Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I make any money from it.

A/N Thanks for your awesome feedback on the last story. I can't believe I have already finished five adventures. Only eight more to go in this story.

Story number six is 'The Earth Epidemic'. About time the Doctor and Rose got back to Earth, so to speak.

As stated in the last A/N, I did not plan the timing of this chapter. Honest. It's a happy coincidence.

Happy Reading!

The Earth Epidemic: Lockdown

Previously

Rose closed the doors of the TARDIS behind her and then leaned against them.

"Doctor," she said softly.

"Hmm?" the Doctor asked, trying to sound nonchalant and not like he was on the verge of an anxiety attack.

"I wanna go home," she said.

"What?" the Doctor asked. He could feel his respiratory bypass kick in, even as some part of his brain realised that he was not engaging in any strenuous activity for that to happen.

"Yeah," Rose nodded, walking towards him. "I mean the phone calls are all good but I kinda do wanna see my mum for a bit."

"You want to visit your mother?" he asked and then exhaled roughly as the penny dropped. She wasn't leaving. She just wanted to see her mother. "You want to visit your mother," he repeated, this time in a lighter voice.

"Well, yeah," Rose said like it was obvious.

He gave a short laugh. "Alright," he said, his lips quirking into a smile. "Powell Estate, London. 2005," he said, setting the co-ordinates. "I guess it should be around October."

"October, really?" Rose asked, her eyes wide. "Wow, I have been travelling with you for more than six months now."

"Seven months, three days, twenty one hou..." he began to rattle off but Rose cut him off with a laugh.

"Alright, alright, so it's been a while," she said, nudging his shoulder with hers. "How soon do you think we'll get there?"

"Shouldn't take too long," he shrugged. "You should get cleaned up."

Rose looked down at her torn, muddied and bloodied clothes and conceded that it was a good idea. There was no way of explaining to Jackie if she showed up like this.

She waved at the Doctor and turned to go but the Doctor snatched her hand in his. Rose turned around in surprise. "Doctor, what...?"

"You're hurt," the Doctor said, looking at the scrapes on her palm.

"Oh yeah," Rose said. "It was at the pass. I tripped and fell, remember? It's not bad though, just some scratches."

"Nevertheless, off to the med-bay with you," he said sternly.

"You have a med-bay?" she asked in surprise.

He grinned impishly at her and started leading her through the maze of corridors. "I am the Doctor, Rose," he said, sounding a tad patronising.

Rose rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, but isn't that just like a title or something?" she asked him.

"Who told you that?" he asked her curiously.

"Romana did, I think," Rose shrugged.

The Doctor nodded unsurely and they arrived in the corridor next to the library which had a solitary door with frosted glass, clearly labelled 'Medbay'. The Doctor led her to it and opened the sliding glass door.

The place beyond the door was unlike anything that Rose had ever seen. It was almost the size of the console room but the interior was strictly utilitarian. Numerous machines and instruments were arranged neatly around the sterile white room. It reminded Rose of one of those serious labs on futuristic shows.

"This is a med-bay?" she asked. She knew she was no expert on medicine but she couldn't recognise a single instrument in the whole room.

"Yes," the Doctor said, leading her to what could only be described as a tanning bed. "It's an exact replica of a 31st century Veritasian infirmary."

"Verita-what?" Rose asked.

"Veritasian," the Doctor said. "Veritas is the leading asteroid in your galaxy which pioneered modern medicine."

"And what's this?" Rose asked, pointing to the tanning bed thingy.

"It's a full body scanner," he said. "Which is what you're getting. In you go," he said, lifting the top.

Rose watched the device apprehensively. "Does it hurt?" she asked.

"You won't feel a thing," he assured her.

Rose searched his face for a moment before lying down inside the scanner. The Doctor gave her a reassuring smile and lowered the top over her. "Should I have stripped down to my bikini and worn swimming goggles?" she joked, half-heartedly.

The Doctor lifted the top up again and looked at her in confusion. "I suppose, if it makes you comfortable. Clothes are not a barrier in the scans, and I fail to understand why you'd need swimming goggles," he said, frowning lightly.

"No, no," Rose chuckled. "I meant...never mind." She really wasn't going to discuss tanning practices of humans with him. Three days ago, she had tried to explain the purpose of a hairspray and they had argued for over an hour.

"If you say so," the Doctor said doubtfully. "This won't hurt a bit," he said and lowered the top again.

Rose felt a small wave of light pass over her. True to the Doctor's word, it didn't hurt her nor was it too bright for her eyes. The Doctor lifted the top and gave her a hand so she could step out of the scanner.

"What's the verdict, Doc?" Rose asked with an exaggerated accent, grinning cheekily at him.

The Doctor cracked a smile at that but frowned when he saw the results of the scans. She had a minor head injury, abrasions on her palms and legs, and she was suffering from exhaustion and dehydration. "Rose, I'm afraid the visit to your mother will have to wait," he said.

