The Nightmare Man by Joseph Lidster Read Free Book Online

‘Clyde! Rani! Wake up!’
    She continued shouting their names as she crouched down and started to shake them. But they wouldn’t wake up. She was too late. Sarah Jane looked at Rani, blinking back tears.
    ‘I’m sorry…’
    Rani blinked as bright lights suddenly surrounded her. She looked around, confused. Where was she? What happened? She had a vague memory of being on the sofa in her living room. She could remember the TV was on. A newsreader. She gasped as suddenly she remembered. She’d been pulled into the television! She looked up and let out a scream as she saw the newsreader, Louise Marlowe, standing over her.
    ‘What are you?’ she asked.
    The newsreader smiled. ‘Louise Marlowe, BBC News.’
    Rani’s eyes started to adjust to the brightness and she realised where she was. It was a television studio. It was the BBC News studio. In front of her was a camera, and behind that, it was just darkness. The bright studio lights were shining down onto her and Louise. And behind them was the newsdesk.
    ‘This can’t be happening!’ said Rani, shaking her head.
    The newsreader reached out a hand. ‘Breaking news, Rani. I need you.’
    ‘What do you mean?’ Rani shivered as Louise reached down and touched her hair. Then she looked down and saw that her clothes had changed. She was wearing a smart newsreader’s suit – just like Louise. She stood up and felt her hair. That had changed as well. She was a newsreader! She looked around at the cameras and lights. ‘But I shouldn’t be here! I don’t know what I’m doing!’
    ‘You are a journalist, aren’t you?’ asked Louise.
    ‘I don’t understand!’
    Louise smiled gently. ‘Come and sit down.’
    She led Rani round behind the desk and they both sat down. Rani stared out at the dark studio.
    ‘What am I meant to say?’ she asked.
    ‘Duh!’ replied Louise, pointing at the camera.
    Above the camera was an autocue. It was like a computer screen, showing the newsreaders what they had to say. Rani started to read it.
    ‘Her name is…’ She stopped. ‘Sarah Jane?’
    Louise, her fellow newsreader, smiled at her. It wasn’t a nice smile.
    ‘You and me, Rani. We’re going to tell everyone who she is. We’re going to destroy Sarah Jane Smith!’
    Sarah Jane entered the attic. She was scared and alone but, most of all, she was devastated about Luke, Clyde and Rani.
    ‘I can’t wake them up,’ she muttered.
    For one of the first times in her life, she felt like giving up. She just didn’t know what to do.
    ‘Sarah Jane,’ said Mr Smith, his voice surprisingly gentle. ‘You still have the sentient concrete.’
    She walked back to the table and picked it up. ‘Which has electrical circuitry in it.’ She started to think. She wasn’t just going to give up, no matter how dark and scary the world seemed. ‘K-9! Could you use this? Could you use it to talk to Luke?’
    ‘Affirmative,’ K-9 replied.
    Sarah Jane, full of energy and determination, put the piece of concrete next to Luke’s head. K-9’s probe extended and attached to the alien device.
    ‘Working…’ said K-9.
    The wires in the rock started to glow!
    ‘Master Luke,’ said K-9. ‘Can you hear me? Master Luke?’
    For a moment, it looked like it might work! But then the wires in the concrete stopped glowing.
    K-9’s head lowered. ‘I regret I have insufficent power,’ he said, sadly.
    ‘Perhaps I can help?’ announced Mr Smith. ‘If I was connected to K-9, I could boost his energy levels.’
    Sarah Jane ran back over to her box of alien objects. ‘What do you need, Mr Smith? I’ve got stuff here from planets across the universe. Mind control devices and alien plants! Just tell me what you need!’
    ‘I need a USB lead, Sarah Jane,’ replied Mr Smith.
    Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock…
    In the cafe, Clyde looked up at the big clock, annoyed. It was ticking loudly but the hands on the clock weren’t moving. He wanted his shift to finish so he could go home and work out