The Darkness (Special Challenge: Picture)

[matimae03.livejournal.com]

Title: The Darkness

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,785

Characters:  The 10th Doctor and Jenni Cooper (new character)

Prompt: Specail challenge, (picture prompt)

Spoilers: N/A

Warnings: N/A

Episode Setting: Between 'Voyage of the Damned' and
'Partners in Crime'

Summary:

'Then I realized that there could be something out there. A monster that stole the world.'

I woke up and brushed my teeth, it was like any other ordinary day until I realized... there was no sun. There was just a strange bright hue. I looked outside, normally at this time of the day sun would be poring into the bathroom. But when I peered out the window all I saw was blackness. It was just endless nothingness, a black void.

First I assumed my alarm just went off early and it was still the night. I looked at my clock, it was 8:00 in the morning. The sun should be up, just like it has been for the past month, I should be able to see my neighbor's house, but the more I looked the darker it seemed to come.  I was a college student I shared an apartment with two other girls, they went home for the summer to visit their family's. Me on the other hand, my only family where on the other side of the world. It was too expensive to travel just for summer break. So I had the apartment all to myself for a couple of months.

My first thought was, did the sun burn up? Is it gone now? Then I realized all the problems with that theory, if the sun was gone we would all be frozen without its warmth. And if it was gone, how could I see? That part freaked me out. None of the lights where on but I could see just fine, and outside it was complete darkness, nothing out there could be lighting up the room. I pulled out my cell phone to call someone, anyone. But I decided to check my surrounding first. I looked out the window again and then went to the front door and opened it, too my surprise nothing was there. All the apartments that should be there weren't. It was the same blackness.

Then I realized I must be dreaming, it was the only explanation. So I sat down and waited for the dream to end. Then I remembered that if you know you are dreaming well you're inside a dream, you wake up. If you don't that must mean that you are in full control of the dream. So I stood up and thought, if this is a dream I can control it, I want to be surrounded by...doughnuts. It was the first thing that came to mind, I opened my eyes but no doughnuts could be seen. OK, I want to be holding a cat. I didn't have a cat.

 I walked over to the sink and filled up a glass of water and dumped it on my head, I didn't wake up. During the next ten minutes I tried everything I could to wake up but with no luck. Deep down I knew I was not dreaming. Either the whole city besides my apartment was gone, or my apartment was transported somewhere. OK, I have an idea! I thought to myself, I pulled out my self phone again and tried calling. First I tried the non emergency number, no answer. 911, no answer. Then I tried every one of my contacts, no answer. Then I got frantic and started dialing random numbers,


Then strangely somehow I dialed a right number, I could hear it ring as my heart thumped loudly in my chest. After an agonizing wait I got to voice mail. Hello, this is the Doctor. But Martha you already know that, you were the one who gave me this phone... I'm not sure why I'm even recording this... anyway I am not in the TARDIS right now but I'll call you back. I do hope you're OK.

I didn't know what to make of the voicemail, so I just left a message.

"Hi, um, I don't know where I am. Everything is gone you see. Outside, it's just..." I paused and thought about what I was going to say, "it just all...blackness. It's just me here, I don't know why but this is the only number my phone is working for, so if you could call the police or someone thank you. Oh I know you're not going to believe me. You'll think this is a prank call or something. But it's not. I promise."

Of course my phone only worked on a stranger. Just my luck. But to my surprise 10 minutes later I got a call back from the stranger, "Hello there, this is the Doctor. What is your name? I am talking to the girl who left a message on my phone right?" the man said over the phone.

"Yes. Thant's me. My name is Jenni with an i, Cooper." There was a strange silence. "Sir are you still there?" I asked, hoping he hadn't hung up.

"Yes, I am still here. It's just, I used to know someone named Jenny. My daughter actually, she's gone now. Anyway, you said that everything just disappeared, your entire flat?"

It took me a second to realize he was talking about my apartment, it made sense though he was British. Well I think he is, that what he sounds like. I've never been to England, I've never even been outside out New York.