"Is it really that bad?" she asked.

"I need to heal the abrasions and then give you something to deal with the effects of the concussion and dehydration. After that, you are going to bed and getting a full eight hour sleep," he said firmly.

"Fine," Rose said, knowing he would only argue if she refused. "I'm taking a shower first, though." She felt distinctly grimy from the prison camp and the subsequent explosions.

The Doctor nodded. "I'll be in here," he said. "Once you've had sufficient sleep, I'll take you to London."

The next morning, Rose felt much better. Whatever the Doctor had given her, had done wonders for her. Add to that the ten hour sleep and she was feeling immensely refreshed.

"Morning," she said cheerfully when she came out into the console room.

"Good morning, Rose," the Doctor said from underneath the console.

Rose knelt next to him. "Are we in London?" she asked.

The Doctor grunted lightly as he pulled himself out from under the console and sat up. "Yes, I landed us about an hour ago," he said.

"Brilliant," Rose grinned and then flung her arms around his neck and gave him a quick hug. "I won't be long, just a quick visit."

"Take your time," he said, grinning widely. "Oh and before I forget," he said, searching his pockets. "This is for you."

Rose gasped as he handed her the TARDIS key on a silver chain. "Is that...for me?" she asked, her eyes shining.

"Yes," he nodded. "Spare TARDIS key. I thought you should have one."

Rose beamed happily at him and slipped the chain around her neck immediately. "I'll be back soon," she said and quickly kissed the Doctor's cheek before dashing out of the TARDIS at a lightning speed.

The Doctor stayed frozen for an embarrassing amount of time before the TARDIS chimed, demanding his attention. "Yes, old girl," he said and retired under the console again. "Let's have a look at those thermocouplings, shall we? I promise not to propel you into a planet again..."

Rose ran out of the TARDIS, her face flushing madly. Why on Earth had she done that? But he had been so sweet, giving her the key to the TARDIS and everything. She had just reacted, not even thought too much about it. Rose clasped the key in her hand and felt immensely comforted.

Biting her lip to hide the ridiculous grin on her face, she broke out into a run towards her building. It was only when she had reached the security door that she realised that something was wrong. She glanced around with a frown. The street was deserted. Never in living memory could she remember this part of the estate being empty.

She stepped away from the door and looked up and down the street again, just to check. There wasn't a soul in sight. The shops were closed and boarded up, the park was empty, no cars whizzing about, no people around the market, no one walking their dogs; just a deathly quiet over the whole place.

Feeling unnerved, Rose debated what to do. She could go back to the TARDIS and tell the Doctor but she was worried for her mum. What if something had happened to her? Rose ran back towards the building and tried to open the security door but it was locked. She pressed the buzzer to her mum's flat, very close to panicking.

"Mum," she called. "Mum, are you there?"

"R-Rose?" Jackie's voice came through the intercom.

"Oh thank god," Rose gasped in relief. "Mum? Mum, are you okay?"

"Is it really you, Rose?" Jackie asked.

"'Course it's me," Rose said. "Who else would it be? The Queen?"

"Hold on," Jackie said.

The line went silent and Rose saw her mother rapidly climbing down the stairwell. She reached the security door and unlocked a set of locks. Rose was shocked as to why there would be that many locks on the security door.

"Mum, what is going on?" Rose asked.

"Shh," Jackie said and quickly pulled her inside. "Keep your voice down."

"Mum, you're scaring me," Rose said as Jackie redid all the locks on the security door.

Jackie gave her a tired smile but then pulled her into a tight hug. "You should have called, Rose," she said.

"My phone broke," Rose said. It was true after all. "Where is everyone? What's happening?"

"We're on a lockdown," Jackie said. "The whole of Britain is," she said as they climbed the stairwell back up to their flat.

"What?" Rose asked. "Why?"

"Because of the zombies, of course," Jackie said as they reached their flat.

"The what?" Rose asked, feeling like a broken record. "Did you say zombies?"

"Yes, the zombies," Jackie nodded, shutting their flat's door behind them and locking it securely. Rose took note of the array of new locks on the door. "I got Bev's nephew to put up the new ones," she explained at the look.

"Hang on," Rose said. "Are you serious? There are zombies in London?"

"All of Britain, they are saying," Jackie said. She appraised Rose carefully. "Where'd you say you were last?"

"Oh, uh, I was near Richmond," she made up. "Boring and uneventful. No zombies."

"Uh-huh," Jackie nodded. "The rest of the world has closed off the boundaries, they're saying. I was worried you might be stuck in Brazil or something."

"When did this start?" Rose asked, following Jackie into the kitchen, who had started making tea.

