Something in the Water

THREE

Gwen pulled the Saab over to the side of the road and switched off the engine.

‘Now ain’t that a beautiful sight,’ said Professor Len softly. He was leaning forward, between the front seats, looking out at the sunrise. The sky was a brilliant eggshell blue, streaked with a dozen wide strips of orange and lilac cloud. The sun was low, little more than a glare on the horizon, and beneath it was a vast sea of mist. A distant line of bare winter trees cast long, ghostly shadows.

The professor scratched his beard and let out a low, appreciative whistle, causing both Gwen and Toshiko to wrinkle their noses. It was far too early for beer breath. ‘One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.’ He looked at Toshiko and winked. ‘That’s Shakespeare, that is. Just showing off my education, see. Just so you know you’re not the only genius in the car.’

‘So you’ve decided I’m not the looker?’ Toshiko observed acidly.

‘Don’t worry, girl, I go for brains over beauty every time.’ He looked apologetically at Gwen. ‘No offence, mind.’

Gwen was grinning at Toshiko. ‘None taken.’

‘You’re sure this is the place?’ Toshiko asked, leaning slightly away from the professor with a sour expression.

‘Of course I am. I was brought up around here.’

Gwen was checking the OS map. They were miles from any main roads. ‘Yep, here it is: Greendown Moss. Marshland, mainly. We should have brought our wellies.’

They got out, the two women wrapping their coats around them to keep out the cold. Professor Len stood and watched as Gwen locked the car. Away to the right was a long, undulated field covered with a blanket of grey mist and ringed by silver birch rendered almost invisible in this weather.

‘Is it safe to walk across?’ Toshiko asked.

Professor Len shrugged. ‘If you know what you’re doing. It can be treacherous, though. You’ve got to treat it with respect. Greendown Moss is what’s known as a floating bog: it’s basically a great raft of peat floating on a lake. It’s over fifty feet deep. It’s dangerous because, although you can walk on most of the peat quite easily, there are holes in it that you can’t see — thin patches where a person can just slip right through.’

‘Sounds lovely,’ said Gwen.

‘But what about the ghosts?’ asked Toshiko. ‘Where do they come into it?’

‘Ah,’ said Professor Len. ‘Local legends. A woman — a witch — is said to haunt this place. They call her Sally Blackteeth. She lurks in the ditches and drags the unsuspecting traveller down into the bog. Men, mostly, it has to be said. Pulls them all the way down to the bottom and drowns them — if they’re lucky. You can sometimes see her around these parts, wandering the Moss, looking for her next victim.’

Gwen and Toshiko watched the thin mist rolling across the bog. In was unnaturally quiet out here — there was no traffic and all they could hear was the occasional, distant cry of the ravens in the spectral trees. Otherwise it was silent.

‘Let every bird sing its own note,’ whispered Professor Len, his eyes closed, listening as though he was at an opera.

‘What do you mean, “if they’re lucky”?’ asked Gwen loudly and clearly.

The eyes snapped back open. ‘Sometimes Old Sally would take a man down into the bog to live with her and have her babies. Fate worse than death, that. Dunno how she did it, mind, but I guess she can do it if she’s a witch.’

Gwen and Toshiko were both smiling at him now, amused by his earnestness. He coughed and scratched his beard fiercely. ‘Some of her victims she throws back, when she’s finished with ’em, as a warning to others — to stay away.’ He looked sideways at them and then shrugged. ‘It’s up to you if you want to believe it or not. But you’re Torchwood, so anything goes.’

‘We like to keep an open mind,’ nodded Gwen.

‘I’ve seen Sally,’ the professor said. ‘She often comes here. Water hags tend to keep to their own patch. Black Annie, who lived in the Dane Hills of Leicestershire, used to live in a cave. She dug it out herself with claws as hard as iron and decorated it with the skins of the children she ate.’

‘That’s nice.’

‘They can be vicious, but they can also be fair. They’re sometimes called grindylows in Yorkshire. There was one there who took a man to be her husband, lived in a ditch with him for two years before his wife came and asked for him back. The grindylow agreed, but said she could only have him back if she could swap him for someone else. So the wife tricked another man into the ditch and got her husband back. The grindylow changed her mind because she didn’t like the replacement, so she let him go. He went and found the wife and her husband and murdered them both in their bed out of revenge. Seemed a bit mean-spirited, that, I always thought.’

