It's been a while, I know. I've been having a really horrible time in my life at the moment, and that's not just an excuse. For example, in the last 2 months, I've had: Friend attempted suicide, same friend almost died (not by her choice), grandmother had a serious stroke, step-father been diagnosed with cancer, dog been diagnosed with cancer and anemia and been given 3-9 months to live, AND one of my neighbours has died... Yeah, good year for me so far, hey?
The title of the chapter is the name of my favourite Within Temptation song, go and listen! ;)
Anyway, thanks so much to madTARDIStraveller for being the ONLY reviewer for my last chapter, you rock! Have a cookie for your troubles!
Josh threw the vehicle as fast as it would go down the street. It seemed that the whole city had been woken by the commotion, and instead of doing the sensible thing and staying in their houses, had decided to billow out onto the streets like sheep being herded to slaughter.
As they flew past throngs of screaming people, Rose and Jack leant as far out of the car as they could, yelling loudly. They alternated between shouts of "Get out of the way!" and "Get back inside!" or something similar to either.
While yelling themselves hoarse, the group kept a watchful eye out. If they could find the Wolf before anyone got hurt, maybe they could do something about it. And if they found the Doctor they could try and help him, no matter what he had told them to do; he couldn't deal with the Wolf all on his own.
"I don't see him!" Jack was the first to voice his fears, leaning as far out of the car as he could and still remain inside whenever Josh hurled them round tight corners. He obviously knew his way around the city.
"Keep looking!" Rose told him over the screams and cries of doom. "He can't have got far!"
It was true; he'd only left the house a few seconds before them, it was physically impossible for him to be too far away.
"Doctor!" Jack called out for the Time Lord, scanning the crowd quickly, looking for the unruly brown hair that signalled the Doctor's location.
"You'd better find him quick!" Josh shouted from behind the wheel, indicating ahead of them. Rose looked just in time to see the Wolf come charging out of a narrow alleyway, snarling and roaring, saliva hanging in long ropes from its deadly jaws, its teeth gleaming white in the moonlight, ready to kill. "Coz I've just found our other friend!"
At this, the Wolf stopped abruptly, standing tall on its hind legs, swinging its head towards them. Its eyes glowed bright orange, like a wildfire was contained in its burning orbs. Gazing at them like it was deciding how to kill them, it threw back its head and howled. The howl was so loud that everyone surrounding the beast had to cover their ears to try to prevent serious damage. Those closest, as it had emerged from the ally, had tried to flee as far as they could, but weren't lucky enough; at least seven people stumbled around, hands over their ears, as blood began to trickle from between their fingers.
The Wolf stopped howling, returning to its four-legged stance, ready to charge, leap or kill. Suddenly, it stopped moving altogether, turning its unwavering gaze on the stumbling, deafened people still trying to flee. It sniffed, then again, growling and licking its lips, starting to move towards the helpless people.
"No!" Rose realised with shock. It was going to kill them! She could have kicked herself it took her so long to realise. "Jack!" she called to the ex-Time Agent, hoping he was having better luck thinking of a plan than she was.
"Hey!" Josh stood up tall, waving his arms in an exaggerated gesture, trying to attract the Wolf's attention. "Hey! Over here! This way you mangy beast! Pick on someone your own size!"
Jack looked at Rose, shrugged in a "What the hell?" kind of way, and joined in, jumping as high as he could. "Come on! This way! We're way tastier than them! Leave 'em alone!"
It still wasn't working; the Wolf was getting closer and closer to the mob, focussing on their bleeding ears. Rose made a snap decision. If the Doctor wasn't here to have the great ideas, she'd do it until he came back. Bending down, she grabbed a large stick from the paved ground, pulled back her arm and hurled the stick at the Wolf as hard as she could.
Her aim was true; the stick struck the Wold squarely on the back of its head. It jumped, seeming shocked at the pain. Then it turned, quicker than any of them could actually see. One moment it was facing away from their car, the next it was glaring at them, roaring, teeth glittering, now aimed at them.
"That did it..." Rose mused quietly. "Come on! Come and get us!" she yelled to it, waving her arms.
