It was another stormy night outside and lightning flashed through the graying clouds. A woman uneasily watched it strike through the sky before she tore her eyes away from her window and back to the words in her book. She walked through her dark and empty house as she bit at her nails, her intrigue completely peaked, when another crack of lightning sounded across the sky and rang in her ears much louder than it had previous times before. The unexpected volume startled her and she jumped from it.
She decided that with Mother Nature raging angrily outside, she would most likely not get to read in peace. She sighed annoyed, and retreated to her bedroom. There, she crawled under her covers and let her soft brown eyes stare into the ceiling above her thoughtfully before she shook her thoughts away and laid her latest book down on a small stack of other books resting on her bedside table. She gently tugged the power cord down and turned out her evening lamp before turning over onto her side and closing her eyes.
She was easily taken by the realm of sleep and quickly her breathing was that even paced song of one who dreamed. As she slept the thunder pounded and the lightning danced across the midnight sky, and her lamp peculiarly flickered off and on through the night.
She awoke the next morning as usual, slowly and alone. She blinked her eyes a bit as she stared at her ceiling above her. She laid there like that, seemingly in thought, and listened to the silence in her house and the morning birds chirping outside before she finally decided to begin her day.
She threw her covers aside and slid out of bed. Her hand grabbed for the book atop the stack at her bedside table as she left her bedroom. She let out a yawn as she thudded lightly downstairs to her kitchen. Her bare feet touched the familiar cold tile floor as she stumbled across it towards her cupboards, mindlessly preparing herself the ritualistic breakfast of cold cereal and juice. Feeling more awake, she picked up where she left off in her newest book while she enjoyed the sweet crunch of Tony the Tiger's Frosted Flakes.
Yes, it was just another typical morning for her as she read away and enjoyed her breakfast just as she always had, in silence and solitude. Until something different happened.
A ring at her door interrupted her as it vibrated through the walls all the way to her ears. She looked up from her book in the direction of her front door, surprise in her face. She hadn't been expecting anybody or any mail; she wondered who could be at her door so early this morning.
Her bell rang once more, proving she hadn't imagined it. She released her spoon from her hold letting it sink in her bowl and went to answer. She walked down the hall and could hear the hushed mumbles of arguing the whole way. Whoever they were continued to argue until the moment she opened her old wooden door and stared at them questioningly. The two of them turned to her with bright smiles stretching out their skin.
"Hello there, good morning," His English accent rang out through the cold morning air.
"We had some complaints about the electricity on this block and we think the problem resides here. I'm the electrician, and this is my assistant." He shoved a wallet type of material in her face and threw a nod towards his dark skinned companion.
"We'll just take a look and be out of your hair as soon as you can say — " He began to enter the house when she suddenly stood in his way, cutting him off from his fast talk.
"Um, no you're not?" she said bleakly.
"Excuse me?" he asked. He seemed confused.
"You're not the electrician." She clarified.
"Well of course I am, can't you read?" he asked as he glanced at his means of ID and shoved it back in her face.
She patiently, but all the same annoyed, pushed his hand away. Slowly she raised her book that she still held in her hand as if in obvious response.
"Yes, I can read fine. The paper is blank."
At that he seemed genuinely shocked, as well as the woman beside him.
"Well that's not right." He stared at the paper himself as she began to close her door.
"Wait!" his companion had leapt for the door and pleaded for her to listen.
"We need to get in there, you might be in great danger!" she explained.
"I think I can handle it on my own, thanks though." She smiled an obviously non-genuine smile of gratitude before she shut her door and locked it solid.
As soon as her door had closed the people outside began to bicker. She could hear their muffled argument even through the solid wood of her door. She shook her head finding them strange and briskly stalked back down her hallway to finish her breakfast.
Her morning continued on as it normally did afterwards. She returned upstairs to change for work. She found her light bulbs had died out again, much to her annoyance. She'd only just bought new ones earlier in the week.
She dressed herself without the help of man made light and headed off to work. She walked to her destination without a single moment of unusual difference than the other times she had. Her day carried on with its normal attributes of chatter and laughter before dusk had begun to settle and it was time to punch out and head back home.
"Good night Lawrence." She sung as she passed the security guard on her way out.
"Good night, love." He flirted back with his regular response at which she only smiled and rolled her eyes.
Her steps were swift and light as her heel clunked against the sidewalk beneath. She hunched her shoulders a bit more against the cold of the night as her breath became visible before her as she huffed. She dug her hands into her long black coat's pockets as she crossed the street towards her short cut home through an alley way.
It was usually well lit from beginning to end which is why she had no problems walking through it before, but as she passed under the street lamps tonight they began to falter.
They buzzed and flickered on and off strangely, slowly at first. She looked up at the fickle light as it blinked but kept steadily on through the alley. As she brought her head back down another began to flicker as well. She walked faster, and another blinked out. Soon they all flashed off, one after the other as she passed. She broke into a quick step as she tried to reach the other end of the alley before the lights went out above her. Faster and faster she walked but the lights followed, blinking out only seconds behind her. It didn't stop even once she'd reached the end.
