THE SHADOW OVER DUNWICH
EPISODE 1
Dr. Valerie Kirby reclined in the bathtub in her room in The Ship Inn in Dunwich. She soaked in the sudsy water, her head, arms, and shoulders above the surface as she read the leather-bound tome. Her slender legs emerged from the bubbles at the other end of the tub, where she propped her feet on the rim. Though she was trying to relax, what she was reading made that impossible. Her eyes grew wider as she progressed. "My God," she said to herself, "it's worse than I'd feared! I have to tell UNIT about this!"Before Valerie could do anything further, she heard the doorknob on her hotel room's door ratting. "Just a minute!" she called, placing the book on the floor outside the tub and climbing out. But then her horror deepened. It can't be housekeeping, she thought, crossing her arms over her chest, I put up the 'Do Not Disturb' sign! She snatched up the towel and hastily wrapped it around herself as the rattling continued, followed by the sound of a key turning in the lock! She raced out of the bathroom, dripping foam, and rushed for the door to her room, running into it just as it was opening. She pressed her back into the door and tried to force it shut, but whoever was on the other side was far stronger than she was. It cracked open in spite of her best efforts, and only the chain kept it from opening all the way. The door shook as someone outside shoved against it, but the chain held. Then a cold, clammy hand slipped in through the door and clutched the top of her towel!
In desperation, Valerie grabbed the pen from the writing desk near the door and plunged it hard into the hand, which released her as a pained, burbling moan came from the the other side. She rammed the door with her shoulder. There was another yelp, and the arm retracted. She wasted no time in slamming the door shut and grabbing the chair at the writing desk, which she wedged under the knob at an angle. The knob rattled again furiously an instant later, but the door held. Valerie retreated from the door, breathing heavily as her fear sent adrenalin coursing through her. Then whoever was outside began beating on the door in earnest, and she realized that she was still trapped in here, and the door would not hold forever.
In a state of panic, Valerie raced for the window and threw it open. Pouring rain streaked into the room, but she was damp enough already and it didn't bother her. Looking out, she saw shadowy figures in hooded overcoats moving in the street below, converging on the inn. Maybe she'd be able to climb out without being seen, as it was rather dark, but trying to climb down the rain-slick wall in this weather struck her as risky at best. If she fell, she could easily do herself an injury and be unable to flee. But there didn't seem to be any other way out, and the hammering on the door grew more insistent. Frightened, she glanced back over her shoulder at the door. The pounding stopped, but then the wooden door juddered as the blade of an axe chopped into it and stuck through it.
Thinking quickly, Valerie stripped off her towel and dangled it out the window, making it look as though the end got caught on the radiator below the sill. Then she padded back to the bathroom as fast as she dared, pausing only to grasp a sheet of white stationery from the writing desk. The axe struck again, smashing a larger hole in the door. One more hit like that... Valerie wasted no time dwelling on it. She hastily rolled up the paper into a narrow tube as she clambered into the bathtub. Sticking the end into her mouth, she slid beneath the surface so that the end of the tube barely stuck out and was hidden by the bubbles.
No sooner had she done so than the axe smashed the door to bits and multiple sets of footsteps entered the room. Valerie lay still in terror as one set entered the bathroom, lopsided as though whoever they belonged to walked with a limp. She couldn't see through the bubbles in the bath, but at least she could not be seen either. However, she could hear the intruder approaching the tub and sense someone looming over her. God, don't let them find me! she thought, her pulse racing madly. Please...
"She went out the window!" she heard a voice call from the room proper. It sounded male, but somehow off. "Quickly, she must not get away! She has discovered too much!" The footsteps plodded away, back into the hotel room and then out into the hall.
Relieved that her ruse had worked, Valerie breathed steadily through the hollow tube and waited longer to make certain that they had left. Then she sat up, spitting the piece of paper out onto the floor, where it uncurled. She scrambled out of the tub, dripping sudsy water everywhere. No time to get dressed, she thought, darting back into the room and retrieving the towel, which she again used to cover herself. I don't have long before they realize they've been had and come back here. Wait, the book! She ducked back into the bathroom and picked it up. I'd better hide this, just in case I don't make it out. If I do, my word will be enough to convince Brigadier Crichton, but if not then whoever comes looking for me will need it. Once the book was hidden, she retrieved a ring of keys from the desk, then stepped over the remains of the door and out into the hall. It was deserted for now, but she could hear someone slowly coming upstairs from the lobby. Her bare feet made no noise on the carpet as she ran to the end and exited to the fire escape, knowing she'd been right not to delay leaving.
The torrential downpour soaked Valerie the instant she stepped out onto the wrought-iron landing, but she was thoroughly wet anyway from submerging herself. She lowered the ladder down to ground level and climbed down it, then raced down the street to the car park where she had left her car, sticking to the shadows to avoid being seen by the figures that were prowling around in search of her. She got the right key ready as she moved. When she reached the familiar car at last, she unlocked the driver's side door. At last! she thought. I can't wait to get dry!
As Valerie started to clamber inside, she was grabbed from behind and dragged back out onto the street! The keys fell from her hand and landed in a puddle with a splash. One hand wrapped itself around her waist, and another clamped over her mouth. She fought to break free, but whoever held her had a relentless grip. Her legs flailed, but they hit nothing but air. "Over here!" shouted the man who had seized her, his voice seemingly distorted by the rainfall. "I've got her!" The dark figures searching for her began to approach from all directions.
Valerie knew that this could be her last chance to escape, so she bit down as hard as she could on the hand covering her mouth. The man released her with a pained cry, and she dropped to her hands and knees. She reached into the puddle and fished around until she pulled up the keys triumphantly. She crawled over to the open car and started to haul herself inside when he grabbed her by the legs and hauled her back out again. "No!" she cried, snapping one of her legs back. Her foot connected with his head, and he slumped to the ground. Free once more, Valerie dragged herself into the driver's seat, stuck the key into the ignition, and turned it. The car would not start.
"Looking for this?" croaked a voice from behind Valerie. A man in a black overcoat with his hood up held up a small round object: the car's distributor cap. He slipped it into a pocket of his coat and advanced on her. Whimpering in fear, Valerie slid back across the passenger seat and opened that door. She leapt back outside, braving the pouring rain, only to run right into two more men who had just reached the car. They grabbed her by the arms. Though she struggled with all of her might, it was futile. They forced her to her knees and held her in place.
Valerie looked around wildly for any shred of hope, but there was none. More of the dark figures in coats were surrounding her, and there was no escape. She lacked the strength to break the grip of the two who held her, and the rest encircled her completely. Then one of them stepped forward until he was right in front of her. She looked away, her heart hammering in her chest. He took hold of her chin and turned her head to face him, tilting it upwards. With his free hand, he drew back his hood and looked her in the eyes.
Valerie's breath caught in her throat. He can't be human...can he? she thought, her normally strong mind coming unraveled by the second. She looked back up at her assailant, her damp hair plastered to her head and neck. That awful, terrible face. The look he - no, it - gave her. She knew, absolutely knew, what would happen to her now. She had seen many strange and frightening things during her time with UNIT, but none of them had ever made her scream. She had prided herself on that. But she screamed now. Oh, how she screamed. And it did no good whatsoever.