Chapter Six—Alone

Clara

When she awoke, everything hurt. Not just physically. No, the physical pain was finite, insignificant compared to the agony inside of her. Inside everything was desolate and aching, a sharp ache that was an almost tangible sensation. She felt tears sting her eyes and she closed them until she was sure they wouldn't spill over.

When she was had once again reigned in control, she opened her eyes and looked around. No Doctor. That was…bad. She was alone in a strange place with no sign of help. She couldn't…she needed…oh, god, she couldn't do this! She needed the Doctor. Her heart rate started to escalate and she couldn't breathe around the choking fear constricting her lungs.

No. No panic attacks. Escape. That was what important. Focus on escaping. The Doctor will be doing what he can, but you can't leave it all up to him, Clara told herself.

Okay. Right. So. First things first—always gather as much information as possible about your situation. That was the first step in escaping.

She found that with some effort she could sit up, but her hands were bound behind her back and there were chains around her ankles. She ignored that for now, focusing on finding more information about her surroundings.

It was dark. She could barely see farther than a few feet away in any direction. However if she squinted, she could just make out a large rectangular dark shape a few feet in front of her, but she had no clue as to what it was. And it was cold. She was shivering and the ground was hard and uncomfortable. When she turned her head, the dull throb increased to a sharp stabbing pain and she groaned quietly as gray dots swam across her vision.

Note to self: don't move head if it can be avoided, she thought. She tried to hold still as she continued looking around. If she shifted her hips she could lean one way or the other and as she did so, she fell against the wall. It was rough and hard. It felt like concrete. She didn't see any bars so she wasn't in a cell. A cold concrete room.

Okay. Okay. Think, Clara. Where could you be? Look at the facts. Use your eyes and your brain.

Clara closed her eyes again and tried to think. When she figured it out, when it clicked, she felt cold inside, as though the chill had crept beneath her skin and sunk into her soul.

They had been in a graveyard when she was attacked. Sometimes in graveyards, they had little structures like this. Tombs. She was alone, trapped and tied up, in a tomb. Oh, god…

She started to panic again. She felt the tears and this time she could do nothing to stop them. They came hot and fast and fell like liquid fire down her cold cheeks as she gasped for air that didn't seem to be there.

"Doctor," she said, her voice coming out as a choked whisper. "Doctor, where are you? I need you!"

Instead of the reassuring whirring of a sonic screwdriver or the familiar whoosh-wheeze of the TARDIS, however, she heard a slithering, swishing sound, like a snake gliding across dead leaves. She whipped her head around, ignoring the sharp pang as her injured skull protested, and frantically searched for the source of the sound.

Something was coming.

She heard a rough grating sound just before a silvery-white rectangle outlined the wall directly across from her. The door opened and a shadowy figure stepped into the rectangle of light. She barely caught a glimpse of it before it entered the tomb and shut the door behind it with a rough grating sound as the concrete rubbed against itself, effectively sealing them in darkness, but a glimpse was more than enough.

Its cloak was gray and tattered, looking rotted and like it should be in the rubbish bin. Where its face should have been, there was only a black void under its hood. And white vapor twisted and swirled from under bottom of its cloak like mist. She could hear each breath it took because it made a sucking noise like an air vacuum, only instead of sucking away oxygen it seemed to be absorbing anything warm or happy or pleasant with a wheezing, slightly echo-y draining noise. Clara shuddered in terror, cringing away from the sound. Whatever the dark figure was, she didn't want it coming near her.

No sooner had the thought formed in her head than it turned toward her and glided closer, and again she heard that awful slithering sound. Clara shivered again and tried to scoot backwards, but she couldn't move fast enough.

It was right in front of her. The sleeves of its cloak concealed its hands from her. Clara was watching it warily, waiting for it to attack, so she jumped when it spoke to her. "You will provide a nice feast for me, you and your friend. Both so full of happiness and amusement and love," the creature practically purred, quivering with near-tangible excitement, "So much love."

Its voice startled her. She had been expecting it to be cold and dark and creepy, the voice of nightmares. Instead it was a lilting, musical murmur, pleasing to the ears. Clara found herself wishing it would speak again, wanting to hear that lovely voice again.

Then it reached for her. Wrapped its hand around her shoulder in a cold, bony grip.

The instant it made contact with her skin, white-hot agony speared her and all the hope drained out of her faster than water swirls down a drain. She was freezing, she was burning, she was dying, oh please god make it stop!

She couldn't fight, she was too tightly bound. So she did the only thing she could do.

She screamed.

"DOCTOR!"

Doctor

The Doctor opened his eyes and groaned as the sunlight sparkling off the snow stabbed his vision, blinding him. He threw a hand over his eyes as he got to his feet. How long had he been out?

Clara. Anything could've happened to her by now!

The Doctor swore under his breath, looking around wildly. Where was she? Where had she been taken?

There—in the snow. There was a trail, rather wide but not too deep, as though something had been dragged. The edges were smoking, just like the creature's trail.

Surely if he followed this, he would find Clara. Hopefully alive. Probably very unhappy with him. Probably hurt. But please, oh Rassilon please, let her still be alive! he begged silently as he started following the trail. He was grateful for the snow—it made tracking things so much easier.

It was colder. He was shivering and his breath made little puffs of vapor ahead of him. He was alone in a world of snow and fog and headstones. He'd never felt so alone before, or so worried. He probably ought to stay silent—it would help him maintain the element of surprise and sneak up on the enemy—but he was so worried.

"Clara?" he called. "Clara, are you there? Can you hear me?" Only echoes answered, his voice bouncing back around him, mocking him. He sighed and trudged on. He was anxious and guilty and afraid. It was his fault Clara had been taken. He should have paid closer attention. He should have fought harder. He shouldn't have blacked out. Anything that happened to her, any suffering she endured, was his fault. He wouldn't blame her if she hated him when he found her. The thought made his hearts ache. He'd just gotten her back after being isolated for days. He didn't think he could bear to lose her again so soon. He had to find her, had to save her.

He was trudging through the snow, following the path, hoping he wasn't going to be making an addition to the headstones around him, when he heard it. A sound that chilled his hearts and caused a deep ache within his soul.

Screaming.

It was Clara, he was sure. He would know her voice anywhere. She was screaming his name.

"DOCTOR!" came the cry, assaulting his ears. She sounded like she was in agony.

"Clara!" he yelled back. She just kept screaming, wordless cries of distress. He broke into a sprint, letting her voice guide him to her. "Clara, I'm coming! I'm on my way!"

As he ran, he made a silent promise. He promised that he would find whatever was causing her to feel such pain, and he would make it regret that it had ever harmed his Clara.

And the Doctor might lie, but he always kept his promises.

[A/N: Hello lovely people. Happy Boxing Day! Special thanks again to my Nona for all her help in planning and editing for this chapter. I love you and I love my followers. Next chapter coming up soon. Even if I'm in a funk about Matt….*Sniff, sob* I am going to be a good girl and continue updating. What are your guys' thoughts on Capaldi? I think he shows potential and am trying to give him the benefit of the doubt but I just can't help sort of resenting him because his presence means Matt's absence. Anyways, what do YOU guys think? And how do you like my chapter? Leave a review, please!]

Love always,

—Makenna