Paradox

Chapter One

The corridor was empty, the white walls and cream carpet, rose embellishments seemed to glow too brightly, no shadows crawled up the wall as was normal with the setting of the sun. River raised an eyebrow in a questioning glance and after a moment of examining the corridor she ducked back into her room and made for the old oak desk.

Beneath the lid there lay her diary, as it always did, beside it the tarnished metal case of the sonic screw driver The Doctor, Her Doctor, had given her, it excited her to handle the ice cold sonic again, though she guessed the situation did not quite call for it, she felt safer exploring the seemingly empty place with it.

Still dressed in her white night-gown like clothing she exited the room and scuffled down the corridor in her slippers, the sonic screwdriver close to her chest. She prowled the corridor like a hungry lioness, searching for the source of the silence. Everything was too white, it had no depth. No shadows tinted the colours.

River reached the end of the corridor, and ominous looking door stood between her and the large room that the housemates visited to socialise. Its surface was also devoid of shadow and depth. River eyed the door, examining the flattened surface that now seemed two dimensional, her eyes worked slowly down the wooden panes, finally coming to a stop where the door halted to allow room for the thick carpet to slide smoothly beneath it. The crack beneath the door was strangely dark compared to the rest of the room. Gloom seemed to creep from beneath it, a small net of shadows seeping into the fleecy cream carpet. River eyed the black swamp before her, nipping her lip with her teeth as she examined it. She recognised it; at least she thought she did…. It was the last adventure she’d had with the doctor. Something surrounding these creatures had caused her to end up here, yet the data surrounding the topic of their name was scrambled and she found no clear answer. With a defeated sigh she dropped to the ground, the thought of not being able to remember such a seemingly relevant detail unnerved her slightly. She pointed the sapphire blue end of the sonic screwdriver at the pool and tapped the button, the familiar high pitched buzz echoed through the vacant hall. After a few seconds River held the screwdriver up to look at the panel on the side. The name she read held an echo of familiarity; she shut her eyes trying to register the information.

A shrill scream pierced River’s ears. “Run, River!” The sound was high, the scream of a young child. It held similarity to the sound of pain before. River shot upright, retreating away from the door, her heart in her mouth, yet she did not run. “Who are you?” She returned, she knew the voice, yet it was distorted by the fear that laced through every word. The voice replied with choked sobs, a sudden movement caught rivers eye as the young female cried. The door before her had swung open, a surge of obscurity flooded into the hall, the faint images of bare skeletons garbed in the same white dress like clothes that River also wore were slightly visible through the black mist. She gasped. “No” she gasped, wanting to scream. A wave of understanding swept over her, she needed to move. Now.

“River, Run!” The voice wailed again, its tone scratched raw by the raking sobs. River didn’t have to be told twice. She had died once and did not appreciate the idea of being stripped of her flesh. She spun around and fled up the corridor, her nightdress flailing in the breeze and her slippers slapping the soles of her feet. Several times she stumbled and fell, her heart caught in her mouth as she struggled to right herself. The black monster raced towards her, gaining gradually on her tail, and engulfing the white house with ebony tendrils that swarmed in pools beneath doors and on the walls. River panted, her previous stamina had deserted her after months of inactivity. After what seemed like an eternity of running she once again heard the voice. The sound was faint.

“River, you must go.”

“Where do I go? What is going on?” River panted in reply, grasping the wall to wheel herself around the corner, the effort nearly exhausting her.

“River, you must go!” The voice repeated, this time it was more monotone, the voice of a dying child. “System Shutdown in 5”

River struggled with the sonic, sweat dripping down her forehead. It had to have something.

“4”

Her damp palms lost their grip on the screwdriver, nearly dropping it.

“3”

“The teleporter, come on. Where is it?” River muttered, her racing breath washing away most of the words.

“2”

She felt the device vibrate as she caught the button, the device began to charge, the black creature was now right behind her.

“1”

The sonic beeped urgently, River caught her breath, it wasn’t fully charged but she had to go.

“0”

Without a second though River hit the button, she stopped dead as the sapphire blue beam surrounded her, the sound was similar to the TARDIS. As she watched the world fade she saw the walls of the sanctuary collapse in on themselves. She heard the tormented screams of the young girl that had helped her escape. A tear sprung to her eye, but she brushed it away trying to dismiss the feeling, she had no idea where she was going, there was a chance she may not be able to materialize anywhere since the device was not fully charged. She had escaped, but she was not in the clear yet. This was only the start.

CAL SYSTEM SHUTDOWN

UNIVERSE SELF DESTRUCT INITIATED.

1 Doctor Who- silence in the library s03e09 (©BBC)

2 Doctor Who- Silence In The Library S03E09 (©BBC)