The Nightmare Man (5 page)

Chapter Fourteen

Trapped!

Luke was alone. Completely alone. Surrounded by a black void that was neither hot nor cold. There was no up or down. No left or right. It was just darkness.

‘Hello,’ he said, quietly. He heard his voice echo once.
Hello
. Then again.
Hello
. And then again and again.
Hello… Hello
. Suddenly it was echoing faster and louder and faster and louder, surrounding him! His own voice taunting him.
Hello hello hello hello
!

‘Stop it!’ he shouted. But, of course, that just added to the noise.

He started to panic, started to run. He couldn’t see where he was going. There was no floor, no ceiling, no walls. It was all just darkness. His echoing voice started to fade away and for a second there was silence. All Luke could hear was his own heart beating. He tried to stop panicking. There had to be a way out. He knew that he just needed to stay calm. He felt for his own hands and legs and arms. He was real. He existed. He could breathe, so there was air. This was a real place. He just needed to be logical.

And that’s when the real terror started. Again, it was just noise, but it was so much noise. Metallic voices screaming out the end of the world and his mum crying. It was one of his worst memories – one of his real-life nightmares! The Daleks’ invasion of Earth! And there were more! Maria’s voice sounded over the Daleks, saying how she was leaving for America. Her voice saying goodbye, echoing and getting louder. The time Clyde had been possessed and had been made to forget who Luke was. His best friend calling him a freak. The voices were overlapping, getting louder and louder. It was terrifying!

Luke started to panic, his breathing getting faster and faster. Suddenly, there, in the distance, he could see one of the blood-red doors from his nightmare. He had no choice. He ran towards it. Anywhere had to be better than here! He reached the door and pushed through it. As it slammed shut behind him, he realised he was in the nightmare school corridor. All grey. All twisted. Children’s laughter taunted him, as did the sound of his mum humming Brahms’
Lullaby
. The voices from his real-life nightmares mingled with the laughter and the lullaby.

‘It’s not real…’ he whispered to himself.

But the endless noise just got louder...

In the attic, Sarah Jane was searching through a box of alien objects. ‘We’ve got to find a way to talk to him!’

She held up what looked like an ordinary piece of concrete. It was actually all that remained of an alien invader who’d tried to take over the people of Chiswick by disguising itself as a bridge. It had been telepathically controlling people. Sarah Jane and the gang had managed to defeat it and now…she looked at the rock. Through a small crack, she could see alien wires. There had to be some way they could…

Sarah Jane stopped. She put down the rock. She stood there, frozen.

‘Mistress?’ asked K-9. He could sense her fear levels rising.

‘I forgot,’ she whispered, appalled at herself. ‘Clyde and Rani…’

She’d just remembered that they hadn’t gone home after the party! She’d been so scared about Luke that she hadn’t thought about them. They were in the house and so was the Nightmare Man!

She started to run.

In Luke’s bedroom, the Nightmare Man was resting his hand against Clyde’s forehead.

‘Oh, yes, bring on the nightmares…’ he said, smiling.

And Clyde blinked. For a moment he couldn’t remember where he was. He looked around, taking in his surroundings. He was in a burger bar but, strangely, it looked like he was working there! He was wearing a horrible pink uniform and he was holding a spatula. But he didn’t work in a burger bar. He knew he didn’t.

‘Hello?’ he called out. ‘Anyone there?’

Suddenly, there was a whirring noise from the main doorway. Clyde looked over and there, on an old lady’s mobility scooter, was an old lady. She had old lady clothes and old lady hair. And there was something wrong about her. Something broken. She smiled as she drove her scooter towards the counter where Clyde was working.

Clyde let out a small yelp as he suddenly realised who she was. She looked older and she looked strange, but it was her. It was Sarah Jane Smith!

‘You still serving burgers?’ she said. ‘I always knew you were a stupid boy.’

Clyde just stared at her, horrified. How could this have happened?

In Luke’s bedroom, the Nightmare Man was laughing as he fed on Clyde’s fear and confusion. He could feel Rani’s terror as well. Two children already under his spell and a whole world waiting…

‘Oops,’ he said to himself, laughing, as he heard Sarah Jane rushing towards the bedroom. He took a step back, then simply stepped through the wall.

The door burst open and Sarah Jane ran in. ‘Clyde! Rani! Wake up!’

She continued shouting their names as she crouched down and started to shake them. But they wouldn’t wake up. She was too late. Sarah Jane looked at Rani, blinking back tears.