‘You’re full of charming stories, aren’t you?’

‘Oh, I know all of them. And what’s more they’re all perfectly true.’

‘And you say you’ve met this Sally Blackteeth person?’

‘Seen her. You’ve got to be careful, though. She doesn’t always look the same way twice. She’s got a bit of the bogie in her.’

‘Bogie?’

‘Shape-shifting spirits which torment menfolk. More common than you think.’

‘When does the Sally Blackteeth story date from?’ Toshiko asked. ‘Middle Ages?’

‘Oh, yeah, from right back then. But they reckon the last man to be dragged down to his death by Sally was in 1974.’

‘Really?’

‘They never did find his body. It’s probably still down there, rotting away.’ Professor Len smiled and gave Gwen a nudge with his elbow. ‘Food for the worms — and company for Sally, probably.’

Toshiko had taken a small, hand-held device out of her coat pocket and scanned the field. It could easily have been mistaken for a sophisticated mobile phone, because that is what it had once been. Toshiko had redesigned it to accommodate a smart piece of alien kit that helped to track warps in the Earth’s localised time field, and she used it now to scan for alien technology or recent movements through the Rift.

Professor Len eyes the device suspiciously. ‘What’s that, then? Ghost detector?’

‘Sort of.’ The little machine flickered with coloured lights like a miniature Christmas decoration. It bleeped and whirred as Toshiko studied the readings on the tiny screen. ‘Yep — got something,’ she announced as the device squawked. ‘Directly ahead; no, a little to the north east, about two hundred yards.’

‘Come on, then,’ said Gwen, starting forward.

‘Wait a minute,’ said the professor. ‘You can’t go across there. You don’t know the safe routes.’

‘Then you lead the way.’

‘Are you completely mad? I’m not giving Sally Blackteeth any chances. I’m staying right here.’

‘Don’t tell me you really believe those stories!’

He stared at her. ‘Of course I believe the stories. So should you. What kind of staff is Jack taking on these days?’

‘Only the best,’ Gwen replied. ‘OK, fine. Stay here by the car. You can watch.’

The old man looked appalled. ‘Don’t be daft, girl. I didn’t think you were coming here to walk across the Moss. I thought you were only coming to look.’

‘Gwen, we have to hurry if we want to investigate properly,’ Toshiko said, studying the monitor intently. ‘The temporal trace could fade any moment.’

Gwen smiled at Professor Len. ‘We’ll say hello to Sally if we see her.’

‘Never mind her,’ he said. ‘It’s the bog you’ve got to look out for.’

Toshiko was already climbing down from the roadside, stretching a leg across a ditch to reach the moss. ‘Gwen, come on …’

‘Just take it easy,’ advised Professor Len, admitting defeat. He clearly knew better than to bother arguing with the two young women. ‘Keep to the firm ground, where the moss is. Don’t step anywhere you don’t like the look of.’

Gwen hopped down after Toshiko and led the way. The ground was hard and firm for the first few metres, but then it suddenly became noticeably softer — there was a discomforting springiness underfoot, almost as if they were walking across a bed. The ground gurgled and burped beneath the thin mist swirling around their ankles.

Toshiko followed, scanning all the time. ‘Keep going … directly ahead …’

‘Any idea what it is?’ Gwen asked.

‘Definite time disturbance — that means Rift activity. Must be something odd to be this far out.’

‘Tell me we’re nearly there, because this mud is getting right on my nerves, not to mention my trainers. I think they’re letting in water.’

‘Keep going,’ Toshiko said. Their feet squelched through the soft earth as they continued.

‘Remember what Professor Len said; keep to the firm ground. We don’t want to drop through any holes.’

‘It’s hardly likely. This area is heavily saturated, but it should support our weight. There may be pools, but they’ll be visible. Just be careful and try to keep to the path …’

Gwen watched the ground in front of her carefully as they crept forward. ‘I can’t see any path.’

