up shop in the rectory?'

'He's turned the place into some kind of private nursing home. Don't know much about it. He never comes into town. Sends his people out to do all his shopping, keeps himself to himself.'

'And the creatures started appearing once he'd arrived?'

Mervyn shook his head. 'Ah, she seems to think so. Can't see how, unless he's breeding them up there. He's just a harmless old man.'

'Harmless?' Bronwyn's voice rang out again. 'You're fools if you can't see it!'

'Enough!' Mervyn slammed his fist down on the bar. 'I warned you.'

People had started to murmur angrily once again. Bronwyn got to her feet.

'All right, Mervyn Hardy. I know when I'm not wanted.' She started to struggle into her coat. 'Don't know why I bother.'

Beth hurried over to her. 'You can't go out alone, Bronwyn. Not with them out there. Come on. I'll get you another drink.'

The Doctor watched as Beth led the old woman back to her seat. It seemed that there was more going on in Ynys Du than he had first realised.

He turned back to Mervyn. 'What about the lighthouse in the bay? Is that inhabited?'

Mervyn shook his head. 'Been derelict for years. Why?'

'Just curious. Thought I saw something out there. It's probably nothing.' The Doctor shot Rose a glance. Tomorrow I'll make a proper investigation. We'll sort this. I promise.'

The meeting started to break up. Huddling together for safety, groups headed nervously out into the night, racing to the safety of 30 cars and nearby houses. No one was prepared to walk far or alone. Even Bronwyn was escorted to a car by one of the locals. Beth squeezed the Doctor's hand. 'Thank you.'

He gave her a rea.s.suring smile and crossed the room to where Rose was sitting, dropping on to a stool and giving Ali a cheeky grin. The little girl was now starting to slump over her drawing book and her eyes were flickering shut. She gave a huge yawn.

'Oh, don't start that!' said the Doctor. 'You'll set me off!'

He gave a mock yawn, stretching theatrically in his seat. Ali regarded him suspiciously.

'Come on, young lady.' Beth came over and tousled her daughter's hair.

Ali's smile faded. 'Do I have to?'

Beth nodded. 'But I'll read to you for a while if you like.'

'Sounds like a good deal to me.' The Doctor leaned forward, his eyes twinkling. 'A nice story. No monsters. Moxx in Socks Moxx in Socks was always my favourite! "Moxx! Moxx in socks! Moxx in socks with Phlox!"' was always my favourite! "Moxx! Moxx in socks! Moxx in socks with Phlox!"'

Rose rolled her eyes in despair and Ali giggled.

'You're silly,' the little girl said.

The Doctor nodded. 'Yes, I probably am.'

Beth hoisted her daughter into her arms, carrying her across the bar. At the door she stopped and turned back.

'Doctor. . . '

The Doctor looked up. There was fear in Beth's face.

'Ali is all we've got. . . ' Her voice trembled. 'I don't want to lose her.'

The Doctor frowned. 'What makes you think that you're going to lose her?'

'It's just. . . These things, these monsters, that boy who died. . . '

The front door banged as Mervyn stepped back in from the car park, slamming home the bolts, glaring at his wife.

Beth shook her head. 'It's nothing. You'll stay here tonight?'

The Doctor smiled at her. 'Thank you. I wasn't looking forward to a trek back through the woods.'

'I'll get Mervyn to make up the guest rooms in the attic for you.'

31.'Oh, don't worry about me.' The Doctor waved a hand. 'I've got some thinking to do. But if you could sort out a bed for Rose.'

'All right. If you're sure. Goodnight, Doctor.' She smiled at Rose.

'Mervyn will have your room ready in a few minutes. And thank you again, both of you.'

The Doctor watched, puzzled, as Beth and her husband vanished up the stairs.

Rose leaned forward, whispering conspiratorially. 'What was all that about?'

'Not sure.' The Doctor pursed his lips, then picked up some of the drawings Ali had left on the table..

'Beth's not telling us something,' Rose continued. The Doctor perched his gla.s.ses on the end of his nose and peered at the drawings. 'Yes, you're right, but we're not going to find out anything more tonight.'

'So what's going on here, eh? And what's with the old biddy? She's definitely got the hump about something. . . You think that she's right, that it's something to do with this bloke at the rectory?'

'Bronwyn's another lady with secrets, that's for certain. But retired industrialists breeding creatures and letting them loose in the woods? Doesn't feel right to me.'

'It's spooked the kids here, though,' said Rose. 'They're terrified.'

'I'm not surprised with things like this roaming through the local woods!'

As if on cue, there was a guttural roar from outside. The Doctor dropped the drawings back on to the table with a deep sigh. 'I think we should pay a visit to Nathaniel Morton at the rectory and then get out to the lighthouse. But we're not going to be able to do much in the dark if those creatures are still active, so I'm afraid we're going to have to wait until morning. You'd better get up to bed.'

32.

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The morning sun came up bright and harsh over the sea, sending tendrils of mist spiralling into the air from the wet bracken. Ali crept through the damp undergrowth, keeping to the shadows of the rectory's long stone perimeter wall. The house itself loomed ahead of her, vast and imposing, wet slates glinting in the morning light, the windows dark and ominous.

She looked back at the gateway, where a cl.u.s.ter of expectant faces were watching her. She could hear Billy Palmer urging her on.

'Go on! Just do it!' he hissed. 'Hiding in the shadows is no good!'

