Broken: A Time Lord's Story (Doctor Who Novel)

Chapter 1 Planetfall

Bundled against the bitter cold. He wasn't sure whether his shivering came from the frigid air or the group of empty buildings that. to this day, haunted his nightmares. The moisture in his breath froze with each exhalation. He scanned the surrounding landscape, looking for ... looking for what exactly? Some sign of the hell that went on here, maybe? 

Fresh snow made everything look so very clean. How could that be? How could the universe ever make this place clean? He glanced down at the small black object in his hands. His hand ached with a non-existent weight. For almost a minute, he fiddled with the thing, caressing it with a loving touch. He ghosted his thumb over a small button, wanting nothing more than to push.  But not yet. It wasn't time.

Somewhere behind him, a person stamped their feet against the frozen layer of snow. The sound snapped his attention back to the small group clustered around him. He'd almost forgotten they watched -- and waited for his next action. He loved them for coming, but their reason for doing so twisted his stomach.

He wondered why. Do they think I'm going to fall apart?

A girl stood beside him, just a mere slip of a thing -- sweet and kind. She watched too. He smiled lovingly, gently squeezed her hand, then handed her the object. He kissed the top of her head, whispered something only she could hear and began walking away from the group ... toward the compound. His action caught the people behind him by surprise, bringing immediate nervous chatter and silly questions.

"What's he doing?"

"Where's he going?"

"Just stay here. I'll make sure he's okay."

Do they think I'm deaf? Why can't they all just shut up?  He shifted his pace to a trot and left the voices behind.

 Despite heavy snowfall during the night, the locals had cleared the road. It made the journey to the second building, just to the left of the main house easier. The closer he got, the faster his hearts raced. Each double beat pounded in his ears. Sweat beaded on his forehead and coated his palms. How was that even possible in this cold? 

He rubbed his hands against his overcoat.

A few feet from his target, he saw the pockmarks left by explosions and laser fireon the thick walls of the concrete building . One door had managed to remain on its hinges. They'd described the firefight from that night to him. From its ferocity, it seemed strange the building hadn't suffered more damage. Now it stood, relatively unscathed, mocking him.

He forced his legs to stay strong, finishing the walk in just moments. He came to a stop in front of the heavy wooden door. He placed a shaky hand on the knob, laid the other on the thick wood and touched his forehead against its surface. He inhaled a slow deep breath to calm his racing hearts. He swallowed hard, forcing the contents of his stomach back down where it belonged. This was stupid: it was just an empty building. It meant nothing ... should mean nothing.

God, my head hurts, he thought.

Someone came up behind him. He wrenched away from the unexpected hand on his shoulder.

Why can't they leave me alone?

He pushed the door against the heavy buildup of snow in the doorway. Sunlight streamed in, casting long shadows ahead of him. Before he stepped into the long hallway, he took a deep breath. The cold air made the burning in his lungs worse. This place was empty now, but the smell and echoes almost overwhelmed his senses.

The damnable echoes.

Each leaden footstep down the quiet hallway made his body feel as if someone had strapped him into a cyber suit. He wanted to turn and run, but he took the next step and then the next. The shadows formed odd shapes creating an even heavier air to the place.