Fully frightened now, she ran home and the lights ran after her. She fumbled with her key at her steps and carefully eyed the seizing lights around her before her door finally opened. She dashed inside and closed the door behind her. She slid her back against it and tried to catch her breath in the darkness of her own home.
Strange things seemed to be happening more and more to her. The lights were one thing that had been happening, but never out of her own home. She was beginning to feel a sort of paranoia she'd never felt before, as if there were something watching her that wasn't there.
Nothing she did sent the feeling away. All she could do was act like she didn't feel any different and carry on with life as normal as she continued to read and to read whatever she could find that described the things she'd been feeling and told of ways to rid herself from demons and spirits and whatever it was that seemed to be following her.
But this was different. Nothing she did changed anything. Nothing she read mentioned what she felt now. Whatever was there with her was only seeming to become stronger.
A flash of silent lightning shone through the designed glass window of her door and stretched across her long hallway floor. Another storm was starting tonight. They occurred more and more in the past recent months. The thought of more inconsistent light and thunder drained her. She sighed and trudged her way up stairs to find refuge in her sleep.
She groaned with fatigue as she reached her room entryway. She tried the switch to the lights; completely busted. She sighed again in annoyance as she walked over to her bed and sat at the edge to remove the murdering shoes from her feet. Once freed, she stood once more to remove her coat and place it back on its hanger. She slid open her closet door when a crack of lightning shattered through the sky and through her bedroom window, allowing just enough sight to see two pairs of wide eyes staring into hers.
She screamed, and the eyes seemed to scream with her!
"Sorry, sorry! Shhh!" A familiar voice tried to hush her and she backed away as it's owner stepped forward.
"We just really needed to get in here, and he's not very good at explaining things,"
"You two." She interrupted the woman. They were both in the grace of the bedroom now and she could see them clearly despite the darkness of the room.
"The weird couple from this morning!" she calmed her breathing as anger began to replace her fear.
"We're not a couple." He interjected.
She stared at him with wide eyes, "I don't care. It doesn't matter, cause I'll tell you what you are, you're in my house!" she raged.
"Oh, yes, so we are." He looked around, "It's quite lovely, did you decorate yourself? I love all the book stuff."
"Compliments won't help you." She spoke dangerously, her arms hanging stiffly at her sides and her hands tightly clenched into fists.
"I'm sorry, did you want us to leave?"
"Yes."
"Oh.."
"Can you get on with it?"
"No."
"What?"
Her jaw hung open in bafflement. The audacity of the skinny man that stood before her in her house in her bedroom, and tell her he refused to go? The audacity!
"Well it's kind of storming out there isn't it? Not really good traveling weather." His face contorted as he picked up one of the books from her nightstand and read the title as best he could in the dark. She however, had just about enough foolishness.
"That's it, I want you both out of my house, I'm calling the cops." She swiftly walked around her bed to the other nightstand where her phone sat.
"Well that won't do any good." He said as he turned his attention to other knick knacks that occupied her dresser top. "That phone's not working." He picked up a glass sphere and eyed it.
She picked up the receiver but heard no dial tone, "Great, just wonderful!" angrily, she slammed it down and stared at the two strangers in her bedroom. She began to feel somewhat uneasy.
"How did you do that?" she asked.
"Do what?"
"How'd you turn off the phone?"
"I didn't, the power went out."
"Yeah that happens all the time, but the phone lines never did."
"It means they've been getting stronger."
"What have?"
"The things that have been following you, the things you've been looking for in books, trying to learn about; trying to find out how to fight them."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." She said evenly as she swallowed the lump that had risen in her throat. It tasted much like her own stomach.
"Of course you do! You've got every book in here lining the walls in your house filled with all the information mankind has documented on all forms of life!"
"I like to read. Information is power."
"You said you'd call the cops."
"Yeah, but the phone doesn't work."
"Not the point, the point was you said 'cops' not that you'd call the 'police'. That's more of an American term, 'cops'. You're not from here, so what are you doing here? Where did you come from and why'd you leave?" he eyed her suspiciously.
"So what, I'm American. Lots of Americans live here in England."
"Yeah but you're not living here, you're hiding here, but hiding from what? What are you running from, what's chasing you, and more importantly why you?"
For a brief moment his stare was over powering her. It was as if he saw right into her and suddenly knew every inch of her, every inch of her mind. It was like there was no where she could go that would hide her from his all knowing gaze.
"What's so special about you?" he drawled out as another flash of lightning lit the sky.
"Nothing about me is special." She answered, regaining some control over herself, not allowing him to read any more of her.
He turned away from her. "I can't help you unless I know what's troubling you, so until you tell me anything you know about whatever won't leave you alone, I can't do a thing."
"And who are you? Who are you who holds this vast knowledge of things that none of the worlds oldest and newest books hold within their pages? Just who are you exactly that I should so easily trust with all my most intimate memories?" she asked laying on thick tones of dramatized sarcasm.
"Ah! We haven't introduced ourselves, apologies, I'm The Doctor and that's," he looked over to the woman.
"I'm Martha." She gave a short wave.
"Nice to meet you Martha," she smiled to the woman " and I'm sorry, what was you're name, again?" she leaned out, cupping a hand behind her ear.
