Episode 4: Attila Part 2

“What’s going on here?” a woman’s voice called over the crowd of the advancing Huns, “Out of my way.” The woman shoved the Huns out of her path and some of them fell to the floor. The woman’s face was covered by black cloth and she was wearing brown clothes, which were partly covered by a black cloak.
“Get her!” a Hun holding the Doctor roared, but the woman hit the Hun soldier in the face and he dropped the Doctor, who broke free of the other Huns. The woman grabbed the Doctor and pulled him rapidly away from the Huns, who began to chase them.

“You’re running straight towards a wall!” the Doctor told the woman worriedly, but as they grew close, the woman threw the Doctor onto the flat roof, causing the Doctor to gasp in shock.
“GET THEM YOU FOOLS!” the Doctor heard a Hun shout, as the woman landed on the roof beside him.
“Run then,” the woman said in an exasperated voice, as the Huns reached the side of the building. The Doctor jumped up and the woman led him across the flat roofs.
“How did you get to be so strong?” the Doctor asked as he ran.
“I don’t talk when I run, it wastes energy,” the woman commented, as she leaped across a gap in the roofs. The Doctor followed her, and looked down to see that he was jumping over a street, where several people looked up and saw them.
“Slow down!” the Doctor called after the woman, who was easily outrunning him. She, however, did not stop, but kept running until she reached the edge of the town, where she jumped off the roof and landed in an empty street.

“Hurry up, the Huns will be on their way,” the woman told the Doctor, who jumped down from the roof onto the street.
“Thanks for saving... well... me, I’m never used to saying that, really, um...” the Doctor told the woman, who looked unimpressed.
“You aren’t from round here, are you?” the woman said.
“No, I’m not, I’m the Doctor by the way,” the Doctor replied.
“A Doctor, eh? Good, you can stitch up that cut you have on your hand, I’d watch that if I were you,” the woman said airily.
“So, who are you?” the Doctor questioned.
“That’s for me to know, and you to wonder, good luck with that,” the woman answered, “You’ll be ok from here, right?”
“Yes, but...” the Doctor began.
“Bye,” the woman said, and within seconds she had vanished from site.


Conner stumbled, as he followed Georgia away from the town of Tointraken. Conner quickly looked behind him to see a group of Hun soldiers chasing them, which made Conner run faster.

“Get them!” a Hun soldier, who was obviously in charge roared.
“Georgia, they’re going to catch up with us!” Conner called.
“No, you think?” Georgia said sarcastically, as she ran, “Quick into the long grass!” Georgia changed direction and ran into a field full of very tall grass, that could easily hide a person. Conner followed Georgia into the field, and ducked down beside her.
“This way,” Georgia whispered, and together they crawled silently through the undergrowth.

“They’re around here somewhere, find them!” the Hun commander ordered, as he reached the field, and looked around with a frown on his face.
“Yes Captain Groutroster!” the soldiers replied and they began to make their way through the field, with their swords drawn, and their eyes peeled.
“There are some woods, I saw them as we ran, they’re about fifty metres from this spot,” Georgia told Conner quietly.

“There isn’t anybody here sir,” a Hun soldier told his Captain.
“They are here Shaka! They ran into this field, make sure they don’t escape!” Captain Groutroster said through gritted teeth, his face screwed up in a frown.
“But...” Shaka began.
“Who’s in charge?” Captain Groutroster asked with a nasty smile on his face.
“You sir,” Shaka muttered.
“SO DO AS I SAY!” Captain Groutroster roared, making Shaka flinch.
“He sounds like a very nice person,” Georgia said sarcastically.

“Come on, we need to go,” Conner told Georgia.
“We need to wait for the opportune moment,” Georgia replied.
“What, when they spot us?” Conner replied.
“No, I dunno... shut up,” Georgia snapped.
“Search for tracks, look at the ground!” Captain Groutroster ordered.
“I think I’ve found some,” Shaka replied.
“Now?” Conner asked.
“Now, go!” Georgia hissed back, and she and Conner crept quietly out of the grass and silently, but rapidly towards the woods.


The Doctor peeked around the corner of the street, to see if there were any Hun soldiers down it, but there weren’t. He walked under an arch and into the street beyond, where a few people were walking in tightly-knit groups, as if they were scared of being attacked by the Huns.

