Chapter 2

Although hysteria thundered through the packed corridors of Westside Medical, no sound was more menacing than the thumping hearts of the survivors attempting an escape from their jungle predators. Like Simba and Nala, cornered by a group of hyenas, an escape route seemed inconceivable to these caged captives. And only a mighty Lion King like Mufasa could save them.

"No! Don't shoot," the Doctor shrieked. "You're hurting them!"

"If we don't shoot them," Casey bellowed, "we will be zombie meat."

"Oh for the love of Gallifrey, it's 'Jumbies'. They are 'Jumbies'."

"Yeah, well remind me later why I should care."

The gun, clutched tight in Shane's hands, slowly began to slip through his sweaty palms, like soap slipping through the dampened hands of a male convict. "I've never held a gun before," he trembled.

"Get over it."

Concentration never failed to depart from Casey's scrunched stare. He observed his surroundings with scrutiny and concern. A failing light bulb overhead played devil's advocate with their lives, flickering on and off as though someone had tampered with the switch. Occasionally, their eyes were blinded by a moment of frightful darkness, leaving them vulnerable to the claws of the dead that cornered them. Some appeared taintless in form, regardless of the bleached, pale skin tone that Death masked its victims with. Without a visible bite or scratch, it appeared implausible that a few of these cannibals had fallen prey to the Zombian's curse. However, the truth blared into the eyes of the living, as in front of them, these 'innocent' characters were most definitely hungry for their tanned flesh.

Curled tightly round her boy toy's sweat-drenched shirt, Elizabeth's hands clung onto Shane, using his masculine body as a human shield. Though, the frequent screeches that originated from her open-jawed mouth did an excellent job of unveiling her oh so well hidden presence. As she gradually lifted her body into standing position, her lengthened nails that gripped his back dug deeply into one of his fresh scars. He yelped with agony, feeling the tip of her finger accidently jab the fresh scratches that marked his skin. All those living momentarily jolted their heads in his direction, fearing a bite had been the cause of his shrill outburst.

The piercing point of Sarah's knife speared through the flesh of an elderly man in a grey hospital gown. Regardless, his claws continued to reach out to eat her and his teeth tried to make a meal out of her dagger. But her involuntary shot to his head and kick to his heart sent him tumbling through the hungry mob. She watched as his bald, scab-ridden scalp whacked against the concrete, hospital floor. "We can't fight all of them. There are too many," she exclaimed, her fear audible through her short-breathed exhales. Hastily, she reloaded her gun and continued to fire at the eager crowd. "Chuck?" she blared, "Casey, I can't see Chuck."

A sudden scream roared through the mass hysteria. Walker's eyes burst with startled dread. The Doctor unleashed his sonic screwdriver and charged towards the origin of the sound. Walker swiftly sprinted behind him, her bullets shooting down the obstacles that blocked his pathway. "I told you not to fire," he exclaimed.

"How else do you plan on getting through?" Irritation was evident in her frustrated tone.

"Through reasonable conversation."

"We don't have time to converse!"

Bang! Another one bites the dust – literally. Sarah's bullets were doing a squeaky-clean job of ensuring none had made it near their flesh.

"What do you suppose we do?" Shane yelled. It was clear that his fingers weren't used to pulling the trigger of a loaded pistol as, instead of its original function, his gun was being used as a baseball bat, swiping repeated bashes against Jumbies' skulls. This allowed for a slimmer proximity between the living and the transformed, which felt a little too close for Elizabeth's comfort and she occasionally screamed "Ah, get it away, get it away" into his ear.

"Fight them off," Sarah howled. "Casey, cover them. We need the room where the Tardis is kept to be secure."

Casey's eyes bulged. "Walker!"

She darted round; scowled; lifted her gun to the Jumbie about to ingest a mouthful of her calf and fired a bullet through his brains.

The Doctor's skinny legs darted through the doors of room C13 with Sarah right behind him. "Guard the doors!" Chuck screamed. Inside the dire, foul scented hospital room, Ellie's arm lay clutched by a tight-gripping female's palm. The Jane Doe lay unconscious in her hospital bed. Tears soaked Ellie's eyes, expressing her fear in the sinister situation that held onto her firmly. "When we found Devon, everyone was so eager to reach the Tardis," she stated, her voice quaking with fear, "I saw her move. I thought she was alive. I didn't want to leave her here. Then she grabbed my wrist."

Sarah's body leaned her weight against the closed doors, providing a slight pressure barrier against the forceful mass of Jumbies that tried to enter through. Devon helped.

"Did you know her?" Chuck asked.

Ellie nodded frenetically. Tears streamed down her face. "I was her doctor. She was a coma patient of mine. And then she moved–"

"And you thought this was your chance to save her." The Doctor knit his brows. "Is she bit? Scratched?"

"I don't know. I haven't found any marks."

"I don't want to sound callous guys, but how – how are we expected to carry her unconscious body to your getaway vehicle without anyone getting bit?" Devon remarked. His muscles tensed, feeling strained by the hefty weight he pressed against.

The Doctor sighed. "We can't. We won't. There is no way she will survive."

Walker frowned. "So your plan is to leave her here?"

"No! That's not what I am saying. None of us will make it passed those doors alive."

Her jaw lowered in disgust. "Then what are you saying? That our only option is death?"

"I don't know! I need time to think."

"We don't have time to think!" she shrieked.

The Doctor nibbled away at his fingernails as his red sneakers paced up and down the room. Silence lingered. Sarah's arms were weakening and her heels had lost their hold. Soon they would slip, sliding across the silky smooth floor and allowing the potent weight that they compressed against to break through.

Captain Awesome intercepted the silence. "We can't keep these doors closed for much longer, Doc."

"Devon, is there some secret passageway? Any other exit from this room?" the Doctor queried, fleetly pacing through his sentence.

"Uh, I – I don–"

"Yes," Ellie interjected. A sense of hope started to emerge in Chuck's eyes and he began to chuckle with sweet relief. "The bathroom," she continued. "It has a door that leads to the next room. It's hidden so patients won't find it but we need it for easier access into rooms. You know, encase an emergency occurs and the front entrance is blocked."

The Doctor grinned. "Brilliant."

With the sonic screwdriver firmly held in his hand, he used its alien powers to unlock the door that separated the bathroom of hospital room C13 with C14.

"Ellie, can you get your hand free?" Chuck asked.

"I can try."

As Eleanor tried to worm her wrist free from her patient's sturdy grasp, Jane Doe abruptly bolted her eyes open. Amber-bile, bloodshot eyes glared directly at her, electrifying her with ill-omened terror.

Chuck's heart momentarily lapsed. "Ellie … she's not human…"

Staring upon her transformed patient, Eleanor's blood violently pumped panic through her veins. She frantically tried to pull her hand free from her coma patient's grasp. But Jane Doe's fingers were too tightly wound round her Doctor's wrist. "Ellie," Devon screamed, "Get free."

"I can't!" she freaked.

Jane Doe's fingers started to gain movement. Her teeth reached out, nearing Ellie's flesh. Ellie quivered and pulled. Jane Doe's claws neared her skin. "Ellie!"

Bang.

Sarah's raised gun fired a bullet into the base of the coma patient's head. Suddenly, Jane Doe's movements halted. She appeared as she was before – motionless. "That's the brain stem, right?" Walker exclaimed.

"How – how did you know that would work?" Chuck stuttered.

"I didn't."

Ellie's heart relaxed, returning to its steady rhythm. Though Devon's eyes remained bulged and gobsmacked by Walker's killer instincts. He gulped. "Remind me again … Chuck's girlfriend is a spy?"

As sunken as the pit of hell, black rings circled the greedy eyes of these Frankenstein monsters. Although ineffective, Casey's persistent bullets slowed them down, occasionally knocking them to their feet where some experienced difficulty in rising once again. However, the three were running out of time. To their right, the room where the Tardis had been parked lay vacant. And they were just metres away from their escape. But the entrance to that room needed guarding. If they charged through, it would be incapable for the rest to surpass the mob unscathed.

"Help me!" Shane screamed, his squeal resonating as a plea rather than a suggestion.

"You! You guys brought us here," the lamenting prostitute cried, passing the blame onto Casey's shoulders. "If we die it is your fault!" Her words remained semi-inaudible as her scratchy throat and high-pitched weep choked the clarity of her voice. But as her tears blocked her vision, a relentless Jumbie approached her from behind.

"Concentrate," Casey screamed, firing a bullet into the threatening Jumbie's head. His vampire teeth merely missed piercing the veins of her neck. A jolted shiver slithered up her spine and she momentarily dug her fingers into Shane's back once more.

"Guys … I don' fel god. I think shomething wong waf m…"

"What? Shane, what did you say?"

Casey's eyes failed to depart from his crowding predators. "Did he get bit?"

"Shane?"

