he Doctor helped Leon off his chair and propelled him towards the oaken door, wishing with all his hearts to make sure the man got some proper treatment for his illness, before the villagers decided to render their own brand of cure!

 

'Where are we going?' asked Leon, anxiously. 'For God's sake, Doctor...I've told you, I've got to be killed.' He resisted the Time Lord's efforts with the ferocity of a...a wolf!

 

'Listen, Leon,' chimed in Peri, while catching hold of his other arm. 'Nobody around here is gonna die, you especially. If the Doctor says he can treat you, he can treat you...'

 

The Doctor's voice interrupted her triade: 'And, where there's life, there's hope.' He looked down his nose and mumbled under his breath, 'Even if there is very little...'

 

Putting on the most confident smile he could and failing to inspire the necessary morale boost, the Doctor decided action needed to be taken. He literally shoved Leon through the open door, straight into the barrels of six very primitive breech loading rifles held by the six justices, and behind them most of the men folk from the village.

 

'There, you see, Leon, we've even been given an armed escort. That's very good of you.' The Doctor beamed radiantly at Quinn and Marlok, and then his expression soured because the rifles never moved from their aimed positions. 'Killing Leon isn't going to stop it you know...anyone could have been bitten any time.'

 

He walked, shoes squelching in soft-liquid mud, past the pointed rifles until he was face to face with Quinn. 'You!' He then turned to Marlok and pushed on his shoulder with his finger: 'You!' with a flourish of his arm the Doctor encompassed the whole village, 'All of you!'

 

Feeble grunts and angry mutterings came form the crowd. They shuffled on easily, moving slowly forwards, though still circling Leon and Peri. The Doctor, hands thrust deep in his pockets turned back to Marlok and fixed him with an unblinking stare. The Time Lord could see the fear flare in his eyes and stayed there  flickering. All he had to do was fan the burning flame of fear.

 

Marlok knew he was sweating, he could smell himself and he knew his heart was thumping, he could hear it in his head - a dull throbbing. With shaking hands he brought the rifle upwards and aimed it hesitantly towards the Doctor's nose. All he had to do was squeeze the trigger and this meddler would be finished, but there was something about him...something unearthly. He had the power and he knew how to use it.

 

Knowing he was about to make Marlok wet himself, the Doctor continued, unflinchingly. 'Yes, you were there and chased Leon last night didn't you? You could easily have been bitten. It's not hard to conceal any wound that small, and anyway, Leon revealed to us exactly who he attacked last night on the way over here from the Inn, and guess who was last on his list Mr. Marlok?'

 

'No! No! It's a bloody lie, you hear, it's a lie!' Marlok looked for morale support from his fellow comrades but none was forth coming.

 

Quinn was beginning to think, noted the Doctor. His normal stupid looking face was suddenly a mask of intelligence. The words almost died in his throat. 'You, you were limping a bit after you came back this very morning!'

 

It was working, thought the Doctor. 'Show us your ankle, Marlok.' The Doctor knew Marlok was a cretin, enough to actually believe in what was happening to him.

As Marlok bent to roll up his roughly sewn trouser leg, the Doctor took the only chance he could. As all eyes were turned towards Marlok's fumbling hands upon his right ankle, the action-packed Gallifreyan put his shoulders forwards, bent his head low and plummeted straight into Marlok and past straight into the knot of villagers.

 

At first there was confusion, until one of the Justices jabbed his rifle butt straight behind the Doctor's ear, and a sickening crunch resounded. The Doctor moaned, twisted in mid-air and collapsed to the oozing ground.

 

Peri, totally ignoring Leon, rushed to aid her mentor as the villagers' and Justices' attentions focussed on Leon and they surged past her.

 

Leon did little to resist. He realised his time had come and he wanted to die, here and now after so much agony. With cries of 'Burn him!' and 'Shoot him!' ringing in his ears he felt hands tearing at his clothing and he was dragged forward towards the middle of the village where a great funeral pyre had been set up. Thrust upon the rough resting place, he watched as Quinn stepped forward unrolling a tattered scroll.

 

'You know of the rights of a citizen of this village?'

 

Looking bravely onwards, Leon croaked, 'Aye,'

 

Quinn smiled, sadistically. 'Well, they don't apply to you!'

 

'It doesn't really matter. I deserve to die. Only then will I truly be free...at least I won't see you again.' Defiant to the bitter end, Leon placed vehemence on his words.

 

'That's fair enough. You heard him. Admittance of guilt. Mr. Marlok, the case please.'