Moments after the Doctor spoke, it went completely silent outside. Terry pushed her way through as Gibbis creaked open his wardrobe, and she wrenched open the door.
"Angel-?" The Doctor began, but she'd stuck her head outside already.
Her eyes narrowed as she saw the shadow disappearing at the end of the corridor, dragging a body along behind it, and she called sharply: "Get back here!"
She took off, sprinting after the beast as the Doctor ran after her, shouting: "Angel?! Oh!"
He realized what was going on, and he yelled: "Joe! Oi, leave him alone!"
The pair raced through the corridors, which all looked identical, quickly becoming lost in the maze. Terry knew they wouldn't be able to make it in time, but… she'd hoped. She really had.
"Joe!" She shouted, and the Doctor echoed her calls: "Joe!"
They finally came to a halt in one of the corridors, Terry stopping glumly beside the fallen die cuff-link on the ground while the Doctor walked carefully up to the slumped figure sitting against the wall.
"Joe?" He called as he approached. "Joe. Joe, what happened?"
He leaned down, checking the man's face and frowning at the pale complexion, the dead eyes.
"… Terry?" He asked quietly, and she nodded.
"He's dead." She confirmed softly as she came up behind the Doctor, Joe's cuff-link in her hand. "There was nothing we could have done for him by the time we found him."
The Doctor nodded slowly, his lips pursing in faint anger as Terry knelt beside him and the dead ex-gambler.
Back in Joe's fear room, the Doctor soniced Joe's body as it lay peacefully on the ground, wanting confirmation on Terry's diagnosis.
Rita poured out some tea in the kitchenette, while Rory said thoughtfully: "If we can wedge a chair under the door handles, that should stop anything from getting in."
He glanced at Terry, who just shrugged non-committedly. Rory did so anyways, grabbing a chair and following Howie as he urged the young man to roll a table over to add more strength in barricading the door.
Rita meanwhile poured Gibbis a warm cup of tea, before calling to the rest: "Guys, tea over here."
Terry walked over to the Doctor, leaving Amy to console Gibbis as she knew only the redhead – who shared his fear of the Angels – could.
"You were right." The Doctor sighed as Terry stopped beside him. "Of course you were."
"Now, what are you going to do?" Terry asked, and he glanced at her.
"What do you think?" He asked, his tone purposefully light as a small smile danced on his face.
But Terry saw right through him, and her own expression was serious as she said sternly: "Doctor, remember Demon's Run?"
His face instantly darkened, becoming grim, while Terry continued: "I haven't done it yet – if I do it, that is."
He just nodded once, and she continued: "But, remember what you learnt then."
"Don't let your temper or ego get the best of you, Theta." Terry warned telepathically as the Doctor frowned at her. "The Oncoming Storm can be terrifying as the avenging knight… but most times, we need the Doctor."
The Doctor nodded slowly, before the pair looked over as Rita walked up.
"Tea?" She offered, holding out two mugs.
The Doctor took one gratefully, while Terry shook her head.
"You need a cup, too." She reminded, pushing the remaining mug back at the gentle woman. "I can share with the Doctor."
Rita nodded, before she looked down at Joe's body, which the Doctor had since covered.
"What exactly happened to him?" Rita asked tentatively, and the Doctor sighed: "He died."
Rita paused, looking at the Doctor warily as she asked: "You are a medical doctor, aren't you? You haven't just… got a degree in cheese-making or something."
"No!" The Doctor denied, before adding: "Well, yes, both, actually."
"Doctor." Terry reminded him, and he explained to Rita: "Right; I mean there is no cause. All his vital organs simply stopped, as if the simple spark of life, his loves and hates, his faiths and fears were just taken, and," he suddenly frowned, "this is a cup of tea."
"Yes…" Rita said slowly. "I just offered you some, and your girlfriend was kind enough to let me have a cup as well."
"But how did you make it?" The Doctor questioned, looking quite delighted, and Rita raised a brow at Terry.
"I did say he was an idiot." Terry reminded, making the Doctor give her an offended look while Rita smiled a little.
"You did." She noted, before explaining to the Doctor: "All hotels should have a well stocked kitchen, even," she added pointedly, "alien fake ones."
Lily smiled while the Doctor's brows shot up and his eyes widened, and Rita explained lightly: "I heard you talking when you arrived."
