The girl from Inverness was brought into a North Caledonian Burn unit some time before Christmas Eve. While examining the blackened and fused body, an American Consultant named Karen Freckle agreed it was closest thing to a living skeleton she had seen. After carefully stabilising the patient, the Doctor could do no more.

  “Looks like we caught her just in time,” She said, sighing heavily. “Big money, no Whammies.”

  Once medicine was piped using an I.V, the patient was hooked to a machine and left in the care of two nurses: Geri and Hattie. Days later, there appeared to be a flutter of movement, as a heart monitor beeped more rapidly. After a tense couple of minutes, nothing else stirred. Disappointed, Geri disposed her gloves into a nearby bin.

  "Any news from her family?" She asked.

  "We got the word out," Hattie said. "That's about it."

  "It seems a shame to keep calling her: 'Jane Doe'."

  "It'll keep, until we know her real name."

  Geri tilted her head. "Do ye think she has an accent?"

  "Now how would I know?"

  "She could have a warm chunky one like mine or a whiny one like yours"

  "I don't 'ave a whiny accent, ya cheeky mare!"

  "It sounds like a bee trapped in a whistle."

  "Shut up." Hattie said. "Anyway, if she could say anything, she'd be on her phone all day and we'll no hear a peep out of her. I believe that's called 'Irony'."

  "Doesn't that come after laundry?"

  "I'll launder you if ye keep this up."

  The two women paused mid-argument, slowly turning to face the girl. A single eye was staring back, blinking from a sea of cooked meat. Hattie made a call on a nearby wall phone.

  "Hey..." Geri said, coming to Jane’s bedside. "Hey, welcome back. Can you hear me?" The girl stared at her, with one eye webbed with veins. "Okay, first thing is don't panic. We're working on getting you freed up but first try and keep calm."

  Hattie pressed the phone against her chest.

  "I don't think she can hear you." She said.

  "We have to remain positive. She might be able to read lips."

  The other nurse shot her a look. "We shouldn't be wearing masks, then."

  Minutes later, a group of white coats soon filled up both sides of the girl's bed.

  "How long?" Freckie asked.

  "Just now." Geri replied.

  The Doctor gently stroked Jane's head.

  "If you can understand me, blink once." Freckie said. The girl could only stare back. "Some kind of hearing problem, it's hard to tell if it occurred before or after the fire." The Doctor then wrote something down on her pad and held it up: Age?

  The girl blinked twelve times. "I hope you know, I will not rest until you are better." Jane closed her eye for a second. "You can lip read. That's a good start."

  "Can she tell us anything?" Geri asked.

  Freckie shook her head

  "I don't want to stress her only working muscle." She said. "We all want results, but patience is a must." Geri nodded sadly. "Alright, carry on with Painkillers. Keep her entertained if you can. Don't make her feel alone.

  "She won't." Hattie said.

  ***

  Over the course of a few days, both nurses entertained Jane with several magazines, but it was reality shows that kept her distracted, with some proving more popular than others.

  “I was thinking of showing her some books.” Geri said, one rainy Tuesday. “I reckoned she’d want me to read her some fantasy novels for teenagers, so I got the latest ones.”

  “That’s actually rather sweet.”

  Geri lifted the books out of a bag.

  “Here we are.” She said. “ ‘Shadow of the Bone Serpent’s Throne.’ ”

  “Mmm-Hmm.”

  “ ‘Throne of the Bone Serpent’s Shadow’, ‘Shadows, Serpents, Thrones, Bones and Serpents’, ‘Bone in the Throne of the Shadow Serpent’, ‘Bones, Bones Bones Bones Bones and Thrones…and Serpents.’ ”

  “No Shadow?”

  “I’m guessing it’s at night.”

  “Amazing how anyone can tell them apart.”

  The girl always felt better when her favourite nurses on shift. She did not know what they were discussing, but everything felt empty when they left. On other days, her only source of amusement was counting drops from a leaky tap. Drip. Drip. Drip.

  Cleaners. Jane thought They keep using that strong bleach. Dinner smells like beef stew: Gravy, carrots, mash.

