Chapter Ten- The TARDIS Way

Sam was screaming, and I could do nothing.

I bash my fists against the door, willing it to open. Sam screams even louder, almost deafening me. "Sam!" I cry out, fear bubbling through me. "Sam!"

The screaming stops.

I pause, and press my ear to the door. The door's been locked from the other side, so I can't get in. I can't hear anything. "Sam?" I query. No answer. "Sam?" I call out, a little louder. Still no answer. "Sam!" I feel tears fall down my cheeks. I accidentally press down on the handle, and find myself flying through the air.

I land heavily.

I look up. I'm in a corridor, aligned with circular panels and with blue-green fluorescent lighting. The corridor stretches on for about twenty metres, before it turns right. There's a single door on the left side, not two metres away. There's no sign of Sam.

I stand up. "Sam?" I call out again. My voice echoes down the corridor, causing my heart to pound fearfully. I begin walking down the corridor, my shoes hitting the ground loudly.

I stop by the single door, and shudder. There's a red substance splattered across it, and scratch marks were etched across it. "Sam...what's happened to you, Sam?" I whisper.

I place my hand on the door. Wait. My TARDIS interrupts. Be careful.

"What's happened to Sam?" I growl, wiping away a stray tear. My TARDIS remains silent for a moment. I push the door open, and it swings back towards me. I manage to avoid getting whacked, and slip into the room.

I do a double take.

The room is massive. The walls are covered with bookshelves, and filled with books of an assortment of colours. There's a large Victorian-style fireplace opposite the door on the far side, and a blood red carpet and cream coloured sofas and chairs. Three wooden ladders lean against the bookshelves.

I look around. "Sam?" I say. "Are you in here?"

Something falls from the shelf, and I jump three feet into the air. I press my hand to my chest, and breathe deeply. "Just a book." I gasp. "Idiot."

I walk around the room slowly, admiring the grandeur. "I presume this is the library?" I say to nobody in particular.

Yes. The TARDIS answers. Do you like it?

I frown for a moment. "It's nice, but a bit OTT." I lick my dry lips, and turn back to the door. My heart sinks.

I can hear a howling sound. Like a wolf. Or a werewolf...

"I'm going mad." I grimace, and slap my face. "There aren't werewolves on the TARDIS." Though I still wasn't convinced by my own reasoning. "TARDIS...are there werewolves-"

I think you'll find that it's better to keep on looking for Sam and not dawdle in one place for too long.

I gulp. I run out of the library and slam the door shut behind me, hiding away the secrets of the books.

I reach the corner of the corridor. I look down the next part of the corridor. It's darker, with candelabras decorating the sides of the walls, providing the only light. I can make out at least two doors, opposite each other. I can't see the end of the corridor, which unnerves me.

I look at the two doors. "Which one should I try first?" I murmur, hoping the TARDIS would answer. The TARDIS doesn't answer, so I sigh and close my eyes. I start to spin around on the spot, and stop. I open my eyes, facing the right hand side door. "Here goes nothing." I sigh. My hand presses against the door, and I push.

The room is cast in artificial light, which almost blinds me. The room contains an assortment of science equipment, with test tubes and Bunsen burners and chemicals and solutions. There are diagrams on the wall and lab coats, and a large periodic table lit up which covers one whole side of the wall.

"Christ, overdone it much, TARDIS?" I allow myself a small smile.

Hey, it's the TARDIS way.

I laugh in delight, my mind brimming with ideas, momentarily forgetting my quest for Sam. I walk across the marble floor, my eyes wide.

I hear a low rumble from somewhere within the room, and I stop. "Hello?" I look around. "Sam, are you there?" I swallow and take a step back. "What's going on? Is this some sort of prank?" I shake my head slightly. "This isn't funny anymore! Stop it Sam! Stop being an-"

"Stop being a what?"

I scream loudly, and run out of the room. I slam the door shut, and close my eyes, realising that it was Sam's voice that had startled me. Had he been in that room?

I open the door a fraction of an inch, and peer inside. I don't see anybody in the room. A shadow falls over me, and I shudder. "Stop it." I hiss, blinking rapidly.

"Stop what?" a teasing voice whispers back.

I turn around and face the jeering Sam. He's covered in a red substance. I glare at him. "You heartless bastard!" I growl.

"I can't believe you thought there were werewolves in the TARDIS." He sneers. "You are such a dunce."

"BASTARD!" I bellow. "You don't play those sort of pranks, you moronic asshole!" I aim a kick at him, and hit my target. He falls back, winded. "Firstly, you lock the door and start screaming for your life, then it turns out you've put fake blood on the floor and acted like a werewolf, and you put grooves in the door of the library!" I kick him again, and he lets out a low moan.

He looks up at my tear stained face, and realisation dawns on his features. He sits up, hugging his knees. "I'm sorry...I'm really sorry, Robin. I was just...fed up...and I came up with this great idea...but..."

"But what?" I say, not unkindly.

He looks into my eyes, and I frown. "I didn't put grooves into the library door."

"What?" I kneel down next to him, and brush a strand of hair out of my face. "Then who did?"

Sam looks at me sadly. "I don't know, Robin. I simply don't know."

"I see." I lean against the wall, and rub my head. "Something's not right." I murmur. "Something's happening, and we're the pawns in this whole game."
"A good analogy." Sam comments drily. I pretend to smack him, and he laughs. His face drops back into a more serious expression. "I'm really sorry, Robin."

I smile. "I know. I probably would have done the same thing." I grin slightly. "I bet you get your cunning from your dad." We share a laugh.

We stop laughing, and our attention turns to the other door. We both look at each other, and say at the same time, "Let's explore!"

A longer chapter than before. Thank you Pondera 2.0 for the advice! Who's the culprit of the grooves in the door? Find out next time! Comment and review! xx