The Other Tyler - rewrite

Zombies or Ghosts?

"Mei!" he yelled, running toward them, "Mei!"

"Oh my god! Doctor, do something!" Rose pleaded as she tried to catch up with him.

Behind her, the curly haired man followed, yelling, "You're not escaping me, sir! What do you know about that hobgoblin, hm?"

Glancing up, Rose saw the horrified look on the Doctor's face as the hearse drove away, too fast for them to catch on foot. It made her stop for a moment and think back on everything that had happened since they met him. Almost immediately she wanted to knock her head against a wall, how could she have been so stupid? How could she have missed it? Sure it had only been a couple of days, but it was there, she could see it now.

"Projection on glass, I suppose. Who put you up to it?" the curly haired man insisted.

"Yeah, mate. Not now, thanks," the Doctor said rudely, running towards another carriage, Rose right behind him.

"Doctor, what are we gonna do?" she asked.

Instead of a reply, the Doctor pulled open the door and all but threw her inside, yelling at the driver, "Oi, you! Follow that hearse!" and climbing in after her.

"You can't do that, sir!" The Driver refused, as the two of them got settled on one of the benches.

"Why not?" the Doctor asked, reaching over to close the door, but the Curly haired man stuck his head inside before he could.

"Why not?!" he growled, "I'll give you a very good reason why not! This is my coach!"

Giving an annoyed groan, Rose grabbed him by the collar and yanked him in, then yelled at the driver, "He's in, now step on it!" The coach rumbled off as the Doctor gave Rose an impressed look, she just huffed and snapped, "Come on! You're losing them! Go faster!"

"Everything in order, Mr. Dickens?" the driver called down, causing the Doctor and Rose to do a double take, eyeing the man in surprise.

He ignored it, snapping, "No! It is not!"

"What did he say?" The Doctor asked, eyes wide.

"Let me say this first. I'm not without a sense of humour," the man grumbled, but the Doctor interrupted him.

"Dickens?"

Confused, the man replied with a simple, "Yes."

"Charles Dickens?" the Doctor asked, just to be sure.

"Yes," he repeated, glancing between Rose and the Doctor who continued to stare at him.

"No way," Rose said, "THE Charles Dickens?"

"Shall I remove the gentleman and the lady, sir?" the driver asked.

The Doctor burst with excitement, "Charles Dickens! You're brilliant, you are! Completely 100% brilliant! I've read 'em all! Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and what's the other one, the one with the ghost?"

Rolling her eyes at his enthusiasm, Rose asked, "A Christmas Carol?"

"No, no, no, the one with the trains," the Doctor murmured, "Oh, The Signal Man, that's it, terrifying!" Dickens looked pleased, and Rose hoped that meant he wouldn't be throwing them out. She needed to find Mei, "The best short story ever written! You're a genius!"

"Mei loves that one too," Rose piped up, "I liked a Tale of Two cities, me."

"You want me to get rid of them, sir?" The driver asked.

Looking almost bashful, Dickens replied, "Er, no, I think they can stay."

Rose grinned and the Doctor continued to ramble, "Honestly, Charles, can I call you Charles? I'm such a big fan."