  The Dinner trolley was pushed on, rattling plates. They never stopped. No reason to. When there was no television, Jane would stare at the wall. Some days were worse than others; seemingly endless, unable to move except for a single eye. Outside, rain sizzled noisily on an ancient window ledge. One afternoon, Geri brought in a soft blue blanket decorated with bright stars. Every day, Jane swore those very same stars were twinkling back. The girl closed her eye. She was obviously imagining it, because no-one else seemed to notice. Nor did they take note of a gentle breeze lighting on her face. A breeze, that seemed to blow from the blanket itself.

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  It wasn’t until ten at night, when Jane suddenly felt a chill cut through her bones. The ward carried a most unnatural feel; like she was breaking some kind of rule set by Nocturnal Gods. Before she could ponder it further, a stranger appeared out of nowhere. Jane never saw the 'Scruffy Man', for he was darker than pitch and his outline was in constant motion, as if made out of bees. The stranger had no visible face, but wore a flat brimmed hat over a white pencil-thin smile stretched from ear to ear. Was this a dream? She could not tell. All it did was bring up thin, icy dread, one that doubled upon feeling something climb up her body.

  From what she could tell, it was small, furry and very much like a hand. Unable to think, Jane soon got a look, when it stared back with eight black eyes. The girl hoped the spider would lose interest, but it was soon joined by another, then a third, then more, until her body was heaving with dozens of hairy bodies, attached to many spindly legs. Soon, insects from every inch of surrounding area, skittered, chittered, scampered and scuttled with no end in sight. An endless swarm knotted together in a cursed infestation of crawling pests, filling the floors and blackening the walls, until they washed over her head completely. Helpless to resist, she felt herself being drowned in a sea of infinite bugs.

  ***

  Opening her eyes, Jane was surprised to see herself flying at great speed through clouds blushed with moonlight. Still wrapped in bandages, the girl felt the rush of cold air press against her body. It was overwhelming at first, but soon became something more electric, more fierce, and beyond anything she had known been before. It was a new life. Or was it?

  Dead? Jane wondered.

  It was the only option. How would she feel becoming a ghost? Would she ever get used to it? Could she go back? Was this an afterlife? She didn’t care. Right then, Jane felt like crying for joy, because this was all she dreamt after days trapped in a hospital bed. Maybe life had finally let go? Let her drift into a boundless abyss of eternity, to soar among the golden spires of lands unseen and imagination undreamt. She would have loved to have experienced it longer, but any sense of jubilation was shattered as the ground came up fast, with no way of slowing down. All of sudden, everything hurt. Jane smashed down against an old Stagecoach, leaving her winded with severe pain.

  Urgghh.

  Lying there for a moment, she winced as heavy clouds thickened into churning ropes, and brought a southern chill. Sitting up, Jane found herself perilously close to the edge of a broken bridge, surrounded by an endless sea of lush green trees.

  Where am I?

  Still woozy, she wandered around the Stagecoach and was shocked to see an armoured colossus lift a heavy sword at the ruins of a half-remembered castle. She was tempted to ask for help, when it slowly turned around. Jane stiffened, with a numbing dread ghosting over her. The creature had a Ram's head, but its body belonged to that of a tall muscular giant in bronze armour. Before either of them could react, the creature was shot with a large iron spear, sending it staggering back toward Jane.The girl stood still. What were her choices? Escape? No. It was closing in too fast. Jump off? There was nothing around but forest. Drawing a blank, she could only freeze as the Stagecoach went flying, taking her with it.

  ***

  Slumped against a castle wall, the Sundered Knight lowered his telescope.

  "You know, I could have sworn there was someone else." He said.

  The other guard turned around.

  "Why are telling me this now?"

  "Don't have a go at me, Squire. It fell out of nowhere, alright?"

  The old man picked up a weapon.

  "I guess there's only one way to find out."

  Looking down at the sword in his chest, the young man’s smile grew bleak.

  "Yeah, don't mind me. I'll catch up."

  Somewhat confused, the Old Knight caught sight of a figure wrapped in bandages, clinging onto a nearby branch.

  "Stranger!" He called out. "Remain calm, I will come for you!"

