Two Clowns later, Clara appeared in the doorway. ‘How are you getting on?’

‘Still plenty of room,’ said Clara, gesturing to the empty space inside the car. ‘It shouldn’t be a problem getting us all inside.’

‘That’s good,’ said Clara, ‘because the Doctor wants to—’ she stopped, staring past Mae and out through the window behind her.

‘What’s wrong?’ Mae asked. But Clara had disappeared. Mae climbed out of the car and hurried after her. She found Clara crouched before a young girl of around 4 or 5 years old, holding a picture book.

‘It’s her,’ said Clara, looking up at Mae. ‘The girl I saw in my dream in the wormhole.’ She turned back to the girl. ‘What’s your name?’

‘Jaz,’ said the girl. She glanced at Clara’s hands, shaking slightly as they gripped her shoulders. ‘Are you a Trembler?’

‘No,’ smiled Clara. ‘I haven’t been affected by the Shroud.’

‘You’re lucky,’ said Jaz. ‘My mother was. She’s a Trembler now, but Wobblebottom says he can restore her. I hope he can, because she has the prettiest smile.’

Clara pulled the girl into her and held her tightly. ‘If Wobblebottom says he can do it, then I believe him.’

Jaz beamed at the thought. ‘I have to go now,’ she said. ‘I’m not allowed in my mother’s room until she’s been treated, but I sit outside every day and read her a story.’

‘That’s a wonderful thing to do,’ said Clara, ruffling the girl’s hair. ‘Your mother must be so proud to have a daughter like you.’ She watched as Jaz raced away towards the entrance to the cells. ‘I always thought a world without grief would be a good thing,’ she said, standing up. ‘But it’s not.’

‘No, it’s not,’ said the Doctor, approaching with Warren. ‘Humans are incredibly complicated beings, and everything inside their heads is there for a reason. Take just one part away and the whole thing goes out of whack.’

‘Maybe we’d be better off without any emotions at all,’ Warren suggested.

‘You wouldn’t say that if you’d met some of the emotionless monsters I’ve had to face,’ he said. ‘What’s happening on Semtis may not be perfect – but it works. Human beings doing what they can for their fellow man. Now – I think we’re just about loaded. Let’s go and stop this from ever happening on Earth.’

One by one, the Clowns chosen for the journey climbed into the back of the clown car and found an empty seat. Mae found herself sitting between Orma the nurse and a man dressed as a hobo clown in ragged clothes.

Warren and Clara buckled themselves in along the opposite wall. ‘Let’s hope this trip is a little less traumatic,’ Clara said.

The Doctor climbed into the front seat with Flip Flop and Wobblebottom. ‘Ready?’ he smiled.

Wobblebottom nodded. ‘Time to set a big foot on another world!’

Flip Flop started the engine and drove the tiny car to a ramp at the back of the room. A clown in oily overalls winched a handle and a door cranked open, allowing them to motor out into the ice and snow.

Putta-putta-choof! Putta-putta-choof! Putta-putta-choof!

The car skidded slightly on the slippery ground, and the Doctor wound down his window to peer out. ‘Are you sure we can make it back to where you found us?’ he asked, studying the slippery surface beneath them.

‘No problem,’ beamed Flip Flop. He flicked a switch on the car’s dashboard and rows of sharp metal spikes sprang out from the tyres, digging into the ice for grip.

The Doctor beamed happily as he wound his window back up. ‘Love a Clown!’

The journey back to the wormhole was incident – and bear – free. Flip Flop pulled up before the shimmering portal, allowing the Doctor to jump out and wave his sonic screwdriver over its surface.

‘Got to reset the polarity,’ he called over the chirrup of the gadget. Satisfied the task was done, he jumped back into the car. ‘Can I have your attention,’ he called to the group sitting in the back. ‘Please ensure your safety belts are fastened and your tray tables are in the upright position. In the event of turbulence or experiencing flashes of someone else’s terrifying memories, please try to remain calm. Should the oxygen fail, you will all turn blue and choke within a matter of seconds, so let’s cross our fingers and hope that doesn’t happen.

‘Exits will be available when the doors fall off comically, or via the ejector seat – which I’ve just realised I’m sitting in. We do hope you will choose Wormhole Travel for your next nightmare-fuelled journey to a distant world. Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the journey.’

He turned to Flip Flop, lowering his voice. ‘Put your foot down and don’t stop until we come out the other side, no matter what happens.’

With a nod, Flip Flop put the clown car in gear and drove into the wormhole.

Chapter 13

The clown car burst out of the shimmering portal in the hospital wall, the spikes in its tyres digging up the tarmac of the car park. Flip Flop hit the brakes, bringing the vehicle to a juddering halt.

‘Wobblebottom!’ cried the Doctor, scanning him with his sonic. The Clown’s pale make-up glowed green.

‘What’s wrong with him?’ asked Flip Flop.

‘He’s caught up in someone’s memories,’ explained the Doctor. ‘It happened to us on the way to Semtis. He should be OK in a few minutes.’

As if on cue, Wobblebottom’s eyes flickered open and he groaned. ‘He was trapped,’ he said. ‘A boy – a teenager. Trapped in the underground rooms of his house. His parents were Ragers, tearing the ground floor apart. He … was signalling for help with a radio. I remember the frequency.’

‘Then I know you’ll be able to find him when you get back home,’ said the Doctor. He turned to Clara, Warren and Mae in the back of the car. ‘How is everyone?’

‘A couple of them had memory flashes,’ Clara replied. ‘But they’re all coming round now.’

‘Good,’ said the Doctor. ‘Everyone out.’

Steadily, the clowns began to climb out of the tiny vehicle, one after another. They emerged into the late-afternoon sunshine, gazing around in wonder at what to them was a bizarre new world. Two of them nervously approached a tree and ran their hands over the bark, giggling.

‘What is this place?’ asked Orma, looking up at the building.

‘A hospital,’ said Warren. ‘With doctors and nurses. They treat people who are sick.’

Orma glanced down at her own fluorescent pink nurse’s uniform. ‘I guess I’d fit right in then,’ she smiled.

Warren smiled. ‘They wouldn’t notice a thing.’

‘Doctor,’ said Mae. ‘Look!’

The Doctor turned to find dozens of people walking down the steps from the hospital entrance, each one holding hands with a blue-veiled woman.

‘Over there, too,’ said Clara, pointing. Scores more were approaching across the car park.

A hospital porter – the man the Doctor and Clara had met pushing a wheelchair when they had first arrived – reached out to the Doctor with his free hand. ‘I take things,’ he said. ‘From the patients who don’t understand where they are. I steal from them. It’s all in my locker. Help me and I’ll give it all back. I’ll find everyone I stole from and return their belongings.’

‘I’ll go to church every Sunday,’ called a woman from near the back of the group. ‘Please help me. I promise!’

‘My wife,’ said a man to the Doctor’s left. ‘I’ll be faithful to her, I swear. From this moment on. Just get this thing away from me!’

Clara looked from one desperate person to the next. ‘What are they doing?’ she asked.

‘Bargaining,’ replied the Doctor. ‘It’s the next stage of their grief. The next course of the meal for the Shroud.’ He checked his watch. ‘Just over three hours before the infestation reaches everyone on the planet.’ He climbed the steps and addressed the gathering. ‘I will help you all,’ he promised. ‘But I have to ask you to take a step back so we can continue with our work.’