“Hello, do you know the way to Attila’s place of residence?” the Doctor asked a man, who was walking quickly up the street.
“He has taken over the palace which used to be owned by the Lord, who was killed disgustingly,” the man replied, “His guts lined Attila’s bedroom, that’s what I heard...”
“Oh, right, thanks,” the Doctor slowly replied, as the man scuttled off down the street, “OW!” The Doctor felt something burn in his pocket, and pulled out a tiny revolving disc, that was burning orange.
“That is not good,” the Doctor commented, “Hang on...” The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver, and pointed it in the air, to confirm his assumptions.
“Yeah... that’s definitely bad...”


Humbert stood defiantly outside his door and tried to sell prunes to anyone who walked by, but since the Doctor and his friends had ran off, he had seen few people about, but two Hun soldiers still stood beside the blue box, waiting for instructions. Humbert knew better than to try and sell prunes to them. Another Hun soldier marched down the street, towards Humbert, who gulped, until he realised who the soldier was.

“Ezio!” Humbert exclaimed, “You’re all right, I didn’t know where you went after...”
“Calm down, I’m on duty, I shouldn’t really be speaking to you at all,” Ezio replied.
“How come you’ve, you’ve...” Humbert began.
“The Huns offered me a job as a guard, as I guarded the city before and I thought that I could help look after the people, and do a better job than the Huns,” Ezio explained.
“Well, that is good, I suppose,” Humbert commented.
“The things is, because of this uniform, my old friends scurry away when they see me, they don’t realise who I am,” Ezio said, “But I’m scared that if I ask to leave the guard, I’ll be killed. There are stories about a pit under the town, and apparently Attila throws people down there.”
“A pit, what’s inside it?” Humbert asked.
“I don’t know, all I hear is rumours, some of the Huns are nice, they talk, others are just... nasty,” Ezio muttered, “Now, I’d best be off, where’s Eden, by the way?”
“I don’t know, she’s gone, I think she’s dead,” Humbert said sadly.
“Look, friend, many people did not return here, but they fled to other towns,” Ezio said.

“I left her in our house, as the Huns were approaching, she was killed, I know it,” Humbert replied grimly.
“Look, you did what you had to do, otherwise you would have been killed...”
“Protecting her! That would have been an honour to me, and you’ve joined the people who slaughtered her! I can’t believe you!”
“Be quiet,” Ezio hissed, “Or you’ll get yourself into trouble, and end up in the pit yourself.” With that Ezio walked off, without a backwards glance. Humbert saw the looks the other Hun soldiers were giving him, and he hurried inside himself, scared of what was to come.


General Nay stood up, with a frown on his face, as a blue light flashed on his console. Vasray looked over at him, and stood up too, wondering what General Nay wanted.
“Sir, there is no problem, I hope?” Vasray said, “The spaceship is landing in 25 Nayans.”
“No problem with that, but we have other problems, as you know,” General Nay hissed, and walked out of the room, and swept down several corridors, followed by a disgruntled Vasray. General Nay burst through a pair of double doors and started walking past labs, some full of Nayragar.

“Sir, where are we going?” Vasray asked, but General Nay did not answer. He continued down the corridor and down another dimly lit corridor. He opened a door and stepped onto a stone surface.
“Sir, are we going into the lower basement?” Vasray questioned.
“Yes,” General Nay replied, as he descended the stone steps that led from the door. He reached the bottom, and spun on the spot, indicating that Vasray should follow, and he immediately rushed down the steps after his commander, who smirked.
“The lower basement was carved out of the ground when we arrived,” General Nay said, “I have rarely visited it, except to visit the den.”
“We’re not going to the den, are we?” Vasray asked in a slightly fearful tone.
“They smell fear, they like that stench,” General Nay replied.
“I’m not scared,” Vasray replied.
“Of course you’re not, this way, something is wrong,” General Nay commented.


“YOU LOST HIM?” Attila roared at Captain Groutroster, who tried not to cower in fear. Attila had taken over the large palatial building in the centre of the town, and was sitting in a large hall, on a golden throne.
“I did not sire, I unfortunately lost the other two, but I still have soldiers out looking for them,” Captain Groutroster explained, “Captain Rogslash lost their leader.”
“Very well, Captain Groutroster, fetch the blue box, bring it here, Rogslash, stay,” Attila ordered, and Captain Groutroster returned to his men outside the room.

