The Doctor

by Jennifer Bull

  Contents

  Copyright

  Dedication

  THE DOCTOR

  Part One

  Chapter one - Daniel's Story

  Chapter two - Sarah's Story

  Chapter three - Jack's Story

  Chapter four - Daniel's Story

  Chapter five - Sarah's Story

  Chapter six - Jack's Story

  Chapter seven - Daniel's Story

  Chapter eight - Sarah's Story

  Chapter nine - Jack's Story

  Part Two

  Chapter ten - Jack

  Chapter eleven - Daniel

  Chapter twelve - Sarah

  Chapter thirteen - Jack

  Chapter fourteen - Daniel

  Chapter fifteen - Sarah

  Chapter sixteen - Jack

  Chapter seventeen - Daniel

  Chapter eighteen - Sarah

  Chapter nineteen - Jack

  Chapter twenty - Daniel

  Chapter twenty-one - Sarah

  Chapter twenty-two - Jack

  Chapter twenty-three - Daniel

  Epilogue

  Jack

  Daniel

  Sarah

  Wonderstruck Anthology

  About the Author

  Copyright 2013 © Jennifer Bull

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  The right of Jennifer Bull to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  All names, characters and incidents in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons (living, dead or otherwise), events, or locales is purely coincidental.

  Credit

  Cover Image: Image Copyright Mythja, 2013

  Used under license from Shutterstock.com

  Dedication

  To Chris, Mum, and Dad

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to my beta readers; Alison, Heather, James, Rebecca, Shannon, Tasha, and Tori. Your feedback and support has been invaluable.

  Special thanks to Alison for also being my creative editor.

  Thank you to Chris for talking through crazy book ideas with me. The book would be much less twisted without your help.

  And, finally, thank you to you, for taking a chance on my book.

  THE DOCTOR

  Will They Make It Out Alive?

  Jennifer Bull

  Part One

  CHAPTER ONE

  Daniel's Story

  ‘Dan, I can’t believe we actually get to spend Halloween night at your dad’s amusement park!’ Beth squealed, grabbing hold of my arm a little too enthusiastically. I turned the wheel and righted the car back on the road.

  To be honest I couldn’t believe it either. Dad barely lets me out of his sight during the day, and at night there’s absolutely no chance of me being allowed out the house. I’m still not quite sure how I managed to persuade him to let four of my crazy friends join me at the amusement park. At night. On Halloween. I think maybe he’s gone a little crazy too.

  ‘Yeah, dude this is going to be awesome.’

  I glanced in the mirror and saw Rex’s white teeth as he grinned through the bandages covering his face. I rolled my eyes. Who goes to an amusement park dressed in a mummy costume they can barely see out of? Okay, it’s Halloween, but seriously. Tyler and Zach sat either side of him looking uncomfortably squashed. I’d chosen a much simpler costume. One white pinstripe suit and black tie later, I looked like an authentic old gangster. I was pretty happy with it, and Beth seemed to like it too.

  Beth had lost a bet on her costume. She had been so certain Ty and Zach wouldn’t dress as Mr and Mrs Potato Head. She hadn’t reckoned on their desire to see her in the sexy witch outfit. It was a little distracting to be honest. Fishnet tights were hugging her legs, and she had on an insanely short dress…

  Shit! Ok, less staring at Beth, more concentration on driving required.

  The error did not escape without notice, and the three guys in the back burst out laughing. It earned them the best rear-view mirror glare I could give whilst keeping my eyes firmly on the road.

  ‘Almost there,’ I said, hoping to change the subject before Beth caught on. There were ‘whoops’ coming from the back.

  I pulled the car into the parking lot and stopped as close as I could to the entrance. Jeff waved from his post at the security lodge. He’d been the security guy at Haunted Towers Adventure Park for as long as I could remember. He used to take me around the park after closing and let me go on all the rides I usually wasn’t allowed on. Dad probably would have fired him on the spot if he had found out.

  ‘Hi Dan,’ Jeff called, ‘everything’s set up for you. Just make sure you stick to the rules, you know the drill.’

  ‘Will do, thanks Jeff,’ I called back, grinning at him. It was actually pretty exciting coming to the park after dark. I’d been in after hours previously, but only when it was still light out. Dad was pretty strict about that. The park had been open late for Halloween, but all the visitors had left now and we had it to ourselves for the rest of the night.

  We crossed through the security barriers and entered the park. The street lamps were all lit up, casting long shadows over the path as we walked. Every so often a noise would sound from one of the rides cutting into the quiet night. Not that it stayed quiet for long.

  Ty and Zach took off at a run, calling behind them that they were off to ride the Zipper, the largest roller coaster in the park. It takes you to 6G at one point of the ride. I’ve never been a fan of coasters myself, but Rex raced after them. He caught up pretty quickly as Mr and Mrs Potato Head were finding it hard to run in their outfits. Beth and I burst into laughter as first one fell down, promptly followed by the other. Rex ran into the pair of them and landed on top in a heap.

