The TARDIS shuttered, knocking me into the control panel and making my arm throb again.
I looked over at the Doctor, who had the biggest smile on his face, looking so much like an excited child it was impossible not to smile myself.
It was crazy and wonderful, starting to believe in something this impossible. Travelling through time and space, going to face incredible creatures and tasks I never thought I would.
Finally, the TARDIS calmed down; making that strange noise I'd heard on the street. The Doctor wasted no time in heading to the door, turning to me before opening it to say, "Geronimo!" again.
I walked out right after him, holding my breath.
I scanned over my surroundings, noting how very much like earth this seemed. Green grass and blue sky with a yellow-orange sun just starting to rise.
"This is a different planet, isn't it?" I asked, not bothering to hide the note of disappointment in my voice.
He didn't reply. Instead he took out his sonic and scanned all around us. For a while, nothing happened. We stood there in an empty field while he fiddled with his sonic.
I was about to ask him if other planets were always this dull when finally something happened.
All around where we stood, houses appeared. One second it was empty, the next it was filled with two story houses, levitating about two feet in the air, complete with steel doors and barred windows.
It took me a minute to get caught up with what had just happened. "Doctor," I said once I was caught up. "Why are those houses floating?"
He didn't get a chance to answer.
"Get on the ground!" I heard a voice yell.
I turned, and standing there was a man who was bald and tough looking with a rifle pointed straight at us. I put my hands up and started to get down, but I noticed the Doctor didn't move.
"Hello," he said instead. "We're new around here and we were just wondering if you knew of anywhere we could get a bite to eat? I'm starving."
The man looked confused.
"Maybe something like a waffle," the Doctor went on, "Waffles sound good, don't they, Lilly? Everyone loves a good waffle, right?"
The man put down his gun. "Travelers?" he grunted.
The Doctor nodded.
"Ain't had travelers here for a long time. What's your business?"
"Well, I heard you had some great waffles here and-"
"We're traders," I cut in.
The Doctor looked at me. "Right, traders. Brilliant! We're traders! Here to trade and whatnot. Up to a bunch of trade-y things."
The man nodded. "Welcome, then. Name's Sam. We don't have any kind of food you're talking about, but we have some you might like."
The Doctor smiled. "Lead the way," he said.
We followed him to one of the floating houses. He placed his finger to the base, where there was a sort of scanner that I hadn't noticed before. A ladder was lowered and we all climbed up. He unlatched the steel door, and we walked in.
"Seems like a lot of security," I observed. "What's it all for?"
Sam laughed. "Where are y'all from?" he asked. "It's only the basic system for all the towns here. Need it, if you're gonna survive the Walking Dead. Unless you come from a place where there are none."
The Doctor looked at me and raised an eyebrow. I shrugged.
"Actually," he said, "We don't have any Walking Dead where we're from, so could you tell us about them?"
Sam gaped at him. "Really? I've always heard stories- but there really are places without them? They aren't just legends?"
"Nope," I said, "Totally real. Now, you were saying something about the Walking Dead?"
He shook his head to clear it. "Right," he began. "The Walking Dead have been here long as I can remember. When the people here die, you either burn their bodies or they come back to life. It ain't as great as it sounds, though. They change. There's coldness in their eyes, and they can only communicate with moaning. They don't eat and they starve themselves until their flesh caves in on 'em and you can see their bones sticking out. It's like they don't feel pain anymore, or any other emotion. We can't get rid of them, so we have to get by on avoiding them. Because if they touch you, a disease spreads in you and you become one of them."
He paused. "Lost my daughter that way," he finished quietly.
We stood there in silence for a moment, until the Doctor clapped his hands together and said, "They sound like a lot to have to put up with all your life. Mind if we go off and meet your neighbors? Maybe after eating something?"
Sam wouldn't allow it. "Certainly not," he said. "I can't allow you to go out there unarmed."
The Doctor shook his head. "I never carry weapons," he said.
Sam sighed. "I suppose I'm going with you then," he said. "But we'd better hurry. They come out soon."
He led us back out of his house and started to the house opposite his.
"This house belongs to my son," he said. He stopped us in front of it and whistled loudly.
I saw a flicker of movement from one of the windows, and the door was unlocked and the ladder lowered for us.
