Chapter 14: Monsters
Heart pounding, head throbbing, Clara opened her eyes only for them to remain so unfocused that she would have argued until doomsday that the planet was spinning around her. She had to blink several times before managing to focus on her husband looking down at her. Although he was smiling softly as he cradled her head, she could see the hint of concern in his eyes.
Slowly pulling herself up with his assistance, she looked around at the square. She didn't need to be a super clever alien to realise what had just happened… they'd fallen through the fracture into the planet's past.
"You alright?" he queried as he assisted her to the floor.
She nodded briefly before looking over at Jack who was rubbing some type of grey dust off his jacket, but making time to smile over at her before continuing.
"I don't understand…" she confessed, "It didn't 'urt that much the first time."
The Doctor smiled softly. "You didn't go fully through the fracture then." the Doctor pointed out, "Remember, we still saw you standing there."
It was then that they heard him scream. All three of them, Jack, the Doctor and Clara, all turned to face him as the rest of the people in the square stopped dead in their tracks, all curious about the problem.
He was only a child, probably about eight or nine years old. With bright blonde hair, and piercing green eyes, he looked petrified… of them.
Jack, the Doctor and Clara all exchanged worried looks with one another as one of the local security officers approached the boy.
"Hey, calm down!" he told him, bending down to place his hand on his shoulder, "It's all right… Now, what's the problem?"
"I saw them… They appeared out of thin air!" he cried, pointing over at Clara, the Doctor and Jack, "They're monsters! I saw them with my own eyes!"
The Doctor stepped forward as the guard turned to look at them.
"I'm sorry we frightened him." he apologised, "We just came around the corner…"
"They're lying!" the boy cried, causing the guard to look back at him.
"Okay, that's enough… calm down now." the guard ordered, "You've been reading too many of those Panic Moon stories, young man… There's no such thing as monsters."
"But…" the boy began.
"Enough." the officer stated, "Run along now. Go have a cookie and, calm down."
The boy gulped as he looked back up at the Doctor and then over at Jack and Clara. It took a few moments before he did as he was told and ran off.
The guard smiled at the Doctor and he stood up while the crowd dispersed.
"Sorry about that." he apologised as he and the Doctor made their way over to Jack and Clara, "Who knows what gets into their heads these days?"
Jack nodded slightly. "Maybe the clothing scared him." Jack suggested, "We're not from this area."
The guard nodded. "Did you come in on the Interstate Monorail?" he queried.
Jack nodded. "This morning." he lied convincingly.
Clara smiled a little. If she hadn't have known any better, she would have sworn he was telling the truth.
"Is, um, that what they're wearing in Upper Kavlac these days?" he questioned, examining the clothing, mostly the dressing gown topped with the Doctor's jacket which Clara was wearing.
"This… is a little more formal than most." the Doctor explained, "You know what it's like when you travel."
"We were actually looking for a clothing shop." Jack continued, "Thought we better change into something more suitable."
Both the Doctor and Clara turned to face him in perfect sync, both completely flabbergasted that he had actually said that. They both knew they had no intention of changing their clothing just to 'fit in' with the locals.
The guard smiled, completely oblivious to the looks Jack was receiving theme is two companions.
"There's one right over there." he told them, pointing to a shop on the opposite side of the square, "I hope the rest of your stay here will be more pleasant."
He smiled at them all before returning back to work. As he did so, the Doctor sighed.
"I really wish I could say it would be." he whispered.
Clara gulped a little as she looked around at the square for the first time. Not only was the sun shining, there were birds singing in the trees. It was almost hard to believe it was the same place as the disaster zone they had landed in.
There were lots of people in the square going about their usual business. All of them were dressed in fitted t-shirts which followed the same thick striped pattern and similar colour schemes of blues and turquoise-greens.
She slowly turned her head and glanced over at the window where she had originally seen the timepiece in the ruined version of the square. Breaking away from the Doctor and Jack, she walked over and spotted the timepiece ticking away behind the glass. At that moment in time, it read: 29-12-21.
