Abandoned By Doctor

Mowgli's Palace

"Shouldn't we make sure he's alright?" Rose called to the Doctor as she started to follow him.

"Nah," the Doctor waved his hand, "he's running away from the thing, and nothing's chasing him. He's safe."

Rose sighed and trekked after the Doctor towards the palace the man had run out of. When the reached the door, above it said "Mowgli's Palace"

"Mowgli?" The Doctor scrunched up his nose.

"You've never seen the Jungle Book?" Rose asked him, astonished.

"Guess not," the Doctor replied lightly. He grinned at her. "We'll do that once we get back to the TARDIS."

She bit her lip. "Okay."

"So, update me," the Doctor said. "What's this Jungle Book about?"

"It's about a little boy who lives among animals," she gestured toward the sign. "He's got no family to speak of. Can't remember the beginning though."

The Doctor nodded. "Right then, let's go in!"

Rose shivered at the prospect of it, but she'd made a promise to herself that she'd follow the Doctor anywhere, no matter how dangerous. Someone needed to keep him alive, after all. She wasn't sure just how he did it on his own.

They entered the abandoned building and the first things they saw were three words: "abandoned by Disney". The words appeared everywhere, spray painted and carved into things.

Aside from that, the place was clearly ransacked by angry protestors. Only things too heavy to throw remained.

The Doctor ran his sonic around the empty room. He glanced at its reader. "The people didn't want this park," he explained. "Took out the flora and fauna, as it were. Then it was shut down and no one demolished it. Well," he sighed and looked at the overgrowth that was creeping inside. "Looks as though Mother Nature's trying to take it back anyway." He patted a branch that was growing across a table. "You keep trying."

"Okay, so the man ran from here," Rose said pointedly, annoyed that she was a bit jealous of Mother Nature at the moment. "But I don't see anything worth running from, do you?"

"Must be a different room," the Doctor said. "This looks to be a hotel of some sort. Maybe somebody's in another room."

So they started to go through rooms, all as disheveled as the main lobby. The Doctor was about the throw the fourth door opened when they heard voices coming from the room.

"I don't believe it!" The first voice yelled. "I don't and you can't change my mind!"

"No one's trying to," the second voice was more sorrowful, watery. "But you know the truth, you know you do."

"Stop it! Leave me alone!"

"Why'd we meet here if you're just going to get aggressive?"

At the word "aggressive" the Doctor put out an arm and pushed Rose behind him. She was not dying on his watch.

The first voice sniffed. "Fine." It practically spat. "We'll talk."

"This isn't our conversation," Rose said lowly, close to the Doctor's ear so she wouldn't be heard by the other two... Things. "We won't know what they're talking about, anyway. Better to investigate first, yeah?"

The Doctor nodded and they slowly headed away from the door, where brisk conversation was still going on.

"Glad I keep you around, Rose Tyler," the Doctor said once they were out of earshot. "I would've stayed there all day."

Rose smiled. "Yeah, well, someone's gotta keep you in line."

"Look, a staircase!" The Doctor pointed and immediately ran toward where he was pointing. Rose followed closely behind.

"Use the sonic," she said. "It's pitch black down there."

She was right. The staircase led down into a black abyss. The Doctor sat on a stair that someone had covered with a piece of metal and started to change the screwdriver's frequency. Once he had is sorted he shined the light onto a sign that read "Mascots Only. Thank You!"

"The door looks like it's been busted open already." He looked at Rose. "Still wanna take a look?

She nodded, though she was a little unsure. "Yeah," she said. "Let's go."

The Doctor insisted on heading down the stairs first, which she was grateful for. He eased the door open and held the sonic/flashlight in front of them. He didn't need it for long, though, because most of the lights in the mascot room were on.

"That's odd," he murmured, scanning the room. "Says this place has been abandoned for 30 years at least. So why are the lights still on?"

"Are they legally allowed to drain resources after a place closes down?" Rose asked.

"Not on this planet," the Doctor replied. "You humans are very keen on saving the Earth lately. Very noble, but you don't need to be the ones saving it. The Earth takes care of itself. The only thing you're draining here is power from yourselves."

Almost everything in the room was untouched. Rose shivered at the row of empty Disney mascot costumes along the wall. The Doctor laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Rose thought that would be the only unnerving thing in the room, but as her gaze travelled to the floor, she realized she was very, very wrong.

"Doctor," she whispered and pointed before her. The Doctor followed her gaze until he saw what she did. The mascot head of Donald Duck, and a human skull next to it.