No response.

"Shit."

The Doctor's face appeared from the room they guarded. "Quick. We've locked the other door. It won't be long before they get through. Let's get to the Tardis."

Adrenalin shot through Chuck's blood. "Oh my God, Elizabeth!" He dashed through.

"No, Chuck!" As the Intersect's long legs burst through the doors, the back of his shirt slipped through Sarah's fingers, ensuring her promise of protection would be tested.

Destabilized, Elizabeth fell to the floor, losing the battle to her starved enemy.

"Leave her, Chuck," blurted Casey, "she's been bit." A fresh mark dented her shoulder, gushing blood down her arm. But Bartowski remained oblivious to the others' warning to stay away. Hurriedly, he crouched beside her. Casey shot at the monster who now attempted to plague Chuck's flesh. The Intersect dragged her body closer to the guarded room whilst anxiety charged through his voice. "Where's Shane?" he exclaimed, dashing out into the wild zoo once more to search for his other new acquaintance.

"He's been infected. Let him go!" echoed the voices from behind him. Ellie's shrill screams boomed danger into his ears. "Get to the Tardis. Go," the Doctor ordered the group.

"Chuck, look out!"

However, Casey's bellow arrived late. Chuck's head glanced in the wrong direction. Shane's jaded incisors neared his neck. His nails latched hold of Chuck's arm. Sarah lifted her gun. Two bullets were fired. Shane's body collided with the ground. And so did Chuck's.

90 MINUTES EARLIER

Casey's pounding hooves charged through Castle's corridors.

"That's them," Chuck trembled.

Sarah raised her gun, facing the direction of the ominous sound. The Doctor's palm pressed her weapon down. "Now, now, Walker, no need to get trigger happy. There is nothing wrong with a simple negotiation."

"Oh right. Like they are willing to negotiate."

"Well, have you tried negotiating with them?"

"No, because I am too busy trying to prevent myself from getting bitten."

"And scratched?"

She drew back with uncertainty. Her eyes captured the look of simultaneous fear and confusion. "What?" she gulped.

"Oh nothing."

"Guys … they're getting closer..." Chuck observed. Concern sullied his voice. Ignoring the Doctor's command, Walker lifted her gun once again towards the assumed herd. A shadow loomed. "Eek. This is it."

Stodgy feet stampeded towards the trio. A look of surprise shaded his eyes and he relaxed his clutch of the weapon lodged in his virile palm. Sarah lowered her gun. Chuck sighed with respite. "Oh thank God. It's only Casey."

"Sarah." Relief consumed the NSA spy. She was alive and her body seemingly unscathed. "Secured Orange Orange?" His eyes then fell upon the newcomer as well as acknowledged the unacquainted presence of the police box. Militantly, he clucked his boots together and saluted the skinny bloke. "Doctor."

Walker and Chuck's eyes bulged with surprised bafflement.

An extensive grin widened across the Doctor's face. "Ohh, but do my eyes deceive me? Is that Agent Casey I see?"

"The one and only, sir."

"It is you!" Unpredictably, the Doctor charged towards his familiar friend with open arms, embracing him with a welcoming hug.

Slight discomfort could be deduced through Casey's begrudged expression. "Ugh … Doctor, you know I'm uh, not much of a hugger."

"Ah, but you've always hugged me."

A puppy dog expression gloomed Chuck's face. "Wha … Casey! You said you were saving your hugs for me!"

"Boys, focus," Sarah interjected, acknowledging that the Jumbie sound never failed to diminish. Their perilous loom was still impending.

"I didn't know you were working here? Must be fun kicking it back a lil," the Doctor continued.

"Wait, Casey," Chuck intercepted, "where is Morgan?"

"He is locked up in one of the cells. Unconscious. Don't get your panties in a twist, he is fine for now. Dwarf outsmarted those brain-dead bozos."

"That's my bearded buddy. We need to fetch him. That noise you are hearing, Casey, is the sound of the zombies."

The Doctor shrilled. "No. 'Jumbies', Chuck. They are 'Jumbies'."

Casey scrunched his face. "Huh? Jumbies?"

"We will explain later," Sarah stated. "Right now we need to go."

"No! There is no way I am leaving without my best friend. Again."

"Chuck, there isn't time."

"Are we seriously going to negotiate this?" he pronounced.

The Doctor chuckled. "No. Apparently Walker doesn't believe in negotiating."

She glared at him, scowling with antagonistic ire. "Chuck, we need to go. He is in a cell. He is safe."

The haunting noise soon amplified. More shadows grew from around the corner of the passageway. Sarah cupped her arm round Chuck's, pulling his body closer to the Tardis.

The Doctor shrugged. "There is no rush. Depending on how many, we can always try the peaceful path and talk to them. Maybe they can provide us with some necessary infor–" The Jumbies limping bodies soon turned the corner. Their battered figures, protruding bones and dangling limbs augmented. Droplets of blood soon merged with more blood, forming a trail of thick, ruby liquid across Castle's floor. "Ooh … yeah, that's a large crowd…"

"Run."

Casey tightened the grip of his weapon. Clamourous, repetitive gunshots rumbled through the underground base. "Casey, we need to go." He fired his last bullet and dropped his empty pistol to the floor, thereafter sprinting to the wide open Tardis doors. The Doctor shut it closed behind him.

"Let me out. I need to go back. I need to save Morgan."

"Can't do that, Chuck," Casey exclaimed.

Determined, Bartowski ignored all orders and darted to the Tardis' entrance. Sarah quickly dashed in front of him, guarding the doors from opening. "Chuck, I forbid you."

"You forbid me? What am I, 12?"

"Well you're acting like it."

Gobsmacked, his jaw dropped in repulsion. "Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Chuck, if you don't want to be treated like a 12 year old then stop acting like one."

"You stop acting like one," he mumbled under his breath.

"Gotta think of it this way, Bartowski," Casey remarked. "Who would you rather save right now? Your best friend, who is in a secure cell, protected my unbreakable glass? Or your sister and brother-in-law who are in the open wild, defenceless against any unpredicted beast attack?"

The scrawny Intersect gulped, indecisive in his choice from this heart-wrenching ultimatum. His downtrodden eyes fell upon Sarah's. Concern lurked in hers and her heart ached to comfort his forlorn, irresolute heart. "We can save them all, Chuck," she reassured. Her caring eyes expressed so much warmth, relaxing him to a degree.

The Doctor's fingers frenetically fiddled with his buttons and levers. "Where to, Bartowski?"

He swallowed once more, his eyes never failing to depart from hers and her eyes never failing to depart from his. "Fine. First stop: Echo Park."

Mute, blind and dissolved in silence, Ellie's heart tenderly pumped with charged fear. The lights of their apartment were switched off as Chuck had ordered, leaving the house as dark as midnight's pit. Her mind incessantly throbbed from her attempt at deciphering what 'threat' Chuck tried to warn her about.

With a baseball bat in hand, her feet slowly crept towards her bedroom, hoping to successfully hide her body below her thick, cosy duvets. Occasionally, the wooden floorboards of her home felt her numb toes press between the cracks, allowing it to creak with age. The sound sent fiery shivers up her back, as though malaria had caught up with her.

Reaching the warm quarters of her bedroom, she extracted her phone, attempting to call her husband for the hundredth time. But once again, the only answer she received was his voicemail. The silence that accompanied her thumping heart continued to overstay its welcome, and its lingering presence stirred concern and uncertainty in her mind.

Where the hell is Chuck?

Her body froze. Chills tickled her neck. A sudden clang had reverberated from her brother's bedroom. "Chuck?" she called out. Her voice trailed. No reply. "Chuck?" Once again the intruder's lips remained mute.

Her fingers curled tightly round her weapon. Leaping off her bed, she charged towards the entrance of her brother's room, clanging her knuckles against his door. "Chuck … is that you?" Panic charged through her brain, dreading the thought that she failed to lock the window – the 'Morgan-door' – of her brother's bedroom, leaving her and the house momentarily vulnerable.

"Chuck," she continued, "you are scaring me. If that is you please answer. I don't want to be in the dark anymore. What is going on?"

As she turned the lock, an unfamiliar growling sound increased in volume. She treaded closer. The footsteps of the growler amplified. She could hear the soles of its feet slap against the floor. Swallowing the ball of saliva that formed in her throat, she burst the door wide open. Through the glistening light originating from Chuck's wide open window, Ellie witnessed lifeless eyes glowering at her with desire. "Oh my God!" Drool cascaded from the female predator's bottom lip. She staggered towards her, enthusiastic to feed her hunger. Ellie raised her baseball bat. The Jumbie's jaw lowered, ready to take a bite. Ellie grimaced. As the cannibal's blood-stained sundress blew against her leg, she swiped her bat across her enemy's face and watched as its head bashed against the edge of Chuck's bed. Ellie dropped her weapon. Red liquid leaked down the wooden bedpost. "I am so sorry," she fretted. "I – I …" Charging towards the intruder, her medical instincts took pilot of her body and she lowered the unconscious female onto her brother's bed. The lady's wedding and pinkie finger of her left hand had been crunched off, but bandaged. A puddle of blood blemished the bind up. Ellie examined the female's battered brains, fearing the swipe of her bat had killed this woman, thereby titling Eleanor as a 'murderer'. Her eyes glanced over the wounded's chest. A wheeze escaped the brain-beaten woman and Ellie hurriedly checked her pulse.