"Need a timepiece?" a man queried who appeared at her side.
Clara immediately looked up at him and smiled as he opened the glass and got the device out. Her smile expanded as he showed it to her, allowing her to see it clearly for the first time.
"Perhaps you can help me." she suggested, "I'm from… Upper Kavlac… I'm not used to your timepieces."
The shopkeeper smiled down at her. "There no different to any other timepieces." he guaranteed.
"Are you sure?" she questioned, "I mean, what do these numbers stand for?"
The shopkeeper frowned a little but smiled as he pointed to each number in turn, going left to right.
"Rotations, Intervals, Fractions." he answered, "Same as any timepiece."
Clara nodded in understanding.
"12 karz." the shopkeeper told her.
She looked up and smiled, assuming he was talking about its cost.
"A fair price." she stated, "Unfortunately I ain't got any money on me at the moment. However, I might be comin' back later, and if I can coax some money out my husband I'll come and get it. After all, I'm gonna need a souvenir to take 'ome with me."
The shopkeeper smiled once again. "Would you like me to keep it for you?" he asked her.
Clara shook her head. "I can't guarantee I'll be back." she explained to the understanding shopkeeper, "Thanks anyway."
He nodded as he put the device back into the window. "Have a nice day." he wished.
Clara sighed as he disappeared back into his shop. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Jack made their way over to her.
"Well?" asked the Doctor.
Clara sighed as she removed his jacket and handed it back to him.
"If I understood correctly, this world's going to be destroyed sometime tomorrow." she informed them.
Jack and the Doctor exchanged glances while Clara fell into her husband's embrace. When she had had that dream about the people around her burning, she hadn't expected to actually see them and possible experience the event first hand…
"So what do we do?" quizzed Jack.
The Doctor shook his head slightly. "I don't know…" he admitted.
x-[]-x
Clara had soon found herself in the clothing store, exchanging her silk nightdress and dressing gown for some local attire. While Jack was outside, hopelessly pondering how to proceed with their current predicament, the Doctor sat outside the changing rooms while Clara changed.
She emerged from behind the curtain, her flawless body fitted tightly with a baby-blue striped t-shirt and black legging-type jeans. Her hair was tied up in a messy ponytail and he could tell by the expression on her face that she really wasn't happy.
He sighed and bit his lip in order to stop himself from asking what was wrong. He knew for a fact that she'd probably have killed him if he did.
"It's too tight…" she moaned as she attempted to stretch the fabric over her abdomen.
The Doctor smiled weakly as he stood in front of her and wrapped his hand around her waist. She sighed at his touch and looked up at him towering over her.
"How are we gonna get outta 'ere?" she queried after a moment.
The Doctor sighed and kissed her forehead. "I'm not sure." he confessed as his fingertips lightly danced over the area his lips had just touched, "But we'll find a way."
Clara nodded slightly. "You know I love you, right?" she asked in a whisper, her voice cracking a little.
The Doctor didn't even bother replying. Instead he just leant down and captured her lips in a kiss. Even now, he still didn't think she knew just how much she meant to him.
At that moment, Jack whipped his head through the door of the little shop and caught them in the act. He smiled as they pulled away from each other and looked over at him.
"Where's mine?" Jack queried, resulting in Clara giggling and pulling Jack into a hug.
It was strange. She barely knew who he was but she honestly felt as though she had known him for years.
Jack smirked at the Doctor over Clara's shoulder. "Oh, I was talking to him." he teased as Clara pulled away.
"I'm gonna try and not be offended." she said with a smile.
Jack winked at her before turning to the Doctor, his face straightening instantly.
"I've got an idea." he told him.
The Doctor's face lit up as he interlocked his arms, one with Clara and the other with Jack.
"Well, let's hear it." he demanded.
