Chapter 31
Escape Attempt
The room despite being well lit and moderately warm now felt very cold. It was a very sombre mood as Raven just sat. She was aware she had a frown on her face, more deeper than she usually has.
She'd failed. She'd tried to save him, but she still failed. This shouldn't bother her, she should be 'emotionless', but her emotions still swirled around her. Why couldn't she save him? Why was everyone around her dying?
"You did your best." The Doctor said, sitting crossed legged in the corner. Despite looking forty something he looked like a moody child as he concentrated in thought.
He'd made it back in at a run after Tribus fell. Apparently Tribus's body disintegrated to dust not too long after he hit the ground.
Raven looked over to Frank, he was on the couch cradling Fiver in his arms like a little brother as they both tried to deal with more death around them.
Kasey was sitting by the Christmas tree, which was glowing brightly in warm multi-coloured lights, a contrast to the current atmosphere. Kasey plucked a string on his guitar and began playing a slow and sombre tune using individual strings. He didn't sing anything though, just played a tune. Raven didn't know if this was the time or place to play his guitar, but no one seemed to mind. In fact it seemed to settle Fiver and Frank, so for their benefit she didn't take Kasey's guitar and ram it over his head.
There was the noise at the window and at the basement door, a soft banging as the Dark Mummies tried to break in. They'd closed the curtains so they didn't have to look at them staring in.
"I said, you did your best." The Doctor said again.
"That doesn't make me feel any better." Raven sat next to him and sighed deeply.
"We can't stop death, as you said it comes for everyone." The Doctors eyes were staring out into blank nothing as he spoke, his eyes looked sharp and uncaring as his brain tried to figure out how to defeat those mummies.
"But I had a chance to save him, and I couldn't."
"Well, see it like this." The Doctors eyes focused, he looked at her and smiled. "The 'unredeemable monster' actually has a conscience."
"I'm not really in the mood, Doctor." Raven looked away, "I should be stronger than this. It's these emotions that'll rule my powers if I can't keep them under control."
"We all feel sadness at some point in our lives. Otherwise we'd be Cybermen. It's our emotions that make us human, relatively speaking of course. Often times we must weather a storm in order to reach calmer waters and see the beautiful, tropic islands."
"You've failed to save people before?" Raven asked.
"It happens everywhere I go. Very rarely does everyone live." He explained.
"Do you 'feel' anything when you fail?" She asked.
"A little. In all honesty I'm now so used to it I'm becoming numb to it." He sighed. "But I must never shut those emotions out or let them die. If I became totally numb to it, then I wouldn't care anymore. I wouldn't make that little extra effort to save someone, if I'm too focused on the bigger picture."
Raven sat and thought of these words. She pretended she was an emotionless creature of darkness, but she kept feeling, 'emoting' at everything new she saw or experienced. She didn't know if she could ever get used to death. But the scary thing was, if she ever did would she not care about the death and destruction she would cause? Would she follow and become like her father and not care as countless people died in her shadow? Perhaps Death is the one thing she should never get used to.
She saw Frank open a curtain to look out at the mummies as if he was contemplating something. Fiver was left curled up on the couch. Frank scratched the back of his head, caught Ravens eye and quickly turned away.
He went up to Kasey as he played the slow and sombre music.
"Are you injured?" he asked, nodding at the bandages around his arms which could clearly be seen because of the way he was holding his guitar. Kasey looked at his arms and tried to pull his sleeves back down over them.
"Just a small accident when I repaired Old Reliable, it's nothing." Kasey said.
"Those bandages are filthy." Frank said, "We should change them. We have some more in the kitchen."
"I'm perfectly alright!" Kasey said, rather sharply and bluntly. Something was affecting him too. Was it the death? Or was it something else? He wasn't bouncy or happy anymore, he was very sombre. It looked like the first genuine emotion he'd had all night.
Frank moved on and went into the kitchen, coming back with fresh bandages that he placed on the floor next to Kasey for him to use as he wished. Kasey waited as Frank retreated, then looked down at the dirty rags around his arms before putting his guitar down, scooping up the bandages and retreating into the kitchen to change them.
Frank went back to the window, peaked through the curtains and stared at the mummies again. What was he thinking exactly?
Raven turned back to the Doctor.
"Any ideas?" She asked, "And don't give me a flippant answer, please."
"I have many, but sadly none fit entirely." The Doctor said.
"I mean about defeating the mummies." Raven said, "We can forget the riddle for now."