  Jane was surprised to see another human; especially one dressed in dirty medieval armour. Puzzled by this sudden appearance, she was moved to respond, when her grip slipped, dropping her into a silky pool of mist below. After being whipped in the face with every branch, Jane landed with a sickening crunch. Dizzy with pain, she arched her back.

  Would really like to wake up now. She thought.

  Slowly rising to her feet, she caught sight of a shadow moving with intent. Jane's mind raced with a thousand answers, none of them good. Scrambling toward the broken Stagecoach, she hid underneath Desperate to help, the Old Knight peered over the edge, but there was nothing except a new wreckage smashed into bits. All of sudden, his view was obscured and a large arm grabbed him from below. Hanging with one arm, the Ram-thing quickly loomed over the Knight from the edge.

  Angered, the Knight swung back with an iron club. It connected well and with a wet crunch, the creature plummeted at speed, crashing heavily on the Stagecoach, with the spear missing Jane by inches. The girl crawled out and leant against a bridge support. Still buzzing with confusion, she frantically tried to wipe a red patch off her legs, but it had already stained through bandages. Defeated, Jane looked up and felt a cold edge of despair. Three moons loomed large in the hazy copper sky. Questions fell, with no clear answers. All she knew was that staying in one place was not a good idea.

  Backing away, she was shocked to see a mound of bones scattered underneath the bridge. Each skeleton appeared to be that of a horse, with a single horn shooting out from its forehead. Wasting no more time, she pulled away a mound of skulls and hid inside a ribcage, finding it to be unusually snug for an igloo made of bone. Terror racked her body with a shot of adrenaline.

  Must wake up. Must wake up.

  Somewhere in all that velvety darkness, a ghostly mist pressed on through, like a tide. Jane hugged her legs. The last thing she wanted was to fall asleep in a place where monsters could exist. It was there, she noticed something emerge from shadow. Obscured by fog, Jane watched the Ram’s body being dragged away across the clearing. Wide-eyed, she watched its huge body held upright, while black rope was being pulled away from its mid-section, until it was dropped back down. Jane curled up against grass. There was no way to escape now, not while powerful creatures were prowling around, dismantling others. The girl shivered, trying to think of a way to stay calm. Staring up at the three moons, she remembered one time she spent in Los Angeles with her cousins.

  It was cold night on a parking lot, with a sparse light coming from the glow of a nearby Bodega. High above, a billboard screen showed some pop singer, surrounded by slumber party friends rolling around in a luxury apartment. In that moment, Jane knew what it felt to be poor and catching a glimpse of the elite.

  ***

  Jane lay for what felt like an hour, hopelessly lost in a strange, Alien-like world. There was no sign of life, except for wildlife and fresh baked cookies.

  Wait. What?

  This had to be a dream. Can you smell anything in a dream? She never thought about it.

  Jane was hoping to be back in her hospital bed. Unpleasant as it was to be trapped in her own body, she would at least be safe. Here, she was stuck in some cursed lands, filled with unknown horrors.

  And yet, it felt all too familiar.

  She knew straight away it was a trick. No-one was baking delicious cookies in the middle of a forest. Even so, there was definitely a scent, with its pleasing notes of oats and raisin.

  Not cookies She thought. Flapjacks!

  Her favourite! How did they know? Jane was tempted to investigate, figuring there was no point hiding forever. She needed to find somewhere safe. It was a trap, but one worth taking, if it meant getting some answers. Upon exiting, Jane dusted herself off and looked around. Whatever it was appeared to be coming from the East, so that is where she headed.

  ***

  Somewhere high above, an old man kept watch, hoping to catch any signs of the newcomer.

  "Any luck?" The Sundered Knight asked.

  "No. It was either chased off or they are very good at hiding."

  "I guess you'll never know."

  "I'm sure we will in time." The Old Knight said. Suddenly, a figure in dirty bandages raced toward the moonlit forest. "There! Whoever it is must have good survival skills."

  "For now. Where is it going?"

  "East toward the hills."

  "Old Maid's Town." The young Knight said, slumping back. "You might want to bring a sponge."