‘It’ll be the route across the marsh used by animals. The grass will be pressed down. The reeds will be growing in the wettest parts.’

‘Think I’ve just found one of the wettest parts.’ Gwen let out a groan of dismay as her right foot disappeared up to the ankle in cold water. She aimed the torch and saw mud swilling over her shoe as she pulled it back out. ‘Yuck.’

‘Wait — it’s just up ahead,’ murmured Toshiko, holding up the scanner. ‘Look, chronon discharge and a fair degree of localised plasma streaming as well …’

‘You’ve lost me.’ Gwen turned and waved to Professor Len, who was still watching from the road. He was only just visible now, a distant grey figure standing by the car. He saw her and waved back.

‘More chronon discharge,’ said Toshiko, and there was a note of caution in her voice now. ‘Something up ahead, in the mist.’

Automatically, Gwen drew her gun. It was a semi-automatic, Torchwood-customised with laser sights. She brought the weapon up and quickly found the tiny red dot of light in the grass ahead of them, reflecting from the dips and pockmarks where water gathered in wide, shallow puddles among the reeds.

‘What makes you think it’s hostile?’ whispered Toshiko.

‘Experience.’

‘You may have a point.’ Toshiko raised the scanning device, made a few alterations to the controls. The scanner bleeped and she studied the readings on the little screen, her soft features lit by its blue luminescence. ‘But these readings … they’re not like anything we’ve picked up before.’

They’d reached a standstill in the middle of the field. Gwen stood with her back to Toshiko, gun arm outstretched. Toshiko fiddled with the scanner, muttering technical responses to herself as she worked.

‘So what d’you reckon it is, then?’ Gwen whispered. It was so quiet here — silent, in fact, except for the two of them and the softly gurgling earth.

‘I don’t know. But it’s out there and moving.’

Gwen gripped the automatic tighter, tried to keep her breathing slow and regular. No point in panicking. Yet.

‘Ten o’clock,’ Toshiko said quietly.

Gwen switched her aim, momentarily losing track of the laser dot.

‘Eleven.’

Gwen twitched the gun to her right. Still nothing. She looked back towards the road, but there was no sign of Professor Len in the mist now.

‘Want to go back to the car?’ said Toshiko.

‘No way. I want to know what the hell this is.’

‘So Torchwood. No wonder Jack loves you.’

‘What?’

‘No wonder Jack loves having you on the team. He saw it straight away — saw that you were a natural, like the rest of us.’

‘Yeah, well, that doesn’t mean I’m not scared.’

‘Twelve o’clock. It’s circling us.’

Gwen started forward, trudging through the mud, ignoring the cold water splashing around her ankles. She’d had enough of standing still and being scared; it was time to move in and do something.

Gwen had gone no more than ten paces before Toshiko called out after her. ‘It’s gone.’

‘What?’ Gwen turned, swinging the torch beam around, finding Tosh. ‘What d’you mean, gone?’

Toshiko held up the scanner. ‘It’s blanked. Whatever was here has just disappeared.’

Gwen frowned and then turned slowly back, keeping the gun up, staring into the darkness. ‘No it hasn’t.’

‘Scanner’s not registering, Gwen …’

‘Doesn’t mean it’s gone. Doesn’t mean it’s not here.’ Gwen lowered her voice to a whisper. ‘It’s just hiding.’

Toshiko caught up with her with a series of little splashes. ‘The scanner doesn’t work like that …’

‘You said yourself it’s not like anything we’ve seen before. Maybe it can block the scanner, or scramble the readings or something.’

Silence.

‘Tosh?’

‘Gwen, I’m sinking.’

She turned and found Toshiko looking almost comically short besides her. She shone the torch down at her feet and found the mud rising up to Toshiko’s knees. Instinctively Gwen stuffed her gun into a back pocket and then grabbed hold of Toshiko.

‘I thought you said there wasn’t any quicksand,’ said Gwen. She wasn’t panicking yet, but she needed to get Toshiko out of the mud.

‘It’s marsh,’ Toshiko said. ‘Remember, some patches are firm, other patches grow over deep water. I must have stepped off the path.’

