With the Sonic Screwdriver illuminating in the tunnels as he's running through the sewers, Theodore's icy blue eyes scoured for any sight on the boy as he hurried through the wide sewers, avoiding the stream of foul-smelling liquid that pooled in the centre.
The smell's like one thinks of the sewer system at this time, almost a blessing that Theodore's congested for the time being, as he couldn't smell the horrid smells that permitted the sewers.
In his mind, he reached out to Lila, warning her that Tim gone into the sewers, that their plan became complicated, and that he ordered her to remain with the TARDIS while he went after Tim.
"He could be anywhere!" Lila worried that Tim would've gotten trapped somewhere or worse, fallen over the sides of a waterfall of the worse liquids a person could drown in, or even possibly into the waiting arms of the arapulo.
Unwilling to wait around, Lila said that she and Al would work together in modifying the plan, that they're going to help Theodore find and bring Tim safely back to the surface while dealing with the arapulo once and for all.
"And don't you argue with me, spaceman!" Lila nixed Theodore's arguments against her helping him and he's forced to concede, merely telling her and Al to stay safe, while she told him the same, and that she'll bring him updates.
In the darkened tunnels under the city, Theodore struggled as he avoided narrow areas, areas with steep drops, and made his way through, searching for Tim.
He'd almost given up hope until he saw something in front of him struggling and he hurried towards the struggling Tim, trying to untie his slingshot that knotted during his trip out in the city, planning on using it against the Bogeyman.
"Tim, what're you doing?" Theodore hisses at him as he grabbed the boy, spooking him as he barely reacted to Theodore's sudden appearance before him.
Struggling in his hands, Tim shouts at him, demanding Theodore to let him go, but Theodore pulled a personal favourite from his uncle's cards, forcing the boy to stop struggling.
Let's say it's something reserved only for situations where peacefully talking it through wouldn't work.
His eyes wide and his mouth frozen, Tim's unable to process everything that Theodore said, but finally listened to Theodore as he corralled the boy away from where he stood near, trying to talk him out of what he's doing.
"He took my friends!" Tim shouted that he needed to get them back, but Theodore calmly tells him that there's nothing he can do for them, now, and if he wanted to bring justice for them, doing this wasn't going to help him, it'll only get him killed.
Not exactly justice, then.
Sniffling as warm tears ran down his round face, Tim's frustrated at his inability to aid his friends and that Theodore told him it'd be for nothing, they're gone, and he bitterly said that he's alone, now.
Everyone he cared about's gone.
Taken by war, famine, or the Bogeyman.
If not for his ability to hock paper, he'd be gone, too!
"Tim, in the face of adversary, you cannot give up, no matter how much you want to, understand me. Help me and you'll help prevent others from suffering the same fate," Theodore implored the boy in helping him rid the city of the Bogeyman, prevent further loss of lives, and bring justice to those the Bogeyman hurt.
The imploring worked and Tim reluctantly agreed to help Theodore as he worked to lead them back to the surface before the Bogeyman found out.
Leading him, Theodore recalled where he's going, trying to keep Tim close to him as he's retracing his steps through the sewers.
Their footsteps echoed throughout the darkened sewers as Theodore led Tim to safety, he reached out to Lila, telling her that he found Tim, and they're returning to the surface at the earliest possible.
"So far, it's quiet here," Lila tells him that the arapulo hadn't surfaced, Al's keeping track on any movement from it, while watching theirs, and Theodore tells her that they haven't seen it down here, either.
He thinks it might've gone up another way, the night young as it is, and Lila opted to agree with that, before saying that it's getting foggy out, and the temperature dropping further.
From Al's assumption, the arapulo's using the weather to blend in with the background and using the cold against humans, knowing they wouldn't come out in this weather.
Acknowledging it, Theodore told her to keep him posted, while he maneuvered through the sewers with Tim, as he's working his way back to the manhole cover that Tim took down here.
"Can you kill the Bogeyman?" Tim asks Theodore if he's capable of doing the deed against the entity that's taken his friends and left him furloughed in the city and Theodore thoughtfully tells him that he can't promise much, but it doesn't mean he won't try.
Tim showed doubt that Theodore's able to kill the Bogeyman, saying, "Little Richie says you can't kill the Bogeyman!"
Little Richie was one of the lucky ones, adopted out to a Catholic family, he did, and he said along the way out that the Bogeyman can't be killed by anyone.
Frowning, Theodore assures the frightened boy that he'll kill the Bogeyman, he didn't come all this way to fail, now.
A promise was made to the MacDonalds, after all.
"What if you can't?" Tim worried that even if Theodore would've managed to trap the Bogeyman, it'll escape his attempt, and return once again another time.
Seeing fear in those little eyes, despite the illuminating light beaming off them, Theodore comforted Tim, that he'll come up with something, he always had.
His father before him always done it, even when he had nothing, and it worked for him.
Maybe he's not like his father, but that isn't stopping Theodore from trying, anyway.
