Chapter 7:
Escape
"The Black Beast? How would it do such an impossible thing?" the Doctor asked.
"We do not know the answer to that problem."
"Great," complained the Doctor. "Do you know what the Black Beast is?"
"We do not know." Bobby muttered slowly, before starting to 'glitch'. His body locked and snapped around uncontrollably.
The Doctor frowned at him worriedly, "what's happening to you?"
Bobby continued to spasm as he slurred his answer in a low, growly voice, "by stepping outside the perception bubble and using your extra-terrestrial technology, you have gained the Black Beast's attention. It is trying to infiltrate the perception bubble."
"Is it succeeding?" the Doctor asked.
"Slowly. Doctor, there is one thing that you need to learn about the Black Beast. The way it hunts its prey."
"I'm assuming, we're its prey." The Doctor mumbled.
"That is correct," Bobby growled, "The Black Beast is able to paralyze its prey in a trance to the point where they cannot move."
Bobby gasped in pain, "the only way to snap the victims out of the trance is by giving them a big shock."
"Big shock, okay, understood." The Doctor said quickly, "but there must be something I can do to stop it from infiltrating the perception bubble. There must be something I can do to save everyone."
"No," growled Bobby, "it is too late. The Black Beast is already seeping through the bubble. And Doctor,"
The Doctor stopped pacing, paying attention to Bobby.
"You've got to make sure that Heather stays alive. No matter what happens, you must help Heather regain her memories. It is of the utmost importance that you help her regain her memories." Bobby gasped.
"Why?" the Doctor asked. "What happened to our memories?"
"We do not know, we are only saying the message that you told us to repeat back to you." Boby explained, his voice getting more distorted.
"Okay, okay," the Doctor said quickly, "I will keep her safe, but please, let me help you. You can come with us."
Bobby shook his head and said quietly, "No Doctor. The perception bubble is failing. Soon the Black Beast will be able to see us. Please, do not allow it to touch you or Heather as it will devour you."
"Of course no. I won't let it." The Doctor said quietly, hopelessly.
Bobby cried out in pain, "Doctor! You must hurry."
XXX
Heather shuddered then froze. She whimpered as a black mist slowly seeped into her office. The room was suddenly icy cold and all Heather could do was simply watch the black mist slowly approach her, as if taking its time to play with its meal a little longer.
Suddenly the door was kicked down! The Doctor realised that Heather was frozen and saw that the Black Beast was only about a metre away from her, "Come on Heather! We need to go!"
He grumbled and raced over to her and shook her vigorously. She stayed frozen. "I'm sorry Heather," he started quietly, "I'm so sorry for this." And the Doctor swung his palm around and slapped her. Hard.
Heather gasped and screamed at the top of her lungs, "Ow! That hurt!"
Before she got to punch him, he pulled her hand and dragged her behind him as the Black Beast finally reached her seat.
"I'm so sorry Heather, but now we must hurry out of here." The Doctor explained as he led her through the kindergarten, "Do not let any of the black mist touch you."
Heather suddenly realised something, "Wait! What about the children?"
"No Heather, I'm sorry, we can't stop for them."
Heather forced out of his grip and raced to the main playroom where the children were having a nap. She gasped at the sight that she saw.
The Black Beast had just slowly crept in and as soon as it touched Michael, he slowly broke down into dust and even then the dust slowly disappeared. It then touched more and more children and slowly, more and more children turned to dust and disappeared.
The Doctor rushed in after her and witnessed the scene and leapt at her and held her back as she starts breaking down crying and desperately tried to save them.
"I'm so sorry Heather," the Doctor groaned as she put up a good fight, "but you musn't touch the black mist. It's too late for the children now."
Heather sobbed, "No! This can't be happening!"
"I'll explain all of it later, but first, we must get out of here before we disappear as well!" the Doctor managed to start dragging Heather out of the room.
Just before Bobby, who was the only one upright, was out of Heather's sight, her surroundings shimmered and showed what was actually there. She gasped. Instead of the cute little boy that she knew too well, she saw a grey, bulbous headed alien with elongated limbs and no nostrils. Then, as the generator attempted to keep up the simulated surroundings, everything shimmered back and Bobby was a little boy again.
He was then consumed by the Black Beast as the Doctor dragged her around the corner.
The Doctor shoved Heather out of the back door of the kindergarten and she paused and stared at the blue police box that was simply standing there in the middle of the daytime. The Doctor snapped his fingers and the Tardis doors opened and Heather was shoved once more into the Tardis.
The Doctor shut the door behind him and locked it before racing over to the central control console and raced around it, flicking levers and pushing buttons.
"What just happened?" Heather sobbed, "what just happened in the kindergarten?"
"Hang on, we're not out of the woods yet." The Doctor growled.
Outside, the Black Beast rushes towards the Tardis and slammed into it, rocking the whole Tardis.
Inside, the whole Tardis interior shook violently and Heather slams her back heavily into the railing and groaned, that was enough to let her register that she was in the Tardis and she was speechless at the spacious interior.
The Doctor however, was holding on tightly onto the console to stay standing. He growled, "oh no you don't" as he reached for a lever successfully and pulled it down. The Tardis groaned a higher pitch than it usually did before it resumed its normal pitch that indicated that they were travelling.
The Tardis lifted off the ground and flies away as strands of the black mist tried to hold on but failed. The kindergarten grounds shimmered as the Tardis flew out of the perception bubble and since there were no more living beings inside the bubble, the generator decided to call it quits and the bubble shimmered and disappeared.
This is not the end yet. Just a bit more. Hang on in there, "The Kindergarten Teacher" is nearly done.
Kid.