‘I’m sorry…’

Rani blinked as bright lights suddenly surrounded her. She looked around, confused. Where was she? What happened? She had a vague memory of being on the sofa in her living room. She could remember the TV was on. A newsreader. She gasped as suddenly she remembered. She’d been pulled into the television! She looked up and let out a scream as she saw the newsreader, Louise Marlowe, standing over her.

‘What are you?’ she asked.

The newsreader smiled. ‘Louise Marlowe, BBC News.’

Rani’s eyes started to adjust to the brightness and she realised where she was. It was a television studio. It was the BBC News studio. In front of her was a camera, and behind that, it was just darkness. The bright studio lights were shining down onto her and Louise. And behind them was the newsdesk.

‘This can’t be happening!’ said Rani, shaking her head.

The newsreader reached out a hand. ‘Breaking news, Rani. I need you.’

‘What do you mean?’ Rani shivered as Louise reached down and touched her hair. Then she looked down and saw that her clothes had changed. She was wearing a smart newsreader’s suit – just like Louise. She stood up and felt her hair. That had changed as well. She was a newsreader! She looked around at the cameras and lights. ‘But I shouldn’t be here! I don’t know what I’m doing!’

‘You are a journalist, aren’t you?’ asked Louise.

‘I don’t understand!’

Louise smiled gently. ‘Come and sit down.’

She led Rani round behind the desk and they both sat down. Rani stared out at the dark studio.

‘What am I meant to say?’ she asked.

‘Duh!’ replied Louise, pointing at the camera.

Above the camera was an autocue. It was like a computer screen, showing the newsreaders what they had to say. Rani started to read it.

‘Her name is…’ She stopped. ‘Sarah Jane?’

Louise, her fellow newsreader, smiled at her. It wasn’t a nice smile.

‘You and me, Rani. We’re going to tell everyone who she is. We’re going to destroy Sarah Jane Smith!’

Sarah Jane entered the attic. She was scared and alone but, most of all, she was devastated about Luke, Clyde and Rani.

‘I can’t wake them up,’ she muttered.

For one of the first times in her life, she felt like giving up. She just didn’t know what to do.

‘Sarah Jane,’ said Mr Smith, his voice surprisingly gentle. ‘You still have the sentient concrete.’

She walked back to the table and picked it up. ‘Which has electrical circuitry in it.’ She started to think. She wasn’t just going to give up, no matter how dark and scary the world seemed. ‘K-9! Could you use this? Could you use it to talk to Luke?’

‘Affirmative,’ K-9 replied.

Sarah Jane, full of energy and determination, put the piece of concrete next to Luke’s head. K-9’s probe extended and attached to the alien device.

‘Working…’ said K-9.

The wires in the rock started to glow!

‘Master Luke,’ said K-9. ‘Can you hear me? Master Luke?’

For a moment, it looked like it might work! But then the wires in the concrete stopped glowing.

K-9’s head lowered. ‘I regret I have insufficent power,’ he said, sadly.

‘Perhaps I can help?’ announced Mr Smith. ‘If I was connected to K-9, I could boost his energy levels.’

Sarah Jane ran back over to her box of alien objects. ‘What do you need, Mr Smith? I’ve got stuff here from planets across the universe. Mind control devices and alien plants! Just tell me what you need!’

‘I need a USB lead, Sarah Jane,’ replied Mr Smith.

Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock…

In the cafe, Clyde looked up at the big clock, annoyed. It was ticking loudly but the hands on the clock weren’t moving. He wanted his shift to finish so he could go home and work out what was going on. He was preparing a burger for the elderly Sarah Jane.

‘Go easy on the sauce,’ she screeched.

‘But I don’t get it!’ said Clyde. ‘Where’s Luke?’

‘Oh, he’s such a clever boy. He’s working for the government now, says he’s going to be an astronaut!’ Sarah Jane leaned forward and whispered. ‘I went to space once.’

Clyde already knew this. He’d heard about Sarah Jane’s adventures in time and space with the Doctor. He’d met the Doctor himself. He’d even been in the TARDIS!

‘Yeah, I know,’ he said. ‘With the Doctor.’

‘Oh, I told you?’ Sarah Jane looked upset. ‘I get confused. The Social reckon I’m losing it! They want to put me in a home. I told them: I’ve got a home, thank you very much!’

Clyde looked at her and felt his heart breaking. He’d seen this sort of thing before. A friend of his Nan’s had moved into a retirement home called “Lavender Lawns”. He’d been to visit her a few times and some of the residents there were... confused. It happened to some people as they got older and it was always very sad. Clyde realised that it had happened to Sarah Jane.