"Can we? I think if we solve that riddle we might have some answers." The Doctor drummed his fingers on his face. "Like how it's funny that someone calls for help, help arrives and no one says 'Oh, thank you, gracious Time Lord and Demon Girl for coming to our aid.' no one. Who sent the telepathic message and what for? We didn't Time Travel while we chased the signal so the message was sent long before the mummies ever showed up. So maybe the mummies aren't the danger we were supposed to defeat."
"You mean there's something worse here?" Raven asked a tinge of fear creeping into her heart. The mummies were bad enough, what here could be worse?
"I'm also starting to agree that this isn't the real world." The Doctor said, "Something about this place feels constructed somehow, like it's all a metaphor for something. You know, I once landed on a planet that was much like a living thing. Its atmosphere and weather was affected by the emotional turmoil of whoever was on its surface. The planet actually began collecting people. They were like toys to it. It would experiment to find out how durable they were, then rewind their suffering and play it out again."
"What are you saying? The planet's playing with us like a kid playing with dolls?" Raven asked, feeling a little creeped out that someone was playing with her like she was a doll.
"It would make sense why everyone here is male. It might only have access to these six individuals to play with. Setting up scenarios like Christmas and play it out. Then introduce new elements, like you, me and Kasey and watch it all play out differently."
"So you mean Kaster, Dosrian, Tribus. They could be brought back?" Raven said, she actually felt a spark of hope. "Even Sechi?"
"Sechi?" The Doctor asked, "Oh, that balled chap?" The Doctor said remembering him. "You think he's dead?"
"He must be, otherwise why isn't he here?" Raven shrugged.
"Unless he isn't actually part of this game." The Doctor added rather darkly. "He could just have been an avatar for what's doing this. He certainly doesn't seem to fit in. That means five people where here, perhaps Kasey is already part of this and is already slowly being absorbed by the scenario."
"I did have trouble reading Kasey's mind earlier." Raven held up her hand, "Spare me the lecture, please. It's like his mind was there, but when I tried to read it, it faded away." The Doctor seemed to consider again. Raven could almost see the cogs turning in his head as he absorbed this new information.
"That means I was chosen as the seventh person, and with the clock refusing to strike midnight means its trying to claim you too, Raven. But something is stopping it." The Doctor snapped out of his dark trance and shrugged. "Or I'm talking a load of old rubbish."
"It wouldn't be the first time." Raven commented, but the Doctor seemed to ignore her.
"This is like trying to solve a jigsaw without all the pieces, none of them flat edged, and no picture on the box to show what its supposed to look like. I can get a notion, but I need to find an edged piece so I know where a boundary is at least." The Doctors language was colourful, confusing, but she got the idea. In this wide universe the solution could still be a million and one things. But to think they were now the play things of some god like creature of a higher dimension was a scary thought. She always assumed she'd be the dark creature playing with peoples lives one day.
The Doctor was concentrating again. Raven always wanted to be left alone when she concentrated, so she stood up and left the Doctor alone to ponder.
She pulled her hood up and went towards Frank. She felt terrible about not being able to save his father and despite being a total creep she wanted to apologise to him. She stood, staring at his back as she tried to drum up the courage to say this, because she got the feeling he was blaming her.
"Sorry. I'm sorry for your loss." She said quietly, "I tried to save him."
"I know, I was there, I saw what you did." He didn't turn to look at her, instead he just continued to stare through the curtains, at the mummies. "It's not your fault."
There was something strange in Franks body language she couldn't understand. It was like he was wrestling with something. Raven decided to distance herself from him because she had a feeling she knew what it was, and she didn't want him to embarrass himself, nor make her feel awkward.
Something caught her attention, some kind of odd disturbance in the ether, and it was coming from the kitchen. She could also sense a wave of negative emotion and sadness.
Curiously she decided to investigate. Hovering over the floor instead of walking to mask her presence she gently opened and closed the door. Kasey went this way, what was he up to?
Still the mummy in the basement pounded at the door, wanting to get out, but the door held it in place.
In an alcove which led into the dining area Raven could see some kind of odd, dull glow illuminating the walls. Slowly it faded away as did the wave of negative emotions.
Raven backed into the shadows and watched Kasey come back into the kitchen, the bandages on his arms changed for cleaner ones. He went up to a bin and disposed of his old ones. From his jacket pocket he'd pulled out a bottle. It rattled in his hands. He tipped something out, popped it in his mouth and swallowed it. He screwed the cap back on, saw that the bottle was empty and dumped it into the bin with the bandages.