"You are so clever." Terry smiled, and Rita answered it shyly though it was a little strained.
Terry's expression softened, knowing what was bothering the woman – what she had just seen, before Joe's death, in her own fear room. Because of it, Terry added gently: "You've proven it many times before – you don't have to doubt yourself."
Rita looked surprised, and the Doctor also shot Terry a curious look, but Terry just waved it away lightly as she asked: "Not just that, you're brave. Faced with the possibilities of alien, and you don't even blink."
"Well," Rita shrugged, "it's no more ridiculous than Howie's CIA theory, or mine."
"Which is?" The Doctor piped up curiously, and Rita answered, her face becoming grim: "This is Jahannam."
"You're a Muslim." The Doctor realized, smiling lightly, and Rita smiled as she joked a little: "Don't be frightened."
Terry chuckled, while the Doctor laughed: "Ha! You think this is Hell."
Rita nodded, before adding: "The whole '80s hotel thing took me by surprise, though."
Terry laughed again and the Doctor chuckled at Rita's wit, before challenged lightly: "And all these fears and phobias wandering about, most are completely unconnected to us, so why are they still here?"
"Maybe the cleaners have gone on strike." Rita countered, and the Doctor laughed, while Terry smiled and said: "Oh, I like you."
"Uh oh, sorry Rita, I am going to have to ask you not to be so clever." The Doctor joked. "Or else I might lose my girlfriend."
Rita had to smile as Terry laughed. The Doctor became quite serious as he turned back to Rita and added: "But this isn't Hell, Rita."
"You don't understand." Rita answered, also sobering up under the weight of the seriousness of their circumstances once more. "I say that without fear. Jahannam will play its tricks, and there'll be times when I want to run and scream, but I've tried to live a good life, and that knowledge keeps me sane, despite the monsters and the bonkers rooms."
'Oh, Rita.' Terry sighed, a small smile appearing on her face at the brave, clever woman who deserved so much more than what was coming. 'Will I be able to save her, though? She does deserve better – they all do. But…'
Terry broke from her thoughts as Rita added slowly: "Gibbis is an alien, isn't he?"
"Yeah. Sorry." The Doctor answered sheepishly, and Rita muttered: "Okay. I'm going to file that under 'Freak Out About Later'."
Terry and the Doctor chuckled, exchanging fond looks, before they looked up sharply as Amy called: "Doctor, Terry, look at this. I found it in a corridor, I completely forgot I had it."
"Oh, that reminds me, I have a page too." Terry realized as she and the Doctor walked over to Amy. "Sorry, forgot. Damn, I must be getting old."
Rory snorted while the Doctor rolled his eyes at her as he quickly took the pages from the two women, before reading aloud: "Er, my name is Lucy Hayward and I'm the last one left. It took Luke first. It got him on his first day, almost as soon as we arrived."
The mood in the room got heavier as the Doctor continued: "It's funny. You don't know what's going to be in your room until you see it, then you realise it could never have been anything else."
Terry pursed her lips, glancing around as the Doctor continued: "I just saw mine. It was a gorilla from a book I'd read as a kid. My God, that thing used to terrify me. The gaps between my worships are getting shorter, like contractions."
The Doctor frowned as he continued: "This is what happened to the others, and how lucky they were. It's all so clear now. I'm so happy…"
He paused over the last words.
"Angel? I think I need another hint." He called telepathically, sounding troubled, and she knew why. He'd come to the conclusion that fears were a major part in the puzzle, but her earlier hint was throwing him off.
"They start to worship the beast, Theta." Terry reminded him, and the Doctor murmured as he repeated Lucy Hayward's last words: "Praise him."
"Praise him." Howie suddenly chimed in.
Instantly, the whole group looked over at the young man, and the Doctor asked slowly: "What did you just say?"
"Nothing." Howie answered with a shrug, before he started to tremble, clearing trying to fight off some kind of impulse.
"Praise him!" Howie blurted out, before quickly covering his mouth with his hand, and Gibbis cried in fear: "This is what happened to Joe!"
"God, it's going to come for me now." Howie whimpered, while Gibbis cried as he backed away: "You'll lead it right here."