"That can't be possible."

Vworrp. Vworrp.

"But you're–"

"Ellie, get away from that."

She darted her head round. From the beaming light of the window, the shape of her brother's heart-warming face materialised. "Chuck? Where did you–"

"From my Tardis," the Doctor exclaimed, announcing his presence. "And Chuck's right. Best you get away from that body." Eleanor scrunched her brows, now taking notice of the strange blue police box that had miraculously vapourised. Sarah and Casey's faces appeared from the entrance. "I'm the Doctor. You must be Eleanor."

"Ellie, get away from her, you don't k–"

"I need your help. I'm a doctor too. I saw her approaching and impulsively hit her head with a bat, but I think I can still save her. She's breathing."

The Doctor threw his long, brown trench coat over a rack in his spaceship and darted towards the assaulted woman. He extracted his sonic device.

"What is that?" Ellie questioned.

"A screwdriver."

Lines creased her forehead. "You can't help her with a screwdriver."

"This one's sonic." The blue beam from his device shone into the unconscious female's eyes. Soon the growls began again, stirring excitement within him. "Everyone take a step back. No one do anything rash. I want to talk to her."

"I appreciate that, Doc," Chuck remarked. "But we need to get to Devon and Morgan. Now."

The remaining fingers of the vicious beast began to gain motion, stretching out for something to latch onto. The Doctor moved towards her with caution. "Hello." Her eyes jerked open. "I'm sorry about what happened to you." Gradually, she turned her head in his direction, her mouth gaping in hunger for his flesh. "I can help. If you let me." Slowly, she lifted her body towards him. "What's your name?" Her salivary tongue licked her upper lip, craving the meal that stood before her. "An answer would be lovely." As her limping legs gravitated towards him – her grumbles being the only response to his question – Sarah raised the gun in her hand and fired a bullet into the face of the hungry female. Her blood-drenched head flung back and her body fell upon the bed again. Ellie's heart pounded with sudden fright. The Doctor shrieked as a ball of rage culminated in his eyes. "What have you done?" She failed to respond. Aggressively, he charged towards her. "I told you not to hurt her."

"And if I didn't fire that bullet she would have infected you."

"Miss Walker, I don't think you quite realise how capable I am of handling this situation. Your bullets do not come in handy and I do not need them for assistance."

"Do you not understand how much you are putting all our lives in danger? My mission is to keep Chuck safe and to stay alive! If you are going to try and converse with every one of these flesh-eating cannibals then surely one of us will die!"

"Sarah, don't–" Chuck blurted.

"Would you rather have her alive than us?"

"She can still feel. When you shoot her you are punishing her with pain."

"She was about to eat Ellie two minutes earlier!"

Enraged, the Doctor let out a shrill bellow, "She is an innocent!" His screech blasted through the wide open windows of Chuck's room. Sarah gulped. She'd forgotten that important little fact. The lady wasn't some criminal who was hell bent on taking over the world or the CIA. She was a normal human being who had been plagued by the Zombian's unforgiveable curse. Nevertheless, innocents could still wound them. Or scratch.

Ellie shred the silence. "Can everyone please explain to me what the hell is going on?" All heads darted in her direction. "Since when does Sarah know how to fire a gun, Chuck? And how is it okay to willingly shoot a human being?" Blank faces stared back at her. "Can someone – anyone – explain to me what the hell is going on?"

"Ellie, I promise I will clarify it all to you," Chuck vowed. "But right now we need to get to Westside Medical and save Captain Awesome."

Her heart speedily raced. The colour from her cheeks started to drain. "Oh my God, Devon."

"Yeah … so … you mind if I explain to you on the way?"

The distinctive sound of the Tardis intensified as a blue police box demystified, becoming more opaque. With a powerful pull, the Doctor's clenched fist opened the Tardis' door. Hordes of Jumbies plagued the Westside Medical corridors. Their eyes focussed in on the newcomer 'vehicle' and the smell of flesh drew their waddling bodies towards the Tardis' direction. "Right," he announced, "not here then." With a forceful slam of the door shut, he darted towards the levers. Gradually, as the extra-terrestrial sound of the Tardis increased in volume, it soon became transparent yet again; leaving the clawing hands of the hungry Jumbies grabbing hold of air.

The Doctor's tiny head peeped through the Tardis' half-flung open door. Dust accumulated in the air of the miniature storage room. Boxes containing medical kit stood neatly on the shelves and piles of blue folded scrubs packed the cupboards. "No. Not here." He shut the door of his spaceship and it evaporated yet again.

A strong wind whipped the corners of the blue police box. As the Doctor retreated from his spaceship, the potent air current blew his long, brown cape and spiky hair in an easterly direction. "Ah, would you look at that. Jumbies even made it to France." He waved jubilantly at the limping mutants that walked the earth down below.

"This is not Westside Medical," Sarah sternly remarked, her body now also escaping the warm, secure corridors of the Tardis.

"You don't say. Seems we have made a wrong turn."

The muscles in Chuck's quivering hands tautened, feeling the icy chill of the cold, French air nip away at his skin. "Are we – are we," he stuttered, "on the Eiffel Tower?"

"Looks that way don't it?" An amused grin grooved the skin of the Doctor's cheeks. "I remember when this beauty was built. I should take you then sometime. Ah, you'll love France in the 1880's."

"T-that's great," Chuck retorted. "I've all – always wanted to v-visit the Eiffel Tower. B-but right now, we n-need to find my br–"

"Oh yes! I forgot about that for a second. To the hospital." His cape blew behind him like a superhero soaring through the air. Everyone ventured back into the Tardis in search of Ellie's long lost fiancé.

Like a head getting beaten to a pulp, a strong fist repeatedly pounded against the door of apartment 211. With shock, a concerned fellow swiftly opened it. He smirked with delight. "Took you long enough."

A slender, dark-haired female charged through. The red lipstick from her lips smeared her cheeks, and her tight-fitting, skimpy outfit appeared clawed by some rabid beast. The net of her fishnet stockings had been cut and unravelled, as though fish had freed themselves from her snare. "You will not believe the trouble it took for me to get here. I am so charging extra."

"Wha … now that's just unfair."

"Are you even aware of what is going on out there?"

"Totally. I went out earlier to order some fries and a burger but some dude tried to hook me from behind. Instead, I came back here and ordered you."

"Did the maniac leave a mark?"

"Looks like a tiger clawed my back. But it's chilled. Ladies love warrior wounds."

She stared at him with mistrusting uncertainty. "The shirt hides it well…"

"Chill. This whole thing is probably just some huge prank orchestrated by the government."

"Uh, are you insane? First of all, there is not enough make-up in the world to make all those crazy people out there appear like realistic walking-dead meat-eaters. Second of all, they are all acting like realistic walking-dead meat-eaters! I highly doubt the government would orchestrate one citizen mutilating and chewing another. Eh. I'm sorry, but this flesh is too fresh to be eaten."

He chuckled. "Did you run?"

"Duh. Do you even watch zombie movies, Shane? The chicks always get eaten first."

"Ha-ha you're like their fast food."

"Whatever. I came here to do my job and please a customer. This trip will not be made in vain."

As he locked his door, 'securing' the perimeter, an unforeseen sound originated in his living room –

Vworrp. Vworrp.

The Doctor's hands clutched hold of a few levers in the Tardis. As the spaceship lurched abruptly in zigzag directions, everyone hung onto something for dear life. "Do you even know how to fly this thing?" Sarah shouted, her body jerking to the jolting movement of the vehicle.

"Uh, no. No," he exclaimed, his eyes still focused on the levers. "But I am scheduled for my learners in December. So…keep fingers crossed."

With a dropped jaw, her bulged, irate eyes slowly glanced towards Chuck. "He – he's kidding," Bartowski tittered with uncertainty. "He joke…he make joke."

"I don't mean to be the pessimist here," Casey interjected, "but we need to discuss the possibility that Devon Woodcomb is–"

A loud-screeched "no" echoed through the Tardis, escaping Ellie's lips and shattering Casey's eardrums. "Don't you dare, John. Don't you even think my fiancé is dead."

"Mph. That's not what I was implying."

"Yeah. We know what you were implying, Casey," Chuck insinuated.

