Unto the Universe
Chapter Nine: The Hound of the Crack: Darson Hall
By Lumendea
…..
Supper was somber. The dining room was dimly lit by candles, and they could all hear a storm rolling in overhead. Occasional rolls of thunder filled the uneasy silence in the house, and distant flashes of lightning illuminated the dining room as a young serving woman brought in their meals. She was silent and didn't look at anyone as she placed the bowls of soup in front of everyone.
"Thank you," Rose said softly, but the woman didn't react at all.
Maybe she was scared. A hound sitting and then a storm was something right out of a horror story. Only Conan Doyle seemed at all pleased about the turn of events. He had risen from his seat and checked out the windows with curious eyes. Rose could tell that Robinson and the Doctor weren't surprised by his behavior, but their hosts were certainly put off by it.
"I apologize for the lack of festivities," Emily said politely. "I hate to be remiss as a hostess."
"Please," Jack replied kindly. "You and your husband were kind enough to shelter us not only from the hound but now the storm. We are most grateful for your hospitality."
Emily smiled at the words, seemingly reassured, while her husband nodded encouragingly to her. The Doctor watched them carefully, and Rose again wondered what he was seeing or sensing that she wasn't. Nothing felt out of place to her, though the house was a bit cold for her. But Rose knew that her senses were nowhere near the Doctor's.
They went through the courses quickly, with the serving girl still saying nothing. Emily and Charles didn't find anything unusual about her behavior, but Rose wished she could slip into the kitchen to check on the girl and the cook that Emily mentioned offhand. If there was something off about the house and the people inside, then Rose couldn't help but worry about what that meant for the staff.
Another roll of thunder cracked through the night, rumbling the room. Emily looked up at the ceiling while Charles sighed. "Storm is getting closer," he said. "Nearly on top of us."
"Rather atmospheric," Conan Doyle observed, rising to his feet and returning to the window. "Nothing unusual outside, though."
"Charles," Emily said. "Perhaps we should close the curtains. The storm is chilling the house, and I admit my nerves are still a touch raw."
"A good idea, I think," Charles replied. He climbed to his feet and went to the first window, pulling the heavy fabric curtains closed. Conan Doyle watched him with a blank expression. "I think it is going to be a rather bad night."
Conan Doyle said nothing in response but pulled shut the curtains of the window he'd been at. The room dimmed slightly as the natural light from outside was lost to them, only for a flash of lightning to briefly brighten the space. It was followed immediately by a crack of thunder. Rose shifted uneasily in her seat. Storms had never bothered her before, but according to the Doctor, they were in a house that shouldn't be there, and she had a feeling that whatever was keeping the neverwere from entering the house wouldn't last forever.
As if summoned by the thought, a howl tore through the quiet. It was close, too close. Everyone looked up as something crashed upstairs. Emily screamed as Rose, the Doctor, and Jack scrambled to their feet. The Doctor rushed for the stairs with Jack on his heels. Rose hesitated for a moment before someone grabbed her arm. It was Emily. The woman was shaking and pale. There were only a few moments for Rose to debate on her course of action before the Doctor and Jack came back into the room.
"Not sure where it is," the Doctor growled. "A vase is knocked over upstairs, but no hound."
"If it is in the house, then we should stay together," Conan Doyle said firmly. His excitement had faded, and instead, he was now much more serious. "Strength in numbers."
"Perhaps," the Doctor said. "But for it to change, behavior has to mean something."
Emily gasped and collapsed into a chair. Rose placed a hand on her shoulder and looked towards the kitchen door. "I'll call in the servants," Rose said. "They shouldn't be left alone."
Emily and Charles exchanged a glance, but no one tried to stop Rose as she crossed the room and pushed open the door to the kitchen. It was an elegant room with wooden counters and lots of white cabinets and porcelain. But it was also empty of people. The entrees were steaming on a table, just waiting for the end of the soup course. But no sign of the cook or maid.
"Hello?" Rose called. "Please join us in the dining room. An animal has gotten in the house."
No answer. Rose stepped further into the kitchen. Her skin prickled, and the room's temperature dropped. A low growl from the right made Rose tense. A narrow door leading off into another section of the house, likely the servants' quarters, was ajar. Flickering her wrist, Rose summoned her sword and stepped closer.
"Hello?" Rose called.
