A/N: Hi, sorry this is a bit late (at least I think it's late, I'm not quite sure how regularly you're meant to update.) I hope you've been enjoying it so far, or that at the very least it makes literate sense. Thank you so much for reading, it means a lot for you to spend your time reading it. Imitierte Identitat and Dreamcatcher49 (twice! You're so nice!) for reviewing. So hope you like it and feedback's welcome!
As more and more people were forced into the truck, Rose found herself pressed up against the cold metal walls, stuck between two burly men. By the time Alyona had been thrown in, and the doors sealed, it was so full that Rose felt as though even the air had been squeezed out, leaving only shivering silence and choked sobs, and fear so thick it made the space all the more suffocating. As the truck lurched into life, Rose nervously fingered the TARDIS key around her neck. The Doctor'll find me, she thought with a grim smile. That is, if he ever gets that stupid alien head of his out from under the console.
The stupid alien head in question was rather sore from a nasty bang, where he had hit it in a moment of excited genius, conveniently forgetting the solid metal panels above him. As he rubbed the sore spot gingerly, he noted gratefully that Rose had not been there to see it. Rose. The Doctor frowned. His body clock told him that it had been exactly two hours, forty eight minutes, and twenty seconds since she had gone out for her walk. Surely there was not much to see in Russia, unless one was particularly interested in snow and sheep which, unless he was very much mistaken, Rose was not. Then again, Russia could be exciting at times. The 3128 Anti-Gravity Olympics sprung immediately to mind. The Doctor furrowed his brow, trying to remember exactly when Rose said they had landed. Come to think of it, she hadn't said at all. Springing up (taking care to avoid the top of the console,) he swung round to the view screen. And froze.
"No," he breathed. "Oh no, no, no." He grabbed his coat from the jump-seat and raced outside. "Rose," he called desperately. "Rose!" Glancing around, he set off at a run for the village at the bottom of the hill.
Rose breathed a sigh of relief as the truck finally screeched to a halt. The lack of air and the overpowering smells of sweat and fear had left her feeling more than a little sick, and the last thing she wanted to do was succumb to her nausea in the tiny space of the van. She stumbled out into the snow, wincing at the bright light. Along with the other villagers, she was shepherded towards a low building. The soldiers surrounded them, prodding slow movers hard with the butts of their rifles. The wind was biting cold, and Rose wished that she had brought more than just her jacket and thin gloves. As they came closer to the building, She wrapped her hands round the TARDIS key, enjoying the warm pulse below her fingers. Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop.
"Give that to me," a voice ordered. Rose turned and found herself staring into the cold blue eyes of a soldier. She clutched the key tightly to her chest.
"I said give it to me!" the guard screamed. He backhanded her across the face, then grabbed hold of the key, dragging it cruelly through Rose's fist. She cried out as the teeth bit through the glove and ripped her skin. The guard dangled the key from his fingers and surveyed it disdainfully.
"A key to your home?" he asked mockingly. "Don't worry, little girl. You won't need it anymore."
"Give it back!" Rose screamed. "It belongs to me!" The guard smiled nastily.
"And you belong to us." Then he hurled the key away with all his might.
"No," yelled Rose, trying to run after it. The guard ignored her. He grabbed her roughly by the arms and dragged her, still struggling and screaming, towards the building in the distance.
The first thing that struck the Doctor as he walked through the little town was the quiet that seemed to linger in the doorways and fill the spaces where life should have been. Footprints still ghosted across the snowy ground, and farming tools lay abandoned, propped up against the old wooden houses. He could see a child's glove, half buried in the snow. Peering through a window, the Doctor noticed pot of food on the table, long gone cold. People had been here not long ago, but they were gone now, disappeared without a sound. Well, the Doctor thought as he reached the edge of the village, almost without a sound. The snow in front of him had been trampled flat, and banners and rakes lay abandoned across it. He walked carefully through the debris, flinching slightly as he saw bright red blood against the snow. Suddenly, the footsteps and flat snow stopped, replaced by tire tracks which ran away from the village and vanished off into the horizon. Maybe Rose wasn't there, the Doctor thought hopefully. Maybe she wandered off through the woods. Even as the thought crossed his mind, he knew it wasn't true. Rose Tyler, jeopardy-friendly, careless, wonderful Rose Tyler, was in danger again. Because of him. The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets and skulked back to the TARDIS, shoving his hands in his pockets. He felt his fingertips brush against something metal. The TARDIS key. The Doctor's grim features broke out into a manic grin. He could track her key! Praying that she could stay out of trouble until then, the Doctor broke out into a run, heading straight for the TARDIS.
A/N: Sorry, I'm not particularly pleased with this but I couldn't think of a way to make it better and it was kind of important to the plot. I hope it hasn't put you off and that you're still enjoying the story. If you had the time, I would love some reviews?