Hmm, who could it be? Time for the plot really get underway. As always I'd love to hear any feedback from you guys!
The Doctor approached the opening to the wooden hut. He could still feel the tug at his mind. He had felt it while grieving over the deceased boy. Fear. Pure stinking fear had suddenly flooded his mind, guiding him to the silent hut. His heart thumped with excitement as he dared to hope they had found a survivor. Cautiously, he and Nyssa came to the doorway. He peered into the building, straining his eyesight, but all he managed to glimpse was the vaguest of shapes. "Hello?" he called out slowly, holding his breath for a response. The Doctor could hear something stirring in the house. The sound was quiet but unmistakable. Someone was in there. He took another tentative step inside, gesturing to Nyssa to stay where she was. "Whoever you are, I promise we won't hurt you". Again, the only response seemed to be a few seconds of frantic scrambling. "We're here to help". He pressed on, taking another full step. He rummaged around in his pockets until his hands wrapped around what he was looking for. He produced a small flashlight and turned it on. The sight that greeted him was shocking and not at all pleasant. At first it looked like all they had found was another couple of poor victims. A man and a woman lay gripping each other in a pool of blood, dead. As he glanced over their bodies, the Doctor found similar wounds to the villagers outside.
And there was something else there, something moving behind the bodies. The Doctor raised his flashlight and pointed it at the noise, flooding it with light. There, pressed between the bodies and the wall cowered a child. A squeak of terror escaped the little girl's lips as the light fell on her and she flattened herself as far as she could against the wall. Nyssa gasped from somewhere behind him. The Doctor stared in frozen shock, taking in the child's appearance. Where she wasn't covered in dust or ash, she was caked in dried blood. Her long, braided hair might have been reddish beneath the layers of filth it was hard to tell. And she was thin. So very thin. Not thin. The Doctor corrected. Emaciated. Her eyes were wide in abject terror and her entire body trembled like a leaf caught in a windstorm. She couldn't be any older than six or seven.
Trying to hide his shock and horror, the Doctor steadily lowered himself to the ground. The girl was terrified of him. He would have to handle this with care. "Hello", he said, trying to keep his voice as light and gentle as possible. Despite his attempts, as soon as he brought his face down near hers, she screamed. It was a short, desperate scream. The girl gripped the arm of the woman on the ground. Her parents. The Doctor realised as his eyes swept over the dead couple again. "It's alright!", he spoke soothingly, disguising the urgency behind his words. "We don't want to hurt you, I promise". He raised his hand in a gesture of surrender. "We're here to help".
The girl wasn't listening. Her eyes darted around the room, flitting between the Doctor's face, Nyssa's, and the door behind them. Nyssa stepped forward and knelt beside the Doctor. More fear radiated from the girl. "Hello", Nyssa greeted, matching the Doctor's soft tone. "My name is Nyssa". She touched the Doctor's shoulder. "And this is the Doctor". Nyssa smiled. "What is your name?"
She had succeeded in catching the girl's attention at least. The child didn't respond, staring with wide eyes. If they could just get her to the TARDIS, the Doctor thought nervously. There was a possibility that the ones responsible would return looking for survivors. He pushed the grim thought aside for a moment. One step at a time. "Are you hungry?" the Doctor offered as an idea struck him. Her eyes snapped to him immediately. He saw hunger spark in her eyes, overtaking her fear for just a moment. He smiled. "Would you like something to eat?"
The girl considered him for a moment before giving the tiniest nod. "Doctor", Nyssa prodded quietly, "We don't have any food with us".
A wisp of amusement crossed the Time Lord's face. "Of course we do!" he retorted, "I always have a bit of a snack on my person. Never leave the TARDIS without it". The Doctor plucked the stalk of celery from his lapel. With a slow, steady hand, he offered it to the girl. She stared, frozen for a moment before deciding that she was more hungry than scared. She reached out, uncertainty and distrust glittering in her eyes as she grabbed the offering and retreated back to her previous position. The Doctor and Nyssa watched in silence as the child bit into the vegetable, finishing it in seconds. After she was finished she looked back up at him, her gaze still haunted with hunger. He wished he had more to offer. On the plus side, he could see that the girl had relaxed a bit. Unfurling her unnaturally thin arms from around her drawn up knees. Curiosity had replaced some of the fear in her eyes. "You see?" the Doctor prompted. "We're not so bad after all".
()
Turlough picked his way back up the street. He could still feel his heart thumping erratically in his chest. He struggled to get his breath back under control, forcing himself to calm down. There was no need to worry the others about his moment of weakness, he convinced himself. Dust and sand had managed to stain his knees from where he had fallen. With a sigh, the Trion shook his head as if trying to dislodge and unpleasant thought and resumed his walk. If the Doctor or Nyssa asked he'd just say he tripped over a body. That might very well become true, he mused. He deliberately kept his eyes looking straight ahead to avoid looking at any more corpses. The thoughts they brought along with them were too much to bear.