"No!" Josh looked panic stricken. "We need to hit it! Aim for its-" He broke off as the Wolf roared again. Then it charged, heading straight for them. Jack swore loudly, slipping back into his seat.
"Go, Josh, GO!"
Josh did as he was told, and put his foot down. The car shot forward, weaving slightly as its driver fought for control. He skidded round a tight bend at the end of a road, the wheel spinning in his hands as he sought to keep the beast away from the pedestrians.
A crown had gathered ahead of them. He beeped the horn as fast as he could, waving them out of the road. "Get into your houses!" he yelled as he passed.
Rose looked behind them. She couldn't see the Wolf, it wasn't chasing them. "It's not following us!" she alerted the two men.
"You sure?" Jack's voice sounded strangely high-pitched as he looked over his shoulder.
"Yes it is!" Josh cried out as the Wold suddenly appeared in front of them, dead in the centre of the road, its mouth wide open in a feral snarl, claws out as if to give them a hug worthy of Big Bertha. Josh managed to swerve at the last second and escape down a side road to their left.
"We need to hit it!" Josh said again, struggling to be heard. Aim for its back; the very tip of the spine!"
"What good will that do?" Rose was almost hysterical now, the Wolf was right behind them, practically jumping on the roof, roaring as it went. It's playing with us! She realised. It could outrun us easily, it's playing a game!
"At the top of the back, right between the shoulder blades, where the back stops and neck begins; the Wolves are very sensitive to that area. We've found that any pressure on that point, and they're out cold! Any pressure at all, knocks 'em out! The more force behind the blow, the longer they're out for! Hit it hard enough and it could be out for days!"
"Sounds like a plan!" Jack agreed, still watching the Wolf as it strolled, almost leisurely, behind them, still gaining with every bound. Now it was so close that its breath was clouding the glass on the back of the car. "But how do we get behind it? Now that it's chasing us there's no way we'll get behind it!"
"Don't worry! I have a plan-" Josh began, a sly smile on his face. Suddenly, the Wolf landed on the bonnet with a crash and the shrill cry of collapsing metal. They cried out at the car swerved violently, out of control. The Wolf stayed on; gripping the roof in its clawed paws and ripping it clean off. It looked over the windshield at them, roaring again, swiping at Jack in the back seat, trying to get at him.
"Get down!" the young FLAMES member shouted, turning sharply right. All the occupants of the car, both on the inside and out were thrown to the left as the car turned, the Wolf keeping its grip with only one paw. Josh wrestled for control of the vehicle as it spun round and round, heading for a rather steep grass cliff that marked the very edge of the city. "Find the Doctor," he yelled "I'll lead it off, get behind it and hit it with everything you can. Tell him what I told you, he'll think of something!" he looked to Rose, a slight twinkle in his eyes. "And if neither Jack, nor that Doctor gets there before me, I'll take you out for a meal after this is all done!"
Rose found herself blushing, despite their current circumstances. "I think I'll like that!" she smiled while gripping the door handle with all her strength.
Then it was all over. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The car was still spinning, still heading straight for the cliff face, Josh looking at her with a burning intensity that Rose would never forget. In a sudden blur of dark brown fur, the Wolf leapt across the front of the vehicle, roaring triumphantly, its gleaming jaws fastening tightly around Josh's neck.
The young man's face froze, the twinkle in his eyes replaced by horror, pain and shock, the smile slipping, turning instead into a grimace. Sounds blurred together, and Rose wasn't sure if it was her screaming, Jack screaming, or Josh himself.
The car balanced on the precipice for a fraction of a second, and then toppled over the edge. The Wolf jumped clear, landing with ferocious grace, framed by the light of the setting Moon, muzzle glistening with fresh blood.
Still screaming, Rose and Jack clung to each other as the car rolled over and over down the grass cliff. Metal screeched as it was pulled apart and pushed together, debris flying everywhere, glass shattering around them and burying itself into their skin. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the car reached the bottom of the incline, smashing straight into a huge tree trunk. The tree held firm and car came to a complete standstill.
But Rose and Jack knew none of this; they were already unconscious.
Oooooooh! Cliffhanger! Did Josh die? Are Rose and Jack OK? Will they find the Doctor? Will the insurance pay for the damage to the car? Who knows?
Reviewers get bananas! :D