"Four days ago," Jackie said. "Keisha's stepmother was in town and saw this man attacking a woman. We thought she was making it up but then the evening news said to go on lockdown. The Queen did a speech and everything."

"Did they say zombies?" Rose asked, still not believing the absurd rumour.

"They're not saying anything," Jackie said. "But Keisha's stepmother saw it. The man was looking just like a zombie, she said. Asking for flesh, he was."

"Right," Rose nodded. "And any news since?"

"Oh they keep announcing on the telly every few hours to stay under lockdown and keep calm," Jackie said derisively. "If you ask me, they haven't the foggiest what's going on either."

Rose nodded and then observed the kitchen with a frown. "Of course the important question is, where did this all this stuff come from?" she asked, looking at the extra food, cartons of long life milk and things.

"Oh, Howard dropped it off," Jackie said, eager for a chance to talk about something other than zombies.

"Howard from the market?" Rose asked. "Since when has that been going on?"

"Oh, a month after you left. He started bringing me baskets of fruit and things," Jackie giggled. "This zombie thing happened and he dropped this all off two days ago. 'Look after you, Jackie' he said."

Rose shook her head slightly but smiled at Jackie. She deserved someone who would look after her like that. But something weird was going on. Zombies on Earth?

Rose automatically reached for her phone to call the Doctor but then realised that it was probably lying in pieces on Eden IV. She sighed and turned to Jackie. "Mum, my friend yeah?" she said. "You know, the one who's travelling with me?"

"Oh, yes," Jackie's eyes lit up. "You never tell me anything about him."

"I have to go and fetch him," Rose said. "He's sort of an expert on things."

"What kind of an expert?" Jackie asked.

"He just is," Rose said, picking up her hoodie. "Look, I'm gonna go fetch him."

"But you can't go outside," Jackie protested.

"I'll be fine," Rose said. "I'll come right back."

Jackie looked torn between letting her go and wanting to meet this mysterious traveller friend of Rose's who specialised in zombies. "Oh alright," she said. "But be careful and take this."

"An axe?" Rose asked in surprise. "What am I gonna do? Slash the zombies head off?"

"Well it's better than the zombie taking your head off," Jackie snapped shrilly.

Rose sighed and took the axe to appease her mother. "Won't be long," she said and made her way downstairs. It was steadily getting darker and Rose hurried as she undid the locks on the security door and ran out onto the street.

A gust of chilly wind made her shiver and she hurried across the park to where the TARDIS had landed. Upon getting there, she held the axe handle between her neck and shoulder while trying to open the TARDIS doors with the key.

The lock clicked opened and she went inside quickly, sighing in relief as the doors closed behind her. "Doctor!" she called.

"Rose, back already?" the Doctor asked, looking up from his book. He was sitting near the fireplace in his usual armchair and his feet resting on the footstool. He stood up when he saw the look on her face. "Is everything alright? Why do you have an axe?"

"The whole of Britain is on lockdown," she said, catching her breath. She felt a bit foolish at having run the whole way but better safe than sorry.

"Why?" he asked.

"Zombies," Rose said.

"Oh come now, Rose," the Doctor said as he walked out of the TARDIS and looked around. "It's probably a harmless prank or something. Humans do celebrate Halloween around this time of year, don't they?"

"Well, they didn't put the whole country under lockdown for a prank," Rose said as they made their way towards Rose's building. "And mum said that Keisha's stepmum saw..."

"Rose," the Doctor interrupted, slowing down and grabbing her shoulders gently. "There are no such things as zombies."

"Uh, Doctor," Rose interrupted.

"There are energy based creatures who can reanimate corpses or the Hinkies who smell like the undead but that's only because of their atmospheric composition and well, their staple diet which quite frankly isn't all that bad..."

"Doctor," Rose said, more insistently, her eyes fixed over his shoulder.

The Doctor turned around and saw a group of well, zombies, ambling towards them.

"Flesh..." they whispered in a hissing voice. "Flesh..."

"Still think it's a prank?" Rose tried to joke lightly.

"Rose," the Doctor said slowly. "When I say 'run', run. Don't stop until you get back to the TARDIS. Understand?"

"What about you?" she asked.

"I'll be right behind you," he said.

Rose nodded slowly and the Doctor took the axe from her hands and gripped it tightly.

"Ready?" he murmured. "RUN!"

A/N End of Part 1.

So yeah, zombies. Yep.

I guess this chapter acted as sort of a bridging chapter between the two stories. But come on, I get to write about zombies next. That's always fun.

Did I mention that this is going to be a UNIT story and we are also going to see some old and beloved faces coming back? If I haven't, then there you go.

Part 2 will be up on Monday. See you then!

Oh and a lot of people wanted to know if there was a way to listen to Eight's audios after I mentioned them so much. I can't upload whole files but I can make some clips of the good parts and put them up if you like. I have already put one up and the link is on my profile.

~ Phoenix