Read Online Doctor Who: The Green Death by Malcolm Hulke - Free Book Online
Authors: Malcolm Hulke
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in charge.’
The Brigadier went red in the face. ‘Look here—‘
But Professor Jones cut in. He spoke calmly. ‘If I may suggest, Brigadier, as a soldier your place is at the top here, to see there is no more sabotage. Then Dave and his friends will feel safe to go down.’
‘That does sound a very good idea,’ said the Doctor before the Brigadier had a chance to answer. He turned to Dave. ‘I admit that I’m not a miner, Mr Griffiths, but since a very dear friend of mine is trapped down there, would you allow me to accompany you and your colleagues?’
Dave thought about it for a moment. ‘All right, Doctor. But understand it’s another world you’re going down into, our world. So you do what we tell you.’
From outside a miner called that the cable had been cut. The lift was ready to be used. The Doctor was hurried over to the locker room to get fitted out with overalls and a helmet.
Jo felt exhausted. ‘Can we rest a bit?’
It wasn’t so much the distance that tired her but the foul air and the fact that for the past twenty minutes they had been walking bent over because the roof was low at this point.
‘I’m sorry, miss,’ said Bert, ‘but we should keep going. If my reckoning is right, we’re near that old shaft now.’
‘Really, I must stop.’ She sagged down to her knees, her head reeling.
Bert looked at her sympathetically. ‘All right. Catch your breath for the next five minutes.’ He sat down on the floor. ‘Anyway, you’ll need plenty of strength to go up that shaft if we find it.’
‘Up?’
‘Of course. It climbs at about forty-five degrees and comes out on the hillside.’ He switched off his helmet light. ‘Better turn yours off too, miss,’ he said, ‘to save the battery.’
Jo settled herself on the floor, reached up to her helmet, found the switch and turned it. She expected they would now be in total darkness. Instead, from further up the mine, there was glow of light.
‘Look,’ she said excitedly, ‘the old shaft must be just up there. There’s some light.’
Bert was staring at the glimmer in the distance. It seemed to be pulsating—and it was faintly green.
‘The shaft wouldn’t let in any light at all,’ he said. ‘It’s too long. In any case, we must still be a distance from it.’
‘Then where’s that light coming from?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Bert. ‘Let’s go and see.’ He got to his feet and went on down the mine.
Jo scrambled up, feeling better after only a short rest, and hurried after Bert. As they approached it the greenish light got brighter. Jo detected a nauseating smell like rotten cabbages. She caught up with Bert as he was about to turn a corner. But there he stopped, staring.
‘I’ve never seen anything like it in my life,’ he said, not moving now.
A rivulet of brightly glowing green slime was pouring along the mine floor. It came from some way further up the tunnel and was disappearing down a crack in the foot of the wall, near to where Bert and Jo stood looking on in astonishment.
‘Where could it be coming from?’ Jo realised the question was stupid, that Bert couldn’t possibly know.
‘And what is it?’ Bert said. ‘I mean, why should it glow like that?’ He went forward, put out a tentative finger and touched the slime. Instantly he recoiled, staring at his finger. ‘It burns! Like acid!’
Jo was also staring at Bert’s finger. The green slime had sunk into the flesh, and now the flesh itself was glowing green.
Dave Griffiths and two other miners, both experienced in rescue work, stood round the Doctor as he inspected the body of Dai Evans. The face and hands of the dead man were glowing bright green.
‘That’s a horrible way to look when you’re dead,’ said one of the miners.
‘Dead is dead,’ said the other.
‘The question is,’ said Dave, ‘why is he dead? Have you any idea what causes this, Doctor?’
The Doctor straightened up and shook his head. ‘Whatever it is, it must
The Brigadier went red in the face. ‘Look here—‘
But Professor Jones cut in. He spoke calmly. ‘If I may suggest, Brigadier, as a soldier your place is at the top here, to see there is no more sabotage. Then Dave and his friends will feel safe to go down.’
‘That does sound a very good idea,’ said the Doctor before the Brigadier had a chance to answer. He turned to Dave. ‘I admit that I’m not a miner, Mr Griffiths, but since a very dear friend of mine is trapped down there, would you allow me to accompany you and your colleagues?’
Dave thought about it for a moment. ‘All right, Doctor. But understand it’s another world you’re going down into, our world. So you do what we tell you.’
From outside a miner called that the cable had been cut. The lift was ready to be used. The Doctor was hurried over to the locker room to get fitted out with overalls and a helmet.
Jo felt exhausted. ‘Can we rest a bit?’
It wasn’t so much the distance that tired her but the foul air and the fact that for the past twenty minutes they had been walking bent over because the roof was low at this point.
‘I’m sorry, miss,’ said Bert, ‘but we should keep going. If my reckoning is right, we’re near that old shaft now.’
‘Really, I must stop.’ She sagged down to her knees, her head reeling.
Bert looked at her sympathetically. ‘All right. Catch your breath for the next five minutes.’ He sat down on the floor. ‘Anyway, you’ll need plenty of strength to go up that shaft if we find it.’
‘Up?’
‘Of course. It climbs at about forty-five degrees and comes out on the hillside.’ He switched off his helmet light. ‘Better turn yours off too, miss,’ he said, ‘to save the battery.’
Jo settled herself on the floor, reached up to her helmet, found the switch and turned it. She expected they would now be in total darkness. Instead, from further up the mine, there was glow of light.
‘Look,’ she said excitedly, ‘the old shaft must be just up there. There’s some light.’
Bert was staring at the glimmer in the distance. It seemed to be pulsating—and it was faintly green.
‘The shaft wouldn’t let in any light at all,’ he said. ‘It’s too long. In any case, we must still be a distance from it.’
‘Then where’s that light coming from?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Bert. ‘Let’s go and see.’ He got to his feet and went on down the mine.
Jo scrambled up, feeling better after only a short rest, and hurried after Bert. As they approached it the greenish light got brighter. Jo detected a nauseating smell like rotten cabbages. She caught up with Bert as he was about to turn a corner. But there he stopped, staring.
‘I’ve never seen anything like it in my life,’ he said, not moving now.
A rivulet of brightly glowing green slime was pouring along the mine floor. It came from some way further up the tunnel and was disappearing down a crack in the foot of the wall, near to where Bert and Jo stood looking on in astonishment.
‘Where could it be coming from?’ Jo realised the question was stupid, that Bert couldn’t possibly know.
‘And what is it?’ Bert said. ‘I mean, why should it glow like that?’ He went forward, put out a tentative finger and touched the slime. Instantly he recoiled, staring at his finger. ‘It burns! Like acid!’
Jo was also staring at Bert’s finger. The green slime had sunk into the flesh, and now the flesh itself was glowing green.
Dave Griffiths and two other miners, both experienced in rescue work, stood round the Doctor as he inspected the body of Dai Evans. The face and hands of the dead man were glowing bright green.
‘That’s a horrible way to look when you’re dead,’ said one of the miners.
‘Dead is dead,’ said the other.
‘The question is,’ said Dave, ‘why is he dead? Have you any idea what causes this, Doctor?’
The Doctor straightened up and shook his head. ‘Whatever it is, it must
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