Doctor Who BBCN10 - The Nightmare of Black Island Read Online Free PDF Page A

top, just before we went into the woods.’
    ‘And that’s what’s causing the creatures?’
    ‘Could be. Need to get out there and have a gander at some point.’
    Rose peered over the wall at the churning water. ‘Bit cold for a dip.’
    ‘I was thinking a nice little boat trip.’
    ‘You can’t just nick someone’s boat!’
    ‘I wasn’t going to!’ The Doctor looked indignant. ‘I was going to use my boyish charm to persuade one of the locals to take me out there.’
    ‘Oh yeah?’ Rose stifled a smile. ‘And where were you hoping to tryout this “boyish charm” of yours. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s the middle of the night and the place is deserted.’
    The Doctor turned and nodded at the large, imposing building that dominated the seafront.
    ‘The pub.’
    ‘Bit late for that, isn’t it?’
    ‘Lights are still on. Perhaps they’re having a lock-in. Come on.’
    Beth Hardy was changing over the bottle of single malt, trying to ignore the noises that floated on the wind outside. The spirits had been going down fast since. . . since it all started. She’d have to get another order in with the wholesalers, make up another excuse about why her order had almost doubled in the last month. Not that they were com-plaining about it, of course. The Red Lion had become their favourite client of late.
    The public bar was full as usual, but there was none of the usual chatter that you’d associate with a busy pub. Groups of people sat hunched over their pints and glasses, silent and grim-faced, occasionally looking up if some distant noise reached them from outside.
    Upstairs she could hear the sobs of her daughter, Ali, and the deep rich tones of her husband, soothing her, calming her. It was the same 24

    every evening as Ali’s bedtime approached, the false bravado that came as night started to fall, then the anger that there was nothing that her parents could do, and finally the tears as sleep slowly started to take a hold of her.
    Beth could see the pain in the faces of a dozen men at the bar, knowing that they, like her, had reached a point where they just didn’t know what to do any more and had found other ways of shutting the heartache out.
    From the other side of the bar, in the restaurant area, came the sound of raised voices: accusations and counter-accusations. She could hear Bob Perry, the harbour master, followed by the dulcet tones of Reverend Hall appealing for calm. Beth shook her head. Nothing good ever came of these village meetings. Old arguments reared their head time after time, the parents like herself desperately looking for answers and the vicar repeating that they should have faith. Beth’s own faith was at breaking point.
    The door behind her opened and Mervyn, her husband, stepped back into the bar, giving her a weak smile.
    ‘She says she’s going to read for a while. That new Invisible Detective book Maureen gave her.’
    Beth nodded. They both knew that it was just delaying the in-evitable. However much Ali fought against it, sleep always won the battle and the nightmares would start again.
    ‘How’s it going through there?’
    Beth shrugged. ‘Just the usual. Bob and the vicar sniping at each other, one blaming the Devil, the other blaming anything and everything.’
    ‘I’ll go and see if I can calm things down a little.’
    He squeezed her arm and crossed the room. Beth sighed and picked up the bottle of whisky from the bar. She was lifting it up to the waiting optic when the door swung open with a flurry of wind.
    The bottle nearly slipped from her fingers, thumping against the side of the bar. In the doorway stood a tall, thin-faced man in a long brown coat and a young girl huddled into a parka.
    Everyone in the pub turned to look at the Doctor and Rose, surprise 25

    etched on their faces. Seemingly oblivious to the attention he was attracting, the Doctor strode across to the bar, a friendly smile on his face. Rose followed him nervously, aware of the