The Doctor

by Jennifer Bull

  The wolf threw Beth down and she landed with a sickening crunch on the grass, just behind a gravestone. He turned round and faced Jeff who was pointing a tranquilliser gun at him. At me.

  Raising the gun, Jeff kept a wary eye on the wolf. A moment later I felt the dart hit my leg. So did the wolf. He grabbed the dart and snapped it out of his leg, glaring at Jeff. I felt only slightly woozy as the dart took effect. Strange, those darts were strong enough to knock out a horse, I should already be unconscious by now. In fact, they could probably knock out a few horses.

  Jeff was looking worried. He’d realised something was wrong—it hadn’t worked. The wolf was stumbling, but he was still standing and he shouldn’t have been. Jeff took a step backwards and fumbled for another dart from his pocket. He knew he couldn’t outrun the wolf. His only chance was to hit me with another dart and hope it would work this time.

  I tried everything to regain control, to get the wolf to stop, but I couldn’t. I was exhausted now. Before Jeff had even managed to get his hand out of his pocket, the wolf was on top of him, pinning him to the ground. I tried to close my eyes but he kept them open, made me look into Jeff’s scared face. The wolf could feel everything I could. He knew what it was doing to me to see my oldest friend trapped on the floor, the wolf’s claws dangerously close to his neck.

  This time the wolf was angry. He’d only been playing before, frightening everyone he could. Including me. I don’t think he even meant to throw Rex off the coaster. But this was different. Jeff was trying to stop him, and he had the darts that could actually knock the wolf out. One dart should have worked; I couldn’t understand it. There was no way the wolf was going to let him get back up again.

  Jeff fought hard against the wolf and he earned plenty of cuts and bruises for his efforts. He was actually holding his own. I began to wonder if there was a chance Jeff could beat me after all. He just needed to get that dart into me. I was sure a second dose would be enough. Apparently Jeff had the same idea. He was trying to distract the wolf, keep the attention on his right side, while his left hand moved closer, the dart pointed towards me.

  He almost had it. If the wolf hadn’t made that sudden move I think he’d have managed it. Spinning around, the wolf had gone for his left arm and slammed it towards Jeff’s body. The force had pushed the dart deep inside his leg, and moments later Jeff was still. I felt the last hope extinguish inside me. Without Jeff there was no one left who could save Beth, and I didn’t have the strength to fight the wolf anymore. Not that trying to fight had done me any good so far.

  I think Jeff might still have been alive when the wolf let go; I could have sworn I heard shallow breathing. The dart I had received had not been full strength. If the second wasn’t either then there was a chance he was still alive. I had to hope he was. I had to believe he was. I just couldn’t take any more of this.

  The wolf moved away from Jeff and picked Beth back up with difficulty. The wolf and I were both still woozy from the tranquilliser and it was making it hard to stand straight. He walked into the tower and crossed the room that Beth and I had been in earlier that night. Before all this happened. If only Rex, Ty and Zach hadn’t played that damn prank then everything would have been okay. We’d all be on our way home right now, laughing about the great night we’d had. Instead Ty and Jeff were hurt, Zach looked like he couldn’t bear to look at me ever again, Beth was petrified of me. And Rex, I couldn’t even think about Rex.

  Wrenching open a door I didn’t even know was there, the wolf walked down a corridor and entered a small room at the end. Maybe it had been a storage room at one point, but now it was his hiding place. I don’t even know how he knew it was there, seeing as I didn’t. A small window let in a sliver of moonlight, just enough for the wolf to see. He put Beth down on a pile of old sacks that I hoped were softer than they looked. After he’d locked the door, he leant up against the sacks next to Beth. He finally closed his eyes, but suddenly I felt wide-awake and I wanted the eyes open again. I didn’t want to be trapped here in the dark with nothing more than my thoughts to torment me.

  After a while I could hear Beth waking up and she started whimpering. It was tearing me up listening to her and not being able to save her. Not being able to help her escape. The wolf knew it and I hate to think what he has planned for her.