  ‘Come on,’ I said, still laughing, ‘Let’s go on Mission to Space.’ I knew Beth wasn’t keen on coasters either and she loved anything to do with Space. Dad’s latest ride was a simulator that takes you on a trip to the various planets. I didn’t mention the alien invasion that starts half way through the ride, figured I’d leave that as a surprise.

  ‘Thanks Dan,’ Beth said, linking her arm around mine, ‘I really hate the Zipper. Luckily they’re so excited they didn’t even try to persuade me to go on it this time.’

  I laughed nervously. It had just dawned on me we were alone. That didn’t happen very often, there was always at least one of the other guys around. I cleared my throat and tried to think of something to talk about. Beth beat me to it.

  ‘It’s really quite creepy here at night isn’t it,’ she said, pulling a little closer as we walked down the path towards the ride, trying to ignore the particularly dark shadows on both sides of us. She had a point.

  I grinned. ‘Not getting scared of the dark are you?’ That earned me a playful punch on the arm. ‘Come on, it’s this building here.’

  We walked down the empty line, through various rooms until we reached the entrance to the simulator. The lines always seemed so long when there were no visitors in the park; it took forever to get to the entrance. The little security camera moved as we came near. I waved, knowing Jeff would be watching from his lodge. The whole park could be run from that lodge now, Dad had pulled the park into the 21st Century a few months back.

  The door to the space capsule opened and we moved into the front row. It c
losed behind us and I heard the lock click into place. We sat down and buckled up. The commander came on the screen and talked us through the usual security procedures, and then the simulator rose off its platform and the ride began. I loved how the simulator felt so real. This one was state of the art, and it was hard to remember that you were just in a ride at an amusement park. I got in a bit of trouble half way through when the aliens arrived. Beth was not so keen on that part.

  ‘Argh,’ she cried as she hid her face in my jacket and thumped me when I tried to suppress my laughter, ‘You knew about this! You evil…’

  Her voice trailed off as she glanced up and the aliens chose that moment to jump forward and attack. I should also have mentioned that this was a 3D simulator. They were some pretty realistic looking aliens. Luckily, a few evasive manoeuvres later, we’d managed to rid ourselves of the creatures and could get back to enjoying the journey through space. I could hear Beth muttering something under her breath about getting me back for that.

  After the space simulator we went on a few more rides around the park. All of them were alien-free, much to Beth’s relief. By the time we reached the mine carts, Beth had pretty much forgiven me for the earlier mishap, although I had no doubt she was still plotting her revenge.

  We rode the mine carts a few times, enjoying whizzing through the tunnels. It was about the most exhilarating ride I was prepared to go on. Just enough twists and turns to keep you entertained, but not enough to make you want to throw up. My phone rang as we got off for the third time.

  ‘Come on,’ I said to Beth as I put down the phone, ‘They’re all meeting us at the Haunted Towers ride in ten.’

  Beth slipped her hand into mine as we walked, and we slowed down, not wanting to reach the ride too soon. There was a comfortable silence between us as we strolled through the park, particularly enjoying the peace and quiet. It wasn’t often we found any of that. When we reached the entrance, the others were not in sight so we hung around and waited for a few minutes, then decided they must have gone on another ride on their way over.

  ‘Let’s go on it Dan,’ Beth said eventually, ‘they could be another half hour if they’ve gone back on the Zipper. You know what they’re like.’

  It was true, they were pretty easy to distract. I waved at the security cam and we headed into the ride. The huge iron gates opened for us and we walked down the path, through the overgrown graveyard. I was actually feeling a little uneasy, this was so much creepier at night than I had expected it to be. I was quite glad the others weren’t here, they’d have great fun trying to freak each other out, and I was usually their favourite target. I can’t help that I’m afraid of the dark; not that they know I am, I’ve always hidden it very well. And I had no plans to tell them about it.

  We made it through the graveyard in one piece and went through the open front door. The ride started straight away, with the great booming voice of the owner telling us we should never have entered, because now we could never leave. The ground began to shake and the voice sounded again.

  ‘Enter the lift now. If you want to survive.’

  Beth practically dragged me into the lift and the doors closed slowly behind us, drowning out the laughter coming from the owner’s voice. The lights flickered once the doors were fully closed, and then suddenly they went off. My heart thudded painfully and my breath caught as I stared around trying to see in the pitch black. This didn’t normally happen, I’d been on the ride enough times to know that the lights were supposed to stay well and truly on.

  ‘What’s happening?’ Beth said in a frightened voice. She gripped my hand tightly and pressed against me as our eyes adjusted to the dark room.

  I tried to sound a little calmer than I felt, ‘Don’t worry, must be a fuse. I’ll have Jeff take a look at it once we get off the ride.’ I squeezed her hand reassuringly, just as a new voice started talking.

  ‘Master,’ started the high-pitched voice, ‘says I am to escort you to the top of the tower and you are to take the quick route to the floor.’ The voice cleared its throat. ‘But I will give you a chance to escape. A chance I will never get. You must get in the cart at the top of this lift and journey through the forgotten parts of the towers until you reach the exit. But make sure you stay quiet. If he catches you there’s nothing anyone can do for you. Make your choice now if you want to get out alive.’

