Chapter 10

"A wendigo?" Jack repeated, in a shocked tone, after Rose had told him about the wendigos threat.

"Wendigos. Plural." Rose corrected.

They were still outside the TARDIS and out the corner of her eye Rose saw some dodgy looking teenagers hanging round inside the car park.

"This is bad," Jack said. "One is bad enough but more than one? We're as good as dead."

"No we're not," Rose told him. "The Doctor told me there is one way and one way only." Jack raised an eyebrow. "Fire. Flame throwers, matches, alcohol -"

She stopped because she saw a flicker of a smile cross his face and his eyes sparkle.

"He said you'd know where to get some. Was he right?" she smirked.

Jack winked. "We'll need money for travel to rent hover bikes -" he stopped himself at a look from Rose. "They haven't invented them yet? Unbelievable. Underground it is then. You got money?"

"I daresay there's some in the flat. I'll lead the way."

Rose didn't have her keys to the flat when they reached their floor so they rang the bell. When there was no answer after a minute Rose patted her pockets and extracted the Sonic Screwdriver. "Set…" she murmured, levelling it with the lock. "And click." She held down the button and after a small blue glow from the screwdriver, the door popped open.

"Mum?" Rose called. "You here?"

Jack closed the door behind them and then Jackie emerged from the living room, phone to ear as usual. "I'll call you back." She said to the person on the other end of the phone, and hung it up. She rushed over and hugged her daughter. She stood back and looked Jack up and down. "Where'd you pick him up? Some distant galaxy? And where's that Doctor of yours?"

"This is Jack." Rose said. "Captain Jack Harkness from the 51st century, we found him in 1941, height of the London Blitz. And the Doctor… he's… he's…"

"What?"

"Dead." Jack finished.

"Oh my God," Jackie said, shocked. "How?"

"They were all shooting at us…" Rose said faintly, reflecting on the event.

"These cross breed alien… things." Jack told her. "The Doctor absorbed the Time Vortex; like Rose did before, only he used more of it, which drained him."

"Why couldn't he change like he did before? Regenerate?"

"He'd used it all up." Jack said. Rose was looking dazed, and didn't show any sign of wanting to talk.

Jackie took her daughter's arm and lead her into the living room, Jack following behind. "Sit down." She said. She sat next to Rose on the sofa and Jack pulled up a chair.

"He's gone, mum. He's gone and he's not coming back. What am I going to do?" she asked tearfully.

Jackie put her arms round her daughter. "I'm here for you sweetheart."

"A war is approaching." Jack said out of the blue to her.

Jackie did a double-take. "What? A war? Between who?"

"The humans… and creatures called Wendigos."

"Aliens?"

"No. These things are different. You see they were once human; and now they're not. The Doctor… after he died he left Rose a message -"

Rose stood up abruptly and walked out of the room to the kitchen. They heard the kettle start to boil and then the TV turn on, the news tune just coming on.

As Jack explained the situation to Jackie, Rose stared in horror at the screen. "Jack?" she cried out weakly. "Jack!"

"Rose?" Jack burst into the kitchen, thinking she'd been in danger by her tone. He frowned when there was nothing there. But she pointed to the screen. Jackie peered curiously over his shoulder to see what was going on.

The cameras location was in what seemed to be a forest area. There was panic everywhere on the live feed; the cameraman was running, the people all around were scattering. They could hear screaming through the mikes and then suddenly the feed went dead. The camera went back to the presenter in the studio, who was sitting at his desk, gaping at the screen on his laptop, where he'd been watching. He blinked, pulling himself together. "And that is what happened a moment ago in north London: a record speed, unidentified creature, attacking, and murdering a whole camera crew, coming in undetected until it was too late too save any of them. Experts fear, an invasion. These things are incredibly smart…"

"Rose?" Jack said slowly. "I think it's time to go."

Rose looked away from the screen and looked into her friends eyes. "Money. We need money for the Underground."

Jackie sighed and lifted her purse off of the work surface and unzipped, taking out a £10 note. She handed it to Rose who pocketed it. "Don't lose it," Jackie told her sternly. "Keep it together and stay safe sweetheart."

"You too, mum," Rose agreed, hugging her. "But don't worry that much. We've handled murderous aliens from places all over the universe. I think we can handle thuggish teenagers on the Underground."

"You know what I mean."

Is the Doctor alive? Wait and see!