"I'm The Doctor."
"Yes, I thought that's what you said." She gave the smallest of a chuckle. "But, that's not a name."
"Well it's an alias, that's good enough isn't it?"
"Oh yeah, my fault, you're right. I will gladly tell a complete stranger that broke into my house, hid in my closet, and cut off my phone everything about myself when he won't even give me his name!"
"I didn't touch your phone and it's just a name, who cares?!"
"I care! What's so bad about wanting to know your name?"
"Why do you want to know so badly?!" he raised his voice as he began to get annoyed.
"Because I just do." She replied innocently, taken aback by his sudden temper.
"What's so important about names?!" he yelled again, louder and more furious.
"Everything!" she yelled back.
This time her voice had been filled with more anger than his was, and it died off with a tinge of hurt hanging off the end. A hurt that had been etched there longer than she could remember.
He stared at her, his startled eyes betrayed him and showed everyone in the room that her tone had affected him. He quickly recalled his emotions and sent a glance towards Martha before he began to back out of the room.
"If you won't help me I'll just have to figure it out myself." He said before turning and leaving the two women alone in the dark.
Suddenly she felt some regret for the way she had handled everything. What if he really could have helped her? There was no way he'd help her now. He could have been her only hope, and she'd gone and yelled at him.
She let out an exasperated sigh as she sat at the edge of her bed. Martha stood awkwardly a few feet away. She was obviously trying to figure out a way to start a conversation.
"Look, I know he can be difficult," she hesitated at the noun she'd chosen as she sat next to the woman on her bed "but The Doctor's really this amazing person. He's quite possibly the most amazing man I've ever met. I've seen him do amazing things, really amazing things. Things, you wouldn't believe if I told you. I've gone traveling with him and I've gotten to witness all the wonderful things he's done." Her eyes were desperate, dreamy, admiring. Anyone could see the affection that glowed through her.
"And he could help you too. He could help you, if you trust him."
There was a hesitant moment of silence between them before she turned to face Martha.
"You've seen him?"
"Yes, I have." Martha smiled.
"You've seen him do all these amazing things, and you've seen him help people over and over? You're there with him to see all these things?"
"Yes." She nodded and smiled again.
"Then tell me, do you know his name? I'm not asking you to tell me it if you do, I'm just asking if he has entrusted you with his name?"
Her smile faded and she looked down shamefully. "No. He hasn't."
"He hasn't." she repeated. "So you've gone all over the world, traveling with this man, and you don't even know his name?"
Martha didn't even answer. She only looked away, feeling a bit thoughtful.
"How am I supposed to trust a complete stranger that broke into my house, when he hasn't even trusted his own friends with his name?" she shook her head as she stood from the bed and left Martha there to ponder about her own decisions.
She fumbled around with some drawers until she found what she was looking for. She carried the crinkled brown paper bag through the room. She handed one of the items from the bag to Martha on her way out.
She walked downstairs to her kitchen. She hadn't been expecting to see him still there, reading more of her books that lay about all around her home. She casually walked over to one of her cabinets and reached for a box of matches.
"You still around?" she asked as her fingers felt around the shelves.
"Well I can't just leave. All the signs I followed led me here and this is where they stop. I've no where else to go from here." He answered to the air around him, refusing to make eye contact with her. She found what she searched for and took them in her grasp. She eyed the back of him cautiously before walking over to face him. He looked up and met her gaze.
"What kind of signs?" she asked.
He closed the book he held and placed it behind him on the high standing table he leaned against before he took a single step towards her. He leaned in, closer to her, and he softly spoke his response.
" 'Danger' Signs."
She let the uneasiness that crawled across her back settle into the air before she responded. She thought about and chose her words carefully.
"Tell me 'Doctor', are you used to being a beacon of light to most people? Used to being the face of trust for those that stumble onto your path, lost and afraid?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
She frowned.
"Well, I am not another one of your sheep for you to shepherd."
She forcefully thrust another item from her bag into his hand without breaking eye contact before strutting off into her living room.
He watched her leave before looking down into his hand. In his grip was a single candle, unused. Just then Martha had reached the base of the stairs and stepped into the kitchen with her candle in hand. They looked to each other before The Doctor followed the woman into the living room, and Martha was only steps behind him.
"You don't know what you're trifling with."
"Yeah, but neither do you." She said as she continued to fiddle with what ever it was she was doing.
"Not yet, but I will. And I already know that whatever it is, it's most likely a much bigger threat than you think."
"And that's supposed to change things, how?"
"It changes things because the whole world could be at stake, in danger. It could all be lost, all because one stubborn woman wouldn't cooperate with the only man that could stop it!"
She stood up but kept her back to them. She bit at her lip in thought.
"All right! All right… I'll tell you what I can."
They all stood there, still as statues, until she struck the match she held between her fingers against the box. She threw it into the fireplace and the logs that sat in it burst into flame. It lit up the whole room exuberantly for a few seconds before dying down to an even burning fire. She turned around to face them in the newly lit room, the glow and heat from the fire bouncing around behind her.
"Light your candles. They don't like light."