The Doctor pulled her into the chapel, closing the double doors against the sun. "Alright, Stone, you've been holding out on me. Something's amiss in this village of yours and you haven't been telling me. Naughty naughty"
"This isn't my village. I don't even live here" Lucy shook her head.
"Yeah, why?" he asked, his voice low and gravelly. "We'll get to that later. Right now I want you to tell me about the village. The people, they seem scared. And why don't they allow color in? And whats with the looming giant timepiece? Everyone keeps...looking at it"
"That's what your supposed to do with clocks" Lucy turned to face the pews, subtly avoiding his eyes.
"Stone, look at me" he reached out turning her to look at him, taking her hands in his "I can tell your scared of something. Something isn't right here. All you have to do is trust me and I promise you I will fix it"
She looked at him for a long moment, reminding the Doctor that he hadn't been this close to someone in a long while. "Alright, on one condition..."
"Anything" he smiled in success.
"It's Lucy, just Lucy" she grimaced at him.
"Alright then, Lucy just Lucy, hit me. Tell me all about the big bad wolf" he took a step back, to lean against the pew as if he were settling in for a nice story.
"There's a monster in the woods" she breathed, such a heavy feeling of fear hovered in her voice that it literally stopped the Doctor's hearts for a moment. "There always has been. It comes out at night, and it takes people out into the woods. And then brings them back in the morning. They always have something on them with color, the villagers don't know why but they don't bring color into the village anymore. At least they aren't supposed to. When the clock strikes six everyone is supposed to go into their homes and lock the door"
"Because then the sun sets" the Doctor nodded his head.
"The people they don't go near the wood, it's forbidden. If you go into the wood, the monster will bring you back in the morning. But you'll be dead" Lucy explained.
"Lucy, you live in the woods" he looked at her, "You wear color and you live in the forbidden woods"
"I know" she touched her face.
"But then...why doesn't the monster take you?" he stood.
"I don't know" she practically whispered, "It never has. I grew up in those woods, I've always worn color. The townspeople...the way they look at me. It's as if they think I'm the monster from the woods"
"You've never seen it..."
"No one has. No one that's lived. But I hear the screams...at night..." she shook her head, wiping at her cheek "That's all I know"
"Okay, okay" he soothed her, "That's plenty helpful. I'm gonna save this village from the monster, Luce. And I'm gonna save you" he let out a grin, his vibrance warming her. "Starting now, coming along"
The huge crowd had remained in the same spot, just as the Doctor had told them. But not they were all muttering to one another.
"Attention, attention!" the Doctor called loudly, "I am now aware of the monster in your woods. This is the type of thing I deal with on a daily basis, people. So there is no need to worry. I'm about to save your lives" he said with a flourish of his hand.
Amy and Rory looked alert at the sound of a monster, not only that but one hidden in the woods they would have to re-enter if they ever needed to flee back to the TARDIS.
Suddenly there was a scream in the distance. Everyone looked around shocked and frightened.
"Well, that complicates things" the Doctor turned back to look at Lucy just as her face turned up to look at the bell over the large clock that had just begun chiming.
"There's been another attack!" a voice yelled out from the mob. The whole crowd of people ran back towards the edge of the wood, completely disregarding the Doctor and his claim. Amy was the first to follow the crowd as they rushed towards where the latest victim lay. This time it was a teenage girl, the Doctor pushed his way to the front of the group. Pulling out his sonic and waving it over her body.
"What do you think you're doing?" a man asked him.
"There's a hole in her chest" the Doctor looked over her.
"There always is" the man said stiffly, "He takes the hearts"
"Oh God" Rory stepped back.
"I'm liking this place less and less" Amy agreed.
"That's my daughter!" a woman ran through the crowd and falling over the body, "Oh, dear darling girl" she cried, tears rolling down her cheeks. Everyone watched solemnly as the woman cried over the body and clung to what was left of her daughter.
"You," the father stepped towards the Doctor.
"I'm sorry" he answered solemnly and tenderly.
"You said you could end this" the man blinked through tears, "You could stop this from ever happening again"
"I can find your so called monster and make it leave this place, yes" the Doctor nodded respectfully.
"Then do so quickly, our village can't take another death" he turned to his wife, scooping her up in his arms, uncovering the body once more and shutting his daughter's unseeing eyes.
"Alright then," the Doctor glanced quickly down at the body before turning to his companions, "Pond, Luce, Rory" he nodded at them. The four of them walked towards the edge of the wood, watched by the crowd who couldn't contain their gasps as they crossed the barrier into the shadows of the trees.
"How do we know the girl isn't the monster, living in the woods" a voice muttered loudly enough for Lucy to hear. She looked down at the ground, pretending they were never said and that she couldn't feel the glance of the Doctor.
They all looked at each other quickly before the Doctor grinned in excitement, "Into the woods we go."