River opened her eyes, and saw that she was in what looked like a court yard. She was tied to what looked like a large log driven into the ground, arm and legs bound to the wood. To her right was Sarah, head still dropped, but River could see that she was breathing.
Too her left, closest was the Doctor, head down, unruly hair hanging over his face, he was breathing as well. He better stay that way or she would kill him herself. Farther down was Jack, breathing as well. At least they were all still alive. That was a good start to waking up.
She didn't see anyone, or any black blobs in the area around them.
"Doctor," she whispered, and heard him groan in response.
It took about thirty seconds for his brain to catch up on the situation and his head shot up, his eyes focused on her. "Are you okay?"
She nodded. "I'm fine, but I think we need a plan."
"Working on it," he said too casually for it to be true.
That meant that he didn't think that they had a chance of escaping or that he already had a plan that didn't involve escaping, neither of which seemed like good news to her.
"Doctor?"
"Do you trust me?"
"Always," she replied. He never asked that question when he was about to do anything that could be deemed a good idea. It was never 'do you trust me,' 'always', 'good, here I got you some flowers.'
She didn't need to trust him over flowers she knew, but still it would be nice not to know where that question was heading. Just once anyway, but that wasn't going to happen it seemed.
"Good," he agreed, looking around as far as he could swivel his head.
River in the meantime was placing mental bets on who would wake first. A soft groan from Sarah told her that she lost, but since it was in her head she pretended that she didn't.
"Sarah," she spoke softly to the girl who was raising her head slowly.
"You all do this a lot, don't you," she asked River; her eyes saying that she already knew the answer.
"It does seem to happen," River agreed. "But the Doctor is the best person to have with you if it does, right dear?"
"Sure," the Doctor agreed, still looking around. His hair was falling over his eyes, and he had no hands to brush it back. It made him look younger than he was.
"May I hate it when that happens," Jack muttered, finally awake. "The last time that happened, I at least woke up in a bed."
Sarah was making a face, "That's probably more information that I really need to know."
The Doctor gave a small smile to her, "He does that. Now listen you three, they are going to come back soon. This is clearly our execution, so whatever happens, whatever I say, don't argue."
"Doctor," River started, like she wasn't going to argue. Had he met her?
"Sounds like arguing," he told her, but his smile was soft, and sad. Whatever he was thinking was a bad idea.
She didn't have time to question farther though, because the blobs made their way into their sight. River looked up, unable to stare at them even as they were going to kill her. She didn't think throwing up before her execution would make her seem tough if she lived to tell the tale.
"You lot," the Doctor began, River wishing for once he didn't need to be the hero. These things were dangerous and she wanted him alive. She rather liked him that way.
It is time to die
The Doctor's face showed his disgust for the way they felt inside his brain. It wasn't an enjoyable experience, but he replaced the grimace with a smile that it would take someone who knew him well to know was fake.
"I thought we talked about this. I don't care for your idea."
You will die now. We will start with the girl.
"No you won't," he argued, somehow still looking at them. "What too scared to start with me, the big bad Time Lord? Too much for you am I?"
There was a pause but they moved no closer to Sarah. Finally they seemed to rise to the Doctor's bait.
Very Well, we will start with you.
The Doctor swallowed visibly. "River, look away. You all, look away. And I love you, River. Yeah?"
"Doctor," she said, hating how he talked like he was giving up. The Doctor didn't give up.
"Say it back, please." His tone was something she had never heard before. Not from him anyway.
"I love you, Doctor," she agreed, softly as the blobs moved closer to him. It was hard to tell as they sort of swayed within perception but it looked like there were only two of them there.
They were upon the Doctor, and she heard the last command for them to look away. And she did, tears of uncertainty and something more running down her cheeks freely.
There was silence; the Doctor didn't even make a sound as the blobs melted over him. She looked, she couldn't help it, but she couldn't see anything. It looked as though their masses had doubled and there was nothing to see but a black so dark it struck fear into her.
She heard a sound that sounded like a finger being pushed into gelatin and then a ripping noise. The creatures expanded again and again, growing so large that she thought the rest of them were going to be consumed, but somehow it stopped just short of River and Jack.
But it still grew up, she closed her eyes, coping Sarah and Jack, who seemed to be expecting something bad. She heard the explosion, enough of a force that it knocked over her pole and she was lying on her side, her arm pinned down by the post.
She was facing Sarah, and she looked at her carefully. Sarah was facing her as well, though her eyes were scrunched up tightly. She had fallen more on her arm, and she might have broken it. Or she may have dislocated her shoulder, either would hurt badly.
"Are you okay," she whispered, unsure of what was going on behind her.
Sarah's eyes opened, "Sure," she agreed too quickly. "Are you?"
River nodded, her ears were ringing a little from the sound of the blast but her body felt intact. "Yes."
She felt fingers touch her wrist, and she gasped before she heard the Doctor's voice. "It's just me."
He didn't sound like himself. Well, he did but it was muffled, like he was talking with food in his mouth. Which he did, but he hadn't been eating now.
Her arms came undone, and he shifted the pole away from her, and she rolled to look at him. She took in a deep breath. A black inky fluid was running out of his mouth and nose, already covering his neck and shirt.
"Doctor," she reached out.
"Don't," he shook his head, lifting his hand to wipe the fluid away, but it was only replaced by more. He wiped it on his pant legs, and started towards Sarah.