The motion of the Tardis halted as the Doctor parked his vehicle in position. "Would everyone just stop arguing? Your fiancé is fine, Eleanor. I'll make sure of it. He's probably right outside these doors as we speak." He quickly charged towards the entrance of the Tardis and, once again, flung the doors wide open.

Unfamiliar eyes stared blankly at the faces peeping through the entrance of the police box. "What the hell," Shane exclaimed, "is that?"

A perplexed look shrouded the Doctor's face. "Uh…hmm…well I think it's a bit late to inform you, Eleanor, but I think your fiancé is cheating on you with another woman."

"That's not my fiancé," she grunted.

Sarah's analysing eyes stared back at the unacquainted faces. "Is that a … prostitute?"

"I think they prefer the term 'courtesan'. It's just more polite. Well … I suppose 'harlot' works as well."

"And 'trollop'? What about 'trollop'?" Chuck joined in.

"You might as well call me a hoe while you're at it," she disgruntled.

"Oh – no, that's not – I didn't mea–"

She flouted his apology. "Who are you and how did you even possibly get here?"

"Well hello there. I'm the Doctor. These here are my companions. What's your name, mam?"

"Elizabeth," she replied.

"Ooh, Elizabeth?"

"Yeah. Like the queen."

"No. No, don't say that." Her brows furrowed.

All eyes glanced towards the courtesan's friend. "Uh … the name's Shane."

"Like from the TV series? How exciting. Though, quite ironic."

Lines creased his forehead. "Which TV series…?"

"Oh … right, that hasn't aired yet. Or been created yet… Listen Lizzie, Mr Walsh–"

"That's not my surname…"

"We do apologise for this inconvenience. It seems we have the wrong room. We will just be on our way then."

A scourging look of horror smeared Bartowski's face. "What? We can't just leave them here!"

Casey clutched hold of his sleeve. "Chuck, leave it."

"What – have you guys gone insane? What about the whole defending the country and the world so the citizens can live peacefully nonsense? These are citizens and they need our help. They will die out here."

Fumes escaped the NSA spy's nostrils and he grumbled displeasingly. "I am not sharing a room with a prostitute, Chuck. It's illegal."

"Oh so it's illegal now to share a room with a prostitute?"

"No. Prostitution, you dumbass. It's against my code of conduct."

"You know, I can hear you…" Elizabeth commented.

"Great. Look what you have done now, Casey, you have hurt her feelings."

Shane attempted to end the dispute. "Dude, it is chilled man. It's not like we'll be any safer in a police box anyway."

"Oi! That's a major insult I'll have you know. This beaut is a Tardis," the Doctor exclaimed, his outraged disdain overshadowing his internal pride.

"I agree with Chuck," Ellie remarked. "We can't leave them here." The Intersect smiled broadly in her direction, pleased that his sister's heart also pumped humanity through her veins.

"Wait, hold on now. Have you asked them if they want to even join us?"

Clouding uncertainty shaded Elizabeth's eyes. "What's a Tardis?"

The Doctor grinned. "It's a spaceship. And time machine. And … it's also alive."

Shane chuckled with disbelief. "Is this for rea–"

"What's your name?" she asked, her eyes blazing a look of intrigue in Chuck's direction. Sarah furrowed with baffled suspicion.

"Uh me? Oh, I'm Charl – Chuck."

Elizabeth's hazel green eyes settled upon his. He could feel a sense of maladroit discomfort cause his palms to intensify with sweat; as though her interrogating, emerald eyes burned the retina of his. The corner of her lip slowly widened into a silent smile. "All right. Shane, let's join them."

BACK TO THE PRESENT

Following the fall of the Intersect, a shrill cry bounced off the hospital walls, grazing its quarters with the sound of dismantling terror. "Chuck!" Ellie's cheeks flooded with tears of horror and Devon's masculine arms cupped round his fiancé, caging her body from nearing her fallen brother.

A quaking tremble consumed Sarah's limbs. "Oh my God, Chuck." She shivered like a tremor as her panicked mind stifled her thoughts with apprehension. In anguish, her legs dashed towards him. However, her partner's plunged arm immobilised her body from nearing the crime scene. The Doctor had already grasped the wounded Intersect before she had a chance to, carrying his comatose body with haste to the guarded room. "Block the doors," he shrieked.

"No, Elizabeth is still–"

"She's not," Casey muttered. The shredded body of their new acquaintance had served as dinner to the ravenous patients and staff of the Westside Medical hospital. Their gangly fingers had grated her skin, nibbled her organ of flesh and dragged her decapitated existence into their circle of anthropophagites.

The Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to lock the door, giving them some time to reach his spaceship.

He burst through its blue entrance. "I'll launch a protective barrier round the Tardis. We don't need any more Jumbie threats on our lives." Entering though, with Chuck in his arms, Devon's eyes fell into a pit of bewilderment after witnessing the spaceship's never-ending size. "Devon and Eleanor, there is a medical room in the back of the Tardis," the Doctor exclaimed. "Two turns to your left, one to your right, fifth yellow door on your left hand side. Let's hope there's still someone to save."

Devon caught his breath. "Okay … so this is a space and time machine. You're an alien. Outside, those things are aliens. Casey and Sarah are really secret government spies. And I'm carrying my soon to be bro-in-law's wounded body. Whoa … today has been a long day! That's a lot to take in after a short period of time."

"Devon! Concentrate," Ellie screamed. "Chuck's been shot," After a frenetic nod, they both hurriedly passed through the Tardis' corridors, nearing the Medical room.

Sarah turned to her partner. The Doctor's intuitive ears tuned in on their muttered conversation, trying not to attract any attention towards his uninvited eavesdrop. She diminished the sound of her voice to an accusatory whisper. "Did you fire the second bullet?"

Casey shook his head. "That bullet came from the opposite direction, Walker. The balcony. Someone else is still out there."

"And someone else just shot Chuck."

Her fuming eyes shone red lights into his. "Walker, don't even think about it. There is no way you are going back out there. Especially not for Bartowski's sake."

"Someone just fired a bullet through Chuck's chest, Casey, and you're not the least bit concerned who the shooter is?"

"It was an accident, Walker. The guy was aiming for Shane. Don't blame the poor bloke for his bullet arriving a little later than yours." She dropped her gaze, feeling disheartened by an internal burden of worry. "He will be fine. You've got nothing to fear."

Her eyes fell back to his, shaded by a reddened haze and sheath of tears. "He's the Intersect, Casey. It was my job to protect him." Steadfastly, her shoulder brushed passed his as she trailed away.

The Intersect?

Chuck's existence now flashed like a light bulb in the Doctor's mind. The name 'Bartowski' had rung a few bells before, however it wasn't until the unacquainted mention of Chuck's forte that the Doctor recalled Bartowski's pivotal reference in the history books. He was the Intersect, one of the most vital men of time. His death now would be rather untimely to say the least.

A sudden scream blasted through the Tardis' walls. All heads flung in the direction of the screech's origin.

Walker hastily appeared from the corner of the medical room. The Doctor and Casey soon followed. With defibrillator in hand, Captain Awesome attempted to revive Chuck's heart. "Come on, man. Come on."

"Do something, Devon! Resuscitate him!" Ellie screamed, welcoming the stream of more tears down her face.

"I can't – I…" A quake cracked his voice. Chuck's stationary body lay motionless on the operating table; his eyes so deeply shut as though slumber had captured his body's cognizance and devoured it whole. Devon attempted to defibrillate him once more. "You can't do this to us, bro. You got to wake up, man." Bartowski's mouth remained closed, responding with silence. Devon attempted resuscitation. Repeatedly, his potent hands pressed down against his soon to be brother-in-law's chest. No pulse. He tried again. Chuck's body failed to respond. Deep breaths of exhaustion escaped Devon's lips, yet he failed to stop trying. The blood eluding through Bartowski's blemished shirt stained Devon's palms. Chuck's cold body jolted in response to Captain Awesome's thrust against his chest, bouncing the animal patterned curls of his dark, oily hair into the air, before it settled again onto his forehead.

Bereavement had stunned Sarah with its paralysing sting, leaving behind the remains of a pale complexion and tenderly pulsating heart. Casey's bulged eyes expressed the stunned emotion that pulsed through his veins whilst Ellie's widened jaw and muted weep shot daggers through the heavy air.

Devon's two footsteps away from Bartowski's broken body fractured the paralysed silence. "No, no," Ellie whispered.

The Doctor lowered his head in grief. His touch on Sarah's shoulder halted the wringing of her hands. "I'm so, so sorry," he consoled. Without making any eye contact, she turned away, departing from the room where her fallen hero lay.

45 MINUTES EARLIER

The jerking movements of the flying Tardis came to a rutted halt. The Doctor parked it firmly in position. "Can I just say," Chuck panted, "I would feel a lot safer in the wild than in this flying time machine."