"It's okay." The Doctor tried to calm Howie as everyone began talking at once. "I won't leave you. I promise you. You have my word on that."
"I don't want to get eaten." Howie whimpered, and Amy called: "Calm down."
"He's going to lead the creature right here!" Gibbis shouted, and Rita tried to calm Gibbis down as Amy and Rory did the same, while Howie continued to whimper and cower in fear.
"SHUT UP!" Terry yelled.
The group fell silent immediately, staring at the small brunette in surprise and shock that her small frame could produce such a loud shout.
"Thank you." She said, as the Doctor added: "Thank you, angel, I can finally hear myself think again."
"Don't you see?" Gibbis said desperately. "He'll lead it right here."
"What do you suggest?" Rita demanded, looking at Gibbis with a frown.
Gibbis sighed before he said urgently: "Look, whatever it is out there, it's obviously chosen Howard as its next course."
The Doctor slowly turned to stare at Gibbis while Howie held his head in his heads, and Gibbis continued: "Now, tragic though that is, this is no time for sentiment."
Rita turned away while Rory and Amy stared at the alien in disbelief as Gibbis went on: "I'm saying if it were to find him, it may be satisfied and let the rest of us go."
He looked around hopefully, before flinching at the matching dark looks on the two Time Lords' faces as they stared at him while Howie looked at Gibbis with a mix of incredulity and hurt.
"All I want to do is go home and be conquered and oppressed." Gibbis finally whined. "Is that too much to ask?!"
"It's okay." Rita interrupted. "I'll stay with Howie. You take the others and go."
"No." The Doctor said immediately. "We stay together."
He nodded at Terry, who gave a short nod back. She stayed beside Howie as the Doctor approached Gibbis, and he said softly: "Your civilisation is one of the oldest in the galaxy. Now I see why. Your cowardice isn't quaint, it's sly, aggressive."
Gibbis averted his eyes, while the Doctor continued: "It's how that gene of gutlessness has survived while so many others have perished."
The Doctor's eyes became steely as he informed Gibbis: "Well, not today. No one else dies today. Right?"
The Doctor stared at Gibbis, who shifted uncomfortably before finally nodding a little and mouthing: 'Okay.'
"Brilliant." The Doctor smiled, before turning back to Howie as he called: "Howie."
The boy was shivering, but the Doctor clasped a comforting arm around the young man's shoulders as he explained: "Any second, it's going to possess you again. When it does, I'm going to ask you some questions. Please try to answer them."
Howie nodded slightly as Terry led him gently in to a chair while the Doctor settled into the one opposite, waiting patiently.
"I hope my mum's all right," Howie muttered, "she's going to be w, worried."
"She'll be fine." Terry soothed. "We'll get you home before she can miss you. This isn't one of those conspiracy theories, Howie."
He nodded, before he stiffened suddenly, his eyes going slightly wide and fixating on nothing.
Terry tensed, and the Doctor called: "Howie? Howie."
Howie smiled slightly, staring at the Doctor with a mad glint in his eyes that had Terry shivering.
The Doctor, noting the signs, quickly said: "Howie, you're next. We're all dead jealous. So, tell us. How do we get a piece of the action?"
Terry almost rolled her eyes, and if she wasn't so worried for the boy she might have. As it was, she simply watched as Howie smiled smugly, while the Doctor questioned: "Why isn't he possessing all of us?"
"You guys have got," Howie answered with a tap on his temple, "all these distractions, all these obstacles."
Rita swallowed, while Howie continued with a smile: "It'd be so much easier if you just let it go, you know? Clear the path."
The Doctor's eyes narrowed, and he leant back thoughtfully while Amy tried: "You want it to find you even though you know what it's going to do?"
"Are you kidding?" Howie asked, frowning slightly as though she were daft. "He's going to kill us all? How cool is that?"
Instantly, the Doctor and his companions stood up, leaving Howie alone at the table… except for Terry.
Gibbis and Rita – the woman glancing briefly at Terry – hurried after the Doctor as he murmured: "So, it somehow feeds on our fear, but not just our fear. Somehow, it gets us to worship it. So, everything starts with fear; the rooms, Lucy's note, even the pictures in reception, has been put here to frighten us."
He frowned as he said slowly: "But, then what?"
He stared at Terry, who was staring at Howie as the young man rolled his head, almost boredly.