‘Can you try to step out?’

‘What do you think I’m doing?’ There was a hint of real anxiety in Toshiko’s voice now. ‘I can’t move my feet. I’m sinking!’

Gwen looked back at the road. She couldn’t even see the car any more let alone the professor; but then she heard him — heavy splashes through the mud and a tall, lurching figure emerging like a caveman from the mist. He had seen Toshiko in trouble and was coming to help.

‘Keep still!’ she heard him call.

Gwen turned back to Toshiko. ‘Keep still,’ she urged. ‘Professor Len’s coming now.’

There was a horrible silence for a few moments as Toshiko sank slowly into the water. Gradually they heard the professor’s footsteps splashing towards them. He caught up, winded, panting, and immediately grabbed Toshiko around the waist. ‘Come on, girl! Up you come!’

But no matter how hard Gwen and Professor Len pulled, the mud just continued to suck Toshiko down. The rate of descent was becoming inexorable and she was starting to panic. ‘Gwen, it’s really cold! I’m sinking! Help me!’

‘We’re doing our best, girl!’ grunted Professor Len. His face was red with the effort above his beard.

Gwen moved around so that she could put her arms under Toshiko’s shoulders and heave. She strained hard but there was no moving her.

‘Lie down,’ gasped the professor, shifting position as well. He couldn’t get any decent leverage because he was trying to make sure he didn’t step on the same patch of marsh that Toshiko had. If they both got stuck there was no way out.

‘What?’

‘Lie down, spread your surface area across the moss,’ the professor instructed. ‘You won’t sink so fast.’

Toshiko looked at him wide-eyed. ‘Lie down? Are you mad?’

‘It’s OK,’ Gwen assured her, but she felt far from confident. Her own heart was thudding madly in her chest. ‘Lie down, quickly!’

Awkwardly, Toshiko started to lower herself towards the ground, into an uncomfortable squatting position.

‘You need to lie down flat, like you’re floating on the surface of a swimming pool,’ the professor urged.

Gingerly, Toshiko lowered herself even further, her face a mask of fear and revulsion. She was already soaked to the skin, a thick brown tidemark rising up the white top she was wearing beneath her leather jacket. Carefully Gwen moved around until she was behind her, checking each step, probing with the flat of her foot to see if the mossy ground would take her weight. ‘Lean back to me, and I’ll see if I can pull you out,’ she said. ‘It may be easier at this angle.’

Once again Gwen got a good grip under Toshiko’s arms and heaved. At first she seemed immovable, but then, with a sudden wet sucking noise, Toshiko slid out of the marsh’s grip and both Gwen and Professor Len fell backwards, dragging her with them.

They lay on the wet ground for a minute, Gwen gasping and laughing with relief. Professor Len was less amused. ‘I told you not go out on the moss!’ he roared. ‘You could’ve been killed!’

Toshiko crawled weakly away from the mud, shivering in the cold.

And then stopped.

‘Gwen.’

Gwen twisted around. ‘What is it?’

Professor Len had already seen it. He climbed slowly to his knees, his eyes wide in shock and horror.

‘Look.’ Toshiko’s face was drawn and mud-stained, but there was a look in her dark eyes that had an immediate, sobering effect on Gwen.

There was a face in the mud. Emaciated skin was stretched tight over the skull, yellow teeth bared as if with the strain of coming to the surface. The crusty eye sockets were full of silt and worms.

‘It was right beneath me,’ Toshiko whispered, her voice trembling. ‘Under the water all this time.’

‘We must have disturbed it,’ Gwen said, bending over for a closer look. ‘It’s male. Look — there’s the rest of the body, half-submerged. He was probably trapped under the moss. The struggle freed the corpse and it floated to the surface.’

Suddenly Toshiko was fumbling for her scanner. Her muddy fingers slid all over the controls but in a few more seconds she had it working again. ‘Chronon discharge,’ she said. ‘Signs of Rift fluctuation.’

‘No,’ said Professor Len, shaking his head fearfully. ‘It’s Sally Blackteeth. She’s coughed him back up from the depths.’ He looked up at them, his eyes wide and staring, full of fear. ‘It’s a warning!’