‘This can’t be real,’ he said, shaking his head. He reached over the counter and took Sarah Jane’s hand. ‘Where’s Luke? He’ll know what to do.’

‘He went away and he never came back. Like the little ducks!’ Suddenly Sarah Jane began to cackle. ‘Quack, quack, quack!’

Clyde stared at her. How could this be happening? He looked up at the clock. Tick-tock, tick-tock.

In the nightmare school corridor, Luke was crouched up in a ball, covering his ears. Mocking laughter was echoing around him, taunting him.

‘It isn’t real. It isn’t real. This is just a stupid dream!’

He was so close to giving up. He was so scared, so alone. What could he do? But he was brave. Luke Smith had done so much with his life that he wasn’t just going to give up now. He jumped to his feet, desperately trying to ignore the laughter. And he shouted out loud. ‘Nightmare Man!’

Back in the real world, the Nightmare Man was just stepping into the driveway of 13, Bannerman Road. He was jumping about, smelling flowers and feeling the bark on the trees. This was his first time in the real world and he was loving it.

‘Nightmare Man!’ Luke’s voice sounded in his head.

‘Oh, your mind is so strong,’ he replied. He was genuinely impressed by Luke. ‘Your mind is echoing across the dimensions.’

‘Come back and face me.’

The Nightmare Man waggled his head, pretending to think about it. ‘Mmm...no.’

‘What’s the matter?’ Luke continued. ‘You scared?’

The Nightmare Man knew what Luke was trying to do. He knew about the other aliens Luke had fought. The ones who would have got angry at being accused of being scared. The Nightmare Man, though, like Luke, wasn’t stupid. ‘I’m just happy,’ he called back. ‘You’ve taken my place and I’ve taken yours. You’ve made the monster real, Luke.’

Giggling and humming Brahms’
Lullaby
, he skipped off down the driveway and into Bannerman Road.

Luke was screaming up at the ceiling. ‘No! Come back! Come back!’

But there was no reply. He was lost. Trapped and alone in the nightmare corridor.

He stopped shouting and fell to his knees. He realised that there was nothing he could do. There was no hope. The Nightmare Man had won.

Chapter Fifteen

The longest night

Luke Smith might have given up all hope but his mum certainly hadn’t! She was running between Mr Smith and K-9, checking that the USB cable was attached properly.

‘Ready?’ she asked.

‘Ready,’ replied her robot dog.

‘Ready,’ replied her huge alien supercomputer.

And Mr Smith started to power up. On his screen, an image of K-9 appeared, getting brighter and brighter. Sparks crashed and flashed across Mr Smith as he transferred power over to K-9. The lights in the attic flickered as he started taking electrical power from the whole house. All the power he could find was flowing through him and into K-9. It was more power than either of them had used before, but it was necessary if it meant K-9 could talk to Luke in a different dimension. Sarah Jane stared at K-9, terrified as his red eyes glowed brighter than she’d ever seen.

‘K-9? Is it working?’ she gasped.

‘Affirmative!’ he squealed.

Luke, alone and terrified in the nightmare corridor, was hugging himself. ‘I can’t stop him. It’s just me.’

‘Negative, Master Luke,’ said a familiar voice. ‘It is never just you.’

Luke opened his eyes and looked up. And there, in front of him, was K-9! He grinned. ‘How did you get here? Did Mum send you?’

‘Affirmative,’ K-9 nodded. ‘She wanted me to tell you that this is a dream and that you need to wake up.’

Luke’s smile fell. ‘I’ve tried, K-9. But I can’t.’ He fell back against the wall. ‘I was so scared about leaving home I started having nightmares. This is all my fault.’

In the attic, Sarah Jane crouched down next to K-9. ‘Mr Smith?’ she said, turning to the computer.

‘The dog is communicating with Luke,’ Mr Smith confirmed.

Sarah Jane almost cried with relief. At last, something was working. She would get the kids back and, together, they would stop the Nightmare Man!

Rani was still sitting behind the desk in the news studio. The lights were bright and burning. She turned to Louise.

‘Why do you want to destroy Sarah Jane?’

‘Why do you think?’ the newsreader replied. ‘The woman’s a menace to society!’

Rani stared at her, confused. ‘What are you on about? She saves the world!’

Louise dabbed at her lipstick. ‘But at what cost, Rani? You, Clyde, even her own son! How many times has she put you at risk?’

‘It’s not like that.’