  The lift jerked to a stop and the doors slid open. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief as we stepped out of the lift. It was still dark up here, but at least the lamps were on, even if they were casting eerie glows around the corridor. I could hear a rumble to our left and the carts appeared on the tracks.

  ‘Quick, get in,’ the voice said again, ‘before Master catches you.’

  We got into the front seat and pulled the safety bar down on our laps. My hands were trembling slightly as I took hold of the bar. I moved quickly and did my best to hide my hands, I really didn’t want Beth to see me shaking. A few minutes later the rest of the bars came down on the empty seats and the carts moved.

  ‘Are you okay?’ I asked. Beth was being very quiet. She took my hand again and squeezed it gently, reassuring me she was okay. I could just about make out her head nodding in the dim light.

  ‘Good luck,’ the voice said as we sped away. The cackle that followed was a little disconcerting. I was beginning to wish we had waited for the others first.

  The ride started off normal enough, there were the singing ghosts who swooped down on us when we got too close, the portraits that moved alongside the carts until they suddenly fell off the walls, and even the resident poltergeist who liked to fly with the cart and blow in your ears, staying invisible the whole time of course.

  All was going well until the voice started talking. This wasn’t like the first booming voice, or even the second high-pitched voice. This was much more mechanical, and it sounded like it was in the cart right behind us. So much so that we both spun around in our seats as best we could when we heard it.

  ‘You’re never getting off the ride you know.’ There was a creepy laugh and it continued, ‘We’ve never had visitors this late before. We’ve waited a long time for tonight.’

  This wasn’t right. I’d been on this ride a hundred times before and I’d never heard that voice. Beth tightened her hold on my hand and whispered, ‘I don’t remember that before. Has your dad changed the ride?’

  I shook my head and answered with a simple, ‘No.’ I felt like I’d been doused in cold water. What else was going to happen? One thing was for sure, we were stuck here and would soon be finding out. We certainly couldn’t get off the ride.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Sarah's Story

  The heavy, wooden door clicked open and a small plate of cold food was pushed through the gap. It was probably stale as well; I’d forgotten what fresh, hot food tasted like. In fact, I couldn’t remember if I’d ever actually eaten any. Maybe I’d just imagined what it would taste like. My mother used to try and describe what it was like to eat food that was hot to the touch, that tasted of something, anything. It always made my mouth water. Maybe one day I would be able to try it myself.

  I’ve been here, locked up in this cell, for as long as I can remember. I guess I must have been born here, but I never ask questions. I quickly learnt that hearing the answers was worse than having questions, so I stopped asking. My mother promised me she would get me out of here, that we would escape and live a real life. That was before he took her away. I don’t know how long ago it was now, but I never saw her again. I’ve been on my own ever since. Well, almost… he never really leaves me alone for long.

  My stomach grumbled and I resigned myself to seeing what excuse for food was available today. I crawled across the gritty floor of my cell and picked up the dry, hard bread from the plate. I tried to break it up with my hands but just managed to gain some new scratches on my fingers. Even by his usual standards this was tough bread. I took a bite out of the corner and winced as the sharp crust scratched my gums,
but I was too hungry to give up.

  Five minutes later I managed to break through the crust and reach some of the more edible bread inside. I pulled as much out as I could and ate it, feeling thirsty. I eyed up the glass of water that had been pushed in next to the food. I had to hope the water wasn’t as dirty as the glass. I guess I should think myself lucky. At least I got some food today.

  Sitting back against the rough wall, chewing the last of the bread, I shifted to try and find a comfortable position. I don’t know why I bothered. My hands sifted through the small stones on the floor and I traced the shape of a heart. It glared at me and I rubbed it out quickly, swiping my hands together to clear off the tiny stones. That’s when I saw it. A sliver of light on the floor leading towards me. It wasn’t the cold, harsh moonlight that came in through the heavily barred window, but a yellow light.

  I looked up, towards the door that locked me in my cell. It was open! Just a crack, but it was open. My hands were clammy as I pushed myself unsteadily to my feet, and my heart was beating quickly. Was this a trick? What awaited me if I tried to leave?

  I hesitated, swaying back and forth on the spot. Did I dare leave the cell? Was he just waiting for me to try?

  A few more seconds went by as I deliberated, and then I decided. Trick or no trick, this might be my only chance to escape. I tiptoed towards the door and peered through the gap, blinking as my eyes adjusted to the brighter light in the corridor. It was silent and the corridor was completely empty. Slipping my hand through the gap, I pulled the door gently towards me and it scraped gut-wrenchingly loudly along the floor. I froze, waiting to see if he had heard, but no one came.

  Panic took over and I ran. Fast. Through the corridors, one after the other. They all looked the same and I had no idea where I was heading. Was I just going around in circles? Down another corridor I went. They were dimly lit, with just enough light to see the end of the corridor and into the next. My hands raked the walls as I moved. I wanted to touch something, to be sure this was real. It was cool in the corridors and they smelt musty, like they had been locked away for years. I kept running, worried someone was chasing me, but I heard nothing except for my own footsteps.