"And space. Don't forget it also travels through space."

"All right, soldiers. Let's go save Ellie's fiancé." With his gun held firmly in his hands, Casey charged towards the entrance of the Tardis. Chuck followed close behind him.

"Ellie, I think it's best if you stay in here where you are safe," Bartowski advised.

"No. It is my fiancé who is out there and I want my face to be the first he sees. Well, the first human face he sees."

"But Ellie–"

"No, Chuck. I have made up my mind." A frustrated sigh whiffed through his lips and he gave in to his sister's demands.

"Uh … what 'bout Elizabeth and me?" Shane inquired. "Can we stay?"

"What's wrong, Shane?" Liz tantalised. "Scared of the big bad wolf?"

Casey snickered. "Nah, you can't stay here, pansy. We need muscle." He handed the bloke a gun. Shane's arms felt its cumbersome mass weigh down his scrawny body. "Don't drop it, idiot. That's not a toy."

"You know violence is the last resort…" The Doctor remarked.

"I respect your opinion, Doctor. But with the bulk amount out there, guns might come in handy. Besides, it's not like our bullets kill them."

Before Chuck could depart, Sarah's palm grabbed hold of his wrist, pulling him aside. "Chuck, I want you to stay in the Tardis."

His puppy dog eyes frowned in dismay. "What, no. You have got to be kidding me."

"I can't risk you getting bit."

"If Ellie can go then so can I."

"Chuck, please. Don't argue with me about this." He grunted with dissatisfaction.

Soon, Elizabeth's snooping personality intruded on their conversation. "Wait, is Chuck staying?"

"Yes–"

"No-o," he grieved.

"No, it's okay, Chuck. If you stay, I'll stay."

Walker sneered. "Really …?"

"Oh yeah. I think it will be fun. Just Chuck and I … in a big, old spaceship … talking … alone. What do you think, Chuck? You up for it?"

Sarah bit her inner gums. Her leering eyes fell from the prostitute to the Intersect. "Yeah, Chuck … you … up for it…"

"No. Listen. Guys! My sister's fiancé is out there and while it is your job to protect me, Sarah, it is my job to protect my family. You are not going out there one man down."

"Aw, but Chuck, we could have so much fun inside the Tardis. Maybe explore. Play a few games. Hide and seek? Strip poker?"

Bothered by her unsolicited presence, Sarah's face was smeared with exasperation. She ignored the tiresome flirtatious attempt of the slut beside her. "When your safety is being jeopardised then yes, Chuck, it is my job to keep you safe. Can't you please respect that? For once?"

"I do, Sarah. But you are asking too much of me. How can you expect me to sit back and do nothing while my friends and family possibly get eaten or mangled by some cannibal? It's not fair."

Although failing to respond, Walker's pleading eyes spoke for her. Silence lingered between them. Elizabeth was overwhelmed with perplexity. "Wait so … are you staying or going? I'm confused."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Well which would you prefer?"

"Whoa … okay. I see I'm stepping in on someone else's territory. Chill. I'll leave." An astonished scowl stained the prostitute's face.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She raised her brow.

"Yeah …" Chuck queried, "What – what do you mean?"

A long trench coat blew behind the Doctor as he rushed towards them. "Oi! Guys, what's going on here? Let's get going. Come on. Devon's not going to survive out there forever."

The rest of them, including Elizabeth, soon departed out the Tardis, whereas Walker pulled Chuck aside once again. Her head burrowed, sparing her mind a brief moment to capture the words that needed to be said. "There are a lot of Jumbies out there, Chuck. A lot of them … unfortunately," she laughed. Her nervous smile captivated his fragile heart. "We will probably get cornered and someone … well, one of us will fall prey to them…" He stared into her fearful eyes, anxiously adhering to her every word. "One of us is going to die out there. It might be me, Casey. I doubt the Doctor. But one of us will…" Never failing to depart from her troubled eyes, he acknowledged how deep despair had clung onto her. She appeared like a frail warrior, oscillated by her obstinately pessimistic thoughts. "I don't want that person to be you, Chuck." She gnawed her inner gums. "Not you." Avoiding eye-contact, she tried to conceal the vulnerable gleam that harnessed the indigo-tinted windows of her soul. A grin captured his face and he delicately wrapped his palm round her clenched hand, helping her unclench it. She smiled.

However, his response wiped her relaxed expression away. "I'm sorry, Sarah. But I have to. He is family."

Encumbered by the threat of suspicious solitude, quietly their muted footsteps tread through a vacant passageway that no Jumbie apparently longed to occupy. The dimming lights above shaded the corridor in a gloomy grey, leaving the eyes of the venturous group slightly blinded by unwanted darkness. Desolate papers settled among the floor, though occasional gusts of wind brushed its corners into the air, where it dangled, appearing to battle with an invisible enemy. As the breeze passed, the victorious paper nestled once again among the dusty, cold ground. This deserted passageway captured frightened memories in its walls. With wide-flung doors, shattered windows and unmade beds, the pathway clearly elaborated on the panicked flee that recently occurred. The wounds of this evacuated hospital were fresh. Damaged medical equipment clung to the sides. Its beaten and ruptured limbs lay beside it. It was as if mentally deranged patients were caged in this infirmary and now had broken free from their imaginary chains.

The Doctor's fingers cupped round an open doorway, peeping his head through. Room C2. Lifeless hands spread out across the floor. Half of the deceased's body lay hidden behind a hospital bed. Blood darkened the corpse's pale palms, appearing to ooze from his fingernails. His hospital gown merely covered his body, its ripped fabric revealing the gnawed, shredded figure beneath. "Rest in peace," the Time Lord announced. His voice was as faint as a whisper.

As if the Doctor emitted a vigorous gravitational pull, his bodyguards – Walker and Casey – stayed close beside him. With fingers, tightly wrapped round their weapons, they weren't hesitant to pull the trigger, for the temptation to fire at an undesirable moving target intensified like an irksome itch.

Footsteps halted. A large, steel wall towered over the skinny Time Lord. He leaned closer, pressing his palm against the monumental barrier that blocked their pathway. A blue beam was emitted from the extraction of his sonic screwdriver, and he shone his device across the corners of the steel barricade. Abruptly, it lifted, producing a clanging sound of metal clashing with metal. "Thank goodness it's not wood!" He exclaimed. Merrily, after the obstacle elevated and cleared the lane, he continued to stroll along Ward C. The group followed on behind him, their ears being attracted to the desolate silence that occupied the ward. Captured by a daunting chill of peculiarity, the hospital seemed strangely void of predators. A splintered ligneous door lay decrepit, depending solely on the hinges of the evading nails that were bound to the contiguous wall to thwart its collapse. A slice of shattered glass cracked below the Doctor's red sneaker. Blood deluged like a waterfall from the vacant, abandoned rooms they passed, discontinuing just after reach of the threshold. An icy breeze tickled their extremities and their dense exhales hung in the air like mist.

"So uh, how old were you when you discovered you wanted to be a prostitute?" Chuck asked.

Elizabeth's eyes gleamed with amusement. "Oh, I think I always knew, you know. It has always been a dream of mine."

"Really? And your parents are fine with your endeavours?"

The group turned a corner where they were met with further vacancy.

"Yes. Quite supportive actually. I follow in my mother's footsteps. If it wasn't for prostitution I would never be born."

Chuck laughed. "So it is kind of like a family business? That's inventive. I wish my parents were as supportive as yours seem to be."

"Oh. What do you do for a living?"

"I work with computers…"

"Mm. Well I could see why they would have a problem with that. It isn't the most noble of professions."

Casey released an exasperated grunt at their tedious conversation. Sarah shot him a bemused look, rolling her eyes and then returning her focus back to the matter at hand.

"Yeah …" Chuck continued. "Now that I think about it, they never really were big fans of Bill Gates. I guess that was a sign."

"Were? Oh, are they d–"

"Can we get some silence back there?" the Doctor ordered. "Sound will attract the Jumbies." Feeling scolded, they returned their concentration towards finding Captain Awesome. The gang was met with another steel door that barred them from passing through. "Ah, again? Come on now." Once more, his sonic screwdriver removed the obstruction.

"I wonder what's with all the metal barriers. Everywhere we turn these big steel walls seem to block our path," Sarah observed with frustrated intrigue.

"It's quarantine," Ellie remarked.

A quiver caught Shane's throat. "What?"

"It appears the hospital underwent quarantine. If there is threat of a virus spreading, the hospital bolts all pathways preventing anyone from leaving. Or entering."

"Why would they do that?"

"Well if there is fear of a new epidemic. She just said that, weren't you listening?" The Doctor taunted. "Well it would explain why the hospital appears so deserted. Seems a bit odd. There are definitely Jumbies in this hospital, just can't seem to find them."