Suddenly, Louise’s voice was harsh as she turned to face Rani. ‘Answer the question!’ She spat out the words. ‘How many times have you nearly died because of Sarah Jane Smith?’

Rani shook her head. She didn’t know what to say. She was so scared. ‘I don’t understand what’s happening.’

Louise calmed down. ‘You’re just a child, Rani. It’s not your fault. But if we don’t expose her, she’s going to get you killed.’

‘No, she’s given me a better life,’ replied Rani. ‘She’s my friend.’

Louise was suddenly harsh again. ‘Oh, grow up! If you’re going to be a journalist, you’ve got to stop worrying about people’s feelings. Don’t you want to be a journalist?’

Rani nodded, terrified.

‘Then there’s nothing wrong with us telling the world! The public have a right to know, Rani. And it’s your responsibility as a journalist to tell them!’

Rani stared into the TV camera. She was terrified. She didn’t know what to say, or what to do. And she was even more terrified because what Louise Marlowe was saying was starting to make sense!

Sarah Jane was now parked against one of the tables. Clyde brought over her burger and sat down.

‘I don’t want this,’ he said. ‘I mean, I was doing my art. I was good at it. Wasn’t I?’

Sarah Jane gave him a cold smile. ‘Oh, you are sweet. Stupid, but sweet.’

Clyde shook his head. He knew that wasn’t true. ‘I’m not stupid!’

‘You were never as good as my Luke,’ Sarah Jane replied. ‘That’s why you ended up here.’

Clyde couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It wasn’t true. Yes, Luke was cleverer but that didn’t mean he was stupid. They had different skills and abilities and they both worked hard. He stared at the old woman sitting opposite him. Sarah Jane was someone who had always taken him seriously. She’d always said that he could do whatever he wanted to do, that he could be whoever he wanted to be.

‘You’d never say that,’ he muttered.

‘What do you mean, dear?’

He stood up, strong and determined. ‘This isn’t a burger bar. These aren’t real burgers, and you’re not the real Sarah Jane.’

He left her and walked calmly to the door. He tried to pull it open but it wouldn’t budge. For the first time, he looked through the windows and saw that it was completely black outside. He should have been scared, but at least it proved that this wasn’t real.

‘Oh, Clyde,’ cackled the old woman. ‘There’s no way out.’

He glared at her. There was no way he was going to give up. He wasn’t scared. He wasn’t!

Back in the real world, though, and the Nightmare Man knew that Clyde was lying to himself. The boy was terrified and the Nightmare Man was loving it.

He strode down Bannerman Road, sensing all the sleeping men, women and children. Gaining yet more and more power from Luke’s nightmares, he held his arms up into the air.

‘Sweet dreams!’ he yelled, into the night sky.

And suddenly black smoke – pure nightmare energy – shot out of his hands and into the air. It circled the road, entering houses, bedrooms, minds.

‘This whole world will fall into an eternal sleep!’ laughed the Nightmare Man. ‘A sleep of nightmares for me to feast on!’

His laughter echoed up into the sky and across the city.

In the nightmare corridor, K-9 was trying to comfort Luke. He hadn’t been designed to comfort people so he wasn’t doing a good job. He nudged Luke again.

‘Please, Master Luke.’

Luke just stared at him, his eyes wet with tears. ‘I wish Clyde and Rani were here. They always know what to do.’

‘Master Clyde and Mistress Rani are asleep,’ replied K-9. ‘They will not wake up.’

Luke wanted to scream. ‘So, he’s got them. They’re gone...’

It was all over. Everything. The world was going to end and it was all his fault. He turned away from K-9 and then…suddenly he stopped and he thought about what K-9 had just said.

‘I’m here. I’m having a nightmare and I’m here. Maybe they are as well?

He stood up. It had to be worth a try!

‘Clyde? Can you hear me? Rani?’

In the news studio, Rani was staring, horrified, at the camera. She could hear the BBC News theme tune. A man somewhere was counting down. This was happening! She was about to expose Sarah Jane on the national news!

‘3…2…1…and action!’

‘I’m Louise Marlowe,’ said the woman sitting next to her.

Rani tried not to say it. She tried to stay silent, but she couldn’t. ‘And I’m Rani Chandra.’ She turned to Louise. ‘Please, don’t make me do this.’

But Louise just continued reading the words on the autocue. ‘A woman. Living on a typical suburban street in London. Her name...’ She paused. It was Rani’s turn to speak.

