Part 18 (1/2)

'We can't just leave her here!' added Gaskin.

The Doctor whirled around to face them. 'If we don't stop Duncan, none of us will survive the night let alone Sadie. I've done my best for her. It'll have to do for now.'

'Perhaps you should stay with her, just in case,' Gaskin said to Angela.

But Angela was having none of that. 'Don't talk nonsense, Henry!

You heard what the Doctor said she's stable. There's nothing we can do for her here.'

'But '

'But nothing! Come on, you're coming with me.'

Angela grabbed him by the hand and dragged him as quickly as she could down the shattered remains of the stairs.

'But where are we going?' 'After that creature, of course,' she said as they reached the hallway.

'I'll wait here while you get your shotgun.'

'You won't need it,' the Doctor told them.

'That's what you said the last time,' Angela sold accusingly. 'And look what happened!

Next chance we get, Henry can blast the wretched creature to h.e.l.l. No one messes with Angela Hook and gets away with it!'

The Doctor opened his mouth to argue, but Martha interrupted him.

'Doctor! Look!'

Nigel Carson was already out of the front door and running for Gaskin's Daimler. Within seconds he had it open and the engine started.

'Trust him to scarper when things go wrong,' muttered Angela.

Gaskin came through with the shotgun and swore loudly as he watched his Daimler pulling away. 'How the devil did he get hold of my keys?'

'Does it matter?' asked Martha. The Daimler's wheels spat gravel at the front door as Nigel swung the car towards the gates.

But the gates had disappeared.

In their place was a tangle of wrought iron where Duncan Goode had torn his way through. The Daimler b.u.mped over the wreckage and purred away into the night, its rear lights coming on as Nigel found the headlamps.

A series of loud barks heralded the arrival of a rather dishevelled Border Collie.

'Jess!' cried Gaskin, dropping to one knee as the dog ran to him, licking his face in a mad display of affection. 'Good Lord, but I thought you'd bought it, old girl. . . '

Jess woofed and let her master ruffle the fur on her chest, She sat and panted as he straightened up and said, 'Look, Jess, I want you to stay here and guard Miss Brown, understand?'

Jess looked up at him, tongue lolling.

'Does she really understand you?' asked Angela.

'I've absolutely no idea.'

'Come on!' yelled the Doctor, who was already sprinting towards Angela's Land-Rover. 'Keys, Angela!' 'It's already open!' Martha told him as she ran for the driver's door.

'Locks don't work!'

The Doctor wrenched the pa.s.senger door open and climbed inside.

Martha was already in the driver's seat.

'But you'll still need these to start it.' Angela, very much out of breath now, threw a bunch of keys to Martha through the driver's door window.

The engine was already turning over as Gaskin helped Angela up into the vehicle. 'I don't need pus.h.i.+ng into my own Land-Rover, thank you very much!' she roared. He apologised and clambered in after her. Martha released the handbrake and swung the vehicle towards the gates while Gaskin was still hanging out of the pa.s.senger door.

'Come on, Henry!' yelled Angela, pulling him inside. 'Don't be such a slow coach!'

The two of them collapsed into the rear seats as the Land-Rover shot forwards, wheels spinning. 'Be careful with my car!' Angela told Martha. 'It's a 1966 cla.s.sic, you know!'

'Hang on to your hat, Angela!' yelled Martha. 'We're going off-road!'

The Land-Rover bounced across the lawns and smashed through the remains of the gate, swerving from side to side. Jess ran after it, barking joyously at all the excitement, The Land-Rover hit the kerb outside and Martha took the bend on two wheels. On the back seat, Gaskin and Angel sprawled from one side to the other as the Land-Rover veered between the trees.

The Doctor twisted around and grinned over the seat at Angela. 'I love a drive in the country, don't you?'

Her terse reply was drowned out by the throb of the Land-Rover's old engine as Martha floored the accelerator. The vehicle shot up the rise of the hill, its headlamps searching the night for Nigel's Daimler.

'Where the h.e.l.l does he think he's going?' demand d Gaskin.

'He's going after Duncan,' said Martha, teeth gritted as she concentrated on the road.

'No,' said the Doctor. 'He's going after the stone.'

'Same difference.' The Land-Rover hurtled around a bend, struck a telegraph pole with a deafening clang and then skidded sideways before Martha regained control. She wrenched the metal gear stick into second and the vehicle raced on. The village shops and the Drinking Hole pub flashed past.

'There he is,' said the Doctor, pointing.

In the darkness they could see the Daimler's taillight.

For a second the Land-Rover's headlights lit up the cloud of exhaust like a silver ghost as the car swerved onto the village green.

Martha yanked the wheel around and the Land-Rover leapt onto the gra.s.s, churning the lawn up beneath its heavy tyres. Eventually, after digging deep, they found a grip and the Land-Rover surged after the Daimler.

The big car had already slewed to a halt and the driver's door was flung open. Nigel Carson staggered out, illuminated by the Land-Rover's headlights.

And beyond him, lit by the same lamps, was Duncan. The abom-inable figure was little more than a ma.s.s of tangled white weed and flailing antennae now. The long, trailing roots formed a bridal train behind it, crawling and writhing over the gra.s.s. But Nigel was hurrying after it like a groom jilted at the altar, waving his arms and shouting. 'Wait! Stop! It's me Nigel! Stop!'

The creature that had once been his friend turned and regarded him coldly. His blood-red eyes stared at Nigel as he approached.