"Doctor?" Rita asked, and he murmured: "For now, all of you, don't give into your fears. Don't do anything, don't believe anything you see and hear."
"That makes no sense." Rory frowned, while Amy asked slowly: "And then what? What are we going to do?"
"We're going to catch ourselves a monster." The Doctor answered slowly. "I think I need a little talk with our beastie in person."
Terry sat across from Howie.
"Howie?" She asked. "Howie."
He chuckled, madly as he continued to call: "Bring me glory! Bring me death! Bring me glory! My master, I am here!"
"Howie, you have to fight it." Terry urged. "Howie, there are no such things as conspiracy theories. Howie?"
"Come to me." He called, continuing to ignore her. "I'm waiting here, for you."
"Howie." Terry called, but she could see he was gone. No, he couldn't be – if they could just break the hotel disguise before…
"Praise… him." Howie almost stuttered, the words coming slowly and as though drawn out against the young man's will. "Praise… him."
"No, Howie, fight it a little bit longer…" Terry muttered.
"Let his name be the last thing I hear." Howie whispered. "Let his breath on my skin be the last thing I feel. I was lost in shadows, but he found me."
Gibbis glanced at Terry from where he was standing in the doorway to the back of the welcome desk in the reception hall, but she remained focused on Howie as he sat, tied to a chair, while he wailed into the intercom: "His love was a beacon that led me from darkness to light, and now I am blinded by his majesty. Humbled by his glory! Praise… him!"
The intercom suddenly screeched, letting Terry know that the Doctor had succeeded in trapping the beast with him for 'a conversation', and Howie jerked, blinking rapidly.
"What's going on?" He demanded, before his eyes focused on Terry.
"You lied to me." He accused, and she answered calmly: "Yes."
"You lied to me." He hissed, and she replied: "You said that already."
"And the coward is standing behind me?" Howie snarled, glancing back at Gibbis as he started to struggle against his bonds.
"Gibbis, don't reply." Terry warned. "Howie, you've got to fight it – trust me, this isn't Norway, or anything to do with the CIA. Actually, did you know the CIA makes up the conspiracy theories to make people think they should be feared?"
"Stop lying." Howie hissed, and Terry thought to herself: 'Yeah, okay, I'm making this up, but I sure as hell ain't gonna admit that to you.'
"Really?" Terry challenged. "Come on, Howie – you're a Trekkie, right?"
He glared at her, or rather the thing possessing him glared at her, but she continued: "Go on – impress a girl."
"You lie." He hissed, and she shrugged.
"Don't believe me?" She asked. "I know you think Klingons are a vicious, evil race that are brutal in battle, but they're also admirable because of that strength. Star Fleet's afraid of them, right? They don't want to risk a war with them."
Howie stared at her as she continued: "See? I know what I'm talking about. I'm a fan, a geek, a nerd, call it what you like, same as you. But Howie, come on – conspiracy theories? It's just like the shows, the fictions – they aren't real."
'We think.' She added mentally. 'Technically, I have no right to say this, since I'm now living in a world I thought was just fiction.'
Howie shifted, and Terry went on hopefully: "You can fight this, Howie. You overcame your stutter, didn't you? You're stronger than this, you're braver."
He blinked, but shifted again as Terry encouraged: "Come on, you know I'm right."
"Yes…" Howie murmured, before a mad smile appeared on his face. "Of course you are. Or, you think you are."
"Howie?" Terry asked, frowning, and Howie stated: "Nice try, Miss Storm."
He suddenly broke out of his bindings, the ropes seeming to have snapped off mysteriously – just like they had for Joe – and he lunged at Terry. The Time Lady shrieked as Gibbis yelped, while Howie punched Terry right above her temple, knocking the Time Lady out momentarily.
"I am already enlightened."
She vaguely heard Howie cry triumphantly as her world spiraled away into darkness.
*A/N I don't usually respond to reviews here, but in response to 'guest' review: I'm afraid I may not be able to post extra during Spring Break as I will be traveling a bit. I also upload based on how much I can write in the week, and with four stories going on at the same time, unfortunately I have had to cut down to only one update per week for the most part in order to ensure I can maintain my weekly schedule. Sorry, but thank you for showing such interest! I promise to try to keep it up!