"Just mine, I opened my front door and none of the other people's apartments are there anymore." I told him, hoping he wouldn't think I was crazy.

"OK, where do you live. You can tell me, I want to help."

Although I was raised not to tell people I don't know where my address is, he was my last option.

"Oh um, 1108 Main St. NY. Can you really help me?" I asked,

"Listen to me Jenni with an i. I will be there in twenty minutes. See you then. Oh and Jenni? Can you tell me the date?"

I was confused, "Don't you know the date sir?"

"Please, just humor me."

"OK. Well its July 21st. Of 2016 of course." I told him.

"OK thanks!" he hung up and I started to sob.

I set my alarm for 20 minutes but I knew it was hopeless. No one will ever find me. I am all alone. I couldn't stop the tears from falling, I knew I wouldn't last long. Whatever made everything disappear will probably take me too. Or, if it took everything else maybe they took all the oxygen and I would slowly die. I knew I wasn't safe, and I couldn't call for help. The only person who could help is absolutely bonkers. He doesn't even know the date. No one would be able to find me, all I am is lost and alone.

Then I realized that there could be something out there. A monster that stole the world. I decided I should try to arm myself, I went into the kitchen and grabbed a cutting knife. I knew it wouldn't be much but it could help some. Then it was silent, too silent. I jumped when my alarm went off. It had been 20 minutes, and no sign of anyone. I sighed. Even though I tried not to get my hopes up I still felt horrible, the man broke his promise. I waited and waited, I had nothing else to do. Then a whirring sound came from the living room, I ran to see who it was, expecting a monster I held up the knife. Although I know I would never be able use it, I was not a killer, I couldn't harm anything. But to my surprise there was a blue police box just standing there.

"Hello?" I called, "I-I'm armed, don't come closer." I said shaking, my voice broke as I realized what I was saying.

I knew a monster was in it, what else could make something just appear? But of the box came a man, tall and scrawny with a big brown trench coat.

"Hello! Hope you're not going to use that on me!" He said winking.

I recognized his voice immediately, the man on the phone.

"How? How is that here?" I asked bewildered.

"It's the T.A.R.D.I.S. It can go anywhere." He smiled reassuring, but everything was telling me he was absolutely mad.

"Anywhere? So I can leave here?" Although I was freaked out by this man he did just appear out of nowhere. And more than anything I wanted to leave, for everything to go back to normal. I was scared.

"I can take you back now, but first I need to figure out why you? Why just your flat?" he told me while waving a weird flash light looking thing around.

"What is that?" I asked. "It's my sonic screwdriver, I am looking for any alien activity, I traced your apartment from where it disappeared in New York." he said plain and simple.

"Wait aliens? I'm not in New York? Where am I? Who are you?"

He smiled and turned towards me. "I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor who?"

"Just the Doctor, and from what I gather this flat has been moved into a black hole. Falling through time and space forever,"

"Isn't there anything you can do?" I asked,

"Well if I reverse the polarity on the structure of the flat on when it was taken, then I might just be able to," he twisted his screwdriver thingy until it beeped,  "Ah there we go. Look outside, I think we should be back." He smiled and adjusted his glasses.

I turned around and walked to the window, I looked outside to see the sun shining down onto the sidewalk and on the lampposts, people walking and laughing.
I never thought I would be able to see it again! I thought to myself, I turned back around to this strange doctor still confused on what happened.

"How exactly did I get there in the first place, this 'black hole' of time and space?" I asked him still confused on what just happened.

"Well, I suspect that the rift had something to do with it. I didn't think there was a rift here in New York, but maybe it was just an aftershock. A crack in time." He smiled and opened the door to the box.

"Who are you exactly?" I asked him curiosity taking over.

"Well to put it short, I am a time traveler. I travel through time and space, saving as many people as I can. Also I'm an alien." he winked and got inside the box, the whirring sound started again and then the box was gone.

"Wait!" I cried too late, "I never even got to thank you!" But he was gone. Saving some more lives I suppose, but I will never forget the day the Doctor saved my life.