The door swung open, but not by a human hand. The dark bulk of the neverwere slinked out of the passage, pushing the door as it moved. Another low growl vibrated through the kitchen. Rose's stomach tightened, and she had a bad feeling that she knew what had happened to the cook and serving girl.
"Rose?" the Doctor's voice called from by the doorway.
"It's in here," Rose answered, fighting to keep her voice calm. "Don't come in. I'm backing up."
A rush of voices from the other side of the door met her announcement, but Jack and the Doctor didn't burst in. Rose backed up from the neverwere as it kept its glowing eyes on her. She kept her sword up and took a few more steps back, avoiding the edge of a counter. Rose reached for a slab of meat on a plate and tossed it on the ground. She had no idea if a neverwere would be distracted by such a thing, but it was worth a try.
It did look down at the meat, and Rose stumbled back through the door. The Doctor caught her arm, his grip solid and tight as he pulled her back. She didn't dare look at him, but Rose knew that he'd be worried. The hound was at the door a moment later, and she heard Emily gasp loudly behind her.
"The staff are gone," Rose said quickly. "No sign of them."
Rose brought up her sword as the neverwere slowly walked closer. Its head was low, and its ears were back as it bared sharp fangs at them. The rumble of its growl echoed through the dining room. Rose shivered at the cold but didn't retreat. The neverwere was peering at her with intense glowing eyes. Jack was close behind her, and Rose was grateful that he was staying back. Now, if only she could get the Doctor to be as careful. Charles and Emily gasped behind her, and she could hear Emily's soft fearful words to Charles but didn't let her focus move from the hound.
It snarled again before lunging forward. Rose swung. Her sword connected, and the hound howled, the sound tearing through the house. The dark mass that was the neverwere flashed in response to the blow before the creature vanished. It was gone, but the cold lingered. She searched the dining room, keeping her sword up and ready. But all was quiet except for the soft fearful crying behind Rose. Slowly, she turned to check on the humans behind her.
"Is it gone?" Charles asked.
"Maybe," Rose said. She wasn't sure. "But at least for now, we're safe."
"Where did that sword come from?" Conan Doyle asked.
"This isn't the time, Arthur," Robinson said. "How did that thing get into the house?" He shook his head. "What can we do to stay safe?"
"I don't know," Charles said. "We thought we were safe here. It's never appeared in the house before." He shook his head and reached for his wife. "Are you alright, my dear?"
"I- I'm a bit faint," Emily said. "I need to sit down."
"I'm sorry about your staff," Rose said softly. "What were their names?"
Emily blinked at Rose. "Our staff? I'm sorry, Mrs. Tyler, but we haven't had any staff in our service for…" Emily trailed off. "It's difficult to find good help out here." She reached for her husband. "Please, I need to rest."
Charles nodded and began walking his wife towards the main door of the dining room. "I'm taking Emily to the parlor to rest. Please join us."
They headed out of the room, much to Rose's surprise. Emily's words about the staff echoed in her head, and she wasn't sure how to feel about the confirmation that the staff had been taken by the neverwere. But what it meant that she remembered them, Rose wasn't sure, and she could feel the Doctor's gaze on her. Everything was so still for a moment that Rose could hear the ticking of the grandfather clock out in the hallway.
"I think it has something to do with this house," the Doctor said. He started pacing across the room. "Conan Doyle, did you hear anything about this house from the locals?"
"No, Doctor," Conan Doyle answered. "But I'm not sure of your meaning." He looked at Rose. "And what was this about the staff?"
"There were staff here earlier," Rose said softly. "At least I thought so…"
"What about you, Robinson?" the Doctor asked, drawing attention away from Rose. "You know the area; do you know the Parsons?"
"Well, no, sir," Robinson replied. "But the moors are a large area, and plenty of folks keep to themselves, so it's no surprise. They gave us shelter, is it really appropriate to be questioning-"
"So much that there aren't any local rumors or stories about them?" the Doctor pressed.
"Doc, what are you hinting at?" Jack asked. "I mean, that's a little weird, sure, but the house fits the time. There are even photos on the wall that are what I'd expect."
"I know." The Doctor started pacing again. "But there is something wrong. This house is wrong. I can feel it."
"For such an intelligent man, you seem to be falling onto instinct," Conan Doyle said with a raised eyebrow. "We can't allow emotion to guide us."
"There's a phantom hound in the house," Jack said drily.
