"There you go." The Doctor nodded to her. "And I've spoken to the Captain. I can guarantee you everything's fine." But those were the worst words he could've said at that moment. Because that was always the worst thing to say when something might go wrong. How many times in Camelot had Merlin found that to be true. And even way out here in space, it once again proved true. The Doctor had jinxed them
Thump, thump.
Installment 1: The Clock Strikes at Midnight
Chapter 5: Knock Three Times (On the ceiling if you want me)
"What was that?"
"It must be the metal. We're cooling down. It's just settling."
"Rocks. It could be rocks falling."
Merlin knew it was none of the above. He could sense something out there. Something was on the surface that wasn't there before. He sent out a small probing tendril of his magic.
"What I want to know is, how long do we have to sit here."
His magic was ripped from his grip before he could get a feel for what was out there. Whatever it was, it thumped on the side of the bus once more. Louder this time and Merlin jumped to his feet. It was almost as if the little bit of Merlin's magic had made it stronger.
"What is that?" Maybe it had made it stronger. Maybe that what he had felt pulling on his magic when they were still in orbit.
"There's someone out there."
"Now, don't be ridiculous." Merlin slowly moved toward the aisle.
"Like I said, it could be rocks." Everyone else seemed frozen in place, only the Doctor and Merlin were moving. Like predators stalking their prey.
"We're out in the open. Nothing could fall against the sides." They were all wrong and only two of them knew it.
Two more thumps sounded.
"Knock, knock," the Doctor joked with a wry tone.
"Who's there?" Merlin twitched an eyebrow and replied the same.
"Is there something out there?" Sky was panicking now. "Well? Anyone?" Thump. Thump. "What the hell is making that noise?"
"I'm sorry, but the light out there is Xtonic." The professor was trying to use science, but sometimes science didn't explain everything. "That means it would destroy any living thing in a split second. It is impossible for someone to be outside." The thumping begged to differ.
"Well, what the hell is that, then?" Sky demanded.
"Sir," the hostess turned her attention to the Doctor who had moved towards the rear of the cabin. "You really should get back to your seat." The Doctor ignored her and pulled out his stereoscope to listen to the walls. Merlin spared a moment to wonder where he had pulled that from.
"Hello?" The Doctor asked the unknown. The unknown answered back with a quick double thump.
"It's moving," Merlin noted. The emergency exit rattled.
"It's trying the door." Val was becoming more panicked, but still only the Doctor and Merlin had moved towards the sound. Everyone else was frozen in shock.
"There is no it. There's nothing out there. Can't be." Despite his claims, it tried the emergency exit door once more before thumping on the roof and then at the entrance door.
"That's the entrance," Val astutely noted. "Can it get in?"
"No," Dee Dee denied. "That door's on two hundred weight hydraulics."
Professor Hobbes and her bickered as Biff finally broke out of his frozen state only to move towards the door. For once, the Doctor and Val were in agreement that he should move away from the door.
"Nah, it's cast iron, that door." He was trying to be tough. Make a show of not being afraid. He knocked smartly on the door three times as if to demonstrate how confident he was in it's capability as a barricade. Only the knocks answered back. And they sounded three times.
"Three times," Val said in wonderment and Biff scrambled back from the door. "Did you hear that? It did it three times."
Merlin was amazed. "It answered." No doubt about it being a living thing now. A living thing that was trying to get to him and his magic. In no way was that good.
"It did it three times!" Val exclaimed as if she was the only one who noticed.
"All right, all right, all right. Everyone calm down."
"No, but it answered." Sky refused to listen to the Doctor's calming voice. "It answered. Don't tell me that thing's not alive. It answered him." Three knocks sounded again and the hostess now tried to calm everyone down and have them return to their seats. "No, don't just stand there telling us the rules. You're the hostess. You're supposed to do something!"
The Doctor knocked on the door four times. There is a long pause before he receives four thumps in reply.
Sky now started backing away towards the corner of the bus. "What is it? What the hell's making that noise? She said she'd get me. Stop it. Make it stop." She was boarding on hysterics now. "Somebody make it stop. Don't just stand there looking at me. It's not my fault. He started it with his stories." Others tried to calm her down. "And he made it worse! Why didn't you leave it alone? Stop staring at me. Just tell me what the hell it is." The knocking started again and Merlin couldn't think with all the racket going on. "It's coming for me. Oh, it's coming for me." She had backed completely into the corner like a trapped animal. "It's coming for me. It's coming for me. It's coming for me." Suddenly she let out a piercing shriek of blood freezing terror.
"Get out of there!" The Doctor yelled, reaching a hand out to her. But just then the entire craft was hit violently and everything went black.
AN: Short? Yes. Good stopping point though? Yea. Update soon? Agreed.