DOG PARK.

These words, printed in large, dark letters on a white metal sign, were the first thing the Doctor saw upon throwing open the TARDIS doors. And underneath, in smaller lettering: DO NOT ENTER. DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE.

Although the scene was very much not the lush, tropical jungle that the Doctor had been expecting, his curiosity was immediately piqued. He stepped out of the TARDIS, shut and locked it behind him, and studied his new surroundings. He seemed to have landed in the middle of a town, a town in some kind of desert, judging by the dusty, sandy ground and scrubby plant life. The buildings—plain one- and two-story houses, a supermarket, fast food restaurants, typical stuff—indicated Earth, with the year probably falling around 2013.

The Doctor covered the few feet between the TARDIS and the dog park sign, which hung on a chain link fence topped with a coil of barbed wire that glittered wickedly in the harsh sunlight. A low humming noise indicated that the barrier was electrified, as well.

"Now, what do we have here?" the Doctor murmured. "'Do not enter' I'm used to, but 'do not acknowledge?'" He pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his jacket with a chuckle. "That's just too tempting…"

The sonic reacted so strongly when he passed it over the sign that he dropped it in surprise.

"What was that?" he wondered, scooping the tool up and examining it from all angles, checking to see if it might be malfunctioning in any way. It seemed fine, so he aimed it again at the sign.

"Hm..." The sonic vibrated in the Doctor's hand, the green light at the tip flickering like a spastic firefly. He pointed it away from the sign, at a random spot on the fence, and the result was the same. Everywhere he tried was the same—the sidewalk, a lamppost, a car, even the sky gave off strange readings.

Thoroughly confused but equally intrigued, the Doctor paced back and forth along a short section of the park fence. Obviously there was something wrong with this place. Extremely wrong. The TARDIS always took him where she did for a reason; plus, the sonic had never had such a violent reaction before.

"Okay, first, we're going to see what's in here," the Doctor decided. Still pacing, he looked past the chain link into the dog park.

Just seconds ago, the space had been empty. Now a person stood inside. At least, the Doctor figured it was a person. The human-sized-and-shaped figure was wearing a long black cloak, and a hood obscured its face. The Doctor stopped pacing and almost grabbed the fence before remembering that it was electrified.

"Hey! Hello!" he called, waving at the figure.

It remained motionless and silent.

The Doctor, not deterred in the slightest, kept trying to speak to it. His futile attempt at communication went on for about twenty seconds, and then abruptly ended when someone took hold of his hand and yanked him away.

"What are you doing!?" the stranger gripping his hand whispered. "Were you trying to talk to a hooded figure!?"

"Um..." The Doctor didn't quite know what to make of the man's evidently extreme level of concern. Luckily, the stranger continued without waiting for a response.

"It's okay, it's okay, I stopped you in time. I did stop you in time, right?" He took a step back without letting go of the Doctor's hand and looked him carefully up and down. "You don't feel anything unusual? Thomas Walters was the last person who tried to talk to a hooded figure; I don't think they've gotten the wrench out of his intestine yet..."

"What?" The Doctor slipped his hand free and placed it worriedly over his stomach. "A wrench?"

"Yes, it was stuck right inside his intestine, the one they found hanging from a telephone wire. I'm not sure what happened to Thomas, but I imagine wherever he is he's having trouble digesting anything."

"Oh. Well, that's... unfortunate." The Doctor scratched the back of his head, unsure if 'unfortunate' was the right word for losing an internal organ. "So, ah, what's this, then?" he asked, both to change the subject and because he really wanted to know. He pointed over his shoulder towards the dog park and started to turn around.

"Stop!" The stranger grabbed his arm. "There's nothing there."

"What? There's a-,"

"Shhhhh. No there's not."

"But you're facing it right now, you can see it!"

"I see nothing. There is nothing there."

A brief moment passed in silence, with the Doctor and the stranger staring directly at each other, one absolutely serious and the other completely puzzled.

"Okay, you're right," the Doctor agreed, just to appease the man. "I don't know what I was thinking"

"Ask the city council. They'll know. Oh!" The stranger seemed to realize something. "Where are my manners? My name is Cecil." He offered his hand, which the Doctor took.

"Lovely to meet you, Cecil," he grinned. "I'm the Doctor."

Cecil, rather than shake the Doctor's hand, gave it a tight squeeze, a gesture that would normally come across as reassuring or encouraging. For some reason, it felt like the opposite. "Hello, Doctor. Welcome to Night Vale."