Elizabeth simpered. "Sounds as if you wish we would."

Chuck's sweat-drenched palms shot out before him. "Wait. What if Devon is behind one of these doors? Won't it be impossible to reach him?"

"Well no. No. Not if you have a sonic screwdriver like I do. But that's not the problem."

"What is then?" Casey questioned.

An inspecting gaze captured the Time Lord. "Devon is definitely stuck behind one of these doors. The only problem is what if the Jumbies are stuck with him… Eleanor, where is the Quarantine control centre?"

"Uh, the second floor."

"Ward B? Is that ward B?" She nodded. "In which direction are the stairs?"

"Well forward and one turn to your right, but–" his thin figure dashed ahead, "you can't get there. The stairs will be blocked remember?" Her voice trailed. His gangly legs and back faced her, sprinting on.

Acquiring a sonic device such as the Doctor's made their search for Devon seem less strenuous. He unbolted the steel barrier separating the wards from the stairs, reached the Quarantine control centre and, with screwdriver in hand, unlocked the security system, allowing him access to fiddle with the buttons and levers that operated the hospital building.

The rest of the gang reached him. The main room of ward B seemed more rampaged than the previous level. Documents stacked the floor and empty hospital beds lay displaced randomly throughout the passageway. A broken telephone dangled in the air, occasionally banging against the control centre desk where its stretched wire had been flung over. A brighter light shone overhead, its bulbs not near expiration date and a deserted wheelchair fell toppled over, as though its occupier had miraculously begun to feel a tingle in their legs.

"Doctor, what are you doing?" Chuck freaked, his frenzied body charging down the stairs towards the crazed Time Lord.

"I'm integrating the sections of this hospital," he replied.

"Okay dude, I can see you're kind of a control freak, taking lead here," Shane blurted, his voice drenched in frantic fear. "But if you open up all these bolted walls, you could unleash those Jumbie creatures upon us. We might just get cornered."

"Shane is right," Sarah stated. "We don't know where the herd is. We don't know if that is the only one."

"And we don't know where Eleanor's fiancé is either!" the Time Lord bellowed. "There might be more than one victim out there. And I'm not willing to pass on the possibility of saving them."

Elizabeth's face snarled. "You can't save everyone!"

He glared at her with brazen eyes. "Hm. And what if we said that about you?" She drew back in disdain. "There are people stuck in here begging to be saved. What if you were one of them?" Consumed with indomitable rage he slammed his fist on a large red button, resulting in a screeching monotonous blare to roar through the corridors. "Oh yes! We are coming for you."

Sarah's eyes bolted with fury. "Are you insane?"

"Perhaps. I have been called that on more than one occasion. In French it's pronounced 'fou'. My favourite though is Swahili: 'Mwendawazimu', because anyone willing to say that out loud is most definitely insane."

"If there are any Jumbies hiding in this hospital then that noise has now alerted them towards us."

"Oh, come on now. They don't know where we are. That noise is blasting throughout the entire hospital."

She clenched her fists. "Why do you have to be so intolerable?"

He stared at her with a daring look of warranted authority. "Do you want to save Chuck's soon to be brother-in-law or not?" Her silent lips provided the answer.

Strolling along ward B, the presence of Jumbies appeared a lot more frequent now that closed doors had been opened – or rather, lifted. Passing room B6 the team witnessed a food-craved cannibal feed his appetite on a defenceless doctor. Her stethoscope lay clasped in her scrunched fist, as her short, blonde curls – soaked in her own blood – spread out across the floor. The Jumbie raised his blood-smeared face to the team that stood in the doorway watching his gruesome – albeit, lonesome – feast. Clearly the remaining carcass of his prior meal hadn't furnished his growling gut and he retreated from her mangled remains, toppling over her sprawled, disfigured body as he limped towards them. Casey fired a bullet through his eye, hurling his head back; knocking him off his feet and resulting in his soaring body to collapse on top of his lunch.

As they sprinted throughout the corridor, searching through each room for Ellie's fiancé, impatience started to prickle up their spines.

Two Jumbies exited room B15. Sarah and Casey blasted bullets through their skulls. "That doesn't kill them."

"I know."

They turned a corner. Four Jumbies hurled their arms in front of them, diminishing the proximity between them and the gang. Their lurched fingers frantically snatched at the air as though each individual extremity had a mind of its own. Again, the two equipped spies fired their enemies down. "You ever going to use that thing?" Casey nudged Shane.

"Got to get the hang of it, you know…" he gulped.

The group reached room B23. A decapitated Jumbie lay squirming, her head sliced from the rest of her figure. Full of whet, she grinded her razor sharp teeth against the floor which her body faced. "Come on, Shane. This one's not a threat," Casey scoffed. "Try firing your gun."

"There is no time for torture. Let's find Devon," the Doctor ordered.

Their dashing forms turned round another corner. Although the passageways were no longer vacant, they still seemed spared from a massive herd of man-eaters. Sarah's sneakers screeched. "Everyone stop. Can you hear that?" Elizabeth's eyes darted across the room, trying to pay heed to the inaudible sound her ears weren't equipped to hearing.

Casey clutched his weapon tighter. "What is it, Walker?"

"It's … Jumbies."

The Doctor nodded. "Lots of them."

Panic struck Ellie's frantic heart. "What – I … I can't hear anything. Where is the sound coming from?"

Sharing a look of determination, Sarah and the Time Lord raced in the direction of the perilous grumble. Eventually, their sprinting figures reached a dead end. The group trailed close behind them. A large, bolted door stood before them. Wooden planks were nailed into the barrier and the grazed wood appeared clawed, as though a rabid animal had tried to scratch away its exterior. Unbreakable chains anchored the door shut, inhibiting anything from passing through. Carcasses of cadaveric Jumbies formed a pile against the bolted barrier, barring it from unlocking. Above the bolted entry, a blood-spattered sign with the words EAST HALL clung to the wall. The sound of a persistent hammer banging against the door escaped through, following a constant yelping cry. The despaired male's voice squealed, like an innocent child frightened their parent had left them behind. "Someone is trapped inside," the Doctor exclaimed.

"Not only someone. A horde of Jumbies too."

"We have to help him," Chuck insisted.

"Uh, no … no, we don't have to do anything," Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Don't you understand?" howled the Doctor. "If that was you in there, wouldn't you want us to save you?"

"I think we should acknowledge the Jumbies' presence with him behind that door. He's probably already been bit. Most definitely scratched. There is no hope for him now," Casey pronounced.

"Hey – hey, wait. You are fine if you are just scratched right?" Shane freaked. "Like, that won't turn you or anything will it?"

Sarah swallowed, lowering her gaze to the floor. Luring mistrust in his eyes, Casey released a snicker, though he remained curious as to Shane's panicked query.

"No. You can just as easily turn with a scratch as you can a bite." Capturing a scornful expression, the Time Lord held his imperious stare on the blonde female spy. "A single scratch is all it takes. No matter the size." Secreted from his forehead, sweat cascaded down Shane's face as fear sucked the colour from his cheeks. "Now let's focus on getting this door open."

"Stop! I wouldn't do that," a deep-throated voice trailed. All heads sprung round. A tall, attractive blonde chap stood behind them, his blue scrubs stained with the colour of gore. The name DEVON WOODCOMB was stitched into his tattered white lab coat. Only the garment hadn't maintained its angelic, creamy colour, but rather been painted with shades of russet and neon red.

Witnessing the familiar face before her, Eleanor was consumed in a bubble of staggered bewilderment. "Devon?"

His delicate, freaked eyes broadened with shock. "Ellie?" She rushed towards him, violently wrapping her arms around his muscular physique. He pressed his palm against her back, her hair entangling in his fingers. Water blinded his eyes. She sobbed, repeatedly exclaiming "thank God" into his ear. Cupping her hands round the back of his neck, she kissed him tenderly, allowing relief to overwhelm her wholly. "You're alive," she grinned. "Thank God. Oh my God, you are all right!"

Tersely, a loud bang startled their ears. Blood splattered across the back of Devon's coat. A hefty figure knocked against his legs as a fallen Jumbie collapsed onto the floor. Their expressions lunged towards the shooter. Devon's gobsmacked eyes fell upon Casey's raised pistol. "You're kinda handy with a gun there, bro."

"Yeah … perhaps we should explain," Bartowski stated.

"There is time for explanations later, Chuck," the impatient Time Lord exclaimed. "Devon, why is there a man screaming for help behind this door?"

"Doctor Ramirez. He locked himself inside to lure those turned rabid. Sacrificed his life, man."

"Is there any way we can save him?" the Doctor continued.

"I–" Ramirez's screaming voice disappeared with a final shrill cry. The only remaining sound echoing through the bolted door was the grumbling groans of the Jumbies.

"Well … it's a little late now, isn't it?" Elizabeth quipped. The Doctor's fiery eyes shot daggers in her direction. She retreated with caution.

