Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who

Chapter 9

Maddie screamed.

She backed up several feet. Her knees hit the side of her bed and she fell backwards, landing with a soft thump into her mattress.

Recovering but tangled in her covers, she watched helplessly as the scarecrow finished destroying the window and climbing through. It was clothed exactly like the ones in her nightmare. But it couldn't be real. That was completely illogical. It was probably just a man in a costume trying to scare her. She fought free of her blankets and strode toward the menacing figure.

"Ernie, if that's you," Maddie called to the monster, "I will never forgive you." With that, Maddie reached up and yanked the mask off the creature.

Whatever it was, it was not Ernest Crate.

One of the cords burst into flame as the numbers on the screen skyrocketed. Donna fell backwards off her chair.

"No. No. No. No!" The Doctor gripped both sides of the screen, shaking it. "This is bad. Come on!" He snatched the sonic screwdriver as Donna raced to fling open the T.A.R.D.I.S. doors, only to be faced by a wall of brick.

"Doctor, you parked the T.A.R.D.I.S. against a bloody BRICK WALL!" she roared, throwing up her hands. Even you aren't skinny enough to fit through that crack."
"Oh, come on!" The Doctor turned back to the console and pressed several buttons. "The traveler's amassed too much energy. It's closed off the continuum. We're stuck."

"Stuck?" Donna cried, shoving against the brick wall. "What bleedin' good are you for, anyway?"

Michael had been lying on his bed for the past three or so hours.

Tom had said nothing to him and Geoffrey had come back sullen and quiet, more so than normal. Michael absently took his glass and began tossing it. The activity didn't make him as relaxed as it used to, but he was changed.

A terrified cry rang through the school house. High pitched, young, it must belong to Maddie.

Knowing that, having left Maddie in a state of euphoria, Maddie had been quite calm and nothing short of a burglar would inspire such fear, Michael rocketed out of the room and shot down the stairs where he snatched a pistol from the cupboard in the kitchen.

Mask slipping through her suddenly cold fingers, Maddie slowly backed away from the scarecrow. It bent down to retrieve its head and replaced in on its sagging shoulders. With a heavy rustling, the scarecrow lunged for her and Maddie was knocked onto the floor by the surprisingly heavy creature. She screamed again, louder, and struggled with its flannel-clad arms as it stood up.

With a bang, Maddie's bedroom door, which had been locked, flew open and Michael stood there. There was not a more welcome sight. He raised a pistol and fired, hitting the scarecrow in the abdomen, just under Maddie's right arm. The monster went limp, dropping Maddie on her feet and sinking slowly to the floor.

"Get behind me!" Michael ordered and Maddie hastily scurried behind him, clinging to his shoulder. He shot at the scarecrow twice more, but the monster's wounds closed and it slowly climbed to its feet. Straw fell in small heaps around the lopsided pants.

Michael seized Maddie's hand and ran down the hallway, closing the door behind them. They couldn't lock it from the outside, so they hurried on, without waiting to see if the scarecrow could break through. Downstairs, Maddie heard an earsplitting crack and turned just long enough to see the scarecrow break down the door to her room and lumber after them. Michael tugged her up the other stairs to the South Wing and to his Dormitory.

Tom and Geoffrey waited for them, ushering them to move faster. Once Maddie and Michael were inside, Geoffrey slammed and locked the door, leaning up against it: as if his slim, lanky body could keep back a creature of such supernatural strength.

"All you alright?" Tom asked, yanking Maddie away from Michael and turning her to face him. He ran a finger across her face. It stung. "You're hurt," he said, face twisting up worriedly. He pulled Maddie into a hug.

"It's just a scratch," Maddie said comfortingly. "I didn't even know it was there. I must have got it when the scarecrow knocked me over.

"Scarecrow?" Tom asked, looking half bemused, half skeptical. "Maddie, those were just nightmares. This is a real thief, not a childhood monster."

"I have to object," Michael interrupted, dragging Tom's attention away from Maddie. "When I shot that thing, it wasn't hurt, and I hit it square in the chest. I saw the bullet go through it and out the window, but we didn't see any blood."

As if to affirm their claims, the arm of the scarecrow punched a hole in the door. Maddie shrieked, knees buckling. Geoffrey caught her before she could hit the floor, helping her to her feet. Tom and Michael seized the arm and pulled down. With a ripping sound, the limb tore free and straw flew around the room. The creature on the other side made no sound of suffering, but continued banging with the other arm.

There was a loud crash, muffled grunts then an uncanny silence. Maddie sank onto the nearest bed, trembling. Her ears rang and her stomach churned. There was a brisk rapping on the door and a gruff voice came through.

"This is Professor Grant," the voice coughed. "The scarecrow is disassembled, but it will only be a matter of time before it comes to."

Trevor and several other boys from Sandwethers left the forest after their game of hide and seek and headed back to the school building. Trevor's limbs ached and his nose itched. They stopped by the front door to wipe their feet. Professor Grant would have their hides if they tracked mud into the house.

One of the boys yelled, and they all turned to see a large, lopsided figure looming over them. Running inside, many bolted for the kitchen, but Trevor ran for his dormitory.

Geoffrey shoved Michael and Tom out of the way as he wrenched the door open to reveal a balding teacher in a tweed coat and Trevor running up behind. The scarecrow lay in a mangled heap on the floor. It was stirring slowly, but did not show any signs of coherency just yet.

"More of these monsters have infiltrated the cellars and are flooding the building," Professor Grant panted. His eyes were oddly glazed over. "We'll soon be overrun if we don't get to the yard and escape across country."

Michael took Maddie's hand and they crept after the Professor with Tom and Geoffrey. His pam was sweaty and Maddie was surprised that her hand did not slip out of his. Geoffrey didn't look half as concerned as the rest. Before exiting the house, they emptied the closet of its six revolvers and long sticks. Michael handed Maddie one of the guns.

"When the scarecrow gets to close," Michael explained, "pull the trigger. Aim for its head."

There was a sound coming from the pantry. Christine peeped around the corner of the door. Seeing her, Tom ran over with a finger pressed against his lips.

"You need to either come with us or hide here," Tom said quickly, but gently.

"I'll stay here, thanks." Christine smiled waveringly. She pulled back into the pantry and it went dark under the door.

They had only taken five or six steps into the yard before fifty figures sprang from the bushes. Their escape was cut off by another twenty monsters. Maddie's vision swam and she felt tears streaming down her cheeks. She brought her free hand up to her face and bit down on the thumb.

Why? Why was this happening? It was just like her dreams. Maybe it was another dream. Maddie tried to convince herself that this encounter was nothing but a nightmare. She pinched herself for reassurance. It hurt. But maybe she had nicked herself on the side of her bed and that was what had hurt. Maddie bit the inside of her cheek. That felt real enough. Now that she considered it, Maddie realized that it was too clear to be a dream. Dreams had a tilt in the world and she moved sluggishly in them.

But it was still like her dreams which meant…

"Tom, Michael!" Maddie called over the shots as the scarecrows rushed them. "They can't die: not by pistol, fire or anything!"

"We had assumed that," Tom grunted, shoving a scarecrow in the chest and sending it flying.

Maddie's head began to pound as reality set in. This wasn't a dream. The scarecrows were coming. They were coming for her, and they would make her one of them.

Black crept in on the edges of her vision. Her ears filled with imagined screams. Nothing could save her. The world spun around her, her eyes closed and Maddie lost consciousness.

Roses are red
Violets are blue
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