He turned to go back towards the living room. But he stopped, and slowly he turned. He was looking at something Raven couldn't see from her angle as a cupboard blocked her view. The short man just seemed to be staring at what ever he was looking at long and intensely. As Raven watched, Kaseys face became darker, his eyes more focused and he looked at the thing with an intense hatred that looked like it burnt deep. His fingers were curling and digging into his own palms so deeply Raven thought he'd draw blood.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when Kasey suddenly drew an arm back and smashed his fist into something with such fury, there was a sound of something shattering. With his fist still pressing into whatever he'd punched, Kasey just kept staring at it with deep hatred.
He withdrew his hand, wiped off his knuckles as his eyes still stared darkly at the thing. He took a deep breath and walked away, he closed his eyes and breathed out. When he opened his eyes again he had that unnerving smile on his face, the one that looked more forced than real.
When Kasey was out of the way she floated towards what he'd had attacked in such utter hatred. A million smaller versions of herself looked back at her in the cracks of the now splintered mirror Kasey had been looking into.
Confusion passed her face. She looked at the living room door that Kasey went through and back to the mirror. All that anger, all that intense hatred, all that vicious, negative emotion, that violence, and it was all aimed at... himself? Raven looked at the living room door again. Does Kasey hate himself?
She looked in the bin at the bottle Kasey had thrown away. It was an empty pill bottle and a label on it named the previous contents as 'Escitalopram'. What that was used for she didn't know, but she guessed it meant Kasey wasn't well. She reached out and scanned his body with her mind. But something was wrong. His body, it just felt wrong for a human. His blood pressure was far too low, his organs were jumbled and more than one of them were actively still pulsating.
What the hell was he? Was he a threat to them?
Finding his mind she decided to try something. She gathered her powers, focused on his mind and mentally she ran right at it determined to break into whatever defences he had.
It worked! She connected!
Raven found herself in a dark place, a very dark place. So dark she was surrounded by pitch blackness. In the distance there was a shining light, an exit maybe? She began walking towards it, it was the only place she found she could go. As she walked she realised the floor was flooded with water up to an inch thick. she continued towards the light.
What kind of a mind-scape was this?
It felt like she'd been walking for hours and still she hadn't reached the end. All that changed as the water had begun to inch its way up her legs, soaking into her cloak. When it reached her hips she decided she'd fly. Only as she tried, her powers refused to lift her up. Annoyed, but undeterred she pressed on. As she moved towards the light the water got deeper and deeper, filling her with a sense of anxiety, especially once it reached her neck. Only when she couldn't touch the floor did she suddenly remember.
Wait, I can't swim! She'd never needed to learn how to swim on Azarath.
She flailed her arms trying to pull herself back up to the surface, but the ground beneath her feat had vanished. She tried to push herself backwards. But there was nowhere to go! She tried to fly again, but she just couldn't. Her only hope was that the light was near enough for her to reach it. She struggled, and forced herself forwards, it felt like she'd been here for years, just struggling against the water.
She was tiring, and she felt like she was being dragged under! She was so tired, she wanted to stop, to rest, to give up. No matter how hard she swam the light was just always out of reach. Was there any point any more? She was so tired, so very tired. She stopped struggling and sank into the cold water, her brain numb and allowed herself to drown.
That's when she snapped out of her trance and she was back in her own body.
What the heck was that?! It was awful, she didn't want to feel that way again! Was it some kind of defence against intruders?
Quickly, she calmed down and filed away all she had learnt away for future reference. Raven was about to go back into the living room again when she saw another glow dancing on the walls, from something behind her. Slowly she turned and looked out through the french windows. There was something glowing outside, between the trees. Raven went up to the windows and looked outside trying to see what it was, and when she realised what it was alarm bells rang off inside her head as the glow appeared to be spreading rapidly.
Quickly she floated back into the living room and burst through the door, catching everyone's attention. "GUYS! The forest is on fire!"
Frank drew the curtains fully and looked outside. They were surrounded by a ring of fire, and it was still spreading. The licking flames and already caught the barn and that was already burning, as was the shed. It wouldn't be long before the fire spread over to the house.
They had to get out of here right now, but where could they go except the TARDIS?
"Yes, you're right." The Doctor said when she suggested this to him. "Its the only place we know for sure we'd be safe." She was surprised that he was actually agreeing with her. Was he feeling alright? "But first we'll need to deal with that mummy in the basement."