Their footsteps quickened while they're making their way through the sewers, when they're forced to stop, there's skittering noises coming from the distance where they're heading, and even in the distance, Theodore sees the long arms slowly moving, outstretched.
Picking up Tim, Theodore rushed as fast as his legs carried him away, keeping Tim quiet as he's looking for a way around, while hearing the arapulo moving around.
Quickly, Theodore receives the map from Al mentally, and he used it to his advantage as he carefully watched his step, looking for a service ladder that'll take them to the surface in the centre of the street.
His icy blue eyes darting back and forth, Theodore made mental notes as he went off the map in his mind, taking turns, until he's stopped by something standing in front of them.
Using the light from the Sonic Screwdriver, Theodore sees it's another victim of the arapulo, an older man with a white bushy mustache, frozen in place with his empty brown eyes staring into yonder.
Tim burrowed his dirty face into Theodore's coat as he's in shock at the sight, before sloughing it off, and pushing forward.
They're close to the service ladder, Theodore's following the map, and they're coming up to it any moment, but alas, it wasn't so, and they're forced to stop again, when they saw something blocking their way.
"You," Theodore hears a rattling voice and he immediately recognized it as the shopkeeper's voice before he sees a face pushing through the darkness.
The arapulo's narrow pale face illuminated in the blue light, its black teeth chattering, and those four black dotted eyes reflecting Theodore and Tim as the six arms moved in tandem.
Without even saying a word, Theodore turned, and ran while clutching Tim close to his chest as he fled through the sewers once more, using the map in his mind, as he reached out to Al, telling him of the situation.
Al instinctively began working on a plan as Theodore gained distance from the arapulo.
It's difficult, but he kept pace, despite the arapulo trailing behind, prowled by the six arms as it remained into pursuit.
Following Al's instructions, Theodore worked his way towards a service ladder leading up to somewhere near the warehouse district, and he helped Tim up the ladder.
Tim struggled, but he forced the manhole cover to the side of the hole, forcing his way out, before looking in, imploring Theodore as he held out his hand.
However, Theodore couldn't escape in time, he had to run once more, the arapulo's focused on him, and on his command, Tim closed the manhole cover back over the hole, while Theodore disappeared deeper into the sewers.
His shoes clacking against the ground, Theodore struggled as he's following the map, but with the arapulo behind him, he can't stop for a moment, without fear the six arms grab him.
Tim's safe on the surface and the arapulo isn't interested in him enough to break the chase from Theodore.
Suppose the arapulo became intrigued by Theodore, deciding he'd be one of the best dolls that the arapulo's ever made, however Theodore likes animating his face, thank you.
Perhaps, it's aware that Theodore saw through it's feeble disguise, and wanted to kill him outright, preventing him from warning the others of its existence, hard to say, Theodore wasn't going to stop and ask it.
However, Theodore doubted the arapulo's the talkative type, because it wasn't trying to talk to him, not even the usual monster noises, just skittering along the sewer walls with its chattering teeth, nothing else.
Not much of conversationalist, it seems.
Turning the corner, Theodore nearly slammed into another victim of the arapulo that it positioned where it knew Theodore would've run into it, it's a woman, about his age, her frozen dazed expression as Theodore looked at it with confusion and dismay.
Going around the victim, Theodore tried running once more, and the damned arapulo kept up with him.
Despite the Sonic Screwdriver's light, it wasn't deterred, and likely because it wasn't as bright like the sun, the fact that it's soft like the torches above ground.
"Kid, we got it ready, follow my directions!" Al ordered Theodore to follow his instructions, leading the bedeviled giant through hell and back, trying to avoid the six hands from successfully grabbing him while avoiding the black spiny teeth of the arapulo dripping with the venom.
Thankfully, luck decided to throw Theodore a bone, because he found the service ladder up a block away from where they initially devised the plan, and went up the ladder in seconds, using his strength to push off the lid, and jumped out of there like his bum's on fire.
Immediately, he felt familiar hands drag him away, as he heard a deep growl coming from the sewers, and a bright light nearly blinded him, before he heard a shrill.
The arapulo, taken by surprise, ended up trapped at the bottom of the service ladder, engulfed in the web, and with Lila's help, the harpoon sunk into it without fail, and it let out a horrifying sound as it lay trapped under the sticky web.
Waiting a good while, Al's able to tell them that it's dead, and they're able to use the web to keep the arapulo wrapped up, before dragging the body out of the sewer with Theodore's strength aiding them.
Yanked it out of the sewers, into the awaiting TARDIS, cleaned everything up, but now, they're left with a problem.
Having to go back into the sewers, looking for the hidden area where the arapulo kept his victims.
"Where's Tim?" Theodore asked if the two saw him, but neither said they did, and he's relieved that Tim's fine, but now he's faced with returning to the sewers, again.
Al went with them into the sewers, following his deductions, and they came across a enclave, hidden by a broken wall that the arapulo pulled over the entrance into the enclave, fooling anyone who didn't look closely.
Inside, they discovered rows stacked with its victims, arranged by sizes and ages, seeing them all, it's like going into nana's doll room at night without turning on the ceiling light.