For a moment, as Turlough struggled to keep the memories at bay, he felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck. Someone was behind him. It was the most obvious thing in the world, a presence breathing down his neck. A sudden spasm of panic gripped Turlough as he spun around to face his stalker and found… nothing. Nothing except for the empty street stared back at him. The only movement coming from the wind that kicked up the sand and ruffled the clothes of the fallen. The young Trion let the tension slip from his shoulders, a relieved sigh escaped his lips. It must have just been his imagination; The last vestiges of an unpleasant flashback playing tricks on him. He smoothed down his tie with nervous hands and proceeded down the road.
()
The child blinked at the Doctor, a hint of something other than fear appearing in her eyes. With a start he realised that she was starting to believe him. That deserved a smile, he thought, and he gave her the warmest one yet. Something twitched at the corner of her mouth. Something that managed to fight through all the trauma, misery, and fear… the beginnings of a smile. One small, trembling hand reached out. The little girl turned her palm flat and held it out to the Doctor.
Food. He understood. She wants more food. And she was finally feeling comfortable enough to ask for it. He cursed himself for not bringing more, disappointed that there wasn't more he could offer. He shook his head sadly, "I'm sorry. I don't have any more with me". It was hard to tell if she understood his words or not, but she understood the meaning well enough. She let her hand drop to the ground. "But", the Doctor added quickly, "We can get you more food!"
Her interest piqued again. "We have a ship", he continued, "A place to rest just outside the town. We have lots of food there".
The girl's knuckles whitened as she gripped her Mother's arm and fear dominated her gaze again. The Doctor could see the struggle in her eye before she gave a tiny, quick shake of her head. "I can't leave Mama", she squeaked. Her voice was little more than a whisper and was rough from perhaps days of disuse. Her terror was so acute that the Doctor felt himself easing physically away from her. What could he tell this girl? He couldn't just say her mother was dead! She had already experienced enough pain for the moment. But he couldn't let her stay here either. She would die in a matter of days without food, and significantly quicker if the murders came back to finish the job.
He and Nyssa could easily overpower the weakened child and get her in the TARDIS, but the prospect of that was just too cruel for him to consider. He was saved from having to answer by his gentle companion. "I don't think you're Mom would want you to go hungry would she?" The girl peered up a Nyssa but didn't answer. "How about you just come with us for a little bit? We can always come back after you've gotten something to eat".
The girl shifted uncertainty, with a spark of hope the Doctor watched her unconsciously let go of her mother's arm. "We've got lots of food!" he encouraged, "If you could have anything in the world, what would you have right now?"
She deliberated, a little wistful smile appearing. "I like Ghjukk", she whispered.
"I think we can manage that", the Doctor nodded, "Don't you agree, Nyssa?"
"Oh yes", she acknowledged, "I bet that tastes a lot better than celery!" The elderly Trakenite stuck out her tongue in a mock look of disgust.
The girl giggled, bringing up her hands to hide her smile. Nyssa joined in with her own soft, tinkling laughter. The Doctor rolled his eyes with a big smile and offered his hand out slowly to the little girl. His hand hovered a foot or so away from her suddenly rigid body. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared down at it, rocking slightly on her heels. "It's okay", the Doctor whispered, looking into her eyes with an expression of utter warmth. "You can trust us. I promise".
The child's eyes, her grey, sea grey eyes locking into his blue ones. The Doctor found himself holding his breath as he saw her fear and trust battling across her face. Finally, the girl's features softened, the tension left her shoulders. She reached out her small hand, and placed it tentatively in his. Her hand was cold and dirty with dried blood but the Doctor didn't care. "Thank you".
BANG!
The deafening noise ripped through the air without warning. The little girl let out a petrified yelp, snatching her hand back and flattening herself against the wall. The Doctor froze in fear. A gunshot. A gun had been fired on the street. His thoughts leapt immediately to Turlough, he was out there by himself. Panic started to claw its way up his throat, but he forced himself to swallow it down. He needed to deal with the girl first. "It's alright", he soothed even as he got to his feet.
A gun. Someone had a gun. Someone who had most likely murdered an entire village. He cast his eyes to the door, conflicted about whether to help the child quivering on the floor or his friend. "Go, Doctor", Nyssa pipped up suddenly, "Go find Turlough. I'll stay here". She took his place, kneeling beside the girl. She started to cry hysterically, her eyes telling the Doctor that her mind was no longer present.
He hovered awkwardly. "Nyssa, are you sure?"
"Just go!" she commanded, a sharpness clipping her voice.
After a moment of uncertainty, he conceded with a nod. With a last look back, he disappeared through the hut doorway.