  I know what the wolf’s doing now. He’s waiting here until morning. Waiting for my Dad to arrive. For him to see the mess the wolf created. The mess I created. He wants me to see the disappointment, the sadness in his eyes. I just hope he doesn’t make me kill him too. This was his plan all along. To trap me so far inside my own body, to make me watch as he tore apart everything I’ve ever cared about, make me so insane that he wins. And he has won. I know now, I’m never going to escape this prison. The wolf is in control for good.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Sarah's Story

  A picture hung on the wall, staring back at me as if daring me to question it. Inside the frame was a photo of my mother and the evil man with his small eyes and bushy beard. Together, with their arms around each other. When I had asked my mother the question, it had been this answer that had stopped me asking any questions ever again. The answer still haunts me to this day. How could a man, a father, lock up his own daughter and torment her beyond anything she could tolerate. My own father. The murderer. As much as I wanted to believe my mother was still alive somewhere, I knew deep down she was gone. And he was responsible.

  I tore the photo down from the wall and ripped it in two, pocketing the half that had my mother on. I had no pictures of her, just my memories. Now I had this to remember her by. The other half I ripped up, again and again, until I could rip it no further. I scattered the pieces on the floor and stamped my dirty feet on them. I hate you.

  A sound brought me back to my senses and I tensed. The whispering had stopped a while ago and I hadn’t heard anything since. Where was he? I knew he hadn’t forgotten about me.

  Moving to the edge of the room, I tried to stay as quiet as possible, listening for any other sounds. I had been too distracted by this place, by the photo. I needed to focus on getting out of here. Taking a deep breath, I paused to collect my thoughts. There was no point going back to the long corridor, clearly he was not going to let me get out there. I had to try another direction.

  Leaving the study, I weighed up my options. To my left looked like a dead end, so I had no choice but to go back the way I’d come and follow one of the other corridors. I just had to hope one of them would lead me outside.

  The lights flickered as I walked and I moved instinctively to the wall, making sure I couldn’t get turned around if they went off. They probably would. Luckily I wasn’t that bothered by the dark. Okay, I wasn’t fond of it, but I was pretty used to living in dark conditions so a little less light didn’t scare me. It did, however, mean it would be difficult to find my way out. Which is exactly why…

  The lights went out. I sighed. It was almost too predictable. The whispering would probably start back up again soon, and I waited.

  I was wrong. Nothing happened, no whispering, no flickering of lights, nothing. I decided that I actually wasn’t so keen on the dark after all. It felt close, like it was touching me all over, and I shivered. Leaning closer to the wall, I made my way down the corridor. Staying still was not going to help me at all. I’d learnt that many times before.

  That was when it happened. The thing that finally broke me.

  I’d almost made it to the end of the corridor and was deciding how I was going to find my way out as I couldn’t see even an inch in front of my face, when the lights came back on. They were dim, but it was enough for me to see.

  I wasn’t alone any more.

  Mother? She stood in front of me, her hair and clothes were dripping with water and hanging off her thin body. Her shirt was ripped and stained, and she just stared at me expressionless.

  ‘Mother?’ I said uncertainly. I moved, then stopped myself. She just stared.

 
Suddenly the lights went off again. I screamed in frustration and called out, begging him to turn them back on. He obliged.

  I was face to face with her this time. Her nose was practically touching mine and her eyes were wide and bloodshot. She gripped my arms tightly and held me close as I tried to back away. Her eyes were cold, and her face didn’t move. She didn’t even blink.

  ‘Mother, please, let me go. You’re scaring me,’ I whispered to her, my eyes filling with tears. This wasn’t the person I remembered. She looked like her physically but this was nothing more than an empty shell. There was no emotion on her face, no recognition at all. She didn’t even know it was me.

  I wrenched myself out of her grip and backed up. She didn’t move. The lights went off again. Not again. I was panicking now. I wanted to shut my eyes and keep them shut. That way I wouldn’t have to see anything when the lights came back on. I slid down the wall and hugged my knees. I wished everything would just go away. I wished I could go away.