"Yes," Conan Doyle said. "I'm alarmed that such a thing made it past the iron gate, but perhaps this storm has damaged part of the defenses."
"You still think it is related to the fairies," the Doctor groaned. "I shouldn't be surprised. But listen, the supernatural is not real."
"You sound like Harry," Conan Doyle muttered. "But the evidence is unfolding around us."
"Harry Houdini," the Doctor said to Jack and Rose. "A noted debunker of supernatural scammers."
"That is so backwards," Rose sighed. But the strangeness of the man who wrote rational detective Sherlock Holmes believing in the supernatural while the professional magician did not, wasn't something they had time for right now. "What now? Stay together with the Darsons, or look around?"
"That hound could still be here," Robinson gasped. "Surely we should stay together for safety."
"Numbers aren't going to scare off that hound," the Doctor said. "It's not a phantom exactly, but it is very dangerous."
The two men looked at the Doctor, and Conan Doyle looked very unimpressed. Tension radiated off of the Doctor, and Rose shared his feelings. The staff were already gone, and the hound was likely going to return soon. Rose had no idea how long her sword would disrupt the creature. Thinking back to India, she couldn't help but remember the device that the Doctor in his seventh incarnation had built and wished that they had the TARDIS.
"We should check outside," Jack finally said, breaking the silence. "Maybe there is something that was keeping the hound at bay that's been damaged by the storm, and we can repair it."
"At this point, that would likely only keep it in. Rose disrupted it, but my instinct says that it doesn't have to go back to its origin point to reform." The Doctor was looking around the dining room with a sharp eye. "But we should look around, see if there is anything we can use."
"Like what?" Jack asked softly. "Rose has the only weapon that can harm it."
"There are some weapons on display in the study," Conan Doyle cut in. "I saw them earlier. It is simple enough for us to arm ourselves and fight back the beast."
"Won't work," the Doctor said.
Conan Doyle huffed and glared at him. "I say, man, that you won't explain what you know and are refusing valid suggestions without offering your thoughts. What do you know, and what can be done?"
The Doctor sighed. "I'm not sure. But that hound can't be harmed by normal weapons. It is a being that is and isn't here at once, and if it manages to come into contact with a person, it harms them deeply. Brief contact starts erasing memories." The Doctor did not look at Jack as he spoke. "Prolonged contact, if it doesn't outright kill you, erases a person."
"Erases?" Robinson blinked at the Doctor. "Surely you jest."
"I don't think he does," Conan Doyle told his companion. "He's seen these before."
"Yes," the Doctor answered.
Conan Doyle's sharp eyes narrowed on the Doctor, and then he nodded. "Very well. I understand wanting your wife to have protection, but it seems to me that the weapon would be put to better use in the hands of a man."
The Doctor snorted, and Rose tried not to be too offended at the words. "Won't work," the Doctor said before Rose could say anything. "Only she can use that sword. We don't have time to get into that, but it can't be taken from her."
"What are our options, Doc?" Jack asked. "Should we stay together with Rose?"
"We won't learn much all together," the Doctor said. But then he nodded. "But for now, yes. Let's join the others in the parlor and see what we know."
A howl from outside made them all look towards the covered windows. Conan Doyle turned to face the Doctor once again as if waiting for the Doctor to offer another explanation. Rose sighed and touched the Doctor's arm, nodding towards the entryway. The staff were already gone, though Rose remembered them, and she wasn't interested in leaving the Parsons alone for too long. Conan Doyle nodded and gestured to Robinson. The pair headed out of the dining room ahead of them.
"Jack?" Rose asked softly. "Do you remember the serving girl?"
"Yes," he replied. "We're out of our time, Rose. I think it protects us a little, but it isn't absolute."
"You remember them too?" the Doctor turned to look at Jack and then back at Rose. He made a thoughtful sound and shook his head.
"You don't think we should?" Jack asked.
"I'm not sure," the Doctor replied. His voice was a little too forced. "Neverweres are usually something I try to keep my companions away from. All that Artron energy in your systems might be protecting you. But don't get sloppy," he added firmly. "You know how dangerous they can be."
With that warning lingering in the air, they entered the parlor to find Conan Doyle and Charles Darson discussing barricading measures and weapon options. The Doctor groaned, and Rose sighed before another howl from outside the house rang through the stormy night.