Read Online Doctor Who: The Green Death by Malcolm Hulke - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Malcolm Hulke
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be down there.’
‘Hey, look!’ One of the miners had noticed a piece of paper under a stone near to the body. He picked it up and read it, then passed it to Dave. ‘A message from Bert and the girl. They’re trying to find that old shaft.’
The Doctor glanced at the note over Dave’s shoulder.
‘That was a stupid thing to do,’ he said. ‘They should have stayed here.’
‘I agree,’ said Dave, ‘but they didn’t so we’d better go and find them.’ He turned to his colleagues. ‘You two take Dai’s body up to the surface, then send the cage back down for us.’
‘Don’t touch his flesh,’ the Doctor cautioned. ‘This thing may be contagious.’
Jo and Bert were now well beyond the green glowing rivulet of slime, nearer to what they hoped was the way to the old shaft. They had passed the immediate source of the rotten-smelling liquid—a crack in the roof where it was pouring in from somewhere above. Now it was Bert who seemed suddenly exhausted. He sank to the floor.
‘I’m sorry, miss, but I can’t go on. Must be getting old.’
‘We may be nearly there,’ she said, encouragingly.
‘It’s no good, miss. Can’t go on. Too weak. Feel bad.’
He was sweating badly, and put his hand to his face.
The whole hand was now a brilliant glowing green. He looked at his hand. ‘That means I’ve had it. Like poor Dai.’
‘Come on,’ Jo urged, ‘I’ll help you.’
‘You must go ahead on your own,’ he said, his body sagging. ‘Then you’ll escape, and you might get help for me. But you’ve got to leave me here. Otherwise I’ll be a drag on you.’
Jo knew what he said was logical, but she hated the thought of leaving him alone. ‘I’ll get out of here as quickly as I can,’ she promised, ‘and come back with rescuers.’
‘There’s a good girl,’ Bert said. ‘Tell the others never to touch that stuff. You must warn the others... ‘ His head fell forward.
Jo didn’t know if he was already dead, but she realised there was nothing she could do to help him. She hurried on ahead as fast as possible.
Bert was not dead, but he couldn’t move his limbs or even his head, and he could hardly speak. He knew death was near, and his mind drifted back to childhood days.
His memory became increasingly muddled. After what seemed a long time he heard distant voices calling to him, and thought they might be his Uncle Dafydd and his father, both long dead. Then the voices grew stronger, closer.
‘Bert, what happened?’
It was the familiar voice of his old friend Dave Griffiths. Bert tried to look up but could not move his head. ‘The young woman,’ he mumbled. ‘The young woman.’
The Doctor knelt close to Bert. ‘Where is she?’
‘Gone on,’ Bert said, as audibly as he could manage. ‘Looking for escape.’
The Doctor stood up. ‘Get him back to the surface if you possibly can,’ he told Dave. ‘Ask Professor Jones to have a look at him. There may still be hope.’
‘Right,’ said Dave. ‘What about you?’
‘I’m going to look for Miss Grant. Tell the Brigadier that when I find her I’ll bring her to the surface. But no one is to come looking for us. It’s too dangerous.’
The Doctor hurried off down the mine.
Jo turned a corner of the mine, stopped and stared in horror. Before her lay a deep pool of the glowing green slime, and it was teeming with giant maggots, some two feet long, writhing and twisting across the surface.
Nauseated by the sight and terrified, she let out a scream. She was quivering with fear and revulsion.
‘Jo? Jo? Are you there?’ It was the Doctor’s voice, coming closer.
Jo turned round. Coming towards her was a helmet torch bobbing up and down as the wearer ran along the tunnel.
‘Doctor?’ she called. The oncoming light blinded her and she could not see who was approaching.
‘It’s me, Jo,’ the Doctor called.
He came up beside her, and she fell into his arms. ‘Those things,’ she sobbed. ‘Maggots! They look
‘Hey, look!’ One of the miners had noticed a piece of paper under a stone near to the body. He picked it up and read it, then passed it to Dave. ‘A message from Bert and the girl. They’re trying to find that old shaft.’
The Doctor glanced at the note over Dave’s shoulder.
‘That was a stupid thing to do,’ he said. ‘They should have stayed here.’
‘I agree,’ said Dave, ‘but they didn’t so we’d better go and find them.’ He turned to his colleagues. ‘You two take Dai’s body up to the surface, then send the cage back down for us.’
‘Don’t touch his flesh,’ the Doctor cautioned. ‘This thing may be contagious.’
Jo and Bert were now well beyond the green glowing rivulet of slime, nearer to what they hoped was the way to the old shaft. They had passed the immediate source of the rotten-smelling liquid—a crack in the roof where it was pouring in from somewhere above. Now it was Bert who seemed suddenly exhausted. He sank to the floor.
‘I’m sorry, miss, but I can’t go on. Must be getting old.’
‘We may be nearly there,’ she said, encouragingly.
‘It’s no good, miss. Can’t go on. Too weak. Feel bad.’
He was sweating badly, and put his hand to his face.
The whole hand was now a brilliant glowing green. He looked at his hand. ‘That means I’ve had it. Like poor Dai.’
‘Come on,’ Jo urged, ‘I’ll help you.’
‘You must go ahead on your own,’ he said, his body sagging. ‘Then you’ll escape, and you might get help for me. But you’ve got to leave me here. Otherwise I’ll be a drag on you.’
Jo knew what he said was logical, but she hated the thought of leaving him alone. ‘I’ll get out of here as quickly as I can,’ she promised, ‘and come back with rescuers.’
‘There’s a good girl,’ Bert said. ‘Tell the others never to touch that stuff. You must warn the others... ‘ His head fell forward.
Jo didn’t know if he was already dead, but she realised there was nothing she could do to help him. She hurried on ahead as fast as possible.
Bert was not dead, but he couldn’t move his limbs or even his head, and he could hardly speak. He knew death was near, and his mind drifted back to childhood days.
His memory became increasingly muddled. After what seemed a long time he heard distant voices calling to him, and thought they might be his Uncle Dafydd and his father, both long dead. Then the voices grew stronger, closer.
‘Bert, what happened?’
It was the familiar voice of his old friend Dave Griffiths. Bert tried to look up but could not move his head. ‘The young woman,’ he mumbled. ‘The young woman.’
The Doctor knelt close to Bert. ‘Where is she?’
‘Gone on,’ Bert said, as audibly as he could manage. ‘Looking for escape.’
The Doctor stood up. ‘Get him back to the surface if you possibly can,’ he told Dave. ‘Ask Professor Jones to have a look at him. There may still be hope.’
‘Right,’ said Dave. ‘What about you?’
‘I’m going to look for Miss Grant. Tell the Brigadier that when I find her I’ll bring her to the surface. But no one is to come looking for us. It’s too dangerous.’
The Doctor hurried off down the mine.
Jo turned a corner of the mine, stopped and stared in horror. Before her lay a deep pool of the glowing green slime, and it was teeming with giant maggots, some two feet long, writhing and twisting across the surface.
Nauseated by the sight and terrified, she let out a scream. She was quivering with fear and revulsion.
‘Jo? Jo? Are you there?’ It was the Doctor’s voice, coming closer.
Jo turned round. Coming towards her was a helmet torch bobbing up and down as the wearer ran along the tunnel.
‘Doctor?’ she called. The oncoming light blinded her and she could not see who was approaching.
‘It’s me, Jo,’ the Doctor called.
He came up beside her, and she fell into his arms. ‘Those things,’ she sobbed. ‘Maggots! They look
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