The Doctor And I

Flesh and Stone - The Forgotten Men

Bailee's POV-

I hear The Doctor walk off, and the voices of Father Octavian, Amy, River and him fade into the distance, leaving me with nothing but my own thoughts and the crunching of leaves, as The the Clerics walk around, patrolling, keeping me safe.

"So, what's happening? Anything happening out there?" I ask, moving my head around, although I cannot see.
"The Angels are still grouping. Are you getting this too?" One of the Clerics, Marco I think, asks his comrades.

"The trees? Yeah." Another Cleric replies, Phillip, he said his name was.

"What's wrong with the trees?" I ask, but I am ignored.

"Here too, sir. They're ripping the Treeborgs apart." A third Cleric answers.

"And here Marco, Pedro. They're taking out the lights." Phillip calls.

"What is it? What's happening? Tell me. I can't see." I demand, frustrated and scared.

"It's the trees. ma'am. The trees are going out." Marco replies, but I must've hear him wrong, that can't be possible, can it?

"Angels advancing, sir." Phillip warns.

"Over here again." Pedro adds.

"Weapons primed. Combat distance five feet. Wait for it."

"What is it? What's happening? Just tell me!" I shout, still not being given a straight answer.

"Keep your position and, ma'am, keep your eyes shut. Wait." Marco warns, sensing my temptation to open my eyes, let light register in my pupils and enable me to see again. A bright light floods through the forest, and seeps through my eyelids, but what it is, I cannot tell.

"The ship's not on fire. is it?" Marco asks worriedly.

"It can't be. the compressors would have taken care of it. Marco, the Angels have gone." Pedro says nervously, and I hear him running around, looking.

"Where'd they go?" Marco demands.

"What, the Angels?" I ask, but yet again, am ignored.

"This side's clear too, sir."

"The Angels have gone?" I repeat, my voice raising, demanding to be heard.

"There's still movement out there, but away from us now. It's like they're running." Marco says, but wether he's telling me or the other Clerics, I don't know.

"Running from what?" I ask.

"Phillip, Crispin, need to get a closer look at that." Marco orders.

"What are you all looking at? What's there?" I shout, so extremely frustrated that I stand up, almost on the verge of stamping my foot. I hope whatever The Doctor is doing, he does it fast.

"It's like, I don't know, a curtain of energy, sort of shifting. Makes you feel weird. Sick." Marco FINALLY explains.

"And you think it scared the Angels?" I ask, turning slowly to face the direction of his voice.

"What could scare those things?" Pedro asks. Then I have an idea. I revolve on the spot, turning my head to see where the light shone brightest through my eyelids.

"What are you doing?" Marco asks suspiciously.

"Point me at the light." I demand.

"You can't open your eyes." He argues.

"I can't open them for more than a second, that's what the Doctor said. Still got a bit of countdown left." I correct him, still spinning.

"Ma'am. you can't." Marco protests, but I can hear in his voice he knows his arguments to be pointless, and I'm going to open my eyes whatever he says.

"I need to see it. Am I looking the right way? I have to be quick." I say. I hear Marco's boots crunching on the leaves behind me, and sting hand on my shoulders. I get turned round, and I know I'm facing the light.

"Very quick." Marco say, moving to the side of me, making sure I'm okay.

"Okay." I take a deep breath, preparing myself. I open my eyes.

"It's the same shape. It's the crack in my wall." I gasp, the W shape clearly visible.

"Close your eyes, now." Marco demands, but I'm still in shock at the crack.

"It's following me! How can it be following me?" I cry, feeing weak. I fall to my knees, and Marco puts his hands over my eyes, closing them.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. It was the same shape." I mutter, the second part to myself.

"Marco, you want me to get a closer look at that?" Pedro asks.

"Go for it. Don't get too close." Marco shrugs, and warns.

I'm confused. "Hang on. What about the other two? Why not just wait until they're back?" I ask Marco.

"What other two?" I can hear the confusion in his voice as Pedro walks off.

"The ones you sent before." I say.

"I didn't send anyone before." He says slowly.

"You did, I heard you. Crispin and Phillip." I argue. He can't have forgotten them?!

"Crispin and who?" Marco asks me, making my blood run cold. What is happening? "Bailee, there never was a Crispin or a Phillip on this mission, I promise you." He tries to persuade me, his voice telling me that this isn't some joke, and he genuinely can't remember, but I have to make him.

"No, I heard you. Before you sent Pedro, you sent Crispin and Phillip, and now you can't even remember them. Something happened. I don't know what, and you don't even remember." I argue.

"Pedro?"

"Yeah, before you sent Pedro." I repeat.

"Who's Pedro?"

"Something's happening. Pedro was here a second ago and now you can't even remember him." I say, worry creeping through me.

"There never was a Pedro. There's only ever been the two of us here." Marco insists.

"No, there were five of us. Why can't you remember?" I demand, confused.

"Listen. Listen. I need to get a closer look at that light, whatever it is. Don't worry, I won't get too close." Marco says, and I hear him standing up, and starting to walk cautiously away.

"No. No, you can't. You mustn't." I plead.

"Here. Spare communicator. I'll stay in touch the whole time." I feel a cool metal rectangle being pressed into my hand.

"You won't, because if you go back there what happened to the others will happen to you." I try to persuade him to stay, but he won't listen.

"There weren't any others."

"There won't be any you if you go back there." I warn.

"Two minutes. I promise." But I know that the minute he walks off, no one will ever hear from him again.

"Please, just listen to me!" I cry, but to no avail. I hear Marco's boots crunching on the leaves for the last time, and then silence fell.