Outside the shop, the sun still beat down on the planet. Despite the number of people rushing through the city, not one of them had any idea of what fate had in store for them…
"So, what's your thinking?" the Doctor queried Jack.
Jack was about to reply but a groan from Clara interrupted him from doing so.
"Oh, no…" she moaned.
Both the Doctor and Jack turned to see what it was she was looking at. A few yards away, standing as if he were the most important person in the world, was the little boy who had screamed at them when they first arrived. However, this time his eyes were filled with some sort of determination… He clearly had an agenda.
"Oh great…" grumbled the Doctor as he approached them.
Clara felt a small surge of anger run through her. Why, she wasn't sure but it was definitely there.
"I know you're lying." the boy stated.
"Young man, we're here on official business and we have lots of work to do." the Doctor explained.
The boy scoffed. "The officer told me you all came in on the Interstate Monorail."
The Doctor nodded. "Yes." he confirmed, "We're from Upper Kalvac."
The boy shook his head. "Yeah? Well, I've just spoken to the Monorail attendant." he told them, "He told me that six people came from Upper Kalvac today."
Clara rolled her eyes and placed her hand on her hip, mostly for support. It was fair to say that the boy was really annoying her…
"Three of them were a lot older than you, and they had a child with them." he continued.
The Doctor shook his head. "Well the attendant was wrong, that was us." he informed him.
"Yeah?" queried the boy, "So where's the child?"
Jack raised his eyebrow slightly. "We ate him." he stated.
This resulted in both the Doctor and Clara turning to look at him. While the Doctor frowned, Clara couldn't help but smile. She knew it was wrong but part of her couldn't help it. She'd never disliked anyone before, certainly not a child, but that boy was certainly doing her head-in.
"Because we are monsters, and we eat children." Jack continued, "And we haven't had our lunch yet!"
The boy's eyes widened in fear as Jack stomped his foot, making him dart off down the road.
The Doctor raised his eyebrow and attempted to keep a straight face.
"Sorry." apologised Jack, "Thought it'd be the quickest way."
Clara smiled slightly as the Doctor's smile began to break though his frown. He was about to turn back to Jack and let him continue explaining his plan when a sudden gust of wind blew past the three of them, making them loose their balance momentarily.
"I know you're lying." the boy stated, appearing in the same place he had been the first time.
The three of them spun around, their confusion clearly displayed on their faces.
"What…?" whispered the Doctor.
Clara turned to face her husband. "What's goin' on?" she enquired.
The boy frowned before continuing. "The officer told me you all came in on the Interstate Monorail." he repeated.
"Jack…?" the Doctor queried.
Jack immediately took his modified scanner out of his pocket and examined the area.
"There's a time loop hovering over us." he explained.
Clara nodded slightly. "And 'ow do we get out of it?" she questioned, completely ignoring the boy rambling.
"Get ready to move…" he ordered, "In 3… 2… 1…"
At the end of the countdown, Clara felt the Doctor drag her away from where she had just been standing before she even had the chance to move herself.
Jack nodded slowly as he read his scanner's results. "Okay, I think we avoided it this time." he told them.
"So where's the child?" the boy queried.
The Doctor turned back and was about to reply when out of nowhere, a young girl leaped in front of them. From where he was stood, he couldn't see her face as she was facing the boy.
"I'm here." she stated, "I don't have to be with them all the time, do I?"
The three of them, Clara, the Doctor and Jack, frowned as the girl pretended to be the little girl from their fake party. Why was she doing that? She didn't even know them, did she?
Clara frowned at the sound of the little girl's voice. She was sure she knew it…
"But…" the boy began.
"Go away KaiMon." she ordered, "Leave 'em alone."
He was sceptical at first but soon left them be. It was then that the little girl sighed, knowing she was about the face twenty questions...
"Thanks." expressed the Doctor.
She nodded softly as she turned around. "You're welcome." she whispered.
Clara gasped slightly when she saw her face. "You?" she quizzed.
The little sighed. "Hi…" she greeted timidly.