lock, so he quickly turned it. No sooner had he done so than Robson pulled open the door. There were small blobs of white foam clinging to his clothes, and he was trembling with fear as he clutched his face. 'My face!' he spluttered. 'It touched my face!'
Harris was horrified. 'Mr Robson...' But Robson pushed him out of the way and rushed down the corridor in panic shouting, 'It touched my face!'
Harris called after him. 'Mr Robson! Wait! I need your permission to send two men down the impeller shaft...' He was wasting his time. Robson had disappeared through the door leading to the outer Compound area.
Harris, totally shocked and bewildered, brushed the lock of hair from his eye. Then he turned to look at the door of Robson's cabin, and cautiously went inside.
The sight that was awaiting Harris in Robson's cabin, was one which he would remember for the rest of his life. The moment he entered the room, he was coughing and spluttering from the deadly gas fumes which had almost overpowered Robson. There were blobs of bubbling white foam everywhere, and dangling down from the remains of the ventilator grille were the long, curling tendrils of the Weed Creature, its massive heartbeat pounding with frenzied, deafening life...
The short winter daylight was already giving way to the early evening darkness, as the Doctor, Jamie, and Victoria peered through the window into the Harrises' sitting-room. There was hardly a murmur of sound, only the rumbling of waves crashing onto the distant sea shore. Luckily the window was not locked, so the Doctor was able to climb into the room quite easily. Jamie and Victoria followed him in.
'Good!' whispered the Doctor, trying to see in the dark,
'Nobody around. Much better on our own.'
'Speak for yourself,' said Jamie apprehensively. He wasn't at all happy with the Doctor for bringing them back to such a place. 'I don't see why we can't just go back to the TARDIS and get out of here. This place is full of... of... ah... ah...' It was happening again.
Jamie was about to sneeze.
'Jamie!' gasped Victoria. 'You're not going to...' Even as she spoke, Jamie exploded into a fit of sneezing.
'Gas!' The Doctor covered his mouth immediately. 'Out of here
- quick!'
The Doctor led the way out into the hall.
Victoria was covering her mouth with her sweater. 'Where's it coming from?'
'I don't know,' said the Doctor, looking up and down the hall.
'Jamie! Look in the kitchen!'
Jamie rushed off to the kitchen, leaving the Doctor and Victoria to find their way into the bedroom.
The Doctor opened the bedroom door, and looked in. The room was in darkness. 'Mrs Harris?' he called. 'Are you all right?'
No reply. There was an ominous silence in the room.
The Doctor fumbled for the light switch, and turned it on.
The air was immediately pierced by the thumping, heartbeat sound. Victoria screamed out hysterically for the floor was 'crawling with clumps of pulsating seaweed, their bubbled tendrils reaching out from the mass of white foam.
Coughing and spluttering, the Doctor threw his arms around Victoria to protect her. On the other side of the room, they were horrified to see that Maggie Harris was missing from the bed, where they had last seen her lying in a coma.
'Doctor!' Jamie was yelling at the top of his voice from the kitchen. 'Help me!'
The Doctor quickly slammed the bedroom door and locked it.
Then he grabbed Victoria by the arm, and practically dragged her off down the hall.
'Jamie!' The Doctor burst into the kitchen to find his companion in real trouble. The patio door was wide open, and Jamie himself was balanced precariously on top of a table in the middle of the room. All around him, the floor was just like the bedroom, crawling with clumps of seaweed and foam, all pulsating with hideous life. And the same merciless, thumping heartbeat!
Jamie let out the most enormous sneeze. His eyes were streaming with tears from the gas fumes, and he was fighting for breath. 'Doctor! Do
Harris was horrified. 'Mr Robson...' But Robson pushed him out of the way and rushed down the corridor in panic shouting, 'It touched my face!'
Harris called after him. 'Mr Robson! Wait! I need your permission to send two men down the impeller shaft...' He was wasting his time. Robson had disappeared through the door leading to the outer Compound area.
Harris, totally shocked and bewildered, brushed the lock of hair from his eye. Then he turned to look at the door of Robson's cabin, and cautiously went inside.
The sight that was awaiting Harris in Robson's cabin, was one which he would remember for the rest of his life. The moment he entered the room, he was coughing and spluttering from the deadly gas fumes which had almost overpowered Robson. There were blobs of bubbling white foam everywhere, and dangling down from the remains of the ventilator grille were the long, curling tendrils of the Weed Creature, its massive heartbeat pounding with frenzied, deafening life...
The short winter daylight was already giving way to the early evening darkness, as the Doctor, Jamie, and Victoria peered through the window into the Harrises' sitting-room. There was hardly a murmur of sound, only the rumbling of waves crashing onto the distant sea shore. Luckily the window was not locked, so the Doctor was able to climb into the room quite easily. Jamie and Victoria followed him in.
'Good!' whispered the Doctor, trying to see in the dark,
'Nobody around. Much better on our own.'
'Speak for yourself,' said Jamie apprehensively. He wasn't at all happy with the Doctor for bringing them back to such a place. 'I don't see why we can't just go back to the TARDIS and get out of here. This place is full of... of... ah... ah...' It was happening again.
Jamie was about to sneeze.
'Jamie!' gasped Victoria. 'You're not going to...' Even as she spoke, Jamie exploded into a fit of sneezing.
'Gas!' The Doctor covered his mouth immediately. 'Out of here
- quick!'
The Doctor led the way out into the hall.
Victoria was covering her mouth with her sweater. 'Where's it coming from?'
'I don't know,' said the Doctor, looking up and down the hall.
'Jamie! Look in the kitchen!'
Jamie rushed off to the kitchen, leaving the Doctor and Victoria to find their way into the bedroom.
The Doctor opened the bedroom door, and looked in. The room was in darkness. 'Mrs Harris?' he called. 'Are you all right?'
No reply. There was an ominous silence in the room.
The Doctor fumbled for the light switch, and turned it on.
The air was immediately pierced by the thumping, heartbeat sound. Victoria screamed out hysterically for the floor was 'crawling with clumps of pulsating seaweed, their bubbled tendrils reaching out from the mass of white foam.
Coughing and spluttering, the Doctor threw his arms around Victoria to protect her. On the other side of the room, they were horrified to see that Maggie Harris was missing from the bed, where they had last seen her lying in a coma.
'Doctor!' Jamie was yelling at the top of his voice from the kitchen. 'Help me!'
The Doctor quickly slammed the bedroom door and locked it.
Then he grabbed Victoria by the arm, and practically dragged her off down the hall.
'Jamie!' The Doctor burst into the kitchen to find his companion in real trouble. The patio door was wide open, and Jamie himself was balanced precariously on top of a table in the middle of the room. All around him, the floor was just like the bedroom, crawling with clumps of seaweed and foam, all pulsating with hideous life. And the same merciless, thumping heartbeat!
Jamie let out the most enormous sneeze. His eyes were streaming with tears from the gas fumes, and he was fighting for breath. 'Doctor! Do
Similar Books