Ali turned back towards the house. The wall surrounded an untidy garden that was bordered with gravel paths. Rhododendron bushes that had been allowed to grow wild towered over walls and straggly-looking shrubs fought their way through the brambles in the flowerbeds.

She broke cover, sprinting across the wet gra.s.s, not wanting to use the gravel path in case the noise gave her away. She reached the large broken birdbath that stood in front of the house and hunched down behind it, her heart pounding.

The door was right opposite her now. The big black door with its 33 peeling paint and old-fas.h.i.+oned knocker. Ali took another look back at her friends. They were all urging her on. She closed her eyes, trying to control her fear. All of them had done this. She was the only one left. She had to do it.

She wanted wanted to do it. to do it.

Taking a deep breath, she darted across the lawn crouched low, not daring to look up at those horrible black windows in case a face appeared in one of them. She ducked into the porch, grabbing the big bra.s.s knocker and letting it crash back against the door. Once. Twice. Three times. She could hear the noise echoing around the hallway of the damp old house.

Giddy with excitement, Ali whirled and hared back across the lawn to her waiting friends. She'd done it! She'd done it! She was part of the gang. When she reached the gate, most of that gang were already running, laughing and shoving at each other.

Billy Palmer had waited for her and was now grinning like a loon.

'Didn't think you were gonna do it!'

'It was easy,' lied Ali.

Giggling, the two of them ran to catch up with their mates. Nathaniel Morton watched from the first-floor window as the small girl emerged from the shadow of the house, scampering across his lawn to join her friends.

'Do you want the children punished?'

Morton turned to the white-coated figure at his shoulder.

'Of course not!' he snapped. 'They are important to us, Peyne, remember that. As long as our "guests" were not disturbed.'

'They sleep. The medication ensures that.'

'Last night's test was successful?'

'Satisfactory. Do you need help returning to the lower levels?'

'I can manage!'

The figure gave a shrug and turned from the window. 'Then I shall return to my duties.'

Morton watched with distaste as the figure left, the white coat gleaming in the dark of the room. It was like watching a ghost. Dust 34 swirled from the floorboards, leaving footprints clearly visible in a trail to the door. Morton sighed. It had been a long time since anyone had cared about the appearance of the house. Certainly his 'colleagues'

had no interest in its upkeep. It was a place in which to work, a place for them to finish what had been started so long ago. Morton gripped the arms of his ancient wheelchair. A place for them to finish it. And he so desperately wanted it to be finished. He pushed himself away from the window, wheels squealing on the wooden floor, and moved away from the light and into the gloom of the house.

Rose and the Doctor strode up the hill towards the rectory, the Doctor munching on a slice of toast. He'd already had a gargantuan breakfast and Rose couldn't believe he was still eating.

Her night had been an unsettled one, though the room was comfortable enough. The Hardys were obviously used to making their guests feel at home and Rose had been given a small, cosy attic room, with low beams supporting the ceiling and soft pillows on the bed. But the night had been full of strange noises: a girl crying in her sleep Rose had a.s.sumed that was Ali and deeper, more unfamiliar sounds carried on the wind. Creatures stalking the woods and cliff tops. She had lain there, listening to the roars. It was unbelievable really, monsters prowling a seaside town and the locals accepting it as if it was something normal. But then, so much of her life these days was unbelievable.

She had eventually fallen into a troubled sleep in the early hours of the morning, only to be woken what seemed like minutes later by the Doctor hammering energetically on her door and shouting for her to stir her stumps.

Groaning, Rose had dragged herself out of bed and trudged downstairs a little later to find the Doctor in the restaurant. He was tucking into a huge cooked breakfast, bright-eyed and eager, the morning papers spread out on the table in front of him. Rose had slumped down opposite him, pouring herself a huge mug of coffee from the jug on the table.

35.'You're one of those annoying people who actually like mornings, aren't you?' she said accusingly, helping herself to some toast from the rack.

The Doctor had grinned at her. 'The creatures only seem to turn up after dark, so we need to make the most of the available daylight!

Besides, young Ali and her friends were up and out hours ago, and I want to see if we can catch up with them.'

Rose had been surprised. 'They let her go out on her own?'

The Doctor had just shrugged.

'They know the days are safe.

They've started to build these creatures into their normal routine. Humans are adaptable like that.'

'Looks like you had a productive night.' Rose nodded at the dismantled phone that was spread out across one of the pub tables.

'Trying to get a fix on that interference. Haven't traced it yet, but give me time.'

The Doctor had continued to eat until Rose was certain that he was going to burst. Then he jumped to his feet, wiped the egg yolk from his plate with another piece of toast and announced that it was time to pay Nathaniel Morton a visit. Beth had told them the best way to get up to the rectory and the two of them had set off in bright morning sunlight.

Daylight made the village look completely different. Shops were open, locals were out in the street buying groceries, boats bobbed in the little harbour. A normal Welsh fis.h.i.+ng village. They made their way up the hill, past the estate they had pa.s.sed through the previous night. The rectory was just visible now on a jutting strip of headland, bordered by a long, high wall and towering beech trees.

Rose turned and looked back at the view. Out in the bay the lighthouse loomed from its tangle of black rock, seagulls swirling around it. It made her s.h.i.+ver. While daylight made everything else look cheerier, it somehow accentuated the lighthouse's brooding presence.