Raven felt a hand on her shoulder and the persons other hand grab the Doctors shoulder. They both turned to see Frank. He'd put on a dark coat over his waistcoat and was looking intensely at them. Raven tried to shrug his hand off but he held on quite firmly.
"This 'TARDIS' thing, are you sure it's safe?" Frank asked, pointedly.
"It's our safest bet of getting out of here alive." The Doctor explained.
Frank closed his eyes, he was still wrestling with something, and when he spoke it wasn't what Raven expected him to say. "Look after Fiver for me. Promise me that he'll be okay!"
Put on the spot Raven stumbled and quickly said "O...okay."
With that said Frank let them go and turned towards the kitchen. Raven only now wondered if what he was wrestling with before wasn't anything to do with her at all.
"Frank, what are you doing?" The Doctor called after him. Alarm bells rang in Raven's head when Frank unbolted and opened the door to the basement!
"You want me, don't you?!" He shouted down the stairs. "I'm next in line! You want me? COME AND GET ME!"
A bandaged hand shot through the door to grab him, but Franks head jolted back putting him just out of reach. Holy hell this one was quick!
"SHIT!" Frank swore and swung the door shut on the mummy to knock it over. With it stunned Frank bounded for the french windows, fumbled with the key and forced them open. The mummy turned to look at the four remaining people but it didn't seem interested in them. Instead it bound out the french windows, after Frank who had disappeared into the storm.
"FRANK!" Fiver shouted, reaching out for his brother, or friend?
Raven and the Doctor were at the windows in a second to watch him sprint for the forest, the lumbering mummy disappearing and re-appearing in puffs of black smoke as it jumped from spot to spot like it was playing with him.
Frank made for a clearing in the fire that he could disappear through, but that gap closed and stepping from the inferno was another mummy. But this one was different. This one was burning, it was on fire.
Skidding to a halt on the snow, Frank took off again and moved to circle the house, the black mummy chasing after him.
The Mummy on Fire turned its head to watch Frank go, but didn't follow. It's head then turned back, and looked at the four remaining people. Slowly it began advancing, the snow at its feet melting to steam as it walked.
Quickly the Doctor shut the french windows and locked them.
"The TARDIS!" the Doctor announced and the four went down into the basement. They found out how that mummy got in. Someone or something had opened the basement window, snow was piling up on the train set.
The Doctor stopped at the foot of the steps and called them all to a halt. There was something at his feet that interested him. He knelt down and picked it up. It was long, thin, and covered in dried blood.
"That must be what impaled Dosrian." Raven said.
"But this is no part from a train set." The Doctor turned the object over in his hands. It was like a long vessel and it had cracked open. The Doctor rolled it and Raven could see some kind of liquid still inside it. He looked around at the blown up bits of crate and train set looking for where this object came from. But he seemed to have no luck.
"It looks strangely familiar. But its part of no train set." He then looked back at the train set again. "You know, what this reminds me of is just on the tip of my mind!"
"Doctor!" Raven called, he was distracted again, "The TARDIS!"
"What? Oh yes, right you are." He said and walked up to the box, put the key in the lock and was about to open it when something slid in through the still open basement window.
Frank landed on his feet, grabbing the narrow window and using it to swing himself down to the floor. He pulled the window shut just as his mummy pursuer slammed into it. The glass held, but it wasn't giving up. It vanished again, looking for another opening.
Frank pulled open his collar and undid his tie. He was sweating. "I feel really hot."
"FRANKY!" Fiver squealed at his brother and raced towards him to embrace him in a hug.
The Doctor turned the key and opened the TARDIS. "You all might want to prepare yourself for a bit of a shock." and the Doctor went inside the TARDIS, followed by Raven and the others.
That bell was still ringing. The cloister bell the Doctor had called it, and it apparently only rang when the TARDIS was in danger. The Doctor approached the console and set the strange piece of metal on it and began examining it. Passing it under a small desk lamp built into the console, it looked like the lamp scanned it. Why was he focusing on that piece of junk?
Raven glanced at the controls. It still said it was the seventh and the clock was still stuck at midnight. There was a change though. The roller that told what month and year had changed so it made the date sound like. The seventh of 'Help me', 'I'm dying.'
"This thing," the Doctor said, looking up at the scanner, "contains proteins and peptides, blood obviously. But it has a mystery element. One of atomic number 200.592? Which would make it..." The Doctors face froze. An indication that the pieces were falling into place in his brain.