At least a hundred victims, if that, and going through them, Theodore discovered Daphne and her nanny among the victims, still wearing the clothes on their backs, and with help, moved them into the awaiting TARDIS.
Al's able to come up with a story that'll satiate the public without them learning the truth, a mad scientist experimenting on preserving humans after death, there's a few nondescript words that'll whip the news into a frenzy without people looking into it too deeply, but it's enough for them.
Relocating the bodies to the surface, arranging them in a fashion that suggested that they were discovered in a sordid hotel room, the trio managed to kick off the story with the help of Tim, who reappeared after escaping the sewers.
He found his friends among the rows, his eyes filled with sadness, as Theodore comforted him, telling him that now, his friends have peace, and he has closure.
While the boy wasn't nice to them in the beginning, he returned the favour by helping them prove their case to the constables that Tim lured to the grisly site, in the only way a child knew how, by screaming loudly.
It must've taken hours before the constables relocated the bodies to the morgue, mortified about a deranged man who used the bodies to experiment on and without knowing what happened.
The time came and Theodore's forced to face the MacDonalds with the truth that Daphne's dead and there's nothing he could've done for her, leaning heavily on the belief that it's a deranged lunatic, and using the trust Nathan had against him to sell the lie.
It wasn't what he wanted, but Theodore knew it was better than the truth, that they wouldn't understand, and eventually they came to trust his word.
Despite the adventure ending on a sour note, the arapulo's no more, unable to hurt anyone else, and its grisly collection given proper burials while weeping families have closures on their disappearances, Theodore wanted better.
Preparing to leave, having bid the MacDonalds their condolences and farewells, the duo ran into Tim once again, who thanked them for stopping the Bogeyman.
He didn't see the Bogeyman, having kept his eyes closed and his face buried into Theodore's chest, thankfully, but he got the gist of what happened while Theodore remained in the sewers after he escaped.
Feeling bad about the whole thing, Theodore turned over the remaining money to the boy, hoping to get him a fresh start, even telling him about the inn room that he and Lila stayed in.
Tim's eyes widened in excitement seeing the sack of money in his hands, with the inn's name engraved into his mind, before he profusely thanked the two for helping him bring justice to the children that the police apathetically forgotten.
Modestly, Theodore tells him that it's his job, but the boy burst into tears as he said that he didn't think anybody would've believed them, and he assured Tim that they've seen enough things in their lives that Tim's description of the Bogeyman wasn't far-fetched as he thinks.
That said, Theodore wanted to go home and change out of his clothes, take a warm bath, once they rid the arapulo's body somewhere that it wouldn't be out of place.
Pity, but what can you do with something that hunted humans to the point it had no natural fear and would've found its way back through the tears.
With his large hands in his pockets, Theodore strolled into the open TARDIS while Lila trailed behind him.
She's momentary stopped by Tim who wanted to tell her something.
"What's up?" Lila asks Tim what he wanted from her and he looked frightened, despite momentary jumping for joy as the Bogeyman's defeated.
It doesn't seem like he was wanting to talk about the Bogeyman, not the one they just killed.
"The Bogeyman's real!" Tim tells her as he pulled on her arm, uncharacteristically.
Her chestnut eyes blinking, Lila inquired more about what Tim's trying to tell her, pointing out it won't bother him or the orphans anymore, but Tim insisted he wasn't talking about that one.
He said to her with fear in his voice, "The Bogeyman's following you!"
Baffled, Lila's taken aback by the claim as she tells him that she stopped believing that a long time ago.
Tim didn't seem relieved and Lila ended up asking him what he's talking about, more specifically, why he's suddenly talking about it in that context, having not said anything about it earlier when they first met.
Unleashing her arm, Tim tells her that he happened to catch a glance of something trailing behind Lila after they met, a shadow.
"We all have shadows, Tim," Lila pointed out to him, but Tim elaborated more.
He tells her that this shadow's disjointed from hers, that it disappeared after they turned a corner.
It's not something Lila expected to hear, especially when they're just about ready to close out the adventure, and return home, but Tim vehemently believed he saw a shadow following Lila.
The real Bogeyman.
"Tim, you're just stressed. You've been scared about what happened, you'll see the Bogeyman roaming alleyways at this rate. Trust me, it's just stories people tell to scare children into behaving. Except this time, but you know what I mean," Lila assures him that he's just seeing things, trying to rationalize what happened, his grief, everything, of course he'll think the actual Bogeyman's real.
Frowning, Tim swears he wasn't lying, and Lila assured him once more, before Theodore called to her, sending her back into the warmth of the TARDIS
Watching it disappear before his eyes, Tim's alone in the corner of the dead-end, holding a sack of money that'll keep him fed and dressed for a while.
Glancing around, Tim's antsy, the feeling rising in him as the hair on his neck stood up.
Even with the light coming from above, Tim felt fear, enough that he took off running with his sack of money, refusing to turn around.
"Lee… laa…" a ghostly voice whispered.
THE END