Chapter Twelve; The Attack!
I held Rose close to me while we slept. She had been sound asleep nestled inside my chest when suddenly Shadow started to growl and caused her to wake up. "Doctor," she whispered as she gently shook my shoulder. "Doctor wake up. There's something wrong with the dog." She whispered softly.
"Huh?" I began groggily as I started to sit up and slowly stroked Shadow's fur. "What is it boy? What's wrong? Do you hear something?" I asked him as my mind flashed back to when Peter was a baby and he had alerted us of the cybermen that had broken in. So I knew that if he was acting like this that he had had a good reason.
Shadow continued to growl before he suddenly stopped and sniffed the air and raced over to the window. Rose and I exchanged nervous and worried glances before we got up out of bed and ran over towards him as he started to bark. Then the grounded started to shake before it began to rumble. Mickey and Martha raced out of their bedrooms and into ours.
That's when all of a sudden the windowpane broke open and shattered into a million different pieces. Shadow continued to growl and bark as an enormous stinkbug stuck its head inside. "Uh oh," I began.
"Hit the deck!" Mickey cried as we all hurriedly ran out of the room as the creature left its mark as it unleashed its stink like a green bomb exploding inside the house.
"We've got to find the kids!" I exclaimed as I took out my sonic screwdriver and unlocked the door.
"That should be easy when they're only a few inches tall and it's pitch black out here." Mickey said as we ran outside and onto the front steps.
"It's alright, I think I've got an idea." I began as I removed my cellphone from my pocket. "If my hunch is correct Peter's cellphone should still be on him. I've made him promise me never to go anywhere without it just in case of an emergency." I said.
"Well that's perfect then, why didn't you think about that yesterday?" Mickey questioned as I pressed the speed dial button while we watched gigantic spiders, lizards, and beetles stomping down the street. Rose widened her eyes and watched in horror as the phone started to ring.
Meanwhile Peter and the others were slowly waking up as Peter reached down inside his pocket and grabbed his phone. "Hullo?" he answered groggily.
"Hey Peter, it's Dad!" I exclaimed.
"Dad?" he questioned. "Is it really you?"
"Yes, and I need you to tell me where you guys are and fast. I need to get you back to the TARDIS immediately." I told him hurriedly.
"Why? What's going on?" he asked me.
"Who cares!? He's going to get us out of here!" I heard Jane shout excitedly.
"The cryptics are gigantic now and pretty soon_" I began when suddenly I heard an older lady scream down the street and I looked up to see the beetle chewing on the side of her house. "It'll be too late." I finished after I looked back down at the phone.
"Alright well we're down inside the tree at the bottom of the yard." He told me.
"Perfect! Don't go anywhere I'll be right there." I told him before I hung up the phone. "Rose! Mickey! Martha! C'mon guys follow me!" I shouted as I waved my hand back at them and raced a crossed the yard with them chasing after me. Once I got to the tree I bent down on my knees and peeked inside the hole.
"Daddy?" I thought I heard Cassie question as she looked up at me eagerly. "Daddy!" she squealed with excitement and enthusiasm as she got to her feet and ran straight towards the opening along with her older brother and sister.
"Dad! I am so glad to see you." Peter squeaked.
"Alright everyone, the TARDIS isn't that much further away. Climb onto my hand and I'll take you there and return you to your normal sizes." I told them.
"Thank God!" Jane exclaimed as she rushed out onto the palm of my hand followed by everyone else. I carefully carried them down to the end of the yard and managed to hop over the ditch without dropping them and then I sprinted a crossed the street and over to the TARDIS. I opened the blue box doors with my sonic screwdriver (with my other hand) and then I carried them inside and set them down on the floor before quickly darting away from them.
Sure enough, a few seconds later they regrew to their original sizes right in front of me. "Daddy!" Cassie cried as I bent down and she flew inside my arms.
I picked her up into the air and embraced her tightly. "Oh Cassie, thank God you're alright." I told her as I kissed her cheek and continued to hug her to my chest before putting an arm around my other two children and hugged them to me. That's when suddenly Rose, Mickey, and Martha stepped inside.
"Mummy?" Cassie questioned with uncertainty as she turned to look back at her as she smiled and nodded at her daughter.
"Well I'm really happy to see you, but what are you doing here?" she asked.
"The cryptics aren't anything more than horrible nightmares. When the sun comes up they're dust." She explained.
"And just when exactly will that be?" Peter asked her as I looked down at my watch.
"Well the sun rises at seven A.M and it is now five o'clock in the morning." I told him.
"That's just great! We still have two hours! These bastards could eat up half the country by then!" he exclaimed.
"Watch your mouth!" Rose scolded as she pointed her finger at him.
"Sorry Mother." He told her sheepishly.
"I think I've got an idea." Cassie said suddenly.
"Oh great, that's what got us into this mess in the first place." Jane said with a roll of her eyes.
"Oh c'mon Jane, hear me out at least and think like a time lady. If we can't wait until morning then we can shrink them back to their original sizes!" she exclaimed.
"Uh have you seen the size of those things?" she questioned. "Where are we going to get a shrink ray that big for it to work on them all?" she wondered.
"Oh, good point." She admitted sadly.
"If we can't wait until the sun comes up, then why don't we just make it come up then?" Peter suggested.
"But how can we make the sun come up?" Cassie wondered.
"The same way that the resurrection ring was created." He said.
"Huh?" she questioned.
"Don't worry, I'll explain it all later." He began before he walked over to the consoles.
"Uh Peter, what are you doing?" Rose asked him as he pulled back a lever.
"Thinking like a time lord!"