Read Online Doctor Who: Combat Rock by Mick Lewis - Free Book Online Page A

pushed forwards into the opening. His shoulders danced with butterflies for a second, and then like the others, he disappeared from sight.
    ‘Snakes?’ Victoria turned to the Doctor with a horrified expression.
    ‘Don’t worry my lovely. I’ll take good care of you if anything nasty and slimy should make a move on you.’ Drew patted her backside and grinned with dark-stained teeth.
    Victoria spun away with a cry of disgust. The Doctor eyed Drew disapprovingly, until the tourist held up his hands and took his turn at entering the jungle.
    Budi chortled and shrugged meaningfully at Santi and Wina. Santi giggled back, flashing her wall of glistening teeth.
    Budi was the last to leave the beach, taking up the rear directly behind Santi, watching her brown arms and legs moving through the undergrowth appreciatively. He was taking a bit of a shine to her, and if he could just keep that snake Drew out of the way, he could foresee fun times ahead.
    He heard a cry from Wina, then an expletive from Santi.
    ‘What’s wrong?’ he called. The denseness of the hanging vegetation prevented him from seeing too far in front, but he could just make out Wina’s lithe figure as she stopped in the middle of the makeshift pathway.
    Santi turned to flash him another grin. ‘She tear nail on finger. Now she must go home.’
    Wina turned to give her an acid glare, but said nothing.
    Ahead of them came Jamie’s voice. ‘Och, are you two lassies fighting again?’
    Then the Doctor’s face popped into view from around a thick bamboo stalk. ‘Don’t worry. Wemus says it’s not far to the Mumi village, and that we are meeting a friend of his on the way.’ He beamed like a delighted child. ‘And apparently these jungles are home to a wonderful species of exotic bird that is absolutely breathtaking to behold.’
    ‘Yeah, well, don’t that make me feel a whole lot better.’
    Drew barked from somewhere ahead of the Doctor.
    They carried on along the slight path. As they progressed further inland, the path became a little wider, and soon Budi could make out most of their party, apart from Wemus who always seemed to be just a little further ahead than any of the others. Vibrantly coloured birds with bizarre bills watched them from trees and jabbered at them like naughty children as they passed. None of them seemed breathtaking to behold in Budi’s opinion, but then what did he know? He was just a local Batu fisherboy with ideas above his station of becoming a fabulously wealthy merchant. At least that’s what Ussman had told him he would become. And Ussman always seemed to know what he was talking about.
    It was sweltering in the rainforest, and soon Budi’s clothes were drenched with sweat. He consoled himself by watching the similar effect the heat had on Santi, in particular the way her tight top stuck to her body, but then felt immediate contrition as he realized he was beginning to act just a little too much like Drew.
    At least the heat took the two Javee girls’ minds off quarrelling. Still, that had been rather fun in its way too. He heard Victoria give an outraged yelp as a twig snagged her, and grinned. This was the most unusual group of people he had ever had the privilege to be stuck with. It was promising to be an interesting trip, all right.
    The rain had just stopped as Julius left his hut and made his way along the gangplanks towards the museum. His friends smiled at him or hailed him with the traditional afternoon greeting. Agat almost smelled good after the rain. Almost. The filthy swamp tide had retreated beneath the walkways revealing trenches of mud, but the sun was comfortably warm on his back and he found himself thinking of his wife; Silla.
    She was one of the most beautiful Papul girls in Agat. All his friends had been jealous when she’d agreed to marry Julius.
    Some of them had insinuated it was only because he had a good position in the town as the museum curator; others said it was because he was so well in