The owner of the house greeted us one by one as he helped us inside.
He shook the Doctor's hand, and they smiled and introduced themselves, revealing dimples on his cheeks.
He nodded to his father and helped him up the ladder.
When it was my turn, he shook my hand as well. "I'm Warren," he said, gripping my hand and smiling.
"Lilly," I said, "pleased to meet you, Warren."
I let go of his hand and went to stand inside.
Warren closed the door behind us. "It's been awhile since we've had visitors," he said, running a hand through his shaggy blonde hair in an attempt to get it out of his eyes. "What's your business here?"
I opened my mouth to give him the same response I gave his dad, but then it started.
Moans sounded from below the house. Terrible noises full of sadness and insanity, so loud it took all my self-restraint not to cover my ears to shield them.
The Doctor walked over to the window and lifted back the curtains. I went to stand behind him.
Standing below us were hundreds of Walking Dead. They were as Sam had described. The one nearest us was greenish-pale in colour. He held his head crookedly, and his jaw looked painfully unhinged. He limped along on one good leg; the other had been torn in places and you could see the ligaments and tendons. His left ribs were visible poking out of his skin.
They were all like that, joints twisting wrong ways and missing limbs and the like. It was hard to look at them. It was even harder when I considered the fact that they were real people. They'd had families and lives, all cut short for a life like that. They were condemned to moaning and crawling around miserably forever.
I had to step away from the window.
"They can't get to us up here," said Warren, "We're safe."
We sat in Warren's house for hours. He and his father told stories about the Walking Dead. The Doctor told them all about waffles and what they looked and tasted like. We ate a meal consisting of tea and some kind of berries. And the day slowly drew to a close.
During a lull in the conversation, Warren stood and crossed over to the window.
"They're usually gone by now," he said.
Sam got up and went to his son's side. "They smell the travelers," he said. "They'll leave."
The Doctor and I joined them.
"What are they up to?" asked the Doctor.
He gestured to a group of them who were climbing on top of one another. They looked like a wave of Walking Dead, slowly inching closer and growing taller.
"They've figured out how to get up," said Warren, worry evident in his voice.
Suddenly something dawned on me. "You did remember to pull back up the ladder, right?"
I couldn't remember. I hadn't even thought about that when he was shaking my hand.
He looked over at me, eyes wide in horror. "I can't remember," he said.
We ran to the front door, he opened it and slammed it closed again just as quickly.
"Was it up?" I asked, fearing the answer.
"I can't tell, but they're almost up to the door. We've got to get out of here."
Sam nodded. "I'll hold them off," he said. "You all go and get as far away as you can as fast as you can."
The Doctor turned to me. "Go for the TARDIS," he said.
I shook my head. "We aren't leaving these people," I said.
Warren addressed his father. "No" he said decidedly. "I'm not going to let you. You'll be killed."
The Doctor spoke up. "I'll have to agree with your father on this one," he said. "If we're going to make it out of here, his diversion is necessary."
Sam nodded again.
I looked at Warren apologetically. He set his jaw and muttered, "Fine."
The moans were drawing closer, we had very little time.
Warren nodded to his father.
We gathered around the door once more, poised to run through the mob of Walking Dead to get to the TARDIS.
"On three," said Sam. "One. Two. Three!"
Warren opened the door and Sam rushed through. The mob encircled him, reaching out to touch him. He fought back madly, shooting into them and making several fall. But he couldn't hold out like that forever.
The rest of us ran full speed away from the house. If any of them approached us, Warren would kick them out of our way with heavy steel-toed boots. The TARDIS was soon in view. The Doctor snapped and the doors opened.
Warren stopped suddenly and looked back. His father was no longer visible among the Dead. For all we knew, he was one of them now.
I reached over and took his hand. I led him to the TARDIS and closed the doors behind us.
He sank down to the ground and held his head in his hands. I sat next to him and put a hand on his shoulder, trying to give him some comfort.
"Right," said the Doctor, fiddling with the controls. "Moving on from there."
I gave him a look, not believing he wasn't at all sympathetic about Sam.
He raised his eyebrows and shrugged, oblivious. He turned back to the TARDIS controls and hit the button once again.