"Babe, who are these people?" asked Awesome.

"That's Shane; Elizabeth, the prostitute," Chuck named, "and the dude with the spiky hair is the Doctor."

Woodcomb grinned. "Sweet, bro. I'm also a Doctor. Though, I'm more of a heart guy."

"That's great. I have two." Devon knit his brows. "Now let's get back to the Tardis."

"What's a Tardis?"

"His spaceship," Ellie noted.

Everyone ignored Woodcomb's bewildered expression and charged in the direction that they came from. "Wait – guys! Where is this thing?"

"Ward C. Upper level."

"You guys have got to be mad." Their speedy feet halted. Ellie's eyebrows rose with sudden realisation.

"Why? What is it?" Sarah fretted.

"No, Devon's right," Eleanor remarked. "You see this bordered door."

Chuck nodded. "The one where all the cannibals are kept, sure…"

"Read the sign above. 'East Hall'."

Casey squint his eyes. "I don't get it."

"East Hall follows the stairway to ward C," Devon continued. "Now that some dude removed the Quarantine on this place, ward C is left wide open. You'd be eaten alive if you ventured there."

Tantalising terror pulsated through their veins. The steady pumping of their brittle hearts soon beat with greater potency; with greater speed. The Doctor stood frozen in position. Their only safe escape had lost its security, now becoming the most perilous path to travel. All eyes fell on the omnipotent Time Lord, anxious for him to inform them of their next plan of action, imploring it wouldn't cost them their lives. He acknowledged their desperate stares and panted profusely. Uncertainty cultivated within him. "I'm not fleeing from my Tardis," he thundered. "If anyone wants to travel a different route, be my guest."

BACK TO THE PRESENT

Steady footsteps followed the shadow of a robust spy, who halted in the entrance room of the Tardis. Sarah's seated body had leaned itself against one of the tree-like branches that eluded from the Tardis' walls. Her wrists nestled upon her bent knees as she stared blankly forward, her eyes deprived of hope. His shadow loomed over her, though she failed to acknowledge his presence. Her mind had fallen deep into the well of her thoughts, resulting in her lack of perceptibility to her external environment. He rested his arm against the circular 'steering wheel' in the centre of the room, which beamed a continual blue light. "You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine." She responded with cold, defensive intention.

He grunted, sensing the fiction in her reply. "Humph. Well, I don't think you need the lecture on how emotions are a liability for us spies," he explained. She lacked a retort. "You lose focus, your enemy gains leverage and you become weak. Often your life ends up paying the price."

Her despondent eyes stared expressionlessly forward. "I know."

He seated his body beside hers, straightening his leg across the floor. "I once had a fiancé." Gently, a surprised smile captured her lips. "Yeah, something you didn't know about me," he snorted. "It was a long time ago. I was just a scrawny kid. Kathleen was the love of my life. But in order for me to be a spy and protect our country, I had to give up that life. And although I believe that was the right decision for me, it was still hard to accept I would lose her forever." Sarah gulped. The thought struck a piercing chord within her. "For a while afterwards, I felt regret. One could even say bitter. At myself. Scared I had made the wrong choice. But the loss of someone you love often makes you a better, stronger person. Eventually all the angst you felt inside disappears and you start to cherish the only thing you have left of them – the memories you shared." She raised her eye line, though still failed to share eye-contact. "You see, Walker, often having someone special doesn't jeopardise your competence. Often it enhances it. Even if you end up losing that person in the process. The loss of Kathleen showed me there was something worth fighting for, something worth protecting."

He retreated from his seat, seemingly about to depart. His eyes fell upon hers, viewing the contemplative expression that smeared her face. "Just because emotions are a liability, Walker, doesn't mean we don't have them. Or that we should hide them." After a shared moment of understanding, he left her alone and ventured towards the medical room where everyone else resided. Staring upon his departing back, a minute quiver seized her lower lip as a tender tear trickled down from her eyelid. Brusquely, her finger swiped the tear away and she shut her eyes with zest.

"How is she?" the Doctor asked, witnessing Casey return to the medical room. Ellie's head settled upon Devon's lap, her eyes resting from exhaustion. Both Awesome and her cheeks were raw, stained by the tears they shed. The Doctor sat across the room from them, their bodies separated by the medical bed where Chuck's motionless figure lay.

"Mph. Keeping it inside. She'd prefer to be alone I suppose."

"I think we all would," Devon remarked. "Lost a lot of friends and family today thanks to that virus. Would be nice to have a break from the grief."

"Chuck was not meant to die today," the Doctor muttered. "The Jumbies presence on Earth must have changed so much of the destined future. Now fixed points in time have altered. Like Chuck's death. It just doesn't make any sense. Not yet at least." Devon started to titter. "What? What is funny?"

"No I … I just keep forgetting you are not from Earth, bro; that those rabid humans out there are hybrid aliens. That Casey and Sarah are spies! That Chuck … it's just … it's all too much to absorb in one day."

The Time Lord lowered his head, analysing the scenario. His mind attempted to fit the pieces into the puzzle. "We can't hide here forever," Casey stated.

"We won't," the Doctor announced. "We just need answers."

Abruptly, the song Don't Stop Believing blared from Chuck's pants pocket. All eyes focussed on him. The loud unanticipated blast awakened Ellie, and she jolted her eyes open in recognition of the familiar tune. "That's Chuck's phone," Devon exclaimed.

The Doctor removed it from his pants pocket. On the screen, the words ONE NEW MESSAGE appeared. The Time Lord opened it:

IT MORG STK CRWLN THRU VESTS – JAIL? ZMBIS CLSE DONO WRE AM HLP!

"What is this language?" the Doctor cried.

"Who is it?" Ellie shrieked.

"'It Morg stk'. Morg? Know anyone named Morg?"

Casey grunted. "Humph. Yeah. Bartowski's bearded friend, Morgan Grimes."

"Oh my word, Morgan. Where is he? Do you know?" Ellie responded.

"Yeah. Secured him in Castle." She scrunched her eyes in confusion. "…Our secret spy base. Seems like we forgot about him."

"He says he is 'crwln thru vests.' That can't be very secure from Jumbies," the Doctor jested. "Vests aren't big enough to hide the whole human body."

Casey knit his brows. "Let me see that." He inspected the message.

"Vests … Maybe he is hiding in some clothes store?" Devon suggested.

"No. Vests," Eleanor exclaimed. "He means vents. Must be a spelling error."

"Well we have to go save him!" her fiancé interjected.

"Castle is flooded. It will be impossible to reach him."

Determination lured in the Doctor's eyes. "Then we need a plan of strategy. We need to clear Castle as well. Ellie and Devon, you will stay inside the Tardis. Cannot risk your lives."

Awesome's heart rapidly pattered. "Wait, are you guys sure about this? Going out there, we could lose another."

"It's Chuck's best friend." Sarah's voice trailed from the doorway. Startled, all faced her direction. Her eyes remained glued to the immobile body that lay on the medical bed. "It's what he would have wanted."

"You sure you're fine to go out there? If your judgement is clouded you could get bit, Walker."

She shrugged with impassive eyes. "I don't care."

A constant whimper echoed through the air ducts of Castle. Morgan clenched his fists and used his arms to propel him forward, lugging his body along the vents. "I'm going to die, I'm going to die," he muttered. "No man with a full grown beard should ever have to go through this! Chuck Norris would never be placed in this kind of predicament." The sound of the Jumbies diminished as Morgan augmented the proximity between them. None had successfully climbed into the air ducts, allowing for a greater escape. He had utilised this tactic before when in the Buy More. He only prayed there was another secure room he could flee to.

Glancing down, he noticed a chamber full of guns below him. "Now this is more Chuck Norris." No Jumbies seemed present in the armament room and he took a chance at fate, hoping the card he played would not turn out to be a Joker.

He removed the vent door and dropped his body down, resulting in a loud thud to resonate from the room. He glanced out through the clear, shatterproof glass door, witnessing many more Jumbies pointlessly strolling through Castle. He ducked his body behind a table in the room, hoping to hide his presence from the food-craved cannibals eager to consume him.

Hordes of Jumbies straddled along the corridors of Castle. Many inundated the cells and passageway leading towards the central room of the underground base. They dragged their legs behind them, limping with no sense of direction. Shoulders brushed passed shoulders, though no fight had been instigated. Like a unified team their blood-stained bodies appeared to morph into one giant herd.

With a commanding clank, a metal wall dropped from the roof above, acting as the Berlin Wall that separated this congested Jumbie family. The startling bang caught their attention, and their crazed eyes took note of the peculiar metal wall that divided them. The entry wound into Castle had been sealed, preventing further Jumbies from venturing into the underground base. Precipitously, another metallic barrage seized their pathway, cornering them into a dead end. The Jumbies in the central room of Castle were blocked off by an additional impenetrable barrier, diminishing the quantity of Jumbies that besieged the central room. Now, with less space to dawdle, the blocked-off corridors were jam-packed with these infected humans.