Rani was close to tears. ‘Sar…Sar…’

‘What’s her name?’ demanded Louise. ‘Say her name, Rani! Say it!’

‘Sarah Jane Smith,’ cried Rani. ‘Her name is Sarah Jane Smith.’

She felt terrible. How could she do this? What was happening?

‘Rani!’

She looked up. Who was calling her name? It sounded like Luke.

‘Luke? Is that you?’

‘It’s not real. It’s a nightmare!’

Rani almost laughed. ‘I knew it! I knew it wasn’t real!’

Louise turned to her. ‘Stay with me, Rani!’

Rani stood up and moved in front of the desk. She yelled into the black void behind the cameras. ‘How do I wake up? How do I get out of here, Luke?’

K-9 turned to Luke. ‘She needs a way out, Master Luke.’

Luke looked up and down the corridor. ‘She needs a door!’ He looked at the red doors and grinned. ‘Clyde!’

‘Clyde, can you hear me?’

Luke’s voice suddenly sounded in Clyde’s mind as he tried to find a way out of the burger bar.

‘Clyde!’

He stopped and looked up. ‘Luke! Thank God! Where are you?’

‘I’m going to get you out of there. Hold on.’

Luke stood in the middle of the corridor, shouting into thin air.

‘Both of you, listen. I’m in a corridor, and there’s loads of doors. I need you to concentrate. Imagine there’s a door and I’m on the other side.’

‘But where are you?’ called Rani.

‘Rani?’ called Clyde.

‘Clyde?’ called Rani.

‘We’re in different nightmares, but we’re talking to each other?’ asked Clyde.

‘Listen to me!’ Luke needed them to pay attention. ‘Think of...think of a classroom door! Like the ones at school. You’ve got to imagine it. Do you understand?’

In their nightmares, both Rani and Clyde started to concentrate. Other people might have argued or felt silly but they instantly trusted Luke. So they both stood there, staring into space. Concentrating. Trying to make doors appear.

In the corridor, Luke was clenching his fists and concentrating on two of the doors. Behind them, he was sure he could see a distant light flickering. ‘I think it’s working!’ he shouted.

In the news studio, Rani continued focusing. She would make a door appear, she would!

Then, in front of her, a red classroom door started to appear!

In the burger bar, Clyde was staring into thin air.

‘Come on! Come on!’ he shouted.

And in front of him, a red classroom door started to appear!

In the corridor, the light behind the two doors was getting stronger. Luke knew these two doors were connecting to Clyde and Rani’s nightmares.

‘That’s it!’ he shouted. ‘Nearly there!’

Rani gasped with relief as the door became solid. She moved towards it, when suddenly a hand gripped her arm.

‘Breaking news,’ snarled Louise Marlowe. ‘Luke’s leaving you. He’s got his A-levels, he’s off to university. He’s leaving you behind.’

Rani stared up at the woman’s face. Louise grinned evilly at her.

‘I know!’ Rani suddenly shouted. She was shocked at her own admission. She was jealous of Luke leaving.

‘So, why are you doing what he tells you to?’ asked Louise, gently. ‘Make your own choice, Rani. Stay here and your dreams of being a journalist come true.’

Rani looked around the TV news studio…

Clyde stared up at his door, ready to open it, when…

‘This might not just be a dream,’ whispered the twisted version of Sarah Jane. ‘This could be what happens if you stay friends with Luke.’

‘Don’t be stupid!’ Clyde replied.

‘He’s so much cleverer than you and you know it. He’ll be coming home with all his stories about Oxford and you’re going to get so jealous. Tick-tock, tick-tock.’

Clyde shook his head. ‘Nah, I’m pleased for him!’

‘You made a door appear,’ the old woman whispered. ‘Stay here and you could make money! Gold! Everything you ever wanted!’

Clyde turned to look at her…

In the corridor, Luke stared at the two doors. The light behind them was starting to fade!

‘Clyde! Rani!’ he called. There was no answer. ‘Please!’ he screamed. ‘I need you!’

In the news studio, Rani pulled away from Louise.

‘Breaking news,’ she announced. ‘I’m outta here!’

And she opened the red door and stepped through it.

In the burger bar, Clyde looked down at Sarah Jane. He took off his hat and threw it down on the table.

‘I quit!’ he announced.

And he opened the red door and stepped through it.

Luke almost collapsed with relief as the light behind the doors shone brightly again. The doors opened and Clyde and Rani, now in their normal clothes, ran in. The three of them just stared at each other, bemused.

‘This,’ announced Clyde, ‘is weird.’