  But the lights came back on, and I couldn’t keep my eyes shut. She was there again. Crouching close to my side, her face was tilted towards me, her expression unchanged, and her hands gripped tightly to something.

  A large knife. And she was moving it towards my throat, slowly, her eyes never straying from mine. I scrambled up off the floor, and ran. I didn’t look back. Maybe she was following me, maybe she wasn’t, but I didn’t want to know. I just ran as hard as I could.

  That wasn’t my mother. She would never try and scare me like that. It was him, again. It had to be. Playing his little mind games, making me see what wasn’t real. I was back in my old corridor now. I couldn’t even remember how I’d got there.

  I ran into my cell and flung myself on the floor, tears streaming down my face. Curling up tightly, my body trembled as I tried to hold everything inside. I couldn’t. Seeing her face, it had just brought everything back. It was his fault. He had taken everything from me; my mother, my life, my sanity. I wasn’t going to move again. I would stay right here.

  Ouch! Cramp. That hurt like hell. Figuring I must have fallen asleep, I stretched my legs out trying to release the pain. Cramp was just something you got used to when you slept on cold stone every night. My eyes still felt swollen from the tears so I couldn’t have been asleep for that long. Thinking about it made the tears threaten to reappear and I blinked rapidly trying to stay composed. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.

  Rolling over on the floor, I coughed as I breathed in a bit too much dust. I rested my head on my arm and tried to imagine I was somewhere else. Somewhere comfy and warm. It’s difficult to imagine something you’ve never felt, never experienced. The air felt stale around me, as if I would suffocate on it over time.

  I’d given up. What was the point? He just wanted to play with me. I was never going to escape this place; this living hell. I knew the door was open still, but I wasn’t putting myself through that again. He could play games by himself.

  I heard faint footsteps coming down the corridor, growing louder by the second, and the door creaked open further. I lay stubbornly still, facing the wall and refusing to turn around. I didn’t want to look at him. I felt sick whenever he was around. He reminded me of what I had lost. Of where I came from. Of what I might become. I hated him.

  ‘So,’ a deep voice boomed around the cell. I jumped a little, startled at the noise. ‘You don’t want to play my games anymore?’

  He laughed a little. It was cold, unfeeling, and sent goosebumps all over me. I hated that he could scare me just with a laugh.

  ‘Well,’ he said. The laughs were gone now. ‘I guess I have no use for you then if you won’t play the game. There’s no point in my keeping you here any longer.’

  The voice was steady, but it was filled with clear meaning. I went cold. I didn’t want to die, I just couldn’t take any more of these games.

  ‘Last chance child.’ There was a scraping of metal on the wall and I jumped again, my fingertips gripping on to the stone floor.

  ‘Three…’

  My whole body stiffened. This was it. Run again or die. The latter was actually tempting. At least I would finally escape this place.

  ‘Two…’

  My hands were shaking now. My teeth chattering. Was I really just going to lie here and let him kill me?

  ‘One…’

  I jumped up, turned and limped out the door without looking at him. I wanted to live; I wanted to escape. And I wanted to never see his face again. Ever. The evil, satisfied laugh that followed me down the corridor sent a final shiver through my whole body, and I ran as fast as I could.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Jack's Story

  It was a few days before I got a call to say Tez was up to having visitors. I’d practically been waiting by the phone the entire time and it only took me twenty minutes before I was walking into the hospital and asking where he was. The nurse directed me to him.

  ‘Hey,’ I said, walking up to the bed, ‘How are you feeling?’

  ‘Like I was attacked by a werewolf,’ Tez replied, shifting his position to sit up. I helped him move the pillows so he was sitting comfortably. ‘Did you get anything outta the wolf?’

  ‘Nah, just like all the others. There was nothing in his head. No memories of how he got like that at all. The same tells as before though. This guy’s good,’ I said, feeling the frustration building up once again.

  ‘He’s gotta slip up at some point Jack. Law of averages. No one is perfect.’

  I leant against the edge of the bed, and then noticed the flowery bag on the chair in front of me. It looked like it had been made out of my grandma’s old carpet.