Their nostrils flared, catching whiff of edible, juicy meat. The secretion of saliva accreted. The starved crowd hungrily shuffled towards the direction of the scent. Fresh meat dangled from a rope through the vents of each of the jail cells in Castle, luring the mass of Jumbies towards each chamber and draining the bevy from the corridors. Hurriedly, the cells crammed till there was no space left for another being to fit inside. The rope soon fell from the vents, dropping the portion of meat onto the floor where the Jumbies crowded around, stretching their fingers, trying to grab hold of the desired meal. With rapid haste, the shatterproof doors of the jail cells shut closed, securing the Jumbies inside.

From each closed off segment of Castle's corridors, a fiery explosion fired like a ripple effect, burning all Jumbies caged between. The eruption blast through each jail cell, scorching their flesh as it shrivelled into ash. Besides for singe marks, the metal walls were left unaffected.

The distinctive sound of the infamous Tardis amplified. The blue police box concreted, making its unexpected appearance in the central room of Castle. Casey and Sarah burst through its doors with guns in hand. The remaining Jumbies in the central room smelt their flesh and wobbled towards them with their claws stretched out. Walker and Casey fired continual bullets through their brains, blasting all the Jumbies to the ground, where their heads collapsed in the pools of their own blood. With aggravation, the two spies extracted the knives tucked below their shirts. They neared their fallen enemies and speared the brain stem of each of the transformed cannibals that lay beaten on the floor.

Morgan's startled face dashed out the armament room carrying a rifle in his hands. He pointed it at the defunct Jumbies that lay flooded by their own blood. "Yeah, take that you mad hatters!" he screamed. The eyes of the dominant, chilling spies fell on him. Disgruntled, Casey heaved his rifle from Morgan's palms. "That was really scary and super cool!" Grimes continued. "Sarah, where'd you learn how to use a gun?" Her jaw lowered, feeling slightly conflicted in having to elaborate to him the series of events that occurred throughout the day. "And how did you guys make that police box magically appear? Did you use like an invisibility cloak? You know, I've always believed they were factual. Harry Potter is a real boy." Walker and Casey shared a glance. "And Casey what is this place? Why did you hide me here?" His fleeting queries flew by, too quick to provide them with a moment to explain. "Wait – you knew I was here. You bombed half this compartment. You were willing to bomb this place with me inside!"

"Relax, idiot," Casey groaned. "Checked the cameras. We saw you were hiding like a baby in the armoury room."

"Well you guys just saved my life. That means you got my message! Where is Chuck? I miss my buddy. I want to see that he is all right."

Sarah lowered her eyes in woe. She couldn't find the right words to explain and thus failed to respond. The Doctor's red sneakers appeared from the Tardis' entrance. He leaned his back against the doorway. "Hello, Morgan." Grimes' head darted towards him, flabbergasted by his unannounced presence. "I'm the Doctor. I'm glad you are all right. Even though I don't approve of Sarah or Casey's methods, at least another one of our group hasn't fallen."

The bearded bloke frowned. "What do you mean?"

The Time Lord uncrossed his arms, lowering his gaze to the floor. "Come inside."

The entrance of the police box opened. The Doctor peeped through. Doleful, Sarah sat where Casey had found her before; her body leaned against an eluding steel tree branch. "We've cleared all the bodies out. Castle is officially secure. Eleanor still sleeping?"

Sarah nodded. "Uh yeah. I think the day has really worn her out."

"I believe it has worn everyone out. How did Morgan take the news?"

She smiled. "He's also sleeping…"

"Ah, I see." He knocked his teeth together. After removing his long, brown trench coat, he settled it on his coatrack.

"I am surprised you went through with Casey and my plan. The way we cleared Castle."

He grinned, burrowing his hands deep in his blue pants pockets. "I doubt you would have let me disagree. Besides, the Jumbies are a new race. Through the duration of a single day, they have extensively altered the course of history. Well … impressive, but intolerable. Perhaps they are meant to be stopped. It's just sad to see humans having to pay the price." Delicately, she stroked the back of her neck, unknotting her tensed muscles. He settled beside her, resting his hands against the cold floor before he also inclined his body against the steel branch. He extended his legs forward to maintain a more comfortable position.

She glanced down. Her eyes bulged in sight of his hand. "Oh my God. You've been scratched!"

He lifted his wrist. "Oh right. I believe I have." Her gobsmacked eyes glared at him in baffled shock. His complacent response prompted the dropping of her jaw. "Oh relax. This is nothing more than a scratch to me. I'm a Time Lord remember. We don't get infected by this virus. Our bodies are immune to it."

She suspired. "Well that's fortunate."

"I guess not all of us have been so lucky…" Nervous, her fingers caressed her neck once more. He acknowledged the action. "So why haven't you turned?" he asked transparently, once again burying his hands in his pockets. The stroking of her neck halted. Her fearful eyes stared forward omitting any form of eye contact. She gulped with anxiety. "Shane turned within minutes. With you, it's been hours. And still, here you are. Human. I can't quite explain it."

She dropped her gaze, biting her inner gums. "You know about the scratch…"

"Well your hair hides it successfully. Not that successfully, but no one else seems to have noticed."

She smiled, though caution continued to lurk in her eyes. "Are you waiting for me to turn so you can finally have the chat you've always wanted with a Jumbie?"

He laughed. "That'll be ironic. You've been stopping my chances to all day."

She clenched her jaw. "I suppose Casey will shoot me before you have a chance to."

"No one is going to pull the trigger on you, Sarah."

Her eyebrow raised in disagreement. "You might have to."

"No. Violence is always the last resort."

She chuckled amusedly. "And a reasonable conversation is the first, I'm assuming?"

"Ah! So she does listen."

A grin spread across her cheeks. "Well if you are planning on putting me through that torture, you might as well shoot me now."

His eyes stared forward, sunken deep in his thoughts. Overwhelmed with maladroit emotions, she glanced away. Gradually, his smile departed. "How'd it happen?"

She gulped, consistently wringing her hands. "A young boy, uh, he'd been infected … For some reason I just," she frowned abashedly, "couldn't shoot him. And when it came to the point that I had to shoot or be infected myself, I … missed." Her lamenting gaze fell. "He was just an innocent. Until I realised that he wasn't anymore. But I guess by that time it was already too late."

The awkward air remained condense between them. "It's not just the scratch, Walker. My psychic paper was blank to you. And when no one else could hear the Jumbies except for me, you could too. You're infected, but yet not turned. And your precision is spot on. It is almost supernatural."

Her nerves caught the better of her, and she smiled disconcertedly again. "Maybe my Jumbie instincts are finally kicking in."

"Don't deflect. Jumbies cannot do what you can do."

She bit her lower lip, praying for an adjustment to the conversation. "I keep thinking about that second shooter," she declared. "The one who shot Chuck… The hospital had been quarantined. The shooter had to have already been in the building–"

"Don't diverge the topic. I am not going back in time to stop the incident, Sarah."

She gleamed. "I hadn't thought of that …"

"Oh no! No. Don't. Don't even say it. Do you know what happens when you intercept your own time loop? Two sets of yourself being in one location at the same time is very risky."

"Wait–" Her hair sliced through the air as she turned to face him. "Are you saying that it is possible?"

Devon appeared from the passageway of the Tardis. "Sarah." Her animated eyes fell on him. "Ellie wants a word."

Her eyes fell back to the Doctor. "Are you saying there a possibility that we can bring Chuck back to life?"

The Time Lord analysed her with scrutiny. "You still haven't told me, Sarah. What are you?"

"Can Chuck live?"

Devon cleared his throat, "Sarah."

"Just tell me the truth."

The Doctor never wavered from his examining stare. "Your precision, your hearing," he minutely whispered, "It's like you are … different somehow. Immune like me."

She frowned. "Like you?"

"What are you?"

She drew back. "Human". He shook his head. "Answer the question. Can we save Chuck?"

"Ellie's really tired, Sarah," Devon interjected.

"Wait!" she blurted, soon acknowledging her hasty snap. "Sorry. I – I'm coming." Sighing with discouragement, she began departing. "This isn't over."

As the Doctor focussed on her quick departure, his mind raced for answers to the puzzles he could not solve. "Human… Nah, she would have turned by now." He glowered. "What are you, you mysterious, non-transforming female?"

Staring blankly forward, his mind's light bulb switched on, radiating his eyes with recognition – with a glistening beam only the answers he searched for could provide. "My word – but she can't – can she?" The puzzles fit together. "That's brilliant." He knit his brows. "But impossible." He dropped his jaw. "She's a Time Lord."