Bad Wolf Family Saga (Book 1)

The Unquiet Dead Part 2 (Edited!)

"Oh, it's a tragedy, miss." The maid replies, turning on her heels to face Daisy. "Don't worry yourself. Me and the master will deal with it. The fact is, this poor lady's been taken with the brain fever and we have to get her to the infirmary."

Daisy touches the woman's face and gasps at how cold it is. "She's dead and judging by the temperature of her cold skin, I'd say she's been dead for hours if not days. Now tell me, what actually happened to her?"

The man grabs Daisy from behind, and she kicks him in the knee before grabbing his arm and flips him onto his back, knocking the wind out of him.

"Doctor!" Daisy shouts just seconds before the maid knocks her out with something heavy.

*****

"Gas!" The Doctor realises as he looks at the gas figure. "It's made of gas."

He hears Daisy's shout and jumps off the stage, rushing outside to see her body inside a hearse before it drives away.

The man comes outside after him. "You're not escaping me, sir. What do you know about that hobgoblin, hmm? Projection on glass, I suppose. Who put you up to it?"

"Yeah, mate. Not now, thanks." The Doctor tells him with no emotion in his voice as he goes over to a horse and carriage, sitting inside of it. "Oi, you! Follow that hearse!"

" I can't do that, sir." The driver shakes his head.

The Doctor glares at him, inches away from releasing the Oncoming Storm. "Why not?"

"I'll tell you why not." The man from the stage glares back at him. "I'll give you a very good reason why not. Because this is my coach!"

"Well, get in, then." The Doctor rolls his eyes, gesturing for him to get in. "Move!"

The man listens to him by getting in, and the driver makes the horses start to trot down the road.

"Come on." The Doctor glares, looking around for the hearse. "You're losing them!"

"Everything in order, Mr. Dickens?" The driver asks.

"No!" He shouts back at him. "It is not."

The Doctor looks at him. "What did he say?"

"Let me say this first. I'm not without a sense of humour-"

The Doctor cuts him off with his voice full of surprise. "Dickens?"

"Yes." He nods his head.

"Charles Dickens?"

"...Yes."

"The Charles Dickens?" The Doctor asks just to make sure he heard correctly.

The driver looks over his shoulder at them. "Should I remove the gentleman, sir?"

"Charles Dickens?" The Doctor chuckles in disbelief, not wanting to believe he's sitting next to him. "You're brilliant, you are. Completely one hundred percent brilliant. I've read them all. Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, and what's the other one? The one with the ghost?"

"A Christmas Carol?" He asks him.

"No, no, no, the one with the trains." The Doctor shakes his head. "The Signal Man, that's it! Terrifying! The best short story ever written. You're a genius!"

"You want me to get rid of him, sir?" The driver asks again.

"Er, no, I think he can stay." Dickens shakes his head at the driver.

"Honestly, Charles. Can I call you Charles?" The Doctor asks but doesn't want for an answer. "I'm such a big fan."

He frowns at the Doctor. "A what? A big what?"

"Fan." He repeats to Dickens. "Number one fan, that's me."

"How exactly are you a fan? In what way do you resemble a means of keeping oneself cool?"

The Doctor sighs. "No, it means fanatic, devoted to. Mind you, I've got to say, that American bit in Martin Chuzzlewit, what's that about? Was that just padding or what? I mean, it's rubbish, that bit!"

"I thought you said you were my fan!" Dickens exclaims.

"Ah, well, if you can't take criticism." The Doctor shrugs his shoulders. "Go on, do the death of Little Nell, it cracks me up." He frowns, realising he's completely forgotten about Daisy being kidnapped. "No, sorry, forget about that. Come on, faster!"

Dickens looks at the hearse then back at him. "Who exactly is in that hearse?"

"My girlfriend." The Doctor replies with his jaw clenching as he tries to stop his anger boiling. "She's only twenty one. It's my fault. She's in my care as well as her goddaughter, and now she's in danger."

Dickens breathes out at the look of anger and fear on the Doctor's face. "Why are we wasting my time talking about dry old books? This is much more important. Driver, be swift!" He yells. "The chase is on!"

The driver cracks his whip. "Yes, sir!"

"Attaboy, Charlie." The Doctor grins at him.

Dickens frowns at him. "Nobody calls me Charlie."

He smirks in response. "The ladies do."

"How do you know that?"

"I told you, I'm your number one-"

Dickens cuts him off. "Number one fan."

*****

Daisy slowly opens her eyes to find herself lying down on a floor in front of two coffins. "Why in the name of Merlin am I in a room with two coffins that probably have bodies in?" She groans, trying to stand up at the same time as ignoring the pounding in her head, only to see the old woman and a man lying in the coffins.

Suddenly, their eyes snap open, and Daisy backs away to run over to the door, pounding on it with her hands. "Let me out!"

*****

Dickens and the Doctor stands at the front door of the funeral company, and a maid opens the door.

"I'm sorry, sir, we're closed." She tells them in an apologetic voice.

"Nonsense." Dickens shakes his head. "Since when did an undertaker keep office hours? The dead don't die on schedule. I demand to see your master."

"He's not in, sir."

"Don't lie to me, child." He says with a stern voice. "Summon him at once."

She shakes her head once again. "I'm awfully sorry, Mr. Dickens, but the master's indisposed."

The Doctor sees the gas lamps turning off and on. "Having trouble with your gas?"

Dickens follows his gaze and gasps. "What the Shakespeare is going on?"

*****

The older woman and man climb out of their coffins, heading towards Daisy.

She looks over her shoulder at them and continues to bang on the door. "I swear, when I find out who's placed me in a room with living corpses, you'll be needing a coffin too! Now, let me out!"