“Sir, are you in trouble?” Shaka the Hun asked.
“That is not for you to worry about Shaka, be silent,” Captain Groutroster snapped, “Guard here, with you - what’s your name?”
“Ezio, sir,” Ezio replied quietly.
“Speak louder,” Captain Groutroster ordered, “I am not paid to strain my hearing to hear the likes of you, little man. Now wait here, you two, the rest of you, with me, we need to bring something to our King.” Captain Groutroster marched off with the other guards, leaving Ezio and Shaka guarding the doors.

“Let go of me! Tell your men to unhand me at once!” Captain Rogslash told Attila, who smirked in reply.
“You know what’s going to happen to you,” Attila said quietly, “You know what happens to those who fail to fulfil my wishes, and you let that man escape, with that woman, who you still haven’t caught.”
“Please no, I helped you! I believed in you!” Captain Rogslash told Attila, as the guards held him tighter, while Ezio and Shaka began listening at the door.
“Silence minion!” Attila ordered.
“You think you’re a God, but you’re nothing more than a...” Captain Rogslash replied loudly, but a guard had put his hand over Rogslash’s mouth.
“Throw him into the den,” Attila told the guards, who dragged Captain Rogslash off.

“What was that about?” Ezio asked.
“Obey Attila, or you get thrown into the den,” Shaka replied.
“But what’s in the den, what is it?” Ezio questioned worriedly.
“A monster, which will eat you,” Shaka muttered, “That’s what I heard anyway, someone has heard a roar, like some kind of Lion.”
“Aren’t Lions creatures from Africa, with big teeth and claws,” Ezio asked.
“Yes, but this monster is supposed to be far worse,” Shaka replied.
“But, the den wasn’t here before you came, how can this monster have been found?” Ezio asked, “I don’t understand.”
“Attila found it, apparently,” Shaka replied, “Be quiet, there’s someone coming.”

“Hello!” The Doctor exclaimed, as he approached Ezio and Shaka.
“Halt, what is your business here, where are you from?” Shaka said in a demanding voice.
“Quite right, I’m the Doctor, and I’m from a far off land,” the Doctor explained, “And I’m here to see Attila, he knows me, maybe.”
“I will... go... and see... him,” Shaka said, gulping.
“No need,” the Doctor exclaimed, smiling, as he burst through the doors into Attila’s room. Attila stood up with a look of fury on his face.

“WHO ARE YOU?” Attila roared, and the Doctor smiled back.
“I’m the Doctor, nice to meet you, I’m...” the Doctor said, but Attila interrupted him.
“SEIZE HIM!” Attila roared at the guards, who had just returned from disposing of Captain Rogslash. The guards rushed forward and the Doctor backed away, as Ezio and Shaka watched from the doorway.
“No, you don’t want to do that,” the Doctor stammered.
“STAB HIM, SLICE HIM UP, RUN HIS BLOOD ACROSS THE WALLS!” Attila shouted, and the guards drew their swords and surrounded the Doctor.


Georgia ran through the trees and clutched her side in pain. She thought she had been seen by a Hun, who was searching the forest. She looked around and realised Conner was nowhere to be seen.

“Conner!” Georgia hissed, but there was no reply.
“CONNER!” Georgia shouted, and Conner emerged from the trees.
“Calm down, I was just over there,” Conner whined.
“Doing what?” Georgia snapped.
“Going to the toilet,” Conner replied sheepishly, and Georgia burst out laughing, and Conner started laughing at Georgia’s laugh. Suddenly, an ear-splitting noise filled the air, and Georgia and Conner froze.

“What’s that?” Georgia asked quietly.
“It was a roar,” Conner replied.
“You don’t get roars here...” Georgia said.
“You mean you don’t get creatures that roar here,” Conner said.
“You know what I meant, what are we going to do?” Georgia questioned.
“I don’t know, just stay quiet,” Conner replied, but as he said this, a black Lion with a straggly main and green eyes appeared through the trees.

“RUN!” Georgia shrieked, and she turned on her heel and sprinted away, closely followed by Conner and then the Lion. Georgia fled from the woods and ran towards a field with an area covered in branches. Georgia put her foot on one of the branches and vanished from site. Conner ran up to the spot where she had vanished, but the moment he stepped on the branches, he fell into a pit that had been hidden beneath the branches.
“This is a trap,” Georgia told Conner, she was lying on the floor of the pit, pulling twigs out of her hair with a scared expression on her face.
“But who made the trap, and for what reason?” Conner asked. Another roar filled the air, and suddenly the Lion fell crashing through the branches into the pit. The Lion picked itself up and Conner ran over to Georgia, who pressed herself against the wall of the pit, her mouth open.

TO BE CONTINUED