Free Doctor Who BBCN10 - The Nightmare of Black Island by Doctor Who Page A

storeroom of some kind. The remains of bunkers could be seen among the vegetation and ancient rusted rail tracks snaked off through the wood, vanishing in the undergrowth, evidence of the in-dustry that must have thrived in the area in the past.
    Grunting with effort, the two boys pulled back the plywood, exposing a dark hole at the base of the wall. Woodlice scuttled away from the light as the board was pulled back and Rose could smell the damp muskiness of decay. She peered into the tunnel. It was made of brick, about a metre wide, with a stream of murky, rust-stained orange water 59

    running down a drain in its centre.
    Ali hunkered down next to her and peered into the tunnel, wrinkling her nose.
    ‘It smells a bit, but it’s quite safe.’
    ‘Yeah! Like you’d know,’ snorted Billy. ‘You’ve not been down there.’
    ‘But you have?’ Rose looked at him.
    Billy nodded. ‘Like I said, it goes under the wall, comes up at the back of the house, in a kind of courtyard next to the cellars.’
    ‘How long is it?’
    Billy shrugged. ‘Dunno. Not far.’ He paused. ‘Do you want me to show you?’
    Rose smiled at the nervousness in the boy’s voice. He obviously didn’t want to go down the tunnel again, but equally he didn’t want to lose face with his friends. She shook her head.
    ‘Nah. It’s OK.’
    ‘I’ll go with you!’ piped up Ali.
    ‘No! I want you to stay here. All of you.’ She looked around the little group. ‘I need you to make sure no one comes in behind me.
    And if I don’t come back out in about half an hour, go and find the Doctor back at the pub. All right?’
    The kids nodded, relieved that Rose hadn’t asked them to go with her.
    Ali pouted and crossed her arms. ‘It’s not fair!’
    Rose looked at her sternly. ‘I mean it, Ali. I need you to keep an eye on things at this end.’ She squeezed her arm. ‘I’ll be ten minutes, OK?’
    Ali nodded.
    With more bravado than she felt, Rose gave the watching children a reassuring smile, took a deep breath and ducked into the tunnel.
    There was a moment of panic when she realised that she wouldn’t be able to stand up straight, but the floor was so slippery with moss and slime that that wouldn’t have been a good idea anyway. Instead she pressed her hands against the roof and walls to keep her balance and started to edge her way forward.
    60

    The tunnel was dark and with every step she took away from the entrance the blackness deepened. She strained to make out any shapes in the gloom ahead of her, but there was nothing. She glanced back over her shoulder. Five faces framed the tunnel entrance, watching her progress. Determined not to let them or the Doctor down, Rose headed deeper into the darkness.
    The Doctor stood on the shore of Black Island, hands thrust deep into his coat pockets, staring up in admiration at the lighthouse that loomed over him.
    The journey out had been decidedly choppy, as Bronwyn’s little motorboat was tossed about like a leaf on the wild sea. It had taken them quite a while to get prepared for the trip. The outboard motor had been in a terrible state and the Doctor had had to practically strip it down and rebuild it before it would start. At least that had impressed Bronwyn, who promised to give him a tin of Welsh cakes to take away with him, and possibly some bara brith too.
    They had hauled the boat’s trailer across the shingle, finally manoeuvring it to a small concrete ramp at the water’s edge. Bronwyn was considerably stronger than she looked, and soon the little boat was bobbing in the surf.
    Unperturbed by the icy water, Bronwyn had slipped off her shoes, hitched up her skirt and clambered aboard the boat with apparent ease. The Doctor had been less successful and his trousers were soaked to the knees.
    By the time they were under way the day was getting on and the wind had picked up considerably. The waves battered the little boat hard as it cleared the shelter of the harbour. Despite Bob