EATER OF SOULS
Chapter One “Oh Gods, help me.” Femi gasped for air, as she ran through the desert. Behind her, she could hear the growls and snarls of the demon, as it closed in on her. “Mother Isis, protect me!” she screamed. She collapsed into the sand, as her legs finally gave out. Gasping, she reached inside her dress and pulled out the Isis knot amulet that hung around her neck. “Great Isis, protect me from this demon. Take pity on me,” she pleaded. Her eyes widened, as she heard heavy breathing as the demon came closer and closer. Squeezing her eyes shut, she silently prayed repeatedly to Isis for deliverance, as the breathing grew louder and louder. Opening her eyes, she looked over and saw with horror that the beast was right beside her. “Please, spare my life.” She begged. “I don’t know what I’m being accused of. I have done nothing. I have not sinned against the gods. Please, have mercy on me.” She fell to her knees, as the demon advanced. “Whatever I have done, I will atone for it. Please I have a family. I don’t want to die. Please take pity on me. Don’t…” Femi’s eyes widened in terror, as the demon let out a roar. For a few moments, the sound of screams echoed across the Egyptian desert before the night fell silent again. The Doctor grinned, as he opened the TARDIS door. “Beautiful,” he murmured. He looked back over his shoulder. “Rose. Come outside and see this,” he said. He opened the door wider and gestured around the side of the TARDIS, as Rose stepped past him. Rose turned and gasped, as she saw the great pyramids rising before her. The Doctor grinned when Rose's jaw fell open. "It's gorgeous," she said in hushed tones. "Thought you might like it," he said. "There's nothing like seeing the great pyramids. In their original condition too. The original limestone facing they had makes them glitter in the sunlight." Rose nodded. As her eyes became adjusted to the sun, she suddenly frowned as she noticed something. "Doctor?" "Yes?" "Did the ancient Egyptians have trains?" The Doctor frowned. "Trains? As in locomotives?" "Yeah." "Um...no, not to my knowledge." "Then, why is one sitting out in the desert?" The Doctor's eyes widened. "What?" he muttered, as he stepped around the side of the TARDIS. His eyes widened, as he looked where Rose was pointing. Sitting between two of the pyramids was a 19th century locomotive. The Doctor rubbed his eyes. "It's not a mirage. I've already tried that." Rose said. "What in bloody Hell is a train doing sitting in the middle of the Egyptian desert?" the Doctor muttered to himself. He shook his head. "It has to be some kind of illusion. There is no way a steam locomotive could be in ancient Egypt. I..." "DOC!" The Doctor and Rose spun around at the sound of someone yelling. They stared in disbelief at a teenaged boy who was running frantically up a dune and straight towards them. "DOOOOOOOOC!" The boy bellowed, at the top of his lungs. The Doctor glanced at Rose and then stepped in the boy's path. "Yes?" he said to him. The boy stopped short and stared at him and Rose. "Huh?" he asked him. "I'm the Doctor. What do you want?" The boy glared at him. "Not you." he said, angrily. The Doctor raised an eyebrow, as the boy ran past him towards the locomotive. "Doc! I'm here! Open the door!" he screamed. The Doctor and Rose watched, as a door in the side of the locomotive opened up and an elderly man held his hand out. Behind the man, they could see a younger woman with long black hair, two young children, and a dog. "Did you get it, Marty?" the older man yelled. "Yeah, I did!” Marty said, holding a scroll out to him."Next time you wanna try parking a little closer to the library though? I barely got past the guards." "I couldn't risk it, Marty. I can't park this train right in the middle of Giza. I'm taking a huge risk parking it here. Now get in and let's get going." "You don't have to tell me twice, Doc." Marty said, as he scrambled aboard. The Doctor and Rose watched, as Doc looked their way and grabbed Marty by the shoulder. "Who's that?" they heard him say, as he pointed at them. Marty looked back and shrugged. "Search me. The guy's a doctor I guess. He stopped me when I was calling for you and told me he was one." "Oh! A fellow doctor. How nice," he replied, smiling The Doctor and Rose glanced at each other, as Doc waved at them. "Hey, do you need a lift?" Doc called to them. "A lift where? They’re in a bleedin' train." Rose muttered to the Doctor. "Um...no, we're fine, thanks," the Doctor called back. Doc nodded. "Okay, we'll have a good day then, whoever you are," he said cheerfully. The Doctor and Rose nodded dumbly. "Doc, can we get going? Those guards might still be following me," they heard Marty say. "Oh yes, well, get buckled in everyone. Next stop, home," Doc replied. The Doctor and Rose stared at each other, as Doc gave them one last wave and shut the door. "Where are they gonna go in that thing?" Rose asked the Doctor. "They're in the middle of the des..." They jerked their heads around when they heard the locomotive start up. Their mouths fell open, as a pair of red sails opened up on the side of the engine, and it rose up into the air tucking its wheels underneath it. Stunned, they watched as the engine flew up into the air and gradually picked up speed. Their eyes bulged as halfway up the locomotive was surrounded by lightning flashes and with an enormous sonic boom disappeared before their eyes leaving behind a pair of fire trails blazing in the sky. The Doctor and Rose stood for a moment in silence, as the fire trail slowly burnt out above them. "Well, there's something you don't see everyday," the Doctor finally said. "What do you think it was?" Rose asked. "Um, in my professional opinion...I think it was a flying train filled with people and animals that just disintegrated in a explosion of lighting and fire. Of course, I could be mistaken," he said. "Do you think they were aliens?" Rose asked. "Maybe. Although why aliens would want to use a flying train from the 1800's to get around is beyond me. Still, I've seen stranger things. Anyway, let's get going. I just thought you would love to see the pyramids in pristine condition." "I do. they're beautiful. Thank you so much for bringing me here." The Doctor smiled. "Well, let's get back in the TARDIS and figure out where to go next," he said. "I hear the northern lights on Frigidaria are lovely. Would you like to see that?" "Certainly." "Well, then, let's get a move on." They turned around and gasped when they saw a line of soldiers pointing their spears at them. "Oh hello, you must be the guards that young chap was talking about," the Doctor said to them as he and Rose raised their arms.” I’m so sorry but you just missed him. He just got in a flying train and vaporized mid-air. So, I guess you blokes can go back to wherever it was you came from. I..." "Where is the scroll of Thoth?" a guard demanded. "I'm sorry, what?" the Doctor asked. "The scroll of Thoth, thief! Where is it, and the boy who stole it for you?" "Oh so that's what that was that he handed to the old guy!" the Doctor muttered to Rose. He smiled at the guards. "Um...sorry, we had nothing to do with that. We’ve never seen that boy before, have we?" he said, looking at Rose. "Nope, I have no idea who he was," Rose said. "So you see," the Doctor said, turning his attention back to the guards. "We don't know who that kid was, or why he was stealing your scroll of Thoth for the old man, but if I were you, I would give up and go home because unless I'm mistaken, the boy and the scroll are now floating around as atoms in the air. So, you know, go get some of those scribes to make you a new copy. I'm sure one of them will be happy to do it. Now if you'll excuse me, my associate and I have to get going." "Stay right where you are!" The Doctor sighed. "Blast, I was hoping that would work," he muttered. He rolled his eyes when the guards thrust their spears closer. "Well, I guess the trip to Frigidaria will have to wait until we get this sorted out," he said to Rose.
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