  ‘Shit,’ I whispered, leaning closer to Tez so he could hear me, ‘she’s not here is she?’

  He nodded and leant towards me with difficulty. He spoke so quietly I could barely hear him.

  ‘Give me a werewolf any day. It’s less painful. She’s been driving the staff crazy; she won’t leave, insists on sleeping here, messes with my medication. She seems to think she knows better than my doctor now.’

  He lifted up the edge of the bed clothes and I could see the end of a tube that looked like it was supposed to be attached to Tez’s hand.

  ‘I have to keep it hidden or she’ll kill me. The nurse made me take it out before Mama T kills me for real. They’ve set up another IV round the back that she doesn’t know about.’

  I grinned, ‘Remind me never to mess with Mama Tez. It’s be the end of me if I did.’

  Tez’s face became serious, ‘Jack, can you please find a way to get Mama T outta of here. I don’t care if you have to arrest her. Just please…’

  ‘Tez!’ a voice squealed from behind the curtain, which didn’t stay shut for long. Into the cubicle waddled a little old lady, her short curly hair piled on top of her head, and her large glasses practically falling off her nose. She was wearing at least three different coloured cardigans. ‘You had better not just tried to get me arrested. I will lock your ass up for the rest of your life if you say that again.’

  Tez winced and looked at me pleadingly. I grinned at him and said, ‘Never argue with Mama Tez. I’m liable to get arrested myself if I try anything.’

  ‘Now that’s a sensible boy,’ Mama T said approvingly, patting my leg as she walked by, ‘You knock some sense into that son of mine before you go. He needs his Mama to look after him.’

  I got up off the bed and gave the old lady a kiss on the cheek. ‘Goodbye Mama T, you look after our Tez.’

  The glare I got from Tez was crystal clear. I’d be lucky if I survived once he was on his feet and back at work. I should probably think about changing the locks.

  ***

  That all happened six months ago. The leads came to nothing, the evidence was circumstantial, and the victims’ families moved on. At least, they tried to. Some managed it better than others. Since then nothing new had happened. No more creatures, no murders, nothing. The Doctor had just disappeared, and the case went cold.


  I sat at my desk thumbing through the old case files littered across it. It was what I did every day. Since discovering that the Doctor might be a telepath, I had pulled out all the files and gone through them sentence by sentence. I’d double-checked all the results with the serva’s system to make sure there weren’t any mistakes. I kept thinking that I must have missed something, and that if I looked again I would find it, but so far nothing. The crime scene photos covered every inch of available wall in our office, much to Tez’s disgust. Some were even taped to the edges of my desk, and stuck to the bottom of the computer screen.

  Tez had tried to distract me, take my mind off the case, but I always had an excuse ready. He’d given up now. Probably decided I was a lost cause.

  I couldn’t help myself, there was something about this case that had a hold of me. I looked down at the crime scene photos from the last place. How was the serial killer doing it? Turning people into such monsters that they attacked their own friends and family? I had an idea, an inkling, but I needed proof. I needed to find him, to look into his mind. I just had no idea how I was going to do that. I didn’t even know what he looked like. Or if it was even a he.

  I got up and crossed the room to my storage cupboard. I’d hidden a bottle of whiskey in there for occasions such as this. It wasn’t just this case, it was Halloween night too. I’d always loathed Halloween, being a paranormal. The servas spent the night dressing up as various characters, mocking us, which was bad enough. But it was the memories Halloween conjured up that made it the day I dreaded the most all year long.

  Halloween night twenty years ago was when my life had changed. That night, my mother disappeared without a trace. No signs of a struggle, all her belongings were still in the house, but she was gone. I never saw her again. My father had been distraught, and he tried so hard to pull together for me, but he couldn’t. I was only six years old and I remember everything so clearly. In the weeks following the disappearance, the authorities, both paranormal and serva, had found nothing, and Dad, well, he kind of lost it. The house was a mess when he was done and I was taken away from him. The authorities said it wasn’t safe for me to live there anymore and I was sent to stay with my aunt.