Doctor Who (c) BBC.


Wallace Hunt, the younger of the two brothers, was feeling restless. He watched the girl being dragged onto the hanging platform with growing apprehension. With none of his brother's malice, he had only a part of Andrew's conviction that the witch was guilty. And the witch was so young, younger than him, and pretty – a very blonde, British sort of pretty, but pretty all the same. Wallace went to the sermon every Sunday, and Reverend Parris always said the Devil would use temptation, but he had never imagined he would experience it first-hand, or have such trouble – he always thought himself strong enough to support his faith, no matter what...but now he was confused by guilt. Although grubby and ruffled, Rose still gave off an air of otherworldliness, of excitement, of a bright light amongst the dark sharpness of Salem.

Wallace forced himself to look away from her pleading eyes, dark brown, one blurred by a nasty cut where someone had thrown a stone. It was impossible to tell who had been the thrower, because practically the whole town had turned out to witness the hanging. He focused instead on the crowd pushing in against the foot of the gallows, gazing up at Rose and the Hunt brothers, the greed for spilt blood clear in their faces. Wallace helplessly watched Andrew drag Rose to the front of the stage and onto the closed trapdoor. The noose hung down in front of her, and the elder Hunt dropped it over her head, purposefully slow. The throng pressed closer impatiently, silent, fresh with the thrill of anticipation, but all Wallace felt was his heart beating a tattoo against his throat as he reluctantly put a hand on the lever that released the trapdoor, ready to send the witch – Rose – plunging to her death.

Rose lowered her head so that blonde hair hung down in a curtain over her face. Wallace and Andrew presumed it was to hide tears or a final prayer, but in truth she was scanning the crowd for any sign of the Doctor. It would be just like him to leave it to the last minute. But as the seconds ticked past and he didn't spring into view, the dread grew in her chest. What if the monkey was right, and he wasn't coming? What if this was the end? As if he could hear her, the monkey scuttled up to her and gently nuzzled her shins.

What now? Rose silently whispered. Do you see a way out?

There's always a way out, he replied. But you're not going to like it.

Do I have a choice?

All right. Hold on tight.

To wha-

But she didn't get to finish, because the monkey stepped backwards, tensed in a crouch, and sprang; leapt at her; through her; disappeared inside her chest –

Rose jerked backwards and almost strangled herself on the rope before they had even pulled the lever, but Andrew grabbed her arms.

"All right, girlie," he hissed. "Not 'til the crowd's gagging for it, okay? I know you're disappointed you're boyfriend abandoned you, but…"

He pushed her back into place, and nodded at Wallace. The younger man readied himself at the lever, wishing there were another way, but not quite brave enough to make a stand.

"Any last words?" whispered Andrew. Wallace heard the glee in his voice and felt sick.

"Just one," the girl's voice was soft, melodic, somehow dangerous. She looked back at them, and where her eyes had always been dark, now Wallace could have sworn they were almost black. Her mouth twisted in a smile that wasn't her usual cheerful grin, and a chill ran through Wallace. "Duck."

"What do you mean, du –" Andrew began, then an invisible shockwave slammed into him and he flew backwards off the platform. Pandemonium broke out. The crowd started running, falling over each other in their haste to get away, until the individuals were lost in the single torrent of terrified bodies.

Rose lifted a hand and they fell, as one; no noise, no fuss, just the slow, soft sigh of a hundred bodies folding to the ground. The town fell silent.

Only Wallace was left. He felt fear slide down his spine as she turned to face him. Her jet-black eyes bored into him, like dark pools of time. He was weak at the knees before she lifted her hand.

The Doctor sprinted into the square, coat-tails flapping, and screeched to a halt a hundred metres from the gallows. The sight that greeted him was one all too familiar: a battlefield, fallen soldiers, broken bodies. He dropped to his knees beside the nearest victim and felt for a pulse. There, a faint beating – very faint, but there. He reached for another, and found another pulse. He was willing to bet it would be the same all round. They were all alive, but what had knocked them out, so completely?

"Doctor?" A familiar voice made him look up, tensing. Rose was stumbling towards him through the fallen, one hand to her head. "It is you, isn't it?"

"It's me." The Doctor straightened up and moved forwards to meet her. "Are you OK? Did you see what happened?"

"No, I just…I just heard this noise…"

They were only a foot apart now. The Doctor's first instinct was to hug her, but something stopped him. There was something odd, something about her - something not quite right. The Doctor stared at her, trying to figure out what was different, but Rose's face crumpled and he moved forwards automatically to catch her in his arms. She pulled free after only a few seconds, but stayed leaning against him, eyes fixed on his chest.

"Rose, what happened?" he asked gently, trying to meet her eyes. For some reason she seemed unwilling to look at him; he eventually had to grab her chin and guide her gaze to his. "What is it?"

"I…" she gazed up at him, speechless, and something crackled between them. For one mad moment the Doctor was sure she was about to kiss him; and then she drew back a fist and smacked him between the eyes.

The Doctor stumbled backwards, more from shock than the actual blow, and tripped over one of the unconscious villagers. He sprawled backwards.

Rose loomed over him; the Doctor felt the air crackle once more, but this time his guard was down, and whatever Rose had tried to do before worked. He felt something work its way into his mind, twist, and pull. A searing pain flashed through the Doctor's head, and then everything went black.