"No!" That was Kasey. He was framed in the door way, and he looked around in utter horror. He was trembling and all the colour was draining from his face as if he'd seen the most horrific thing! "NO, NO, NO!"
"Yes, it's bigger inside than it is outside." Raven sighed, "Get over it."
"NO NO NO NO NO NO!" He shook his head as if he was about to have a break down. He then turned and ran from the TARDIS. What the... What was this idiot doing?
"HEY, GET BACK HERE!" Raven called and she raced after him, just before she exited the TARDIS she heard the Doctor call out to her. "Wait, Raven. I know what's going on. Those things aren't mummies, they're Wat..." But the rest of that was cut off as she flew out of the TARDIS after Kasey. The Doctor can tell her once she's dragged this idiot back to the TARDIS
As she left the Police Box she found herself running into Frank and Fiver who were still outside.
"What are you two doing?!" Raven asked before commanding them to "GET INSIDE THE TARDIS!"
"We can't." Frank said, and he and Fiver pressed up against some kind of barrier at the threshold that was blocking them entry. "We just can't. Somethings stopping us going through the doors."
Raven exited the box and looked at it. "What game are you playing?" She asked of the box. But then the TARDIS door suddenly swung shut and THUD, THUD, THUD! That was the noise the TARDIS made when it disconnected from reality and began to take off! It began to wheeze and groan, but the TARDIS kept producing a 'Ka'Chud' noise that it usually makes when it re-connected with reality.
She got a sense it was like the TARDIS was fighting to stay 'here' while some force tried to push it off. The box began to shake, clearly under some kind of pressure, but still it fought to stay in place.
"Azarath Metrion Zynthos!" Raven cast a black shroud over the machine and tried to help it stay grounded. She gripped it tightly with her powers like it was a person about to fall into an abyss. Clearly the Doctor, nor the TARDIS were doing this and all three were now fighting to stop whatever was happening to the machine.
An explosion happened at her feet and she was flung to the floor as the TARDIS faded out and vanished, still trying to 'ka'chud' and stop.
The TARDIS was gone and so was the Doctor! They were on their own.
Raven didn't get a chance to register the full blow this was to her when she heard the raspy intake of breath as a mummy lumbered toward them from the shadows, it's arm out stretched.
"MOVE!" Raven screamed as all five of them sprinted up the stairs again. Frank seemed to be holding back, he was panting as if he was in pain.
She reached back and grabbed his arm and tried to pull him along. "On your feet, move it. I'm not dragging you along!" Despite saying this she was doing just that. She dragged him up the stairs and out the door back into the kitchen. Why was his hand suddenly burning?! Why was it burning her?
"Leave me!" Frank said and forcibly he pulled his hand away. He looked like he was in a great deal of pain. He hadn't just felt like he was burning. He 'was' burning! He was on fire!
He swallowed and reached out, his eyes scared. The flames licked at them.
"NO, Franky!" Fiver cried "You can't leave, Quattoreto!" Raven tried to cast a spell to put the flames out, but whatever these flames were they were not dying.
Frank looked at Fiver, a look of sorrow on his face. "I'm sorry." He said, tears welling in his eyes, "I'm sorry. It was my fault, all my fault. I tried to harness a power I didn't fully understand. I thought only I was affected, but it damaged you too." He swallowed, "I thought I could buy you more time, but that was a hopeless fantasy. Forgive me, brother."
He then fell to his knees, screaming as the flames burnt him. Then suddenly he vanished and all that was left was a clump of dirt.
Raven tried to make Fiver retreat back into the living room, but Fiver wouldn't move. She tried to tug on him, but he just stared blankly ahead, haunted.
"Come on," Raven said trying to pull him, "You can mourn him later, right now we need to move!"
"Miss Raven..." Fiver said, tears collecting in his eyes, he looked like he was pleading with her. "I don't feel so good..." His skin had gone grey and around his feet particles of dust were collecting as his nose and ears began to dissolve away, he was crumbling to dust. Oh no, it was happening to him too, right now. But why?!
Teary eyed he looked into Ravens eyes, but she couldn't do anything to stop it. "I don't want to go..."
Raven reached down to hold him in a vain hope she could hold his form together. But he just collapsed into dust in her arms.
To Be Continued...
Authors notes: Not much to say for this chapter that won't spoil the resolution. Hopefully, unless its too long, all the answers will follow in the next chapter. ;)